Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone teamed up again for Bugonia, and if you missed it in theaters at the end of October, it just landed at home. The movie quietly pulled in just under $33 million worldwide, which feels about right for a prickly sci-fi black comedy from this director. It also split opinions (shocker), with JoBlo critic Chris Bumbray giving it a 5/10 and predicting a divide. Lanthimos gonna Lanthimos.
So what is Bugonia?
'Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.'
That is the studio line, and it tracks with the DNA of the movie it is adapting: the cult 2003 South Korean film Save the Green Planet. The new version flips the CEO to a woman and leans into the uneasy blend of paranoia, satire, and pitch-black humor.
Where and how to watch
Bugonia is now available digitally. On Amazon, you can buy it for $24.99 or rent it for $19.99.
The original is even wilder (and yes, this matters)
Save the Green Planet is an eccentric black comedy about a disillusioned young man who kidnaps and tortures a businessman he is sure is part of an alien invasion. That is the simple version. Here is the fuller picture, because the remake is riffing on all of this:
Director Joon-hwan Jang centers the story on Byun-gu, a bitter, paranoid, and wildly eccentric beekeeper. He and his tightrope walker girlfriend, Sooni, abduct a powerful executive named Man-sik. Byun-gu is convinced Man-sik is actually an alien from Andromeda, one of many already here and prepping Earth for destruction in a matter of days. Amped up on stimulants and seeing himself as humanity's last hope, Byun-gu tortures Man-sik to force him to contact the "Royal Prince" and stop Armageddon.
Meanwhile, Man-sik keeps insisting he is human and tries to escape. He recognizes Byun-gu as a disgruntled former employee whose mother is in a coma with a mysterious illness, which suggests there might be a personal grudge at work. None of that slows Byun-gu down. On the outside, a rumpled detective named Chu and his younger partner, Inspector Kim, start connecting dots and suspect this kidnapper has struck before, with deadly outcomes.
Who made this one (and the fun behind-the-scenes wrinkle)
When the remake was first announced more than four years ago, the plan was for Save the Green Planet director Joon-hwan Jang to return and steer the redo. Plans changed. He eventually handed the job to Yorgos Lanthimos, who brings his own flavor of unsettling absurdity to the concept.
- Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
- Screenplay: Will Tracy (Succession, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver; co-writer of The Menu)
- Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Stavros Halkias, Alicia Silverstone
- Producers: Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures; Miky Lee and Jerry Ko for CJ ENM; Emma Stone for Fruit Tree; Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen for Square Peg; and Yorgos Lanthimos
- Theatrical run: Late October release; just under $33M worldwide
- Home release: Digital now; Amazon pricing is $24.99 to purchase, $19.99 to rent
Bottom line
If you skipped it in theaters and you are into Lanthimos's brand of dark, uncomfortable comedy, this is worth a look at home. If you are on the fence, that price might nudge you to rent instead of buy. Either way, expect debate in your group chat after the credits.
Checking it out now that it is digital? Tell me where you land on this one.