Eddington Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Eddington Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 11, 2025

Ari Aster has traveled from Sweden (Midsommar) to (somewhat hilariously for me) my birth state of Utah (Hereditary ) to Lord knows where (Beau Is Afraid) to deliver his particular and some might argue peculiar allotment of chills. At least Midsommar and Hereditary, and really to my way of thinking undeniably Beau is Afraid as well (though others' mileage evidently varied in that film's regard), Aster has trafficked in the horror idiom in some interesting ways, even if (as I detailed in my Midsommar Blu-ray review in particular) he might arguably not be quite as innovative as some think. In at least one way, then, Eddington may put to rest some niggling qualms about Aster's filmography in terms of a perceived trajectory from Hereditary to Beau is Afraid having offered seriously diminishing returns, since whatever else may be questionable about it, Eddington probably inarguably provides a more understandable (if still increasingly gonzo, a la Aster's fashion) narrative than his previous collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix. And in fact Phoenix himself may be the biggest selling point in a film that has a lot on its mind and which suggests none too subtly that all of us may have been living through our own private and/or public horror movies with the onset of Covid 19 and its aftermath.

As Aster details in an interview included as a supplement on this disc, he grew up in New Mexico and still has family there, and so there's a very palpable sense of time and place suffusing Eddington, which was shot in the wonderfully named Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) is the sheriff of Eddington, and the film is somewhat ominously identified as taking place in the summer of 2020, just as the full effects of the pandemic were starting to be felt, and especially insofar as those effects then led to decrees by various powers about things like social distancing and mask wearing. Cross in fact seems to be at least a libertarian in that regard, and is shown early on willfully defying the mask mandate. That may tip Aster's hand that Eddington is unavoidably political, and that aspect only becomes more focal once Cross gets involved running for mayor against incumbent Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal).

The ensuing narrative rather quickly descends into paranoia and conspiracy theories, some delivered courtesy of Joe's extended family which includes his apparently addled wife Louise (Emma Stone) and maybe even more addled mother-in-law, Dawn (Dierdre O'Connell). The overly stuffed plot and numerous subplots only add to the perception that Eddington can't quite make up its mind what it wants to be, and in that regard may prove to be as baffling in its own way as many found Beau is Afraid to be. What is initially a "simple" political showdown (with behavioral ramifications) devolves into completely insane carnage as the story goes on (arguably for far too long at almost two and a half hours), and while the upshot (emphasis on shot) of everything seems to be darkly satirical at least intermittently, it's that very intermittent part that ultimately may be the film's undoing. It's hard to be even grimly "amused" by Joe's disintegration, and it's even harder to make sense of a completely peculiar coda that may leave any number of questions unaddressed, in proper conspiracy theory fashion.

The featurette on the disc gives some repeated lip service to this film being a "western", or at least a neo-Western, and while that is certainly true of at least Eddington's locale and general look, could anyone ever imagine that if a pandemic had broken out in the west in the 19th century that hardy cowboy types would be arguin' much about mask wearin' and the like? This film's temporal setting is admirably unique but again arguably adds to a whole "what's the point?" reaction to what exactly Aster is trying to achieve with this piece. His focus on a society disintegrating virtually before the viewers' eyes is certainly apt for our current zeitgeist, but when he has a libertarian type like Joe alternately too credulous for his own good and then turning into a seemingly unrestrained quasi-serial killer, there are certainly elements here that are going to strike some as being an unrepentant screed.

Eddington Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Eddington is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of A24 with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. The IMDB lists both the Arri Alexa 35 and Sony PMW-320K as cameras utilized, with a 4K DI, though it may be salient to note that it looks like the top source capture resolution for the Sony is a "traditional" 1920x1080, so I'm assuming perhaps it was utilized for some of the "video" elements in the story like a Zoom call or the ad for Garcia that is briefly an interstitial. On the whole, this is another beautiful looking Aster film that benefits from secure lensing by Darius Khondji. The New Mexico locals are used to great advantage here, and a whole range of gorgeous desert tones suffuses the backgrounds of a lot of the outdoor material. I'd actually argue that while the 4K release of this film does add some nuance to the palette and uptick in fine detail levels, the 1080 presentation offered is excellent to the point that it may suffice perfectly well for many videophiles. Detail levels are still largely excellent throughout, especially in the more brightly lit moments where close-ups are employed, and even without the HDR / Dolby Vision grades the 4K UHD release offers, the palette is remarkably vivid throughout this presentation.

Eddington Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Eddington features a Dolby Atmos track that is frankly not overly "showy", but which still provides consistent if often pretty subtle immersion. Surround activity is noticeable from the first disturbing moments of an apparently unbalanced homeless guy stumbling into town, where both his mutterings and ambient environmental noises are immersive, and the glut of outdoor material, including some unplanned weather effects like the little sirocco that blows through the main street during an early showdown between Joe and Max, also offer clear engagement of the surround channels. Scoring also provides some good surround activity. The completely gonzo third act in particular also offers bursts of LFE and both discrete channelization and whizzing panning effects as violence breaks out. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.

Eddington Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Made in Eddington (HD; 33:23) has some interesting interviews and behind the scenes footage. It's perhaps salient that Aster can not come up with a quick answer to "what's Eddington about?" as the piece opens.

This has A24's typical packaging of a DigiPack in a slipcase. The sleeve of the DigiPack encloses art cards.

Eddington Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I closed my Beau Is Afraid Blu-ray review by saying I was uncertain whether that film meant anything or not, and I'm almost prone to say the same thing about this film, though it's manifestly obvious here what at least some of Aster's wishes for the story were, something that may not have been anywhere near as obvious with his previous outing. Aster seems to delight in reminding us just how horrifying that last several years have been, but he is never quite able to fashion this extremely potent material into an organically satisfying whole. There are some fantastic performances here and exceptional use of New Mexico locations, but Aster either needs a better editor (as in script editor) or in fact maybe a writing collaborator. Technical merits are first rate for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.