Is This The Best Film of the Year? Our One Battle After Another review settles the debate on PTA's three-hour masterpiece.
- Sep 28, 2025
- 3 min read
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Hollywood just dropped a movie with a capital M and it's a glorious, terrifying, and unconventional spectacle. I'm talking about One Battle After Another (2025), the new three-hour epic from legendary writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. The man has once again decided to swing for the fences, delivering a film that is as visually massive as it is intensely focused on character. You can only catch this sprawling cinematic statement in a movie theater right now, and I’m imploring you to do so. The sheer scale demands the big screen, and trust me, there's nothing else quite like this One Battle After Another review this year. The cast, led by Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, and explosive newcomer Chase Infinity, is simply phenomenal.
The plot feels like an epic on a bender. DiCaprio plays a former political revolutionary who, sixteen years after dropping out of the fight, has become a paranoid stoner dad who gets high and tries to keep a low profile. Think The Big Lebowski's Dude, but if he had an arsenal and crippling guilt. When a powerful, hateful villain—a Colonel Lockjaw (Penn)—resurfaces and threatens his daughter, he has to call the old gang back together. What unfolds is a chaotic, action-packed story of a group of broken, middle-aged activists confronting the dark heart of their country's present moment.
So, is this a masterpiece or just a brilliant, messy experiment? It’s a bit of both, but I adored it. This film is a furious, dark comedy that throws in massive car chases and explosive action without ever feeling cheap. It’s also one of the most polarizing films I’ve seen in ages; it demands your patience and a willingness to be challenged. For every riveting scene, there’s a moment of bizarre tonal whiplash that makes you lean forward and wonder what on earth you’re watching. But that’s not the twist everyone's arguing about—it's the deeper meaning behind Colonel Lockjaw’s terrifying mission.
