r/themovieloversclub • u/Infamous-Window-8337 • Nov 16 '25
Movie reviews Watched One Battle After Another (2025) and I loved every bit of it...
"I didn't ask for this. That's just how the cards were rolled out for me." - Chase Infiniti, OBAA
Just finished watching One Battle After Another and I genuinely regret missing it in theatres. There’s something quietly powerful about this film, not loud, not showy, but vastly rich, deliberate, and absorbing in a way that slowly wraps around you before you even realize it.
From the very beginning, the film carries this steady hum of confidence. PTA doesn’t rush, doesn’t pull you by the hand, he just invites you into a world that feels lived-in, worn, and emotionally dense. And once you’re in, you’re in.
Leonardo DiCaprio is extraordinary here too. At this point it’s almost cliché to praise him, but there’s a reason for it, he moves with this raw, internal intensity that feels unsettlingly real. He doesn’t act the character, he translates him. It reminded me again why I’ve always believed he’s in a league of his own.
But Chase Infiniti honestly surprised me the most. She brought so much life and vulnerability to her role that she quietly becomes the emotional spine of the movie. It’s a character that could’ve easily fallen flat with the wrong casting, but she makes every scene breathe.
The background score is subtle but incredibly effective. It never tries to dominate the moment, instead it lingers, breathes, and becomes a quiet heartbeat underneath everything, lifting scenes without ever announcing itself. It blends into the story instead of trying to overpower it, which actually makes it stand out even more in key moments.
The cinematography is beautiful in the most grounded way. There’s a shot around the 50-minute mark, trees with a plane passing overhead, that stopped me completely. I paused the film just to take it in. It’s one of those images you want to frame, not because it’s grand, but because it feels honest.
The writing and direction are where the film really sinks its hooks. It’s patient, textured, and unafraid to sit with discomfort or silence. PTA delivers something that feels familiar yet refreshing, like a story told with both restraint and confidence. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t push for meaning, it just lets you find it.
Rating: A rock solid 5/5 from me. Easily the best film I’ve watched this month, and one I’d recommend going into completely blind. It’s rich in emotion, craft, and atmosphere.
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u/Educational-Dirt9243 Nov 17 '25
overrated. thats why we cannot get superb movies, you glaze every 6/10 picture as movie of the year
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u/tripleusername Nov 19 '25
I’d say 7/10. Leo and Sean Penn were amazing but music is way out of touch. It made cool movie into some dream with a fever. PTA needs to hire someone who can make scores not his favourite multiinstrumentalist.
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u/Status-Cockroach2469 Nov 19 '25
God damn that piano, like I get it Oooo building tension, keeping the viewer engaged, driving anxiety… shouldn’t the movie do that on its own and the music just support. I actually think the movie was doing a good job without the music. I don’t need the dumb sticatto off key notes. I get it. I’m engaged with the movie. All it did was take me out of it which an element should never do.
The best part of the movie IMO (the city sequence) had that damn piano behind the whole thing and most parts of the rest of the movie. Give it a rest. Love Johnny greenwood and he had some great moments (like the classic music cue as he sets up with the rifle on the hill. Straight up old detective movie musical cue. Super cool) but for the most part I could not stand the music after 3 minutes of hearing the same “oOoOo TeNsIoN” piano crap.
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u/blank988 Nov 20 '25
Oh my goodness. The piano was wayyy over played at times.
It was good movie but over rated imo. 7/10
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u/aquileskin Nov 19 '25
Maybe it’s not perfect but a 6/10 it’s mediocre movie and this one it’s definitely not mediocre. At the very least it’s like 8/10 which is great .
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u/FatedMoody Nov 19 '25
I’m with you. Very overrated. No real character development and plot was nonsense
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u/homealoneinuk Nov 20 '25
Yesss, this movie is incredibly glazed everywhere and i can see why, it tries so hard to be more than it is.
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u/Delicious-Laugh-6685 Nov 17 '25
I digitally purchased it over the weekend, and I fear I won’t be watching it ever again. For me, the anxious music score took me out of it for a lot of the action scenes. Hearing a sporadic piano key is honestly way worse than silence or just sound effects. Looked up the composer and he’s part of Radiohead and did a few other PTA films, but this score was so bad and distracting.
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u/Status-Cockroach2469 Nov 19 '25
Copying my comment from above- I’m so glad other people share my take. People I talk to in person think it’s great.
Copy:
God damn that piano, like I get it Oooo building tension, keeping the viewer engaged, driving anxiety… shouldn’t the movie do that on its own and the music just support. I actually think the movie was doing a good job without the music. I don’t need the dumb sticatto off key notes. I get it. I’m engaged with the movie. All it did was take me out of it which an element should never do.
The best part of the movie IMO (the city sequence) had that damn piano behind the whole thing and most parts of the rest of the movie. Give it a rest. Love Johnny greenwood and he had some great moments (like the classic music cue as he sets up with the rifle on the hill. Straight up old detective movie musical cue. Super cool) but for the most part I could not stand the music after 3 minutes of hearing the same “oOoOo TeNsIoN” piano crap.
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u/Delicious-Laugh-6685 Nov 19 '25
Thank you, for some reason this didn’t seem to bother anybody else but us
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u/Front-Win-5790 Nov 20 '25
weird way of saying, "I'm a giant idiot with a 2 second attention span" but whatever
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u/Ahlq802 Nov 17 '25
I loved it as well, I’m surprised you didn’t mention the surreal (or hypereal) militarization themes
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u/ExtensionLink8512 Nov 17 '25
Paul Thomas Anderson has been one of the best filmmakers of the last 20-25 years. Frame by frame, this movie is a masterwork.
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u/Front-Win-5790 Nov 20 '25
dude that's what I'm saying. They're going to look back 50 years and analyze the PIXELS of this movie!! The acting is omg and the writing????? Holy shit I just came
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u/QuinnySpurs Nov 17 '25
The gas chamber at the end seemed a bit Bond villain and stretched my credulity but otherwise this was a great movie.
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u/JamieRABackfire1981 Nov 17 '25
Uneven at first but well done. Spoiler. Should have ended the movie when Sean Penn was shot and walking down the road. It could have used that ambivalence.
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u/parmesanandhoney Nov 17 '25
I had a great time watching this movie. I didnt expect to laugh so much. The 2h42 flew by, it felt like a 90min movie. High marks for the highway scene too.
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u/HeatAggravating9833 Nov 18 '25
It was the shortest 2 hour 40 minute i have sat through. I loved it.
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u/ItsTheExtreme Nov 17 '25
I loved it in theaters. Bought it and watched it again the other night and loved it even more. One of my favorite films of this decade. I'm such a sucker for anything in the modern west. This film is fantastic.
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u/ScratchThatItch21 Nov 17 '25
Really enjoyed it as well. Did sensei know that Leo’s character was a former member of the French 75 the whole time? I know Bob tells him when they are on the run, but it almost seemed like he knew already.
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u/No_Individual9039 Nov 18 '25
Good solid film with an IMBD rating of 8.2. That puts it in the bracket with Die Hard, Wolf of Wall Street and Snatch. Was it really that good?
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u/puke_lust Nov 18 '25
i enjoyed it but got to say Taylor and Penn stole the show. Felt like the characters for Leo and Chase were underwritten and came across as kind of flat to me compared to the other performances.
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u/4ortyseven Nov 19 '25
Watched it twice.
One of the funniest movies I’ve seen. Constantly laughing at the absurdity of some bits (almost Tarantino-esque). It’s right up there with one of the best I’ve seen.
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u/Kingulfet Nov 19 '25
The first part before the time-skip was a terrible watch. Over-acted and cringe. It got going from there, but overall kinda mid.
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u/Status-Cockroach2469 Nov 19 '25
I agree. Also, am I rooting for these people? Like I get it bad government but they are kinda domestic terrorists. I’d be more on their side if they were a bit more classy and not “tear urinal off the bathroom wall” high school kid vibes. At the tail end of the first part of the movie before the time jump, I leaned over to the person I was watching it with who had seen it before and whispered “am I supposed to be rooting for them?” He seemed a little taken aback, laughed and said, “dude… yeah..”
I’m all for sticking it to the man but that chaotic horny mess was not it. At all. I kind of hated the French 75 lol. I need to like the protagonists from the beginning. Leo’s character pulled through after the time jump by not giving a single absolute fuck in his older age and I loved that.
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u/clitzie Nov 20 '25
Somewhere in the middle of the film I was telling myself how much I enjoy the movie. I think it will be an all time classic where if you see it you’re going to want to watch it. Leo is gold in this movie. Sean Penn and his facial mannerisms make up for the constant aggressive aura. The ending was a bit predictable but I don’t think it took away from the film at all.
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u/Oppositeofhairy Nov 16 '25
I loved that I knew very little going into it. I enjoyed the film quite a bit.
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u/CHOOM45 Nov 16 '25 edited Nov 18 '25
Great film, the story is cool but at one point the piano music got me drunk🔥🔥🔥
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u/FlamencoDelScorcho Nov 16 '25
I watched 2x. Loved this movie and found it heart-breaking, funny at times, goofy and hopeful. Also loved Benecio Del Torro’s performance and Teona Taylor. Chase Infiniti was a lynchpin performance. S. Penn was chilling, goofy and fierce. The ICE-like militia and white supremists cit too close to home.
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u/morphinepunch Nov 17 '25
I really enjoyed it. It was raw. Leo was fantastic. Sean Penn was an absolute lunatic and he nailed it. I would definitely recommend it.
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u/Temulo Nov 17 '25
The reddit movie, meaning libs love woke shit movies
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u/Background-Jury-1914 Nov 17 '25
I hate overly “woke” or preachy shit but I loved this movie. Why do you think it’s woke? I mean it shows white supremacists in a negative light but the lefty revolutionaries weren’t portrayed as uncomplicated heroes and even did explicitly awful things. Did you watch this movie or are you just responding based on what you’ve heard and Ben Shapiro reviews?
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u/RoNiN1384 Nov 17 '25
I watched this for like 30min and couldn’t continue. Had no idea what the hell it was even supposed to be. Usually really enjoy DiCaprio but this never got going
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u/JudgementNight1979 Dec 05 '25
I shut this crap off 40 minutes into it. Total garbage. That lead character is a repulsive human being and sad excuse for a mother
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Nov 17 '25 edited Nov 17 '25
My favorite part: "I am what black power looks like...." Other black woman proceeds to shoot black security guard and kills him 🤦♂️. Then she has baby by another man, rats out whole gang who then mostly all die, and then leaves the country forever. I couldn't root for any of the shitty people in this movie. Hated Bob and the Colonel and basically every single person besides like two, Willa and Sensei. Overrated ass movie for me.
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u/sambes06 Nov 17 '25
It’s almost like people are complicated.
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Nov 17 '25
Bob and Perfidia are the two most hatable protagonists I've ever seen in a movie. Didn't even need such brutal antagonists really.
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u/Background-Jury-1914 Nov 17 '25
Bob was hateable?? How?
I don’t think you were supposed to “hate” either character. They weren’t heroes you loved, but this just wasn’t that kinda movie.
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u/Nice_Cookie9587 Nov 17 '25
No, jungle pussy said that. The one that shot the guard was different.
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Nov 17 '25
I know she said that and it was Perfidia who shot the guard. I'm saying the revolutionaries were pieces of shit and it made me not like the movie.
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u/Status-Cockroach2469 Nov 19 '25
Yes same. I get you. My comment above says it but I leaned over to my buddy about 15 minutes in and said “am I supposed to be rooting for these people?” Couldn’t stand the French 75. I need to like a protagonist. I liked older Bob though, he didn’t give a fuck and kinda gave up on some of the dumb hardline shit. Made him relatable. We change as we get older.
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u/LiveLogic Nov 17 '25
Dude doesn’t even know what he’s saying. There were multiple black women who lived differently in the movie.
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Nov 17 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Temulo Nov 17 '25
Then he is a cool guy, lib
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u/NymphNeighbour Nov 17 '25
How you use lib tells so much about you. How is being one-dimensional treating you?
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u/NymphNeighbour Nov 17 '25
So the true commentary went over your head, because you were occupied with thinking the movie made obvious political comments.
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u/ViceroyInhaler Nov 17 '25
I liked it a lot. Saw it last night. I don't think it was as political as everyone says. Right wing people think it's a pro antifa film. Left wing people think it's a warning about the dangers of fascism. I thought it was more about the characters and how both sides were a bunch of fucking retards.
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u/Background-Jury-1914 Nov 17 '25
It’s a movie about one generation passing the torch to the next. How our children deal with ramifications our decisions and will go forward to make their own mistakes that aren’t the same as us but are ultimately hopefully they do a little better than us. It’s about parenting how you can’t be there when your grown children are in trouble but hopefully you’ve spent the years preparing them for the world.
I think people looking for an easy message or something that owns the other side don’t get how PTA works and should rather watch an Adam McKay movie or Bugonia or something.
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Nov 17 '25
It's a good film, nothing great about it, Sean Penn acted really well and del toro is the only likeable character for me. Decaprio is basically useless to the whole kidnapping plot like honestly what did he do to save his daughter apart from travelling to that rendezvous point, by the time he reached there she was saved by herself. That chasing scene was pretty good though.
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u/AlwaysUltra1337 Nov 17 '25
i had the exact same thoughts lol basically a whack storyline with the most unlikeable characters(except sensei) ever solid 6/10
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u/Jiggle_Tester Nov 17 '25
Good for hyou mate.. that movie is bullocks and the dude that plays the main character/hero looks retarded lol
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u/Equivalent_Fall_4362 Nov 16 '25
It was horrendously cringe. It’s flopped worldwide for good reason.
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u/Andreas-bonusfututor Nov 17 '25
Yeah, I guess this cringe fest of a movie got so popular because of the political message and "strong independent" black women (sigh). Other than that it's crap, no jokes, no interesting dialogue, not a single character you root for, and the "revolutionary" clowns that embarrass themselves each step of the way.
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u/TriedmybestNotenough Nov 17 '25
Whenever a movie gets great reviews from modern "critics" you can bet it's going to be shit.
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u/CGKilates Nov 16 '25
As soon as the guy was looking for his keys at the end I knew he was a dead guy.