Review Roundup: One Battle After Another Opens Worldwide to Critical Buzz

Paul Thomas Anderson’s much-anticipated film One Battle After Another opens in theaters worldwide today (September 26, 2025), after buzzy festival premieres earlier this month. At nearly two hours and 41 minutes long, the movie is being hailed as one of the director’s most audacious works, blending absurdist comedy, political satire, and searing family drama.

The critical response so far? Equal parts admiration and debate. Some reviewers call it a masterpiece of ambition, emotion, and urgency. Others caution that the sprawling runtime and wild tonal shifts make it a fascinating but uneven ride. With Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn leading an ensemble cast, Anderson’s latest has already become one of the most hotly discussed releases of the year.

The Guardian: “Crazy Fizz, Exciting and Baffling”

Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian describes the movie as a “wild hybrid of absurdist comedy and violent thriller.” He praised Leonardo DiCaprio’s “fearless, emotionally raw performance” and Jonny Greenwood’s pulsating score. At the same time, Bradshaw notes that the tonal leaps make the film “at once serious and unserious, exciting and baffling.”

For him, One Battle After Another thrives on its “crazy fizz,” even if its unpredictability may overwhelm some audiences.

The New Yorker: Tenderness Amid the Fury

Justin Chang in The New Yorker emphasized Anderson’s ability to hold contradictions together. He found that the movie “locates tenderness and fury in the same breath,” with the father–daughter storyline between DiCaprio and newcomer Chase Infiniti serving as the emotional throughline.

Chang argued that Anderson balances the chaos of political violence with a deeply personal narrative, making the film one of the director’s most resonant works in years.

Variety: A Propulsive Political Epic

Variety’s coverage has leaned into the film’s scale and urgency. The trade calls the movie a “propulsive blend of political satire and action spectacle,” noting how Sean Penn’s grotesque, magnetic antagonist dominates the screen. Jonny Greenwood’s score again earns plaudits, described as lending “operatic urgency” to Anderson’s restless visual style.

For Variety, the film works as both cinematic spectacle and urgent political statement, cementing Anderson as one of the few modern auteurs willing to push boundaries on such a grand canvas.

Screen Daily: Craft vs. Runtime

Screen Daily highlighted the excellence of the performances — especially Penn’s villainous turn — but also warned that the runtime could divide audiences. Its review called the episodic structure “energizing but occasionally overwhelming,” suggesting the length will be both a point of admiration and a stumbling block depending on audience patience.

The Independent: A Critical Darling, Commercial Gamble

The Independent suggested that Anderson’s latest is “a daring artistic gamble with undeniable craft.” However, the review raised doubts about its mainstream box office prospects, pointing out that the overt politics and tonal eccentricities could alienate casual moviegoers expecting a more conventional Anderson film.

It frames One Battle After Another as a critical darling that might require awards buzz and word-of-mouth to achieve long legs at the box office.

AP News: Urgency in Topical Themes

AP News focused on the film’s topical weight, noting how it confronts issues of authoritarianism, systemic racism, and state violence. Rather than tackling these themes with didactic speeches, Anderson uses satire and spectacle to give them a visceral urgency.

The review commends Anderson for taking risks in bringing these subjects into a mainstream release, calling it “a contemporary gamble that feels both risky and necessary.”

Rotten Tomatoes: Strong Early Consensus

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film debuted with a strong score, reflecting mostly glowing reviews. The early consensus calls it “an ambitious, unflinching blend of political rage and cinematic bravado,” while cautioning that its runtime and tonal density may not appeal to everyone.

A Deeply Divisive Masterwork

Taken together, the reviews reveal a film designed to stir debate. Admirers laud its ambition, political edge, and emotional depth, while skeptics highlight its length and tonal whiplash. This divide is hardly new for Anderson, whose films often invite conversation and reward repeat viewings.

In One Battle After Another, he has crafted something sprawling and combustible, meant as much to provoke as to entertain. Whether you find it exhilarating or exhausting may depend entirely on your appetite for cinematic risk-taking.