Emma Stone first worked with Yorgos Lanthimos in 2018’s The Favourite. Since then, she appears to have embodied that film’s title. All three of the Greek director’s subsequent films had her as lead, with 2023’s Poor Things even securing her second Oscar. Now, as Lanthimos returns to absurdist territory, Stone’s never been more frightening. To think, she’s already done a spin on Frankenstein’s monster, with the accolades to prove it. 

Funny thing is, this was never intended for the tandem, nor is it original material. The concept of an English, gender-swapped take on 2003’s Save the Green Planet! first floated in 2020. South Korea’s Jang Joon-hwan was set to reprise his role as director and Will Tracy as set to write the screenplay. They wrote the script, all right, but health concerns forced Jang to step down from the helm and stay as executive producer. That’s how Lanthimos stepped in and this is now, by far, his most expensive film to date.  

The title is of ancient Mediterranean origin. It stems from the old belief that honeybees originate from dead cattle and, more often that not, entailed slaughtering rituals. So, more than a plot device in this dark comedy, the bees stand for rebirth. And that’s just one of Bugonia’s many complex layers. 

Suffice to say, it’s another new era for Stone, who appears to jumpstart each one by sampling pop songs onscreen. Natasha Bedingfield’s “Pocketful of Sunshine” is so 2010’s Easy A. Here, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe” is the ditty of choice.

That’s how we meet Michelle Fuller, CEO of the pharmaceutical giant Auxolith and a suspected “Andromedan”, an alien species sworn to destroy Earth. But there’s more to the vendetta for Teddy Gatz (a delightfully unhinged Jesse Plemons) and his autistic cousin Don (Aidan Delbis, a neurodivergent non-actor). It was Auxolith which ran the very clinical trial that rendered Teddy’s mom, Sandy (an unrecognizable Alicia Silverstone) in a coma. 

The cousins apprehend Fuller, keep her captive at their basement, and torture her. In the process, they also shave her head and splatter her with her antihistamine cream, all for  convoluted reasons, and that explains the promotional art. But there’s one thing the duo don’t take into account. Regardless of her true nature, Fuller’s got prowess for mind games, which she successfully pulls, and Gatz’s gruesome nature is further exposed. 

Frankly, one can already see the twists a mile away in this sci-fi caper. The mere fact it’s even called “sci-fi” makes detection easy. But, sometimes, it’s not about the unpredictability but the overall execution. Once again, Lanthimos proves to be an engagingly offbeat storyteller, with his go-to’s enhancing the mood. There’s cinematographer Robbie Ryan, editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, and composer Jerskin Fendrix. Of the three, only the editor took a break in 2024’s Kind of Kindness. 

But for more emphasis, it’s Stone who packs the most punch as Lanthimos’ four-time muse. Twist or no twist, she provides the chills, while Plemons supplies the chaos. In all its routine B-movie leanings, the finale still manages to drop jaws. It doesn’t quite tie up all the loose ends, but it highlights humanity’s minuteness in the grand scheme of things.