Ahead of award season, highly-esteemed filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson is turning heads with his new film “One Battle After Another” (OBAA).
OBAA is Anderson’s first film since “Licorice Pizza,” released in 2021. The cast of the film fuses big names and rising stars alike, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro and Chase Infiniti.
Loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” OBAA follows an ex-revolutionary (DiCaprio) who must face his past when a former foe targets his teenage daughter (Infiniti). Opposite DiCaprio is two-time Academy Award winner Sean Penn, who plays a corrupt military colonel.
Released on Sept. 26, OBAA is the first film in Anderson’s catalog to be released in IMAX. Filmed in VistaVision, a filming process dating back to the 1950s, OBAA is the first film to also be screened in the VistaVision format since “One-Eyed Jacks” in 1961.
The VistaVision process was repopularized in 2024 by “The Brutalist,” which garnered heavy attention during award season for its unconventional use of the process. The film won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography.
The revitalization of VistaVision has become so popular that four films slated for release in 2026 are primarily filming with it, including films by established directors Emerald Fennell, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Greta Gerwig and M. Night Shyamalan.
Because of the irregular format of the film type, 70 mm screenings are unusual and there is a scarcity of theaters around the country who can project it. Usually, after its initial run of screenings, the 70mm film prints (the stock the movie is filmed on) is passed between other theaters. For its initial run, OBAA opened in 70 mm (5-perf) film stock at 20 locations worldwide.
“One Battle After Another” is another high achievement in cinema, and is arguably one of Anderson’s most important. Although “Licorice Pizza” was well-received among film critics, it was a box office failure. Choosing to match the story’s large-scale width was an interesting choice, but it seems to have paid off.
OBAA is the most expensive film of Anderson’s career. According to Deadline, OBAA cost around $130 million to $140 million to make. As of Oct. 4, the film has made $101 million.
After watching OBAA on 70mm in Chicago, it was difficult to not walk out of the theater with an ear-to-ear smile. Every person inside the theater was mentally present, watching a beautiful film that had complete control of their attention for almost three hours.
An anxiety-inducing film with surprises around every corner (or over every hill), its biggest surprise comes from Penn’s performance — his first major film appearance since 2021.
For those familiar with his brooding, macho-male roles such as the one he played opposite Susan Sarandon in “Dead Man Walking,” watching Penn play an almost parody of that archetype is a pleasure to watch.
Additionally, the ensemble cast is phenomenal. Every character seems near-perfectly casted, even background characters. Regina Hall, del Toro, and even Dijon (a popular R&B artist) all get their time to shine in certain scenes.
The largest constant throughout the film is the score, composed by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood. Anderson and Greenwood are frequent collaborators, dating back to Anderson’s film “There Will Be Blood” in 2007.
While 2025 has not been the most spectacular year for movies, “One Battle After Another” seems to be the clear frontrunner for Best Picture and is one of the first movies in a long time that satisfies its hype.
