Paul Thomas Anderson’s highly anticipated film “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, has received widespread critical acclaim. The movie boasts a near-perfect score of 97 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on its first 31 reviews, making it the highest-rated movie of this decade on Metacritic’s best movies list.
The film explores topical political themes and depicts a society where gun violence, white power, and immigrant deportations recur. DiCaprio plays an ex-revolutionary who reunites with former accomplices to rescue his missing daughter.
Critics have praised the film as an action thriller with notable chase scenes, jumping in time from DiCaprio’s character’s early days with a fictional revolutionary group to about 15 years later. The movie was made on a big budget and co-stars Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.
Several critics have called the movie a masterpiece, citing its timely themes and masterful genre-bending approach. Variety’s Owen Gleiberman praised the film’s “mindbending brilliance,” while IndieWire’s David Ehrlich noted its prescient portrayal of contemporary issues.
The early positive reviews are promising for Anderson’s Oscar chances, but some critics warn that the movie’s commercial expectations must be balanced with critical prestige.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/09/17/one-battle-after-another-starring-dicaprio-becomes-best-reviewed-movie-this-decade-on-metacritic