Magellan (2025) Movie Review: A Subversive and Painterly Deconstruction of Colonial Hubris and Historical Myth

Ferdinand Magellan is a name that has been etched into Western history as a symbol of peak human exploration and the triumph of the spirit. However, the 2025 biographical drama Magellan, directed and written by the legendary Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz, seeks to dismantle that monument piece by piece. Produced by a collective including Rosa Filmes, Andergraun Films, and BlackCap Pictures, the film made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2025 before arriving for its United States release on January 9, 2026. At 163 minutes, it is surprisingly concise for a director known for eight-hour epics, yet it loses none of the intellectual or visual weight that defines his filmography.

The film stars Gael García Bernal in the title role, portraying the Portuguese explorer not as a gallant hero, but as a man consumed by an obsessive and often irrational lust for power. The story covers the final decade of his life, from 1511 to 1521, as he navigates the high seas and eventually encounters the indigenous peoples of the Malay Archipelago. This film matters because it provides a necessary, unromanticized counter-narrative to the standard colonial history, choosing instead to focus on the "bloody stains" left in the wake of Western expansion. It is a film that demands we look at the cost of "discovery" and the individuals who were erased by it.

Story and Screenplay: Dismantling the Explorer Legend

The narrative structure of Magellan is far from a standard biopic. Instead of a chronological "greatest hits" of the explorer’s life, Diaz offers a meditative and often fragmented journey that prioritizes atmosphere and theme over plot progression. The script focuses on the anti-hero’s "bloody, cold path," starting with his arrival in Malacca and ending with his violent demise in the Philippines. What makes the story particularly striking is how it centers the concept of hubris. Magellan is depicted as a man who believes he can ignore the natural laws of the world, leading his crew to the edge of insanity in his desperate bid to find a westward passage to the East.

The pacing is a deliberate "slow burn" that immerses the viewer in the harshness of life at sea. While some might find the rhythm challenging, it serves to mirror the mental decay of the characters as they are landlocked or stranded by their commander's stubbornness. A major strength of the screenplay is its subversiveness; it introduces the legendary chieftain Lapulapu not as a traditional antagonist, but as a "mythological trick" designed to lure the arrogant Magellan to his doom. The only real weakness is that the film’s commitment to its thesis can lead to moments that feel slightly repetitive, as the director hammers home the idea of colonial emptiness through a series of similarly grim encounters.

Acting and Characters: A Career-Best Performance in the Shadows

Gael García Bernal delivers what many critics are calling the finest performance of his career. He plays Magellan as a "power-hungry, petulant child," a man whose religious piety is a convenient mask for his carnal ambition. Bernal captures a terrifying transition from a confident naval commander to a desperate charlatan, often without saying a word. He doesn't ask for the audience's sympathy, which makes his eventual collapse all the more fascinating to watch. The way he handles Magellan’s "drunken hubris" and his blatant disregard for the clergy when they no longer serve his financial needs provides a darkly humorous edge to a largely somber film.

However, the true emotional anchor of the film is Amado Arjay Babon as Enrique, Magellan's enslaved interpreter. While Magellan drives the action, Enrique is the one who bears witness to the carnage. By the final act, the story essentially pivots to Enrique, highlighting how the "cost of freedom" for the invaded often involves stooping to the same violence as the invaders. The supporting cast, including Ângela Azevedo as Magellan's wife, Beatriz, adds a haunting quality to the film. Beatriz appears primarily as a series of hallucinations, representing the life and love Magellan abandoned in favor of his oversized desires, creating a tragic distance between the man and his humanity.

Direction and Technical Aspects: The Painterly Eye of Artur Tort

Lav Diaz’s direction is as radical as ever, but the collaboration with cinematographer Artur Tort elevates this film into something visually transcendent. Shot in a square 4:3 aspect ratio, every frame feels like a "museum installation" or a 16th-century Dutch landscape painting. The camera is almost always static, fixed on a tripod like an impartial observer watching the destruction of worlds. This stillness makes the rare moments of movement—such as the rocking of the ship—feel remarkably physical and disorienting. The decision to use a Lumix GH7 gives the images a "persistent ethereal glow" that contrasts sharply with the gritty, blood-soaked reality of the events being depicted.

The production design is equally impressive, featuring a meticulous reconstruction of the ship Victoria and period-accurate costuming. Yet, Diaz chooses to use these elements to frame "broad strokes" of history rather than getting bogged down in exposition. He often leaves the aftermath of battles or piles of bodies in the frame without explanation, forcing the viewer to confront the "blood-soaked earth" left behind by the explorer. This visual storytelling is powerful; for example, a shot of Magellan dwarfed by a massive castle on a beach perfectly encapsulates the theme of a small man possessed by oversized, destructive dreams.

Trailer Magellan (2025)

Music and Atmosphere: The Sound of Wailing and Ritual

The atmosphere of Magellan is defined by a sense of impending doom and spiritual unease. The film begins not with the explorer, but with seven and a half minutes of indigenous people wailing in fear and performing rituals to plead for protection from the "white man". This opening sets a tone that persists throughout the runtime: a world being encroached upon by a "ferocious beast" of colonialism. The sound design emphasizes the natural elements—the rhythm of the ocean and the sounds of the jungle—to highlight the "immutability of nature" against the puny efforts of men to conquer it.

There is a "quietly spiritual" quality to the film that is occasionally punctuated by abrasive political reminders. The atmosphere is often "hellish," particularly when Magellan’s religious zealotry clashes with the reality of his massacres. The score, when it appears, supports this feeling of "ethereal decay," making the viewer feel as though they are watching a ghost story where the ghost is a living man haunted by his own future crimes. The audio and visuals work in tandem to create an experience that is immersive rather than dazzling, prioritizing a sense of "historical haunting" over simple entertainment.

Strengths and Weaknesses

What works well:

• Bernal's Transformation: Gael García Bernal delivers a tour de force performance that strips away the glamor of the historical figure.
• Visual Grandeur: The 4:3 cinematography by Artur Tort creates frames that are as detailed and stunning as classical paintings.
• Thematic Subversion: The film successfully reclaims history for the Global South, portraying Magellan through a critical, anti-colonial lens.
• Enrique's Narrative Arc: Centering the enslaved interpreter provides a necessary moral perspective and a unique "backseat" to the usual hero's journey.
• Atmospheric Immersion: The sound design and "slow cinema" techniques effectively place the viewer within the psychological and physical strain of the voyage.

What doesn't work:

• Repetitive Themes: Some viewers may find that the film hits the same "colonial decay" notes too frequently, leading to a sense of thematic stagnation.
  Demanding Pacing:
• Demanding Pacing: While "concise" for Diaz, the 163-minute runtime and lack of traditional plot momentum can feel "tedious" for those not accustomed to slow cinema.
• Lack of Exposition: The "broad strokes" approach to history means some battles and deaths occur without context, which might confuse viewers looking for a factual account.
• Dream Logic Confusion: The hallucinations and ethereal "glow" of the visuals can occasionally make it difficult to distinguish reality from Magellan’s deteriorating mental state.
• Limited Side Character Depth: While Magellan and Enrique are fully realized, some indigenous leaders and ship crew members feel more like conceptual symbols than people.

Final Verdict: A Challenging but Essential Cinematic Re-evaluation

Rating: 4/5 stars

Magellan (2025) is an "anti-biopic" that stands as a staggering achievement in modern filmmaking. It is a film that refuses to offer the easy comforts of a traditional adventure epic, choosing instead to present a "damning" take on the Age of Discovery. By framing Magellan as a man plagued by "drunken hubris" and a "carnal lust for power," Lav Diaz has created a work that is both a visual masterpiece and a vital piece of political art.

Who should watch it? This is essential viewing for fans of "slow cinema" and those who appreciate films that challenge Western-centric historical narratives. If you enjoy the painterly, contemplative works of directors like Albert Serra or Peter Greenaway, or if you want to see Gael García Bernal at the absolute peak of his powers, this film is a must-watch.

Who might not enjoy it? Those looking for a swashbuckling adventure or a standard, factual biography will likely find Magellan to be an "exasperating" and overly long experience. If you require high-speed narrative momentum and clear exposition to stay engaged, the "museum installation" feel of this film may prove too stationary for your tastes.

Final Thoughts and Recommendation: I highly recommend Magellan for its stunning technical craft and its fearless subversion of one of history’s most entrenched myths. It is an "oddly beautiful" film that captures the decay of a man and the birth of a colonial nightmare with equal parts grace and brutality. While it requires patience, the emotional and intellectual rewards are significant, making it a standout release of 2025 and a definitive entry in Lav Diaz’s remarkable career.