Pedro Pascal’s ‘Behemoth!’ Debuts on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Score Could Shape the Oscar Race

Pedro Pascal has been busy lately, and his latest film is a very different animal from the one that came before it. ‘Behemoth!’ is his first movie since ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu,’ and it marks his first leading film role. It trades galaxies far, far away for the hushed world of Hollywood scoring stages.

The man behind the camera is Tony Gilroy, the creator and showrunner of ‘Andor’ and an Oscar nominee for ‘Michael Clayton.’ He returns to features after 14 years away. The film had its world premiere at the New York Film Festival, and Searchlight Pictures will release it on Dec. 4.

Now the first critical numbers are in. ‘Behemoth!’ holds an 80% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 15 reviews, with the audience-driven Popcornmeter not yet posted. It debuted even higher, at 85% from 13 reviews, 11 of which were fresh, and the score is expected to fluctuate as more critics weigh in.

The film follows Alex Serian, a gifted cellist who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Music has been the constant, all-consuming river of his life, and it carries him on an adventure that will change him forever. Pascal’s co-stars include Olivia Wilde as Carol, Eva Victor, Will Arnett, Hank Azaria, Matthew Lillard and Alexa Swinton.

Many of the early reviews are glowing. SlashFilm gave it 8.5 out of 10 and said Pascal has finally found his perfect movie star role. Deadline called it a lyrical love letter to the music of the movies and praised Pascal’s low-key, no-showboating performance as a wandering soul in search of himself.

Not everyone is sold. One review argued that the script gives too little dimension to Alex, calling him a sideliner in his own life and saying the drama keeps stalling. The reviews, in short, describe the same performance with very different verbs, and they split over whether a man who never makes a decision can carry a film.

There is one point of agreement. Variety’s critic notes that it really is Pascal playing the cello, and says Gilroy avoided the genre’s familiar flaw of faked playing by having his star learn the instrument. That is the kind of detail awards voters tend to notice.

Awards talk has been part of the conversation for a while. ‘Behemoth!’ was previously predicted to be a serious Best Picture contender at the 2027 Oscars, and the first reviews make a Best Director and Best Original Screenplay nomination for Gilroy, along with a Best Actor nomination for Pascal, more likely. It would be the first Academy Award nomination of Pascal’s career.

First trailer for Tony Gilroy's new film ‘BEHEMOTH!’, starring Pedro Pascal.

The film follows a cellist who returns to Los Angeles after 20 years, confronting his past along the way.

In theaters on December 4. pic.twitter.com/o8AyoshH54

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 14, 2026

The production has had some drama of its own. David Harbour exited the film after reportedly filming some scenes, and Will Arnett stepped in to take over the role. Searchlight kept the synopsis under wraps for months, which only added to the curiosity.

With a limited release set for Dec. 4, there is still time for the score to move in either direction. For now, ‘Behemoth!’ looks like exactly the kind of prestige play Gilroy and Pascal hoped for, and the awards season conversation has already begun.

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