Unabomber tries to weave together two stories to create a compelling backstory for Ted Kaczynski. Unfortunately, the two never really gel. The result is a half-baked mess with both timelines feeling disjointed and unsatisfying despite the film's highly fictionalized take on real-life events. It's hard to pin down exactly what Unabomber turns out to be but it certainly feels like a film that banks on being controversial and provocative rather than being genuinely compelling.
In the 1990s, the FBI is conducting a years-long manhunt for a serial bomber with little to show for it. They only know the perpetrator as the Unabomber. Agent Joanne Miller (Shailene Woodley) believes their profile is wrong and begins questioning the investigation. Meanwhile, back in 1958, 16-year-old mathematics prodigy Ted Kaczynski (Jacob Tremblay) enters Harvard University. While studying there, Ted joins a club where a series of psychological experiments are conducted by Professor Henry Murray (Russell Crowe). Through these sessions, Ted slowly changes from a timid individual into a more aggressive one eventually leading toward the man who would become the Unabomber.
We wanted Unabomber to be interesting but we just couldn't find ourselves getting into it. The film constantly jumps between the 1990s and 1958, and in our opinion, these shifts are too frequent and jarring. Neither timeline gets enough room to breathe making it difficult to settle into either timeline, become invested in its characters, and even understand why these two narratives need to be told together. Eventually, these timelines do converge but because they feel so isolated from each other for most of the film, there's very little buildup toward that moment. When the pieces finally come together, the payoff feels lackluster, unfulfilling, and forced.
More importantly, you expect the film to show how Ted Kaczynski transformed from a mathematical genius into a serial bomber. Instead, much of that transformation remains speculative and the film never convincingly bridges the gap between the psychological experiments and the monster he would eventually become. The fictionalization could have made for a fascinating exploration of his radicalization from his teenage years to adulthood but its stuck in a particular small portion of Kaczynski's life. The one saving grace is how surprisingly atmospheric the film can be. There are moments that are genuinely tense and even unsettling, creating flashes of the thriller that Unabomber could have been.
Other than that, though, there's little to love here. If you want to scratch that true-crime itch, you're probably better off watching a YouTube video or documentary about Ted Kaczynski instead.
Unabomber (2026) Movie Review: Half-Baked
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