The Best and Worst Films of 2025
By Danny Minton
By my count, I think I saw over 200 films in the past 365 days, which I fully admit seems like more of an addiction than a hobby or a favorite pastime. And to tell you that I see them so you don’t have to would be disingenuous at best. I do truly love the art form and even when they are bad, I love to pick them apart to see what went wrong and what could have been done better. After all, I don’t think anyone sets out to make a bad film, but this year certainly did see a lot of mediocre and worse fare. But it also saw a lot of really terrific ones as well. Surprisingly, this year I don’t have any films at the top of my list that weren’t widely considered the best of the year. The films sitting in my top four are considered the most likely to be duking it out for the Oscar this year, and they are all really, really good. But it’s hard to ignore the others, even in my honorable mention category, which gave me a headache as I moved several of them in and out of the top ten. While 2025 was a year of great pain and horrific political turmoil, the theater gave us the solace and escape we needed, even if it was for only two to three hours at a time.
1) Sinners (Streaming on HBO Max). It’s rare that a film released in spring is competitive this time of year, but Sinners has truly held up. But if you haven’t seen it yet, it’s probably because a friend told you what it was about and it just didn’t sound like your cup of tea. I will truly admit that this is a hard one to describe. Is it a vampire film? Is it a compelling story about the Jim Crow south? Is it a musical? You could say yes to all of these things, as the film truly defies genre. Ultimately, it’s about two brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan in the best performance of the year) who, after a stint working for the Chicago mafia, move back to the south to open a juke joint. But when they hire a brilliant young performer (newcomer Miles Caton) to perform there, an evil presence shows up to try to steal him. Writer/director Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) brings together a production that is truly firing on all cylinders. While I’ve only seen a bit about how the film was made, it shows that the creative juices were flowing from everyone involved. If there is a highlight, it’s the music by two-time Oscar winner Ludwig Göransson (Black Panther, Oppenheimer), who is most likely about to win his third here. His music gives the film the ethereal feel it needed to transcend the screen, making it a truly special and spectacular experience.
2) One Battle After Another (Streaming on HBO Max). Warner Brothers has found itself in a pickle this year, with arguably the two strongest films of the year battling it out for best picture. This second film on my list could win legendary writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (Boogie Nights, There Will Be Blood) his first Oscar (he’s been nominated for eleven) and it would be very much deserved. This crazy adventure finds it’s lead actor, Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-out former left-wing activist hiding out from the powers that be who want him found, and preferably dead. With Sean Penn playing the pathetic military officer desperate to find him and his daughter, and Benicio Del Toro as a highly competent karate sensei trying to protect them, the film is one of the most unique, fun and cinematically thrilling adventures of the year.
3) Marty Supreme (In Theaters). Timothée Chalamet headlines this nutty, yet compelling, adventure of a young man with a dream of being the best ping pong player in the world, and the determination to make that dream come true at all costs. The first trailers made it look like like a family-friendly journey, but you are quickly awakened to the fact that it is quite the opposite as you quickly get to know Marty and you see how dangerous his ambitions are. Marty isn’t necessarily bad, but he isn’t good either, and while he doesn’t want anyone to hurt from his misdeeds, he is willing to step on their necks to get to where he needs to go. Written and directed by Josh Salfdie (Uncut Gems) the movie is brilliantly pieced together through a long series of bad choices and almost-lucky breaks that have to be seen to be believed. It’s a truly fun time at the movies, although you feel that you need a good shower afterwards.
4) Hamnet (In Theaters). From Nomadland writer/director Chloé Zhao comes this heartbreaking drama about William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal) and his wife Agnes (Jessie Buckley) as they cope with the death of their young son, named Hamnet. While the film does center around profound loss, it also focusses on healing and remembrance, which gives the experience its most important and memorable moments. With the dreamlike score from Max Richter, the movie manages to transcend from what could have been just a depressing tear-jerker to an uplifting and inspiring masterpiece.
5) Frankenstein (Streaming on Netflix). Filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro tackles Mary Shelley’s challenging classic story in this new adaptation which follows Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) as he longs to create life, only to find that his creation (Jacob Elordi) has the ability to bring about unexpected consequences. At least that’s one way of putting it. We know the story well, but it’s never been this well-told. As beautiful as it is macabre, the movie is truly breathtaking, filled with many horrors which border on the artistic, leaving you mesmerized as you follow along, patiently revisiting a story you only thought you already knew.
6) Bugonia (Streaming on Peacock). Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite) is not your normal filmmaker. His movies are odd, to say the least, and his style is unconventional. But there is something to be said for his unique abilities. In his latest tale, two disturbed young men (Jesse Plemmons and Aidan Delbis) are convinced that the young female CEO of a local company (Emma Stone) is really an alien, so they create a plan to kidnap her in the hopes of getting her to confess and stop her from destroying Earth. As you’d expect, it is weird, disturbing and yet somehow extremely enthralling. While it’s not for everyone, if you enjoyed his other works, this one is probably right up your alley.
7) Jay Kelly (Streaming on Netflix). In this new comedy by Noah Bombach (Marriage Story, The Squid and the Whale), George Clooney is Jay Kelly, a superstar actor (who you could best compare to George Clooney) who tries to figure out his life, towards the end of a long, storied career. Along with his devoted manager (Adam Sandler), Jay travels to Europe to try to catch up with his daughter, who he didn’t spend enough time with while she was growing up. So many people obsess and fantasize about fame and fortune, but this movie helps you put those things in perspective from the point of view of a man who might regret them, but who also might not have made different choices if had the ability to do so. It’s a fascinating work that helps you relive a life that isn’t yours in a way that is real and tangible. It is also at times very funny, giving you laughter in moments where you need it the most.
8) No Other Choice (In Theaters). South Korean writer/director Park Chan-Wook (Old Boy, The Handmaiden) tells this warped tale about a family man with a good life who is abruptly laid off by the paper company he works for, disrupting his world as he tries to find work in an industry that has been rapidly changed by technology. With many qualified workers all hunting for the few jobs available, he decides that the best alternative is to kill his competition so that he can more easily find employment. As you would expect from Chan-Wook, this is a violent drama that makes you laugh uncontrollably as you meander through the labyrinth of the twists and turns of our anti-hero. To call a story like this entertaining might be proof of the depravity of our society, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable.
9) The Life of Chuck (Streaming on Disney+). Adapted from a Stephen King short story, The Life of Chuck is a fantastic little movie which, while it has a supernatural element, is far more life-affirming than terrifying. Told in non-linear short tales, all revolving around a man named Chuck (played by Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay and Benjamin Pajak), the movie is strange to say the least, but powerful as well, as you try to figure out what is going on and then put the pieces together as you do. If you let it take you away, you’ll understand why so many have gravitated towards it, and why so many of us consider it to be so magical.
10) Blue Moon (Available for online rental or purchase). Director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Boyhood) gives us this sad but funny little tale about famed Broadway lyricist Lorenz Hart, wonderfully played here by Ethan Hawke, as he struggles towards the end of his career, seeing himself pushed out of the industry, largely because he has become so difficult to be around. Taking place mostly in the restaurant Sardi’s in New York City, Hart reflects on his career, tries to score a next gig with his former writing partner Richard Rogers (who has moved on to work with Oscar Hammerstein) and most importantly, tries to seduce a woman he considers to be well out of his league in youth, beauty and physical stature. While I don’t know the accuracy of the events of the story, I absolutely loved the way it was told, and Hawkes performance was out of this world. On top of that, Linklater and Hawke being such prominent Texans makes the film that much more compelling.
Honorable Mention: 28 Years Later, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Ballad of Wallis Island, Black Bag, Bob Trevino Likes It, Eddington, The Long Walk, Mountainhead, Novocaine, The Perfect Neighbor, Superman, Train Dreams, Warfare, Weapons, Wicked For Good
The Worst:
1) The Electric State. The Avengers Directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, gave us this stinker of a Netflix film starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown that had us all excited until we started watching for five minutes. Netflix should have unplugged this one before it hit our televisions.
2) Captain America: Brave New World. Not even Harrison Ford turning into Red Hulk could save this catastrophe. As Marvel tries to move on from our original set of heroes, this film helped us understand why we need them back.
3) Snow White. While they sometimes hit it big with live-action remakes, like this year’s Lilo & Stitch for example, sometimes Disney misses the target completely. This one will make you want to eat an apple before you watch it.
4) Love Hurts. I think we all love Ke Huy Quan, and want to see him succeed in this new part of his career. But this action film about a hitman with a lost memory is not the way to do it. Sometimes you want the lost memories to stay lost.
5) A Minecraft Movie. Teenage boys seemed to love this live action Minecraft flick starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa, but not even two of my favorite actors could stop the headache from coming on as I attempted to give this one a chance.