2025 was a major year for Hollywood, not only because of the mergers that have disrupted the studio system, but the films that proved we’re just as eager to go to the movies as ever. Warner Bros. had the biggest hit of the year at the domestic box office with A Minecraft Movie, and successfully kicked off a brand new cinematic universe with the release of Superman. Disney had surprising success, too, debuting three Marvel Studios movies, none of which were able to match the box office success of the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake.
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Horror films got a tremendous boost due in no small part to original ideas. Though sequels like Final Destination: Bloodlines and 28 Years Later made an impression, it was original films like Sinners, Weapons, and Bring Her Back that became the critical darlings and commercial hits. Science Fiction largely took us in the other direction, though, bringing new chapters in major franchises including two Predator movies, a Tron sequel, and another Jurassic World film.
With the thousands of movies released in 2025, it’s almost impossible to narrow the field down to just ten, but these titles show off not only the quality of what was released this year, but the breadth of distinct kinds of movies that we saw.
10) If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Mary Bronstein’s psychological drama navigates the minefield of modern parenting through a surrealist prism. Not only does it test the limits of its lead character, Rose Byrne as the fierce tornado of chaos, Linda, but manages to crawl to unexpected and bizarre places as it continues to unfold. Though Byrne’s performance and Bronstein’s unique and trippy visuals are the two high marks of the film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You has a secret weapon, Conan O’Brien in a dramatic turn that is one of the most engaging supporting performances of the year.
9) The Perfect Neighbor
Geeta Gandbhir’s documentary may well be one of the toughest watches of the entire year, revealing the true story of the death of a mother in Florida after being shot by her neighbor, and the police encounters that occurred before the event which completely reshaped a community. Told exclusively through body camera and interrogation room footage from the police, along with news reports about the case itself, The Perfect Neighbor is one of the most impressive movies of the year from a pure construction point of view, edited with precision as it weaves multiple threads together about the Ocala, Florida neighborhood where the deadly encounter occurred. The Perfect Neighbor is not for the faint of heart, and has some of the most harrowing moments of the year, and will leave a mark on the viewer when it’s over.
8) It Was Just an Accident
Jafar Panahi’s thriller rewards patience, as its slow start gets the ball rolling on a narrative that unfolds in layers. In the film, a former political prisoner in Iran believes he has found the man who was his primary tormenter when he was being held by the government, prompting him to not only kidnap the man in broad daylight but seek out his friends that are trying to fully live their lives to see if he’s correct and he has the right guy after all. The script for It Was Just an Accident may be its strongest asset, digging into the intricacies and perspectives of this wild scenario from every angle and allowing the performers meaty roles to chew on. It Was Just an Accident builds with confidence to its finale, though, with a closing sequence that will keep you glued to the credits as your mind races with the possibilities.
7) Pee-wee as Himself
Matt Wolf’s three-and-a-half-hour epic documentary has a runtime that rivals the latest trip to Pandora, which allows it the breadth of time to fully examine its titular subject. Showing off footage and interviews with key members of Reubens’ life, alongside the man himself, the movie is just as much a portrait of a performer who relishes in maintaining control of his image as it is a battle between the filmmaker and his subject over what the final product will be. This is not only a must-watch for Pee-wee fans, but the kind of documentary that delivers a fully nuanced portrayal of an artist’s evolution over decades.
6) The Life of Chuck
Mike Flanagan has made a career for himself in adapting not only Stephen King novels, but specifically the ones that should be impossible. With The Life of Chuck, he not only channels his ability to manage this, telling a story told in reverse and where the full picture isn’t really revealed until the finale, but brings with it all of his other trademark motifs. The Life of Chuck not only replicates the unique structure of Stephen King’s short story but also manages to weave in the personality of Flanagan with his recurring stable of actors and his distinct interest in monologues. In a year where Pennywise the Clown returned, and The Running Man got remade, the best Stephen King movie was the sentimental one that didn’t actually have any action or monsters at all, beyond the thought of not living your life to the fullest, that is.
5) Hamnet
Four years removed from her ambitious but faulty Marvel movie, Eternals, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao made her triumphant return with Hamnet, revealing the details of the story that inspired Shakespeare’s play. Hamnet continues to prove that Zhao’s filmmaking sensitivities are rewarding for the viewer, as she relishes lingering in nature and allowing her performers to fully embody their characters in a moment without cutting away, exemplified multiple times over the course of the film by Jessie Buckley. The film also navigates potentially clumsy waters with aplomb, detailing how the tragedies of Shakespeare influenced his life and the most iconic lines from his career. A lesser film would wink at the audience with each of these moments, while Hament allows us to meditate on the path that led to its writing.
4) Weapons
Zach Cregger’s follow-up to Barbarian is one of the most ambitious horror movies of the 2020s, blending the distinct anthology structure of Magnolia with the wicked temperament of Hereditary. Weapons is not only a fulfilling mystery for viewers, with a narrative that keeps you guessing and always has an answer for every question, but which toys with you every step of the way with horrifying new moments and a sinister sense of humor. Anchored by Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, and Austin Abrams, Weapons not only rewards repeat viewings but proves that horror can exist on a grand canvas if the storytellers will just dream big enough.
3) No Other Choice
Telling the all too familiar story of bad bosses, corporate consolidation, and a wide net of workers competing for the same job, No Other Choice is one of the most surprising movies of the year, considering how well it lampoons modern working life (and how it pushes things to the extreme). One of the greatest elements of No Other Choice is how it uses heartthrob Lee Byung-hun, leaning into the fact that the world knows him best for starring in grim dramas like Squid Game and intense action-thrillers like I Saw the Devil, and flipping the script on those expectations entirely by making him a bumbling goofball with no clear plan. That plays alongside Park Chan-wook’s direction as well, as the filmmaker utilizes unique camera tricks and framing to make this South Korean satire a global one that everyone can appreciate (while also making them sick to their stomach over its accuracy).
2) Marty Supreme
It would be easy to offer the derogatory summation of Marty Supreme as “Timothée Chalamet’s ping pong movie,” but the film is immediately captivating from the jump in part because of the unique backdrop that its story is set against, but specifically in Chalamet’s performance. Charismatic, funny, frustrating, annoying, exhausting, exciting, slick, and confusing, this is a fully realized person with depth and dimensions that some movie characters can’t even conceive of. Though clocking in at two and a half hours, there’s not a moment of Marty Supreme that doesn’t feel earned or that the film itself isn’t building toward and paying off in some way. The narrative is as expansive and complicated as the titular character itself, with a propulsive pace that is endlessly entertaining and always finds new ways to surprise you.
1) One Battle After Another
With Leonardo DiCaprio in one of his most memorable performances as a burnout revolutionary navigating a world where the enemy has gotten more sinister and sophisticated, One Battle After Another is as thrilling visually as it is narratively. Paul Thomas Anderson’s epic isn’t just defined by its lead actor’s hilarious and offbeat character, but by every person who steps across the screen into fully realized roles that are all unlike anyone else you’ll meet in a movie this year. Even with a dramatic storyline that keeps the viewer guessing, One Battle After Another is also one of the funniest movies of the year, with jokes that will sneak up on you and leave you snickering even though the VistaVision cinematography on screen by Michael Bauman has you gripping the armrests.
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Image Courtesy of HBO Max
