The Top 25 Movies of 2025

While cinema may never replicate the explosive creativity of 1999, 2025 comes remarkably close, echoing the excitement of 2007. That year saw a masterful Paul Thomas Anderson feature paired with a gritty, high-stakes neo-Western exploring the moral decay of America. In 2025, films like One Battle After Another and Eddington created a similar sense of tension and relevance, demonstrating that mainstream movies can feel boundless and vital once again.

Among the standout works that resonated widely, Sinners, Weapons, and 28 Years Later proved both essential and accessible, while Marty Supreme is expected to join this elite group later in the year. Box office success, however, only tells part of the story. Titles like Wicked: For Good and A Minecraft Movie helped stabilize Hollywood during a period of uncertainty, while Mona Fastvolds exuberant The Testament of Ann Lee pointed toward innovative directions for filmmaking.

Films such as Bi Gans Resurrection, Akiva Schaffers The Naked Gun, and Akinola Davies Jr.s My Fathers Shadow examined our cinematic past to illuminate the present, suggesting that retracing artistic steps can be both enlightening and rewarding. Meanwhile, formally bold projects like Jafar Panahis It Was Just an Accident, Oliver Laxes Sirt, and Kaouther Ben Hanias The Voice of Hind Rajab engaged with contemporary struggles, reflecting the emotional weight of modern life with authenticity and depth.

These diverse films, whether celebrated or narrowly overlooked, collectively underscore that cinema in 2025 remains vibrant and vital. The challenges lie more in the world surrounding them than within the films themselves.

Here is our curated list of the 25 best films of 2025.

Author: Harper Simmons