The best movies of 2025. And a few of the worst

Cafe Society
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I saw 104 movies with a 2025 release date.

I have yet to see a few movies, of course. This is obviously based on what I have had a chance to actually see. Please make your own recommendations or share the worst movies of the year if you wish.

My list isn’t going to be in any real order, but I will pick the best movie of the year.

Best of the year:

Weapons - a must see and the finest 2025 movie. Go in blind, enjoy it and I think you’ll really get a lot out of it. I saw no trailers or ads, but I have heard they actually did a great job keeping the main aspects of the movie secret. Good for them.

Highly recommended:

Best Wishes To All - a 2025 USA release date. Wonderful and surprising. I had no idea what it would be or what it was about and you know what? You shouldn’t either. Just go in and see it.

Dhoom Dhaam - a very fun, funny, and cute adventure about a couple just meeting for their arranged marriage. I laughed a lot.

Deathstalker (2025) - a very fun re-do of Deathstalker from the 80s. This one is family friendly and a hoot. Kind of loved it.

Wicked: For Good - Note: I had never seen Wicked or heard a single song, so my wife and I watched these two movies within just a few days. Wow, I liked this and the first part. Very well done.

Bring Her Back - dark, traumatic, scary, and extremely effective.

Sisu: Road to Revenge - sequel to Sisu. This is the best action movie of the year and honestly, the director should get to direct Mad Max 6. Great movie, very fun and thrilling.

Good News - A very funny Korean movie. It provided me some of the best laughs of the year.

The Naked Gun - Yes, this is how you do it. A joke comedy and a good amount of the jokes land.

The Monkey - another fun comedy. Sold as a horror film, but it is a comedy horror through and through. Very fun.

The Carpenter’s Son - What if Jesus was tempted as a teen? What if Joseph doubted Mary’s version of events? Good movie, well worth it.

One Battle After Another - Leonardo Dicaprio is very entertaining in this movie. I didn’t love it the way some did, but it is quite well done. I laughed more than I expected.

Sinners - I prefer the second half to the first. Watch and see if you agree. Go in blind.

Dead Mail - A man at the dead mail office investigates a mystery. Well done. Again, go in blind.

Dangerous Animals - Tense and rewarding. Not about sharks despite the poster. See it.

V/H/S Halloween - Wait. I mean specifically the segment “Kid Print”. Holy cow. Wow.

Marshmallow - A slasher movie? Well…..uh, you better just go in blind and watch it. I was very pleased.

OK, the WORST of the year real quick:

Cutter’s Club - Charles Band found this movie that stars Tony Todd right after Todd died. Bullshit and an incomplete movie. I wouldn’t even count this as a film. The WORST movie I saw this year.

The Minecraft Movie - Garbage. Exactly what not to do with a licensed property.

Witchboard (2025) - A remake or re-do of the 80s film Witchboard. Dull. Very dull.

Farkham Hall - exactly how not to do a Naked Gun style joke-based-comedy. Very unfunny. Pathetic.

Fostered - same movie as Goodnight, Mommy, but much….much….much worse. Why pick on foster families and the like?

Movies you've seen recently (Part 2)
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Thanks for the list! There are some there that I haven’t seen and will check them out.

But where is Bugonia? Surely this Yorgos Lanthimos masterpiece should have been included!

For the ones that I’ve seen, I agree with you on some but not on others. I agree, for instance, that it’s best to go in blind on Sinners, and that the second half is the best.

But we seem to have a different sense of humour. I absolutely loved the old Naked Gun movies with Leslie Nielsen, but to me, there’s nothing at all funny about Liam Neeson’s portrayal.

As for Fackham Hall (which is what I presume you meant by “Farkham Hall”), yeah, mediocre comedy, though it has its moments and I wouldn’t rate it as among the worst of the year.

But again, thanks! We’ll always have some disagreements, but I’ll check out some of your recommendations that I haven’t seen.

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I’d put it as “just missing the cut”. Good, though.

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I saw 155 movies in the theater in 2025. Of those, I’d estimate about 20-25 were not 2025 releases (I don’t keep track of the release dates, just a list of what I’ve seen each week. For instance, around Oscar time, I catch up on a lot of the nominees). I’ve covered most of the movies below in the Movies I’ve Seen thread, so I’ll just add only little bits of teaser phrasing.

My Top 12 (not in any particular order).

She Rides Shotgun “gut punch ending that rivals Shoplifters”
East of Wall “Based on and acted by the true life characters”
A Little Prayer “A profound depiction of family love”
One Battle After Another “Definitely a movie for and of our time”
Frankenstein “Sumptuous gothic”
Sentimental Value “A movie about movies and the people who make them”
Sinners “Race and Vampires”
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You “Claustrophobic and harrowing depiction of motherhood”
Jane Austen Wrecked My Life “A Hallmark movie done right”
Hamnet “Another masterpiece and potential second Oscar for Chloé Zhao”
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain "“A beautiful depiction of a toddler’s life”
Weapons “A masterful mix of horror, mystery, and black humor”

For the “what about” questions, here are my next dozen “best of the rest”.

Guns & Moses “A sun baked noir about a crime fighting rabbi”
Anniversary “Another film of and for our time”
Is This Thing On “Great performances and heartfelt narrative”
Cloud “Mystery/suspense/yakuza/mental breakdown”
Bugonia “A Yorgos Lanthimos comedy/scifi/crime thriller”
Marty Supreme “Uncut Gems with a happier ending”
Sketch “A child’s drawings come to life. What could go wrong?”
Mickey 17 “Bong Joon Ho Sci-Fi film!”
Left Handed Girl "A child’s experiences in a Taipei “night market”
Dust Bunny “A children’s tale that is not at all suitable for children.”
Bad Shabbos “An unfortunate occurrence threatens the families Shabbos dinner”
The Life of Chuck “Worth it for the dance sequence alone”
The Shadows Edge “Jackie Chan!”

Finally, the dregs in my cup.

Riff Raff
In the Lost Lands
The Actor
Grand Tour
Run
Deathstalker

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Wow! You guys watch a lot of movies!

I’ve seen a dozen or so movies this year, including one in the theater. :wink:

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I just counted my Letterboxd total and I saw 176 films in the theater during 2025. :astonished_face: I think that is my highest year yet!

My top 15 of the year are:

One Battle After Another
No Other Choice
Sinners
Bugonia
Weapons
The Monkey
It Was Just an Accident
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Sentimental Value
Marty Supreme
Together
Sorry, Baby
Twinless
Superman
Eddington

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I absolutely love the one-sentence summations. Wow, if those were your own, major kudos! If they weren’t, then thanks for lifting them from wherever!

I will once again quitely whine about Bugonia not being in your top 12!

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Yes, I love quoting myself. :laughing:

I’ve heard a lot of good things about this one!

I had planned to see this today (it’s playing in one of the most Oscar influential theaters) but flaked. I’ll see it this weekend, so it will fall into the “2025 movies seen in 2026” category.

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I was disappointed by this one, to be honest. However, any man who can make Oldboy and The Handmaid’s Tale deserves to be in my automatic “see every movie they make” list.

It was adequate, but just not quite good enough.

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Here is my Letterboxd account. If any movie fans would like to share their account, I’ll definitely friend/follow.