While 2025 may have been a crap year in many ways, one of the good things that came out of the year was a bunch of good movies came out this year. So many movies came out this year that this year, it was tough to bring it down to 25 so I added 5 more and I am also adding 10 honorable mentions because 5 is not enough. Now before we begin I can tell you that a few films I have heard great things about, but I did not find them that great like One Battle After Another, Black Bag (which I hated), Bring Her Back, and The Toxic Avenger remake. I also have not seen some movies like Marty Supreme, Zootropolis 2, Hamnet, and The Ballad Of Wallis Island. Sorry, I've only seen 140 films (including those that were Regal Cinemas Mystery Movies) this year and some of your favs fell through the cracks.
Without further ado, here are the 10 honorable mentions by alphabetical order.
Now for the My Top 30 Favorite Movies of 2025. Remember again, that a 2025 film to me is a film that was released to actual theaters (even in a limited showing) in 2025 so if you see a 2024 movies or before that, those films were film festival showings or released earlier in other countries.
The reason I needed to immediately say that is because a few films released earlier to film festivals and other countries made the Top 30 and we start off with one of the film that won Best International Film at the Oscars. This film (based on a true story) about a mom who has to deal with the fact her husband was disappeared by the Brazillian tyrannical government in 1971. She tries to find answers for what happened to her husband along with trying to raise her kids with help from fellow family members and live a normal life. It's tragic and shows that while the people responsible for the horrible things were never prosecuted or faced justice, those perpetrators of horrible things will face justice in the form of history looking back at them with disdain.
Predator fans were eating really good in 2025 as we had two Predator films that came out in 2025. The lower ranked one in my eyes (which came out on Hulu), is an anthology that shows Predators attacking people in different timelines like an attack on Vikings, an attack on samurai and ninjas, an attack on World War 2 fighter planes, and a final showdown with all of the human survivors and more Predators. This film shows Predators with different tech and ways of hunting (including jet fighters vs a spaceship) facing off with killers in battles that were bloody and fun to watch. The animation was also great even if they were almost the same animation as the Spiderverse films which I am not the biggest fan of.
Yeah, animation was good, but not as great as many years in the past with only two making the Top 10 and only 5 making this list overall. This one is an entire movie that fills an entire arc from a manga for the anime adaptation. In this movie, our pathetic hero Denji (who has Chainsaw demon powers) falls in love with a lovely woman named Reze (while also trying to save himself for Makima) and Reze turns out to be evil with Bomb demon powers. Explosions galore, a great cast, and a film making you pity the villain makes this an enjoyable film. I'm going to guess the anime show will repeat this arc for the TV show and much like DragonBall Super doing Battle Of Gods arc and Demon Slayer doing the Mugen Train arc, they will be not as great as the movie versions.
Oh dear god this movie could have been so terrible and with some trailers, it looked like it was going to suffer the same fate of many other comedy remakes or reboots in being not funny and painful. However, The Naked Gun reboot decided to be insanely funny with its many gags. Liam Neeson (much like Leslie Nielsen) plays the insane things happening around him completely straight which is great and is also helped by a good supporting cast like Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser. Many of these reboots like Ghostbusters 2016 try to ignore or even denigrate the past films and then are shocked to find out it always goes bad as fans of the originals get upset at the denigration and the new viewers who had not seen those older films won't get it. I'd definitely recommend this film for a good laugh.
Horror was also great this year and the first film for me to bring up is a film that brings together the almost always effect genre of body horror. This film, which sees a couple who recently got married (but are dealing with the hardships of seeing each other everyday) coming into contact with a disease that is forcing their bodies to join together. Both Dave Franco and Alison Brie play their roles greatly and you mostly cringe when they are fused together and fight to separate as you can imagine the pain in what is happening. Always be careful about what you put into your body because something horrifying and mostly unseen by the naked eye could be hiding in what you inject, eat, or in this case, drink.
Racing movies almost seem like a great idea for a fun and thrilling time, but they mostly don't completely hit the mark. Thankfully, F1 is not that type of film that misses the mark as it goes into everything that goes on in the world of Formula One with a fictitious team where its owner needs to call out of obscurity a veteran race car driver to help elevate his younger driver who is too impulsive in races. The world of trying to drive as a team vs. driving as individuals, all the while knowing that other teams could try and steal your guys after the end of the year, is done masterfully. If you want to know more about Formula One, you can always watch the great Netflix docuseries Drive To Survive.
Entering the world of anime continues as the first part of a planned trilogy of movies to finish an anime hit in Demon Slayer. The Demon Slayers and Hashira are forced into the evil Infinity Castle in hopes of finally killing the leader of all demons Muzan Kibutsuji. Along the way, they meet other high ranked demons and some good guys and some good guys live. I was kind of very disappointed that one of the Hashira died real early in the film, but I'm not surprised as I'm sure she died early on in the Manga this is based off of. The combination of 2D and 3D animation works really well to give you an enjoyable experiences and once again with animes, you are shown that even the villains are just people who had bad things happen to then and just make one wrong choice to turn evil. Can't wait for Part 2 and Part 3.
Once again based on a true story with much like I'm Still Here, an evil dictatorship takes over. But unlike I'm Still Here, that is mostly just in the background as our main story deals with a jaded teacher named Tom Michell arriving in Argentina to teach English to the students of an elite boys school, rescues a penguin from an oil spill that killed most of his colony during a vacation, and because that penguin refuses to leave his side, he takes the penguin with him to be a pet. The film is very emotional and makes us care for a penguin. Also, this was one where after watching the movie, I immediately bought the audiobook on Audible and listened to it during my procedure to get rid of some Hidradenitis Suppurativa tunnels (you'd know what that is if you have it or know someone who has it).
The Final Destination franchise came back and it came back with a bang. This is definitely my second favorite film in the franchise (only behind the first). Basically, Death is now coming after the family descendants of someone who cheated death years ago and had kids and grandkids. My only complaint is the lead is not great, but the tattooed and pierced guy more than made up for it as he was funny and just a joy to watch with his antics (although he does die). The deaths are ridiculous yet awesome (my favorite being what happens with the MRI) and it was also a farewell to Tony Todd, as it was his last film before dying of cancer in 2024 (if you watch the film, you can tell the cancer is killing him and this was a perfect way for him to say goodbye to all his fans). With this one being a massive hit, I'm sure we will see more Final Destination films, which I am okay with......as long as they are nothing like The Final Destination (aka Final Destination 4).
Yep....we have more movies dealing with someone and that person having an animal companion. In this case, Naomi Watts is taking care of a dog formerly owned by her best friend and mentor (who killed himself) and dealing with the grief of that. It is beautifully acted by both Naomi Watts and Bill Murray as well as you seeing what it is like to deal with a Great Dane as a pet (hint: it is not easy because they are big ass dogs). It also is helped by a great supporting cast like Carla Gugino, Constance Wu, Ann Dowd, Owen Teague, and Josh Pais.
And another movie with a guy and a four legged friend. However, unlike the others where it is just how they deal with each other, this one has that too....but a bigger concern is the fact that the dog owner is diagnosed with a freaking brain tumor. So we are not only worried about the pet and the bad things that happen to it, we also have to add to the worry of the human who takes in this street dog. Many of you may not have heard of this film and that is because it is a Brazilian film that is on Netflix. Many times in this movie, I was an emotional wreck and it wasn't just because of the dog and the owner. This is definitely a film I would recommend watching, just have some tissues nearby.
Finally, we got a good Fantastic Four movie after all the crap we've gotten in the past. Everyone does a fine job at their roles and the 50s alternate universe aesthetic is great. There was a point that I was almost taken out of this movie with the whole not willing to sacrifice their baby to save the world, but Susan Storm gives a very good explanation and explains that it doesnt mean they are going to let the world die too. Julia Garner for the most part had a great 2025 (with one big exception of Wolf Man) and she is great in this film as The Silver Surfer (I'm ignoring all the assholes who are upset that Silver Surfer isnt a guy). Galactus probably could be a bigger baddie for a bigger movie, but he was fine here and probably should be a bigger threat later on.
Okay, it is the last movie with a dog playing a major part in the movie. However, this time it is a horror movie from the dog's point of view (for most of the film, we dont even see the human's face). You get to be very scared for a dog as he gets a lot of supernatural horrors as the house his owner (who is also very sick and dying) has now moved to with him is haunted. The dog is definitely a good boy and it is even better to know that the dog was actually the director's dog and he is not a trained dog. All the tricks used to make this film (it took 4 years and $70,000 to make) are pure genius and let's be honest, sometimes you got to give an indie project the respect it deserves.
Okay.....time for me to explain because most critics were not a fan of this film. Ron Howard directs an amazing cast as there are 3 different parties who want to live their lives on this barren island in the 1930s away from civilization. Each has different objectives and ultimately those plans cross paths, causing all hell to break loose. Yes, there are definitely some things that I can say were terrible about this film, but I guess this movie caught me at the right time and I had a good time watching it in a theater as a Regal Mystery Movie. And for most of the movie, I didnt even know what movie I was watching because I must have missed the title and had no word on this movie even existing.
I want people to realize how much romantic comedies are not my cup of tea so when I say one is really good and is actually on my favorites list, it must be really good. Miles Teller, Elizabeth Olsen, and Callum Turner all deliver great performances that also has a different perspective on what the afterlife is. The choices all the characters make mostly make sense and is helped by great side characters played by John Early, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, and Olga Merediz. If this is what happens after you die, it wouldnt be too bad although certain real life assholes not having consequences for their actions in the afterlife may be a uneasy pill to swallow.
Man, I really thought this movie would be in my Top 5 or at least in my Top 10 which should tell you how much I enjoyed this year. Sophie Hatcher plays a girl who goes out on a vacation with her boyfriend (played by Jack Quaid) as well as another couple (who are gay)....and things go off the rails because nothing is as it seems, because at least someone is a companion android. If I tell you any more about this movie, it will include spoilers (although the android could be a spoiler too, but even the promotional materials tell you that) so I will stop here and say Watch This Movie.
Like Eden and Eternity, this was also a Regal Mystery Movie. However unlike Eden, I had at least heard this was being made, but never seen a trailer to it. Everyone in this adaptation of a Stephen King novella does a great job and at times I may have been confused by what was going on, it was so engaging that I could not take my eyes off the screen. I am glad to see Mike Flannigan shows to be a great director because I saw his first film Absentia at a film festival and while I did not like the film, I could see his directorial talent.
I was so worried about this film because past films have been so bad with Superman and completely butcher who the Man Of Steel is. Thank God that James Gunn understood the assignment and gave us a Superman who is not only a great superhero, but a legit good guy who believes in doing the right thing despite the political situation. Nicholas Hoult plays the most despicable of all incarnations of the Lex Luthor and he truly was someone who I could not wait to see him get his comeuppance. Yeah, there may be some weak points like the whole clone Superman and some motion insanity that could get you sick, but this is a film where you can see Superman as man who believes in truth and justice, yet doesnt sacrifice being interesting to become that person. Can't wait for the Supergirl movie that is coming.
Danny Boyle has come back to deal with the world of infected zombies that he created with 28 Days Later. Things have only gotten worse from the original film and the United Kingdom has been closed off from the rest of the world because while the rest of the world dealt with the plague, the UK was not so lucky. We follow characters in this mostly quarantined United Kingdom as they have to just survive in this world with zombies in it. The only criticism of this movie is the tonal whiplash this movie has with its ending to set up the sequel coming out this year, which gives me pause in my anticipation of the sequel.
From the director of Psycho Goreman comes an awesome reboot of the Deathstalker series. Daniel Bernhardt is great as the titular character, the effects (both gore and monster effects) were fan-freaking-tastic, and the Deathstalker main theme song is a banger. I was very worried about this remake originally, but the trailer looked awesome and thankfully, the movie was even better. Hopefully Steven Kostanski gets more work because he definitely knows what to do with a small budget.
10. Weapons
Zach Gregor does it again with a film that deals with a very creepy topic of what will people in a town do when kids run into darkness and disappear with no explanation. Now some people may be put off that it is not a linear story, but this is a story where we need to follow multiple people and to do that in a correct way, you need to mostly do that this way. Oh and the acting for the most part is great as we have Julia Garner (Silver Surfer from Frantastic Four), Josh Brolin, Aiden Ehrenreich, and Benedict Wong. We even have cameos from his previous film Barbarian in Justin Long and Sara Paxton. The only weakness is the reveal kind of feels like a disappointment, although it makes sense and the ending with the kids and the villain is top notch goriness.
I am not a fan of K-Pop and yet I loved the music in this film. The animation is crisp and the voice acting is just fantastic. And just to let you know, my Netflix profile has a Derpy Cat picture so you can tell what my favorite character was. And it is extremely hilarious to have four songs from this film have a firm grasp of the Top 10 in the Billboard Hot 100. Sony made a huge ass mistake of not putting this film in theaters and give it to Netflix, one they'll be banging their heads on the wall for all the unrealized money they could have made. We'll definitely get a sequel and I can't wait for it.
Yes, I know in the UK, this was in 2024. But here in America, it is 2025 so it counts for this list. I really like the Wallace & Gromit shorts and movies so this was perfect for me and we get a villain that we have all wanted to return in Feathers McGraw. Feathers McGraw once again wants the Blue Diamond that he stole in the one short called The Wrong Trousers and he will once again try to use Wallace's newest Gnome invention to get away with it while hoping to frame the two that stopped him last time for the theft. It is sad that Peter Sallis (the original voice of Wallace) is no longer with us, but Ben Whitehead has been a perfect replacement and I hope to get more Wallace & Gromit stuff in the future.
Like I said, we were eating good in 2025 with the Predator franchise as along with Killer of Killers, we got Badlands as well. Dan Tractenberg has continued where he left off with Prey in 2022 as now for the first time, our good guy is a runt Yautja (the Predator species) who survives his own father wanting to kill him (thanks to the sacrifice of his older brother) and he hopes to prove his worthiness by killing a beast that is considered unkillable apex predator in a Kalisk. Along the way, he makes friends with an android and a baby monkey looking creature (that has a huge twist later on) and has to deal with the evil Weyland-Yutani baddies. I was very worried about the PG-13 rating, but it is only PG-13 because there is no red human blood so fine with me.
Tired of watching My Bloody Valentine and need another worthy Valentine's Day horror movie? Well, I have the film for you in Heart Eyes, a film which would be a really good romantic comedy, if not for the fact that our lead couple also has to deal with a slasher villain who kills couples on Valentine's Day. Olivia Holt and Mason Gooding make a current "Will They or Wont They" couple who have to run away from a killer who definitely thinks they are a couple. And like many other good horror films lately, the director of this film is also someone who deals with the world of comedy in the past as Josh Ruben was a person who worked for CollegeHumor and appears on Dropout original shows. Also a fantastic minor characters played by folks like Jordana Brewster and Devon Sawa makes for enjoyable film even when we arent following the main couple or the killer.
Another film series from 2022 is Sisu with the sequel getting the subtitle Road To Revenge. Much like the first film, if you don't leave Sisu alone, you will die. This time though we get our main character Aatomi Korpi trying to go to Russia and get the wood from his old house that he was forced out of (which also lead to his family's death) so he can build a new house. However, the Nazi villains from the first film are replaced by Soviet villains lead mostly by Yeagor Draganov (the man who did kill his family and was embarrassed by Korpi's first bit of revenge that created of Sisu legend so he has been tasked with cleaning up his mistake), who is played awesomely by Stephen Lang. The violence and gore is fantastic and the sighs and grunts of pain from Korpi as he just wants to be left alone and build a new life, but has to deal with shit is fantastic. In fact, I would say Sisu: Road To Revenge is better than the first Sisu movie.
It's very ironic that the first Mystery Movie I saw at Regal is the best one I've seen this year, but that is the case with the extremely violent and extremely funny movie about a man who cannot feel pain due to a rare disorder has to save the girl he likes (played by Amber Midthunder, who you may remember from Prey) from robbers who take her hostage. Cringing at the injuries that he doesn't feel and a lovable performance by Jack Quaid (who was also in Companion) make this film a joy to watch and a film that I have seen a few times since my first viewing. Along with the son of Dennis Quaid is the villain played by Ray Nicholson (the son of Jack Nicholson) who plays a bad guy who you want to see get his comeuppance.
Probably the movie that I most felt shook leaving the theater is this Warfare. Co-directed by Alex Garland and a former Navy Seal Ray Mendoza, this is a film that just only follows a big encounter between Navy Seals and armed Iraqi insurgents that Ray Mendoza was a part of. The film feels real as hell and has great performances from D'Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Taylor John-Smith, Michael Gandofini, Joseph Quinn, and others. Every explosion, every shot, every instance of insurgency, gives you a bit of complete shock. This is definitely one of the best films to deal with the Iraqi War and it deals only with an incident that most people would consider just minor, unless you really knew what happened. Being in an actual war gives you no peace because someday, shit may hit the fan for you and this is just a small taste of what being in the shit is like.
Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan team up again for a great vampire siege film that has Jordan play two roles as twin brothers named Smoke and Stack and Jordan plays both of them excellently that if he isnt nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor, I really don't know what is wrong with the Academy. Also, this is a film where once again if Delroy Lindo gets snubbed again (this time for Best Supporting Actor), I will throw such a fit online and yell on the internet for their horrible opinion on films....unless you nominate Miles Canton instead because he is such a great breath of fresh air and is incredibly talented. The music and gore is also fantastic and this definitely feels like the 1930s Mississippi Delta. Oh and the great moment when the racists also get killed is fantastic.
In many years, Sinners or Warfare would be #1, but 2025 was a fucked up year in many ways and only one movie encapsulated 2025 more than anything else.
2025 was basically a long walk from beginning to end and when shit happens, you just have to keep walking to the end, and then even then, you have to keep walking with 2026 where more shit is happening.....and that was all before this asshole President decided we needed The Patriot Games, which feels so much like this long walk without the killing. Stephen King (aka Richard Bachmann)'s book has been in film development hell for years and when we finally get it, we get this masterpiece. Almost everyone participating in this walk does a great job showing the confidence going to pure dread the longer this walk goes, especially David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman, the son of the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman. The only kind of hiccup is Mark Hammill doing a bit of overacting. This film is definitely a film that years from now, will be considered a classic and it is also another film that will make me eventually read the book it is based on.
Like I said, 2025 was a great year for movies and this list was hard to make, but there were terrible films to and this one is easier to make (especially at the worsts of the year). So in a few days, expect to see that list as well.
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