Top 10 Best Films of 2025

10. Frankenstein

Now I'm not exactly sure how close to the source material this depiction of Frankenstein is but I do know that this film is just a magnificent tale on the sympathetic ugly monster known as The Creature. The physical transformation that Jacob Elordi goes through in this film is remarkable. I was so locked into his performance that I kept forgetting that it was him. From the costume design, production design, cinematography, hair/Makeup and even the performances this film is just incredible. My only grievances with the film is the wonky CGI/Green Screen effects and it does have some pacing issues. Even though narratively it has some pacing issues I was still invested in the story and I love a good period piece.

9. Bugonia

Emma Stone and Yorgos Lanthimos has easily become one of the most iconic Director/Actor combos in recent years. While, I haven't seen their other collabs such as: The Favorite & Poor Things after watching Bugonia I'm going to have to watch their previous work together. Bugonia is a Sci-fi/Crime film about two conspiracy obsessed young men (Teddy and Don) who kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth. One message I took from this film is that Teddy (played by Jesse Plemons) was using his conspiracy theories to mask trauma from his childhood and also from his mother being in the hospital.

Another thing that this film does an excellent job with is discussing how conspiracy theories can sometimes consume people to a point where nothing else matters. The Score, cinematography and the performances are all great. Aside, from the ending being kind of predictable I still had a lot of fun with this film and I can't wait to see what Yorgos Lanthimos has in store for us in the neat future.

8. Lost In Starlight

If none of you guys/gals have heard of Lost In Starlight then you are missing out. This is an animated Korean Sci-fi/Romance film about a young astronaut named Nan-young who falls in love with a music artist named Je-i as she prepares to fly to Mars. Nan-young's mother was also an astronaut as well who had dreams of heading to Mars but died on her journey there. With some damn good animation, a beautiful soundtrack and a story about love, grief and lost you easily have one of the best films of 2025. I just wish that Netflix had done a better job at promoting this film because it has been unrecognized by a lot of people.

7. One Battle After Another

Other than Magnolia I wasn't too familiar with Paul Thomas Anderson's work before the release of One Battle After Another. I remember doing a double feature on the same day I saw this film: Strangers Chapter 2 and One Battle After Another. What's funny is One Battle After Another clocks in at almost 3 hours and yet Strangers Chapter 2 felt longer than this film. You have a star studded cast with the likes of Leonardo Dicaprio, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Sean Penn and newcomer Chase Infiniti.

For your first major project to be in a Paul Thomas Anderson film with one of the best actors Leonardo Dicaprio playing your father is just mind-blowing. Even though Leonardo Dicaprio is the main lead in the film Chase Infiniti is the star and definitely holds her own against him. The only reason this film isn't ranked higher is because of the sexualization of black woman in the film and Regina Hall/Teyana Taylor being underutilized. I understand that was the point of Sean Penn's character, however, it still made me oddly uncomfortable.

6. Superman

Yes! After what feels like centuries we finally get an accurate depiction of Superman and Lex Luthor. For years the small screen got it right when it came to the portrayal of Superman and Lex Luthor. Rather that be with Smallville, Superman & Lois, Superman: The Animated Series or even the Justice League series. Why Superman was so badly portrayed on the big screen for so long is because they either only focused on his powers or the story would require him to be evil. The “evil Superman" trope I believe all started with Injustice and since then it has gotten way out of hand.

Superman isn’t just interesting because of his powers, he's interesting because of his compassion towards others and his humanity. A lot of people were skeptical on Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor but boy did he prove everyone wrong with his depiction of the smug, arrogant, selfish, rich billionaire that is Lex Luthor. I would also love to applaud James Gunn for having one of the best scene stealing characters in this film which is Mister Terrific. This was a great start to James Gunn DCU that finally got everything right about why Lex hates Superman and even how Superman isn’t a small-town city hero but he's a global hero as well.

5. Fantastic Four: First Steps

Even though Fantastic Four: First Steps didn't do as well in the box office as Superman I think that this film is still a smash hit in terms of getting everything right about Marvel's First family. Before this the recent live action portrayal’s of Fantastic Four have been just as subpar as the live action portrayals of Superman on the big screen. Something that stands out about this film that I absolutely loved is the Jetsons 60's futuristic vibes. With an incredible costume design, production design and an accurate depiction of Fantastic Four this film feels like I’m reading a comic book.

It's not just that but I was so excited to see that they finally got the Silver Surfer/Galactus right for once. I think if Marvel would have pushed this film back to at least around Thanksgiving/Christmas time I think it would have done better.

4. Weapons

I had no idea what this film was about when I saw the trailer. All I knew is that as soon as I saw Julia Garner in the trailer I was immediately intrigued. Zach Cregger's Barbarian was easily one of the most talked about films of 2022 and it was highly praised from horror fans. Seeing this film with a packed audience that was scared out of their damn minds from the excellent jumpscares was quite the thrill if I say so myself. I love how the story is structured and the twist works really well because for the first hour or so of the film the audience is made to believe that Alex is behind everything that is going on, however, it's all a diversion.

I’m not sure what's next for Zach Cregger, however, I know that after seeing this film twice in the theaters he has my undivided attention for his future projects to come.

3. Kpop Demon Hunters

With almost no promotion from Netflix at all I'm so happy that the fans made Kpop Demon Hunters the global hit that it has become. Next to Sinners (I will speak about that more later), Kpop Demon Hunters is not only has one of the best soundtracks of the year but also one of the most common Halloween costumes that I have seen as well. Even after this blew up on Netflix, the streaming service decided to release it in theaters for a couple of weeks and to no one’s surprise it was widely successful there as well. It's rare that a streaming service film garners massive success from not just the fans but also from critics and even award voters.

2. Marty Supreme

At the time of reading this I have seen Marty Supreme twice already and I'm hoping for a third as well. Marty Supreme is the new A24 sports drama about Marty Mauser who has dreams of becoming one of the greatest table tennis players in the world. With this film clocking in at 2 & a half hours it breezes by so quickly that you don't even notice it because it's very well paced with great acting from an amazing ensemble cast. After watching this it's obvious that Timothée Chalamet has cemented himself as the Christmas box office king. With us entering award season I don't see how this film won't get nominated for multiple categories including Best Picture, Best Director, Screenplay & Lead Actor.

1. Sinners

A Vampire Period Piece about colonialism, interracial dating, white supremacy, blues music and religion Written/Directed by Ryan Coogler? That sounds like a hell of a film and it definitely lived up to the hype. Variety and Rolling Stones both have tried to dismiss this modern day classic film just because it's a mostly black cast, Written/Directed by a black man about blues music. Sinners isn't just a horror film. I would consider it more of a genre film because of the blend of horror, drama, musical, romance and thriller.

The amount of love that Sinners has gotten this award season is enough to shut up racist critics of the film. When you have Christopher Nolan telling you that you have one of the best musical performances in a film since Singing In The Rain then you know how excellent of a story teller that you are. Everyone is talking about a potential sequel/prequel, however, I think Sinners is such a perfect film that I don't want it to be touched. So far Ryan Coogler is 5 for 5 when it comes to film and has already cemented himself as one of the greatest directors.