We make our case for the 10 best, most memorable movies of the year — plus a few we’d rather forget.

The 10 best movies of 2025 (and 5 worst)

We make our case for the 10 best, most memorable movies of the year — plus a few we’d rather forget.

By Mike Miller

Mike Miller

Mike Miller is the executive editor on the movies team at . He previously worked as a writer-reporter for PEOPLE and TMZ.

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on December 8, 2025 1:55 p.m. ET

Best and Worst 2025 collage: Michael B. Jordan in 'Sinners'; Leonardo DiCaprio in 'One Battle After Another'; 'K:Pop Demon Hunters' Huntrix; and Aunt Gladys in 'Weapons'. Credit:

Netflix; Warner Bros;

After a somewhat quiet start, 2025 has produced a string of films that we're sure to be talking about for years to come.

From family-friendly box office hits like *Ne Zha 2,* *Lilo & Stitch*, and the recently released, record-smashing *Zootopia 2*, to critically acclaimed, awards season hopefuls like *One Battle After Another*, *Hamnet*, and *Bugonia*, there's been no shortage of memorable moments.

And, while this year had its fair share of reboots and sequels (see *Jurassic World: Rebirth*, *The Conjuring: Last Rites*, *Superman*, and *Mission: Impossible - Final Reckoning*), there were also a refreshing number of unforgettable originals from burgeoning auteurs: Zach Cregger's *Weapons*, Josh Safdie's *Marty Supreme*, and Ryan Coogler's *Sinners*, to name a few.

Below, we make our case for the 10 best, most memorable movies of the year — plus a few we'd rather forget (presented in alphabetical order).

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The 10 best movies of 2025

Emma Stone in 'Bugonia'.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest dark comedy nails the right mix of dread and optimism for 2025. The remake of the South Korean film *Save the Green Planet! *stars Emma Stone in her fourth feature collaboration with the Greek auteur, playing a high-powered CEO and suspected alien. Although her performance is muted compared to her Oscar-winning turn in *Poor Things* and even the wild ending of *Kinds of Kindness*, Stone’s tense scenes with Jesse Plemons’ conspiracy theorist Teddy are gripping. The two engage in a power struggle, each waiting for the other to give in. But the real highlight is Aidan Delbis in his breakout role, serving as the skeptical voice to Teddy’s schemes. The ending, which features a series of beautifully haunting tableaux, hits like a gut punch. —*Tiffany Kelly*

Jessie Buckley in 'Hamnet'.

Agata Grzybowska / © 2025 FOCUS FEATURES LLC

The logline of Chloé Zhao's lush adaptation will (reasonably) give some pause. *Hamnet* offers a snapshot of William Shakespeare's marriage, as he and his wife, Agnes, suffer the tragic death of their 11-year-old son. But for a movie about enduring the loss of a child, *Hamnet* is surprisingly warm. It's for good reason: the pain doesn't work if there's no joy pulsing beneath. What might be tragedy porn in the hands of another is a masterpiece under Zhao's direction. She thrives in the details: the earthy magic of the countryside, the warm flush of first love, the creaking floorboards of a full home. When it comes time to mourn, every fiber of the audience can feel the guttural grief that escapes Jessie Buckley's lips. And that's the other key ingredient: magnificent performances from Buckley and Paul Mescal, who somehow manage immense restraint while letting raw emotions run wild. The tenderness is breathtaking. Let's not pretend *Hamnet* isn't full of sorrow — there will certainly be tears. But that all-encompassing blanket of grief is graciously lifted by the healing power of art. — *Shania Russell*

The Housemaid

Sydney Sweeney as 'The Housemaid'.

Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate

We know, we know; you weren't expecting this one. But, as *The Housemaid* proves better than any other entry on this list, life is more fun with some twists and turns. And, while it might not score a Best Picture nomination, you won't have more *fun* in a theater this year than Paul Feig's latest comedy-thriller. It's best not to say too much about the plot, assuming you haven't already read Freida McFadden's 2022 bestseller, but suffice it to say, all is not as it seems when a young woman with a troubled past (Sydney Sweeney) gets hired as a live-in housemaid for a wealthy family (Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar). If you think you see where things are going in the first half, just wait — it's all building to an ending so wild and messy, you’ll wish you brought gloves and an apron. —*Mike Miller***

If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Rose Byrne in 'If I Had Legs I'd Kick You'.

Logan White/Courtesy of A24

During the opening credits of Mary Bronstein's sophomore feature, Rose Byrne's Linda describes time as "a series of things to get through." What follows is an unbearably tense viewing experience, as everyday obstacles snowball into nerve-shredding debacles. After a gaping (and oddly cosmic) hole in the ceiling floods her apartment, Linda must move into a motel with her young daughter, who requires a feeding tube, while her dismissive husband is on a months-long work trip. Her subsequent missteps are glaring, but we can never say we'd react differently under similar duress. Byrne is gobsmacking as a strung-out caregiver at the end of her rope, each minutiae of her forced smile begging for someone, anyone, to validate her anguish instead of blaming her for it. It's an ugly but honest portrait of the self-doubting, resentful side of motherhood doused in Lovecraftian existential terror. This is not "I am woman, hear me roar!"; it's "I'm f---ing human, let me scream." —*Allaire Nuss***

KPop Demon Hunters

Kpop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey in Kpop Demon Hunters.

Just as entertaining as *KPop Demon Hunters* is the post-launch *KPop Demon Hunters* press tour. The cast, creators, and Netflix never imagined they had a runaway worldwide phenomenon on their hands with this family-friendly animated movie about an internationally popular K-pop girl group that moonlights as slayers of the demonic. But they hit the ground running once it took off, turning both the voice actors and recording artists behind the soundtrack into instant celebrities. It's clear why the film continues to flit in and out of the Netflix Top 10 list. The filmmakers strove for authenticity; co-director Maggie Kang spoke about simply wanting to bring more Korean stories to the screen. The same goes for the soundtrack. Who cares if this is just capitalism at play? We're hooked up to a sonic IV pumping "Golden" into our ears nonstop. —*Nick Romano*

Marty Supreme

Timothée Chalamet in 'Marty Supreme'.

In his SAG Awards speech for *A Complete Unknown* in February, Timothée Chalamet declared, "I know we're in a subjective business, but the truth is, I'm really in pursuit of greatness." He had just wrapped *Marty Supreme*, Josh Safdie's pulsating, breakneck dark comedy about one man's pursuit of greatness: table tennis player Marty Mauser. It's ostensibly a sports film, but* Marty Supreme* is not really about ping-pong; it's a warts-and-all look at the intoxicating thrill of the chase and the bodies, figurative and literal, left in the wake. Backed by a stellar supporting cast, including Gwyneth Paltrow in her big-screen comeback, breakout Odessa A'zion, and *Shark Tank*'s Kevin O'Leary, *Marty Supreme* is the kind of adrenalized roller coaster ride you kinda regret getting on but do not want to get off — especially with Chalamet's live-wire performance of an all-time hustler whose bravado and willingness to risk it all are the myopic symptoms of youth. It might be too soon to say if Chalamet is one of the greats, but *Marty Supreme* puts him well on his way. —*Joyce Eng*

One Battle After Another

Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio Del Toro in 'One Battle After Another'.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

After making five period pieces in a row, Paul Thomas Anderson returns to the present day for the first time since 2000's *Punch-Drunk Love*, and it's hard to imagine a studio film more attuned to the dynamics of living in the United States in 2025. The movie follows an ex-revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) who desperately tries to reunite with his teen daughter (Chase Infiniti) after an old enemy (Sean Penn) reemerges to tie up some unfinished business. Anderson pits his heroes against white supremacists, immigration raids, right-wing militias, and crappy cell phones as they struggle to reconnect. It's a propulsive, timely thriller in which every performance is memorable, every scene is wildly entertaining, and every character is driven by a distinct balance of love and ideology. Life! —*Wesley Stenzel*

Smoke (Michael B. Jordan) and Sammie (Miles Caton) in 'Sinners'.

Horror propped up the U.S. box office this year, and *Sinners* became a big part of that. Amid the onslaught of reboot slop came this wholly original period drama disguised as a vampire bloodbath. The genre has certainly come a long way in terms of industry and awards recognition, but the argument can be made that Michael B. Jordan deserves even more attention for his dual roles as twin Al Capone-christened brothers, Smoke and Stack — two cohesive yet distinct performances. And cheers to director Ryan Coogler for that mid-movie juke joint hallucination that serves as his thesis to the entire film and one of the best cinematic sequences to grace the big screen this year. —*Nick Romano*

Sergi Lopez in 'Sirāt'.

*Sirāt* is the fourth feature from Franco-Galician filmmaker Oliver Laxe, but the first to make substantial incursions onto international must-watch lists and into year-end awards chatter. This major work was presaged by its premiere and Jury Prize win at the Cannes Film Festival, where all Laxe's films have opened, but never in the esteemed Competition section — until now. Languorous, transcendental, and apocalyptic, *Sirāt* takes viewers on a sun-blanched journey to hell, or at least to the darkest extent of a bad acid trip. Established stars like Spain's Sergi López meld together with non-professionals in a crucible of death and dancing when distraught father Luis (López) and his young son join a brigade of ravers in a trek across the Moroccan desert in search of his lost daughter, aptly named Mar. *Sirāt* is intoxicatingly nihilistic yet still pulses with beauty and humanity. —*Ryan Coleman*

Julia Garner as Justine in 'Weapons'.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures

Aunt Gladys had us all in a chokehold from the moment she spoke her first "hello, deary." The latest from *Barbarian* hit-maker Zach Cregger brought a reclusive Amy Madigan back into the cultural zeitgeist to the point that the *Field of Dreams* and *Uncle Buck* actress is now getting Oscar buzz. (If this turns into another Demi Moore/*The Substance *situation, however, we riot!) More than just Gladys, the film itself only seemed to get better on repeat viewings as audiences continued to pore over the Easter eggs and subtleties of Cregger's latest horror story, from the seven hot dog TV dinner to the personal saga fueling that final chapter. The filmmaker told EW early on that he set out to make his horror epic. Mission accomplished. —*Nick Romano***

Honorable Mentions

28 Years Later

Alfie Williams, Jodie Comer, and Ralph Fiennes in '28 Years Later'.

Miya Mizuno/Sony Pictures Entertainment

*28 Years Later*, which reteams director Danny Boyle with screenwriter Alex Garland after both sidestepped to producer roles for the 2007 sequel *28 Weeks Later*, shows both men working at the peak of their powers — and in absolute sicko mode. This new chapter (starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and Alfie Williams) is strange, unpredictable, gloriously revolting, darkly funny, and, when you least expect it, rather touching. It’s a full package, and one of the richest horror movies in a very long time. *—Jordan Hoffman*

**Read EW's review of *28 Years Later*.**

The Ballad of Wallis Island

Carey Mulligan and Tom Basden in 'The Ballad of Wallis Island'.

Alistair Heap/Courtesy of Sundance Institute

This little gem of a movie premiered at Sundance in January before landing quietly in theaters in March. Written by British comedy duo Tom Basden and Tim Key, it follows eccentric lottery winner Charles Heath (Key), who seeks to reunite beloved folk duo Herb McGwyer (Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan). What starts as a misguided attempt to bring the band back together only dredges up old wounds, but it turns out to be a beautiful way for Charles to process his grief and feel closer to his late wife. It’s a lilting, charmingly funny, touching meditation on love, loss, and finding our way back to ourselves. *—Maureen Lee Lenker***

Black Bag

Regé-Jean Page, Naomie Harris, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Tom Burke, and Marisa Abela in 'Black Bag'.

Claudette Barius/Focus Features

*Black Bag* is a spy film unlike any other. When intelligence agent George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) learns his wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), also a spy, is suspected of betraying the nation, he must decide between his country and his marriage. Despite its refreshingly short runtime (just over 90 minutes!), the film deftly packs a lot in. Gone are the usual prolonged, fiery action sequences, and in their place are talky — but no less fraught — games of cat-and-mouse at an elegant dinner table. And there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing, but the film's true (dare we say?) *secret* weapon is that, at its heart, *Black Bag* is really about a marriage brought enchantingly to life by the mesmerizing hot, hot, hot chemistry between Fassbender and Blanchett, who go toe-to-toe in ways that make it impossible to look away. Go on, we dare you. —*Lauren Huff*

Companion

Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid in 'Companion'.

Warner Bros. Pictures

Genre storytelling has always been a ripe space for exploring potent social and political issues, and *Companion *is no exception, even if its message gets muddled at times. Drew Hancock's feature directorial debut is a hell of an invigorating revenge fantasy, made all the more satisfying by its own winking self-awareness. Bathed in a pink-pop glow, its pastiche of romance and horror collide in a viciously mischievous parable of technology and control that speaks to these most anxious times. *—Maureen Lee Lenker*

**Read EW's review of *Companion*.****

Your guide to 2025 movie release dates

The 10 best TV shows of 2025 (and 5 worst)

F1: The Movie

Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in 'F1'.

Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures/Apple Original Films

*F1* literally just drove into theaters, and it already pushed, pushed, pushed its way onto this list — for good reason. Director Joseph Kosinski's love letter to Formula One racing, starring Brad Pitt, isn't just one of the best films of the year (so far); it's also one of the best sports competition movies ever made. Despite the genre's often-predictable limitations, Ehren Kruger's script avoids feeling formulaic (sorry). The story, the action, and the editing are all crisp and pitch-perfect, set to an appropriately pulse-pounding soundtrack and score (created by the inimitable Hans Zimmer, of course). In short: It rules! The best part? It doesn't matter whether you're an F1 superfan who can name every single background cameo (of which there are *many*), or you have no idea what "box, box" means — this is the ultimate summer blockbuster for audiences looking for a breathtaking, globe-trotting, edge-of-your-seat drama. Buckle up… but watch your speed while driving home from the theater. *—Sydney Bucksbaum***

**Read EW's review of *F1*.**

The Life of Chuck

Annalise Basso and Tom Hiddleston in 'The Life of Chuck'.

With *Life of Chuck*, director Mike Flanagan steps away from horror — but not from Stephen King. The adaptation of King’s 2020 novella tells the story of Charles “Chuck” Krantz, an accountant whose life is cut heartbreakingly short at 39 from a brain tumor. But it’s far from a straightforward story. The movie’s three acts, told in reverse chronological order, weave in sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural elements that may have you scratching your head at the beginning and tearing up by the end. It’s hard to say much more about the film without giving away the twist — but we can tell you it’s worth watching for star Tom Hiddleston’s five-and-a-half-minute dance number alone. *—Ashley Boucher*

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore

Marlee Matlin in her documentary, 'Not Alone Anymore'.

Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Another Sundance darling, *Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore*,* *tells the story of deaf actress Marlee Matlin and her struggles as a child born to hearing parents to making history as the first deaf actor to win an Oscar and beyond. Director and producer Shoshannah Stern is also deaf, which allows her to tell Matlin’s story from the deaf perspective. Using American Sign Language and subtitles throughout, as well as her own onscreen conversations with Matlin, Stern foregrounds the deaf experience in her filmmaking, making it not just a compelling portrait of a groundbreaking artist but an innovative approach to documentary storytelling on the whole. *—Maureen Lee Lenker*

Sorry, Baby

Eva Victor in 'Sorry, Baby'.

Perhaps you're one of the many who became a fan of Eva Victor over the last 10 years because of her satirical, deeply funny tweets and viral videos. Her feature directorial debut, *Sorry, Baby*, in which she also stars and wrote, is rife with her sharp humor, all layered throughout a profound examination of a traumatic event that forever changes her character, Agnes. The laughs are a necessary tool — coping mechanism, even — to help Agnes move through life as she navigates a myriad emotions. It's complicated and unassuming in the same beat, making this Sundance favorite one of the most thoughtful and unforgettable of the year. *—Gerrad Hall*

Thunderbolts*

David Harbour, Hannah John-Kamen, Sebastian Stan, Florence Pugh, and Wyatt Russell in 'Thunderbolts*'.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios

We get it, "superhero fatigue" is a real thing. But superheroes, the Thunderbolts are not — and that is part of the reason Marvel's latest is one of its best in years. Centered on Florence Pugh's Yelena Belova, who we find lost, depressed, and ready to get out of the assassin business, she leads an unlikely new team of antiheroes to face down the person trying to take them out — while also facing their own inner demons. The unexpected emotional gut punch, along with huge laughs and exciting action, easily makes this one of the best trips to theaters this year. By now you hopefully know that the asterisk of the title is *New Avengers*, and we can't wait to see Yelena, Bucky Barnes/the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), U.S. Agent/John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Harbour), and Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) lead the franchise into its next phase. *—Gerrad Hall*

**Read EW's review of *Thunderbolts**.**

The worst movies of 2025

Captain America: Brave New World

Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America in Marvel Studios' 'Captain America: Brave New World'.

The Marvel machine hasn't been at its best in years, but the long-awaited Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) solo outing felt like a new low. A decade ago, *Winter Soldier* gave us a taste of how well political intrigue can blend with the world of superheroes. Then along came *Brave New World*, a so-called political thriller that promised to capitalize on all that goodness. Unfortunately, it's far too boring to get your pulse racing and doesn't have a political perspective to speak of. It's also way too busy being a direct sequel to **checks notes** *The Incredible Hulk*. Is the MCU so terrified of trying anything new that it must mine material from a 2008 film that most people don't even consider part of the established canon? Even worse, the film arrived at a crucial turning point for the MCU: the franchise desperately needs to move forward and let characters like Sam usher in a new era… but he never gets that opportunity here. The movie barely finds time to shoehorn in an arc for him (a self-doubting hero cliché that boils down to three repetitive speeches). Mackie certainly has it in him to lead a great Captain America movie, if only they'd give him a chance to prove it. —*Shania Russell*

Deliver Me From Nowhere

Jeremy Allen White in 'Deliver Me From Nowhere'.

20th Century Studios

If there’s one thing you can say about Scott Cooper’s biographical drama, it’s that it succeeds in putting you in the headspace of its subject, the legendary Bruce Springsteen. Unfortunately, that’s a pretty dark, depressing place to be, at least at this point in his life. *Deliver Me From Nowhere *follows the Boss as he labors, mostly in isolation, over his 1982 album *Nebraska*, which he composed on a four-track recorder in his Colts Neck, N.J., bedroom. While there’s no shortage of musical biopic cliches, this film eschews most of the fun ones. Instead of sex, drugs, and rock & roll, we mostly find our rock star brooding around his empty house, reading passages from Flannery O'Connor and watching more exciting movies on his TV. We get tantalizing glimpses of his famous, high-energy live performances with the E Street Band, but the majority of the runtime finds Springsteen without his famous cohorts, struggling in silence with a depression he — and Cooper — can't fully articulate. Strong performances from its two Jeremys — Allen White as Springsteen and Strong as his loyal manager, Jon Landau — along with an invented love story (Odessa Young) and comic relief from Paul Walter Hauser, add some diversion from what is essentially an internal journey. While undoubtedly more interesting for Springsteen diehards, for the rest of us, the film feels as bleak and dour as the grey skies on *Nebraska’s* album cover. —*Mike Miller*

The Electric State

Millie Bobby Brown and Chris Pratt in 'The Electric State'.

Paul Abell/Netflix

In the words of the great Cher Horowitz, *The Electric State* is a full-on Monet. From far away, it seems okay; you have inspiration from a beloved illustrated novel, two household names leading, Marvel favorites at the helm, and a gaggle of familiar voice actors filling in a colorful world of robots. But when viewers actually sat down to watch the sci-fi comedy starring Chris Pratt and Millie Bobby Brown, it was a big old mess. Despite a premise that could lend itself to something poignant about the pitfalls of technology, god complexes, the human identity, and how the '90s was the best decade, second to none, *The Electric State* is almost disrespectfully predictable, muddled, and devoid of nuance. A mediocre cash grab that wastes its star cast and proves that robots aren't the only things that can lack spark and a soul. —*Mekishana Pierre***

My Oxford Year

Sofia Carson in 'My Oxford Year'.

Chris Baker/Netflix

As someone who frequently calls for the return of rom-coms, I’ll take it back if they keep making them like *My Oxford Year*. Whatever tearjerker potential it had is ruined by a cardboard performance from Sofia Carson, characters devoid of any real spark, and the middling melodrama that drags on to the point of nausea. Corey Mylchreest is an old hand at playing the charming yet troubled gentleman that grounds the rom-com emotionally, but there’s only so much that can be done with such a surface-level script. *My Oxford Year* fails to develop its characters into fully realized people with thoughts, feelings, and motivations behind their silly actions. Despite a premise that should be an easy A, *My Oxford Year *doesn’t make the grade. —*Mekishana Pierre*

War of the Worlds

Ice Cube in 'War of the Worlds'.

Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Steven Spielberg adapted *War of the Worlds* for the modern age, but Rich Lee translated H.G. Wells’ classic for the digital age. That is, delivering straight-to-streaming slop riddled with product placement and distributed by Amazon. Starring Ice Cube as a DHS officer during an alien invasion, the film is set exclusively via his computer screen, featuring 89 minutes of him Facetiming loved ones and reacting to surveillance footage with the feigned exasperation of a clickbait YouTube thumbnail. The format isn’t the issue (*Searching* and *Missing* milked ample tension from similar screen-only constraints), but CGI effects akin to Snapchat filters certainly don’t help. Surprising no one, it shot to No. 1 on Prime Video for the pure spectacle of seeing just how bad it really is, relegating the movie to little more than a Meme of the Moment.* War of the Worlds *isn’t just a boring slog; it’s a depressing reminder that schlock sells in the attention economy. —*Allaire Nuss***

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