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After a strong 2024, it’s been another stellar year for cinema. From big-budget thrill rides and poignant family dramas to inventive horror flicks and throwback style comedies, 2025 has delivered on all fronts.
We’ve seen Hollywood hotshot Timothée Chalamet transform into Bob Dylan, independent animators win landmark awards, and Marvel movies find their groove again.
With so many standout titles released over the past 12 months, even the most devoted movie buffs have probably missed a few gems. So, whether you’re planning a cosy night in front of the telly or fancy looking back on some of 2025’s finest cinematic offerings, here are some of our favourites (in no particular order).
1. I’m Still Here
In 1971, Enuice Paiva’s idyllic family life is shattered when her dissident husband is ‘disappeared’ by Brazil’s military dictatorship, leaving her searching for answers.
Supported by an astounding Fernanda Torres in the lead role, director Walter Salles examines the destructiveness of authoritarianism through the intimate true story of a family in crisis. I’m Still Here is a slow burn, but a devastating one.
You can read our full review here.
2. One Battle After Another
With this latest outing, writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson proves once again why he’s one of Hollywood’s brightest. Inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, this bonkers action thriller stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a burned-out revolutionary trying to save his daughter from the shadowy forces of his past.
One Battle After Another features one of the most cleverly staged car chases in Hollywood history, a truly unhinged performance from Sean Penn, and a healthy dash of PTA’s beloved absurdist humour.
3. Flow
Earlier this year, Latvian wildlife tale Flow brushed aside stiff competition to bag the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. The Academy has made some questionable calls over the years, but this isn’t one of them.
Created independently on free animation software, this fable follows a wary black cat who learns to work with other animals to survive after its home is flooded. Flow is completely dialogue-free, but manages to pack in an impressive amount of heart and humour.
You can read our full review here.
4. Weapons
In Zach Cregger’s sophomore horror/mystery, 17 children from the same elementary school class climb out of bed in the middle of the night, leave their homes, and disappear into the darkness. The small town police force is dumbfounded, the parents are up in arms, and the children’s teacher (Julia Garner) is under suspicion.
Told episodically through multiple perspectives, Weapons shifts gears between thriller, outright horror, and even laugh-out-loud comedy.
You can read our full review here.
5. The Ballad of Wallis Island
In this bittersweet comedy, a reclusive lottery winner (Tim Key) pays his favourite folk duo, the once-popular McGwyer Mortimer (Tom Basden and Carey Mulligan), to reunite and perform a private gig on a remote island. But once they arrive, old tensions surface between the former bandmates, who also happen to be ex-lovers.
The Ballad of Wallis Island features some beautiful original music by Basden, gorgeously wild scenery, and compelling chemistry between the three leads.
6. F1
We had low expectations for this brand-sponsored racing flick, even with Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski at the helm. But the crowd-pleasing blend of nostalgic cheesiness, rip-roaring race sequences, and a fantastic turn from Kerry Condon won us over completely – even if the outlandish on-track shenanigans might rub die-hard F1 fans up the wrong way.
You can read our full review here.
7. One to One: John & Yoko
Shortly after recording his final album with The Beatles, John Lennon and Yoko Ono moved to New York, where their creativity and activism flourished. This documentary centres around their first 18 months in the city’s bohemian epicentre, Greenwich Village.
Combining intimate audio and video clips with never-before-seen concert footage, plus eclectic snippets from ‘70s American television, One to One paints a fresh portrait of the couple and the wider culture of the time.
8. Warfare
Writer-director Alex Garland teams up with former US Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza for an (almost) real-time reenactment of an Iraq war battle. Eschewing conventional war movie themes of duty and honour, this nerve-jangling piece lays bare the unglamorous realities of modern conflict.
Among the stellar cast of up-and-coming talent are Cosmo Jarvis, Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, and D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Mendoza’s younger self.
9. Sinners
Michael B. Jordan stars as former bootlegging twin brothers, Smoke and Stack, who return to their hometown in Jim Crow-era Mississippi to run a juke joint. However, their grand opening takes a horrific turn when three vampires arrive at the door.
More than just a horror film, Sinners is ambitious – both formally and thematically – mixing genres, ideas, and tropes. Throughout, director Ryan Coogler celebrates blues, church life, and wider African American culture, all while exploring the horrendous oppression of the era and beyond. The result is both electrifying and haunting.
10. I Swear
With I Swear, director Kirk Jones tells the compelling and compassionate true story of John Davidson (Robert Aramayo), who was diagnosed with Tourette’s at age 15.
We watch his journey, from struggling with the (then) little-known condition in the Scottish Borders as a young person to campaigning for better understanding and acceptance in adulthood. It’s an inspiring, deeply moving portrait of resilience that celebrates the power of one voice to make massive change.
11. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Along with Thunderbolts* earlier this year, The Fantastic Four: First Steps proves that ‘superhero fatigue’ isn’t because people stopped liking comic book films, just that they won’t tolerate terrible ones. Matt Shakman’s retro-futuristic take on Marvel’s ‘first family’ impressed critics and audiences alike.
Set aside from the rest of the Marvel continuum (for now), Mr Fantastic (Pedro Pascal), the Invisible Woman (Vanessa Kirby), the Human Torch (Joseph Quinn), and the Thing (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) face the world-devouring Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his herald, the Silver Surfer (Julia Garner).
Supported by solid performances, Shakman thoughtfully balances engaging action with compelling family dynamics and stunning world design.
12. The Brutalist
Brady Corbet’s epic drama about a Holocaust survivor and visionary Hungarian architect was one of the critical darlings from last award season. This exploration of the immigrant experience and the toxicity of capitalism scored countless accolades, including a Best Actor Oscar for its star Adrien Brody.
The filmfollows László Toth (Brody) as he escapes post-war Europe to build a better life for himself, his wife (Felicity Jones), and his orphaned niece (Raffey Cassidy) in America. Initially, the sponsorship of a wealthy patron (Guy Pearce) promises a brighter future, but it soon spirals into a nightmare. The Brutalist feels so real that you can’t help but feel it’s based on a true story.
13. KPop Demon Hunters
Netflix’s biggest-ever animated hit follows three K-pop (Korean pop) superstars who spend their off-time defending the world from nefarious supernatural threats. In this bubblegum-hued adventure, Rumi (Arden Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) face their greatest challenge yet: a rival boy band of demons disguised as humans.
While undoubtedly pitched at younger audiences, KPop Demon Hunters’ chart-topping tunes and universal themes of fandom, authenticity, and overcoming shame will even appeal to the most sceptical of adults.
14. One of Them Days
SZA and Keke Palmer play Alyssa and Dreux, best friends and roommates navigating their chaotic 20s. When Alyssa’s boyfriend (Joshua David Neal) blows their rent money, the duo has to get the cash by six or face eviction.
One of Them Days is a pretty decent buddy comedy that’s elevated by the chemistry and charisma of its two leading ladies, earning it a certified fresh score of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes.
15. A Complete Unknown
This isn’t a decades-spanning life story. Instead, A Complete Unknown shows how Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) electrified the folk music scene in the early ’60s – both figuratively and literally.
It takes us from his early mentorship under Pete Seeger (Edward Norton) to his controversial 1965 performance at the Newport Folk Festival, where he broke tradition and took to the stage with an electric guitar. Walk the Line director James Mangold delivers another five-star music biopic, with a career-best turn from Chalamet.
16. A Real Pain
After their Holocaust survivor grandmother’s death, mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) set off on a tour of Poland in her memory. But as they confront their family’s painful past, old tensions resurface.
Writer-director Eisenberg flawlessly balances weighty themes with humorous and heart-warming moments, while coaxing out a magnetic, Oscar-winning performance from his co-star Culkin.
17. Train Dreams
From the acclaimed filmmaking duo behind 2023’s Sing Sing, this adaptation of Denis Johnson’s Pulitzer-nominated novella is equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking, scoring a well-deserved 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
It charts the life of Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a railroad worker in early 20th-century America, whose stoic countenance belies a thoughtful inner existence. Shot beautifully against the towering pines of the Pacific Northwest, John Nugent from Empire describes Train Dreams as “a meditative tone poem on what it means to live a good life.”
18. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
Rian Johnson assembles another crack cast for his latest whodunnit, with Daniel Craig returning as the drawling private detective Benoit Blanc.
This time, the victim is a wicked pastor in upstate New York (Josh Brolin), and the prime suspect is his junior priest (Josh O’Connor). But as you might expect, it soon turns out that there are plenty more shady locals with a motive for murder. Wake Up Dead Man serves up twisting, gothic fun while thoughtfully musing on faith and belief.
19. Sentimental Value
Sisters Nora and Agnes (Renate Reinsve and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) reconnect with their estranged father, Gustav (Stellan Skarsgård), a fading film director, who wants Nora to star in his next film. But after she turns him down, he casts a rising Hollywood star (Elle Fanning) in her place, who’s subsequently thrust into their strained family dynamics.
Sentimental Value artfully explores the conflict between artistic expression and family connection, reuniting co-writer and director Joachim Trier with star Reinsve, who previously dazzled in 2021’s The Worst Person in the World.
20. Nickel Boys
Based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this tragic film follows two young black men (Ethan Herisse and Brandon Wilson) as they try to survive at a brutally reform school in the Jim Crow-era American South.
RaMell Ross’ first dramatic feature is experimentally shot from the two characters’ points of view, immersing audiences in the harrowing narrative, which is based on real-life events. Critic Bill Arceneaux called Nickel Boys “one of the greatest movies of this decade.”
Final thoughts…
From big-screen thrills in blockbusters like Sinners and The Fantastic Four: First Steps to touching human stories, such as A Real Pain and The Ballad of Wallis Island, 2025 had it all. We witnessed knock-out performances from established thespians like Adrien Brody, as well as rising stars like Robert Aramayo.
What’s more, One of Them Days shows that outright comedies still have a place at the box office, while I Swear and The Ballad of Wallis Island prove, once again, that British filmmakers can compete with Hollywood’s best and brightest.
For more inspiration for what to watch, head over to our film and TV section. Here, you’ll find everything from reviews of new releases to themed round-ups.
We couldn’t list all the amazing films released this year. So if we missed any of your favourites, why not let us know in the comments below? We’d love to hear from you.
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