Looking back, it’s hard to say for certain that 2025 has been a great year altogether. Despite Hollywood’s usual concern about the dwindling theater attendance, well-made original films from auteurs still managed to perform surprisingly well at the box office. Many of my favorites films of 2025 are a diverse mix of international entries, genre films and blockbusters that all had something to say and managed to surprise me in innovative ways. So whether you prefer streaming or the theater experience (that’s a whole another discussion), great films will always find a way to capture audiences.

Presented here are my ten favorite movies of 2025, with other notable highlights that I highly recommend.

10. Superman

Director: James Gunn

People harp on about “superhero fatigue” regarding the massive decline of superhero movies, and while there’s some truth to it, I believe it’s simply because there has not been a truly exceptional entry in the genre for quite some time. So here comes James Gunn’s Superman, which rebuilds the beloved Kryptonian back to his lighthearted and joyful roots, ushering in a more hopeful future for the relaunched DCU. Evoking that giddy feeling of watching a Saturday morning cartoon, this film can be quite goofy and sometimes a little campy, but the cheery sensibilities are what’s been sorely missing from the character, in contrast to his previous movie outings. This Superman also features the best adaptation of the Clark/Lois/Lex trinity thanks to the excellent performances of David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. Read my full review here.

9. Black Bag

Director: Steven Soderbegh

Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag succeeds at cleverly mixing an espionage thriller, marriage drama and detective mystery in one highly tense film that plays out a like a John Le Carré novel. British intelligence officer George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender) is tasked with finding out which among his colleagues leaked a top-secret progam, one of the suspects being his wife Kathryn (Cate Blanchett). With a tight script by David Koepp, this talky spy film has enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, and manages to do it without any extravagant shootouts or set pieces.

8. Sentimental Value

Director: Joachim Trier

In Sentimental Value, sisters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas) are taken by surprise with the sudden return of their estranged father and celebrated film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgard), who offers Nora the lead role in his latest film. Although the absentee father trope has been done countless times, and this film does not attempt to break new ground with it either, Joachim Trier’s resonant family drama perfectly captures the suppressed pain of trauma and the awkward reconciliation in a way that feels nuanced and authentic, further elevated by the cast’s incredibly powerful performances. It’s some of the best acting I’ve seen all year long in film.

7. Weapons

Director: Zach Cregger

I have to commend Zach Cregger for creating a horror film that I – someone who never watches the genre and even actively avoids it – liked and genuinely enjoyed, so much so that it’s one of my favorites this year. Weapons centers around a mysterious event in Maybrook, Pennsylvania, where seventeen children from the same class woke up at the same time and ran into the night with their arms outstretched. Filled with genuinely horrifying scares and even some surprising laughs, there’s an unsettling atmosphere in the film until the end where Cregger brilliantly connects every narrative thread in an absolute bonkers of a final act.

6. No Other Choice

Director: Park Chan-wook

Directed with precision, Park Chan-wook continues to prove he’s the best at innovative filmmaking. Filled with clever transitions, editing and compositions that I’ve only seen him do, No Other Choice delivers not only a satirical dark comedy adaptation of Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel, but also a masterful takedown on the hell that is the corporate rat race. After getting laid off as a paper mill manager, Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) has become desperate to cling to his family’s way of life, so much so that he’s deviated a plan to kill off his rival candidates for a potential job. It’s both funny and horrifying, a grim reminder on how we lose so much of our humanity to capitalism that we’ve inadvertently tied our self-worth to employment. This is Park’s most anti-corporation and anti-AI film to date.

5. Wake Up Dead Man

Director: Rian Johnson

Wake Up Dead Man, the third entry in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out franchise, is the most thematically rich and complex in the trilogy. The tone feels very much different this time with the writer/director utilizing the structure of a murder mystery to deconstruct Catholicism, doing commentary on the age-old predicament of faith vs. logic, as well as the current state of the world. Daniel Craig returns as the detective Benoit Blanc, who feels less like the lead against an exceptional Josh O’Connor as Father Jud Dupencity. Despite its grim vibe, Wake Up Dead Man feels surprisingly optimistic, telling us to always choose understanding over conflict. It’s also one of the rare films where it brilliantly explores how religion can benefit people without getting overly preachy nor heavy handed in its arguments.

4. Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler

If there’s one film that I’m sure is going to be a staple in most year end lists, it’s easily Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Effortlessly sliding back and forth across a variety of genres, Coogler tackles themes of identity, assimilation, and culture dressed as a vampire period piece in 1930s Mississippi. At the center of it all is an impressive dual performance from Michael B. Jordan as the Smoke/Stack Twins, former mobsters whose plans to open a juke joint attract unexpected sinister forces. Sinners is pure rollicking fun, the breakout film of the year that proves Coogler is one of America’s most exciting filmmakers today.

3. Train Dreams

Director: Clint Bentley

Joel Edgerton gives the best performance of his career as Robert Grainier in this generation-spanning drama. Set at the turn of the 20th century, we follow Robert’s journey in life as he experiences joys and tragedies, along with life-changing events that would challenge his perceptions of the world. Clint Bentley’s Train Dreams is a delicate period piece that’s all about life’s balance. The film is filled with striking visuals both breathtaking and destructive, not only reminding us of nature’s beauty but also its cruelty. While it’s a gentle meditation about ambition, love and grief, this is also a story of a man who has lived a full and fruitful life, even when time has marched on ahead without him. Read my full review here.

2. It Was Just an Accident

Director: Jafar Panahi

Vahid (Vahid Mobasseri), an auto mechanic in Tehran, hears a familiar noise in his shop. It’s the squeaking of a customer’s prosthetic leg, and it abruptly triggers painful memories in him. Convinced it’s the same prosthetic leg-wearing guard who tortured him in state prison, Vahid kidnaps the customer the next day and attempts to bury him alive. But doubt sneaks up on him at the last moment, and Vahid begins gathering fellow inmates to confirm his captive’s identity. Jafar Panahi, who shot the film in secret, has a personal relationship with the premise as he was imprisoned a few times himself for his continued criticism of the Iranian regime. It Was Just an Accident is a scathing condemnation of authoritarianism and an exercise on how it compromises our own morality for vengeance. But for all its rage, the mix of personalities in the cast lends to some surprisingly funny antics and banter. That is until it reaches its harrowing final act that still makes me shudder thinking about it.

1. One Battle After Another

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, with its themes of oppression and revolutions, appears to be targeted at contemporary America. Featuring memorable performances from its cast, Anderson effectively blends a touching father-daughter story amidst a tale about radical activism. The result is a relentless action thriller that grips you from the very beginning and never slowing down until the end. And yet the film doesn’t take itself too seriously either; Anderson’s comedic sensibilities shine throughout the film, and a lot of the characters walk the fine line between caricature and realism. It’s easily become my favorite in Anderson’s filmography. Read my full review here.

Honorable Mentions

These are the movies that didn’t quite make it to my top 10 list, but I still highly recommend for you to see.