Top Films of 2025

 TOP FILMS OF 2025

Honorable Mentions:

Mickey 17 - Dir. Bong Joon-Ho

It's been six years since Korean filmmaker Bong-Joon Ho released his masterpiece, 2019's global sensation "Parasite." With "Mickey 17," Joon-Ho not only returns to the world of cinema, but returns to the world of sci-fi, something he's executed at high levels with films like 2013's "Snowpiercer" and 2006's "The Host." "Mickey 17" stars Robert Pattinson as a 'exchangeable,' a bottom-of-the-food-chain employee whose whole job is to simply die (and get recopied and brought back). Much like with his previous films, Joon-Ho weaves the socio-political structures of our modern world into the reality of this sci-fi adventure. The existential anxieties of the modern worker are explored, along with the relationship we have to the wealthy and powerful that turn the wheels of our society. "Mickey 17," although not a poetically complex film, still manages to entertain all the same.

Sinners - Dir. Ryan Coogler

"Sinners" marks famed director Ryan Coogler's first non-MCU film since 2015's "Creed," making it a refreshing reminder of his prowess for genre filmmaking. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows World War I veterans twin brothers Smoke and Stack as they attempt to set up blues joint. However, problems arise on opening night when they must confront vampiric entities. An allegory to cultural vampirism and the exploitation of black culture, "Sinners" takes social and political concepts and enriches them with horror and fantasy elements. Coogler's experimentation with genre and visual expressionism, along with TWO stellar performances by Michael B. Jordan, makes it one of the most engaging box office hits of the year.

Superman - Dir. James Gunn

With the current state of cinema, many are feeling the effects of what is often referred to as 'superhero fatigue.' However, commercial film director James Gunn once said that the more likely notion is 'mediocre movie fatigue.' With his summer box office smash hit, "Superman," he proves everyone right. Drenched in contemporary social and political issues, "Superman" ponders modern concerns about being a 'good person' in a landscape full of vile, corrupt, and downright evil forces working against the common person. The heart of the film centers on these existential questions of what one's life is meant to stand for, what one person is able to accomplish in a world that attempts to belittle them, and how being selfless above all us helps mend the broken fractures of our society. All the while, the liberating thing about this iteration of "Superman," which seems to break away from the contemporary tone of the so-called 'superhero' film is: it doesn't take itself too seriously. It's fun, it's a rollercoaster ride, and it's a statement by modern filmmakers that superhero films aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

A House of Dynamite - Dir. Kathryn Bigelow

The best way to describe Kathryn Bigelow's 2025 thriller "A House of Dynamite" is to picture "Dr. Strangelove," but without the humor. That's right, Bigelow's newest film tackles the most monumental subject matter relevant to the lives of everyone on the planet: nuclear war. Imagine if a nuclear warhead were headed directly to a city in the U.S. How would all these agencies respond? What would they say? How would they react? That's exactly what Bigelow's film dives into, demonstrating the far-reaching affects and decisions that would need to be made by those with in the know. Perhaps this is a bit too much to think about right now, but with the tensions of war permeating around the globe, its an incisive look into something every person needs to potentially be ready for. 

RANKED:

5. The Phoenician Scheme - Dir. Wes Anderson

 

As he cranks out film after film in the 2020s, Wes Anderson seems to be fine-tuning his already established aesthetic. His 2025 film, "The Phoenician Scheme," is perhaps his most emotional film to date, according to "The New Yorker's" Richard Brody. Set in the 1950s, "The Phoenician Scheme" centers on a powerful arms dealer and global industrialist, Zsa-Zsa Korda, as he reunites with his estranged daughter, Liesel, to set in motion a scheme to overhaul the infrastructure of Phoenicia with slave labor. While having thematic criticisms of contemporary global power plays, what Anderson seems to be doing with "The Phoenician Scheme" is getting at the heart of his own personal attachments and lack-thereof. At its heart, its a story about a father and daughter and the mending of their fractured relationship. In the end, the characters rediscover their values and in turn, uses this rediscovery to adjust their external landscape. Soulless, cold, and empty people only create soulless, cold, and empty environments. Perhaps the best way to change our world is to change ourselves.

4. Nouvelle Vague - Dir. Richard Linklater

On the surface, Richard Linklater's second feature of 2025, "Nouvelle Vague," seems like a straightforward biopic of iconic French filmmaker, Jean-Luc Godard. Or, perhaps it's simply behind-the-scenes / making-of to the famed "Breathless" that kicked off his career. One could even say that it's a film that illustrates the insufferable working conditions of its cast and crew. However, I think what "Nouvelle Vague" really wants to get across is the philosophy of artistic pursuit. As modern cinema becomes more boxed-in by contemporary restrictions and metrics, daring to do something controversial, painting outside the lines, and throwing the 'rule book' out the window is always the perfect antidote to stagnation and opening the landscape of art itself.

3. Eddington - Dir. Ari Aster

There have not been many films that have tackled COVID-era America yet. However, Ari Aster has filled that void with his most recently entry, "Eddington." Playing like a neo-Western, "Eddington" centers on a local small-town sheriff in New Mexico as he desperately attempts to challenge the local mayor. What begins as a scathing observation of the chaotic American life during COVID lockdowns starts to unravel into a surreal nightmare that is indicative of political and social life in the years since the lockdowns. By framing the film as a neo-Western, Aster deconstructs the myth of America and its assertiveness as a 'hero.' Aster also demonstrates how our need to be a hero gets undermined by focusing this attention on our fellow community members while the slow encroachment of 'society' in the form of new data centers are draining away both our liberties and resources our from under us. Whether or not one feels that an Ari Aster film is always a hit-or-miss, "Eddington" certainly proves that he is willing to challenge the bland, banal status of filmmaking and unflinchingly depict contemporary American life. If anyone can put this chaotic mayhem that we're all experiencing every single day into a cohesive visual display, who better than Aster?

2. Marty Supreme - Dir. Josh Safdie

With all the films coming out in 2025 tackling contemporary American issues, Josh Safdie's "Marty Supreme" sticks out like a sore thumb. It stars the incomparable Timmy Chalamet as Marty Reisman, who dreams of being the best table tennis player on the planet in 1950s America. While many argue over Marty's morals, his lack of consequences, and the seemingly undeserved ending, the film manages to sweep you away with its frenetic energy regardless. I would argue that none of these things change the thematic drive of the film and even enhance the understanding of what the film is really about. Although it seemingly has nothing to do with contemporary America, I would argue that it, in fact, does. All of the characters in the film are attempting to chase something they need or desire. In doing so, they make decisions along the way that might be lacking in ethical behavior (NOT JUST MARTY). What Safdie seems to put on display is that Marty is not alone in his determined drive for greatness, he is merely a product of a society that has shaped this way of thinking. To be an American is to pursue individual achievement regardless of the consequences. Whether its the current state of government or the average experience for a low-income worker just trying to get by, we are a society conditioned to get ahead by any means necessary. However, thanks to Chalamet's greatest performance of his career, you can't help but to get swept away in Marty's blistering confidence all the same. 

1. One Battle After Another - Dir. Paul Thomas Anderson

If there's one film that defines the paranoid, manic, and chaotic life of America in 2025, it's Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another." With a humorous tone akin to Kubrick's "Dr. Strangelove," PTA's newest entry into his filmography takes his favored ensemble-style of filmmaking and employs it into an action-thriller format. Our protagonist, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, must do whatever it takes to save his daughter's life and, in doing so, goes on a wild odyssey through our current American political crisis. Along the way, honorable citizens and small-town heroes do whatever it takes to fight the oppressive regime of authoritarian measures to secure their freedom in a landscape hellbent on trying to take it away. "One Battle After Another" is certainly an action-packed ride of a film. But, it also is a perfect encapsulation of every American's manic feelings in our current times. It demonstrates that, like with our bumbling protagonist, even if we cannot truly affect change, the simple act of trying and fighting for one another is more than enough to brave the unconstitutional throws of power that attempt to lay siege to our lives and our safety.