2025 was a wonderful year for film. You might not be able to say the same for the box office, unless you’re James Cameron or Disney that is, and Hollywood itself is facing an tumultuous change in the industry as streaming continues to chip away at the old guard and artificial intelligence becomes more and more prevalent. Despite all the hardships, film continues to live on. So long as there are auteurs like Paul Thomas Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Chloé Zhao, Guillermo del Toro and countless others, film and the creativity it inspires will overcome whatever obstacles may lie ahead. This is why I am happy when I struggle narrowing down my favorite films of the year from a list that is often well over 30 to my top 10. There are always a plethora of great films that I love. Films like Bring Her Back, Eephus, Friendship, Hamnet, The Naked Gun, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams were all fantastic, but they still missed out on making my “best of” list. That’s how stacked a year it was.
And so, without further ado, here are the top 10 films of 2025.
10. It Was Just An Accident
Iranian director Jafar Panahi delivers one of the most haunting films of the year with It Was Just An Accident. Exploring the lasting trauma political prisoners must deal with for a lifetime, the film follows a group of people who come together to identify the man who tortured them years ago in a government prison. While they never saw this man’s face, their memory is etched with other things like his voice, smell, and the squeak of his peg leg. As the story slowly unfolds, tensions continue to rise as the disturbing truth is unveiled, culminating in one of the most memorable final scenes I’ve witnessed in recent memory, let alone this year. It Was Just An Accident is a harsh and brutal criticism of authoritarianism and will linger in your mind long after the credits roll.
9. Warfare
Warfare is unlike any war film I’ve seen before. Co-directed by Alex Garland and Navy SEAL veteran Ray Mendoza, the film reenacts one particular encounter Mendoza and his team experienced during the Iraq War in 2006. It eschews your typical narrative structure, however, and instead simply presents how the events unfolded according to those who were there. Warfare is very methodical in its approach, favoring military and technical accuracy over dramatization resulting in unrelentingly brutal depiction of war that showcases how devastating it is on all fronts. Superb sound design and cinematography immerse you directly in its warzone. War is hell, and Warfare is as close as audiences are going to get to it.
8. Weapons
Zach Cregger wowed critics and audiences alike with his directorial debut Barbarian, and his follow up Weapons already cements him as one of horror’s great directors. The horror mystery film keeps audiences guessing as to why a whole classes of grade-schoolers would all get out of bed and run off into the night at exactly 2:17am on the same night. Josh Brolin, Julia Garner, and Benedict Wong all give stellar performances, but it’s Amy Madigan who steals the film as the creepy out of town aunt coming to visit. Her onscreen presence is unnerving, and Cregger’s tight script brilliantly guides you through all her devilish twists and turns. Weapons hooks you from the opening scene and holds you in its trance until the last moment.
7. Splitsville
I will continue to yell into the void that Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin is Hollywood’s most underrated comedy duo. 2019’s The Climb introduced me to their chaotic style of friendship, but it’s Splitville that takes it to the next level. They play best friends who find themselves at each other’s throats when Carey (Marvin) sleeps with Paul’s (Corvino) wife. To be fair, they say they are in an open relationship. Splitsville accurately captures those awkward silences that permeate our lives and uses them for maximum comedic relief. What makes the film stand out from other comedies is how down to earth and normal it makes the dynamic between characters look. Everyone seems like they could be your next door neighbor and not some Hollywood star playing around. Splitsville finds the funny in the mundane, although it’s anything but that.
6. Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s films are like a decadent dessert. They are luxurious, with beautifully complex sets, costumes, and characters that ooze indulgence. Every element merges into a creation that hits all the senses. Frankenstein is his latest creation, and it fits perfectly into his well established gothic horror style. Mary Shelley’s novel jumps from page to screen with the utmost of care as del Toro creates an adaptation that feels uniquely his while also staying true to the source material when it matters. It’s themes of power, love, death, and defiance transcend any one medium. Anchored by a powerful and heartbreaking performance from Jacob Elordi as the Creature, Frankenstein continues the tradition that any Guillermo del Toro film is well worth indulging in.
5. The Life of Chuck
When you think of Mike Flanagan and Stephen King together no doubt horror is the first thing that comes to mind. Both are titans of the genre. The Life of Chuck centers around a series of mysterious events happening around the world, but it’s anything but scary. Directed by Flanagan and based on King’s novel, the film is an inspiring and uplifting tale about living your life to the fullest, whatever that may be. The Life of Chuck forces you to look inward but never in a judgmental fashion. Rather it’s a celebration of life and all our achievements. 2025 was a difficult year filled with a lot of anger, hatred, and overall unpleasantness. The Life of Chuck is a ray of beaming light in a sea of darkness. Oh, and I dare you not to smile at a dancing Tom Hiddleston.
4. The Long Walk
Speaking of Stephen King, The Long Walk was one of his earlier novels and is more in line with the dystopian horrors you expect from King. In the future, boys are selected to participate in a walking competition where whoever walks the longest wins whatever prize they want. The only caveat is that if you stop walking, you die. Director Francis Lawrence brings King’s novel to life with terrifying detail. The Long Walk is a slow and and agonizing trudge towards false hope. These are kids who are forced to participate in a brutal game in order to reinforce control over society. And Lawrence doesn’t hold anything back, showing how cruel and evil human nature can be. The novel is one of my favorites of King’s work, and the film more than met my expectations.
3. Sinners
When Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan collaborate, magic happens. And since Sinners features Jordan in duel roles of twins Smoke and Stack the magic is double. Sinners is something special. Coogler takes the idea of selling your soul at the crossroads and amps it to 11, merging the rhythm and heart of the blues genre with blood sucking vampires to deliver a film that stands out the most among 2025’s releases with stunning visuals and a rocking soundtrack. Newcomer Miles Caton shines as a talented blues singer who comes face-to-face with hell itself. The scene where his talent transcends time and space as musicians from the past and the future weave in and out of his guitar playing is one of the best few minutes of the year in film. Sinners shows what’s possible when you allow creatives to create.
2. One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another is timely, hilarious, disturbing, and inspiring. It does it all, and Paul Thomas Anderson makes it look easy. The ensemble cast consisting of Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and breakout star Chase Infiniti are all at the top of their game. One Battle After Another features one spectacular scene after another as PTA ignites a revolutionary fire in Hollywood. At times, the film feels absurd especially when it comes to the Christmas Adventurers Club (yes, you heard that right), but in today’s age of politics where it seems like every day outdoes its predecessor, the absurdity of it all is a biting reflection of what we have become. Viva la revolución and viva Paul Thomas Anderson.
1. Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme is the Uncut Gems of ping pong and stars Timothée Chalamet in his best performance of his already stellar career. Marty Mauser is an aspiring ping pong champion who will let nothing get in his way of becoming the greatest ping pong player in the world. Mauser is a terrible person who takes advantage of everyone around him in order to get ahead, and Chalamet plays the role so well. Despite how much I hate his character, I am still enamored by him and his drive to be the best. Every moment is a stressful as Mauser is constantly on the verge of his dream falling apart, whether it’s him needing the money to get to Japan or him finding out his childhood friend is pregnant with his kid, but he always manages to find a way to weasel his way out of trouble. Marty Supreme is one of those films where you have to consciously remind yourself to breathe because you’ll realize you’ve been holding your breath the whole time from how anxiety-inducing the film is. The film is a nonstop volley of bad decisions paired with surprisingly results. It slams its way into your brain and then never leaves, making it my #1 film of 2025.
