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Top 10 Films of 2025
January 02, 2026
2025’s climactic year in film has ended with not just a bang, but a raucous explosion of energy that has shaken not just the box office but also the year-end “Top 10” lists of every cinema-goer the world over.
The Christmas holiday saw the release of multiple high-profile hits including the faith-based animated picture “David”, Disney’s stunning “Avatar: Fire & Ash” from 20th Century Studios, Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid”, Universal’s heartwarming “Song Sung Blue”, and A24’s thrilling and life-affirming “Marty Supreme”.
So what’s my Top 10 of the year looking like, you might (not) be wondering?
Well, that’s tricky.
Over the last week I’ve seen “One Battle After Another”, “Nuremberg”, “Avatar Fire & Ash”, “Song Sung Blue”, and “Marty Supreme” and to say that I’m still trying to gain my bearings from such a full-frontal cinematic assault would be an understatement.
1. 28 YEARS LATER
Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later is a bold, divisive return to the world he helped redefine, transforming zombie horror into a philosophical meditation on legacy, grief, and survival. Picking up nearly three decades after the Rage Virus quarantined Britain, the film follows 12-year-old Spike and his father as they venture from their rigid island commune onto a mainland reclaimed by nature and mutated infected, including grotesque “Slow Lows” and terrifying “Alphas.” What begins as a tense survival story evolves into a coming-of-age journey when Spike and his ailing mother seek out a reclusive scientist rumored to hold a cure, shifting the film toward deeply human tragedy. Visually stunning and tonally daring—sunlit beauty colliding with night-vision horror—28 Years Later reflects post-pandemic anxieties about isolation and the danger of clinging to the past, favoring conversation-provoking themes over easy thrills. More arthouse meditation than conventional sequel, it’s a risky, emotionally resonant evolution of the franchise that reminds us the old world is gone, and what comes next is still being written.
2. SINNERS
Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS, which debuted Easter weekend, is a sweaty, blood-soaked reinvention of the vampire genre that fuses horror, eroticism, music, religion, and racial commentary into something wholly original. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) as they return home from World War I and Chicago gangster life to open a bar, reuniting with past loves and recruiting their gifted young cousin Sammie, whose music becomes a supernatural bridge between past, present, and future. That gift draws the attention of Remmick (Jack O’Connell), an Irish vampire whose seductive promise of unity and assimilation turns opening night into a violent reckoning, rich with metaphor about cultural theft, temptation, and survival under Jim Crow. Coogler treats music as living magic, delivers jaw-dropping set pieces, and embraces the vampire’s long-standing ties to sex and desire, while grounding the spectacle in deeply human relationships and historical weight. By the end, SINNERS stands as both an expertly crafted monster movie and a provocative cultural statement—funny, tragic, sensual, and visceral—staking its claim as a new modern benchmark for vampire cinema.
3. MARTY SUPREME
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme is a pulse-pounding, life-affirming knockout that follows mid-twenties table-tennis hopeful Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) as he risks practicality, stability, and common sense in his obsessive quest to become the greatest player in the world. Set in the 1950s — yet bursting with both period tunes and an unexpectedly perfect 1980s soundtrack — the film channels the “hustle mindset” of today through a retro lens. Chalamet delivers the best performance of his career, holding up a mirror (and a paddle) to the audience and asking what we’re willing to sacrifice to push past the fear that this might be all life has to offer. Is settling the same as succeeding? And what drives a person to leave something — anything — behind? Marty Supreme doesn’t just pose those questions. It dares us to answer them.
4. NUREMBERG
James Vanderbilt’s (Zodiac) story of the 1945 Nuremberg trials where the last living high-ranking members of the Nazi party were brought to trial on the world stage delivers a turn from Russell Crowe so damn good that I actually didn’t recognize him in the film for his first few scenes. A courtroom drama shot and staged like a thriller, the film follows Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelly (Rami Malek) as he sees the Nazis- including Crowe’s Hermann Goring- are mentally fit to stand trial. Leading up to the legal showdown, Kelly finds himself growing closer to Goring and finding himself torn between his oath to his profession and his duty to his country. What follows is an intimate, heartbreaking, informative, and truly mesmerizing film that asks, in no uncertain terms, what history will say about us over what we see ourselves as?
5. AVATAR: FIRE & ASH
James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora becomes one of the directors most technically impressive and visually stunning films of his career- if not of all time. When a last-ditch effort to save Jake Sully’s adopted human son Spider makes the boy able to breathe Pandora’s toxic air, the nefarious RDA corporation is hell-bent on capturing the boy to study, all while the newly-Na’vi Miles Quaritch courts the pagan witch leader of an ash-caked tribe from the volcanic lands named Varang to help him wage war against the Sully family, his eternal enemy. Diving further into Quaritch’s plot pays off in droves here, and we see our characters truly struggle with loss, family, duty, and what is “best” for the people versus what is “best” for us, all culminating in a multi-tiered final fight scene that is truly one for the ages.
Rounding out the rest of the list for the year: WICKED FOR GOOD, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, ROOFMAN, WEAPONS, and ZOOTOPIA 2:
6. WICKED FOR GOOD
Wicked for Good is a darker, richer, and more emotionally assured follow-up that not only meets but surpasses the expectations set by its blockbuster predecessor, transforming the “weaker” half of the stage musical into its most resonant chapter. Set months later, the film finds Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) hunted as the Wicked Witch while fighting to free Oz’s oppressed animals, as Glinda (Ariana Grande), now the Wizard’s smiling propaganda symbol, quietly unravels under the weight of lies, ambition, and lost friendship. Jon M. Chu’s direction is more confident and restrained, supported by lush, lived-in worldbuilding and a moodier, introspective score that trades instant showstoppers for deeper emotional impact. Erivo once again delivers volcanic power, but this is undeniably Grande’s film, as her vulnerable, conflicted Glinda becomes the emotional core, highlighted by a devastating new solo that redefines the character. With themes of propaganda, identity, and moral awakening woven throughout, Wicked for Good builds to a quiet, intimate finale that honors the enduring bond between its two leads, leaving audiences moved, changed, and grateful for the journey—for good.
7. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
A wild ride from start to finish, this film follows Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a once-renowned freedom fighter who has retreated into isolation — until he’s forced back into the fight to protect his daughter Willa (Chase Infinity) from the ruthless Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn). One Battle After Another channels modern anxieties about immigration policy and national identity, while delivering a broader, more universal rallying cry. Like Bob, many of us were once driven by passion and purpose, only to feel worn down by the world around us. Director Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t just encourage viewers to reignite that fire — he demands it, whether it’s for art, justice, or something entirely your own.
8. ROOFMAN
ROOFMAN is a tender, melancholic caper that turns an absurd true story into one of the year’s most heartfelt films, balancing gentle humor with quiet devastation. Set in 2004, the film follows fugitive Jeffrey Manchester (a career-best Channing Tatum) as he hides inside a suburban Toys R Us while waiting to escape the country, forming a risky, deeply human connection with Leigh (a luminous Kirsten Dunst), a single mother trapped in a joyless job and difficult life. Directed with sincerity and restraint by Derek Cianfrance, and shot on warm, textured 35mm that bathes the early-2000s setting in nostalgia, ROOFMAN finds its power not in its caper mechanics but in the doomed romance at its center. Tatum’s effortless charm and built-in empathy pair beautifully with Dunst’s blend of romantic warmth and dramatic depth, culminating in a final scene of raw emotional honesty that lingers long after the credits roll. Funny, sentimental, and refreshingly nonjudgmental, ROOFMAN is a deeply genuine film about flawed people reaching for connection, and one of the most earnest big-screen experiences of the year.
9. WEAPONS
Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS arrived under huge expectations—and exceeds them on every level. The film opened far above projections and earned acclaim from both critics and audiences, but the real triumph is how good it is: a gripping, often funny, deeply unsettling horror mystery about seventeen missing children in a small Midwest town. Cregger expertly balances dark humor with dread as multiple storylines converge, anchored by standout performances from Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and breakout Cary Christopher—plus a chilling turn from Amy Madigan as a villain for the ages. More than just a scary movie, WEAPONS explores grief, manipulation, and the invisible forces that can destroy us. With precision filmmaking and a finale destined for horror history, Cregger solidifies his place among the genre greats.
10. ZOOTOPIA 2:
Zootopia 2 is a bigger, funnier, and more visually stunning sequel that delivers exactly what fans loved about the original—while raising the stakes with timely themes about inclusion and courage. Nick and Judy team up with a timid snake named Gary to stop a corrupt lynx empire from destroying vital swampland, resulting in a fast-paced, laugh-filled adventure packed with returning favorites and fun new characters. With sharp humor for adults, nonstop entertainment for kids, and surprising emotional depth, Disney proves this follow-up is far from a cash grab—it's one of the year’s most delightful family films.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Predator: Badlands.
The Christmas holiday saw the release of multiple high-profile hits including the faith-based animated picture “David”, Disney’s stunning “Avatar: Fire & Ash” from 20th Century Studios, Lionsgate’s “The Housemaid”, Universal’s heartwarming “Song Sung Blue”, and A24’s thrilling and life-affirming “Marty Supreme”.
So what’s my Top 10 of the year looking like, you might (not) be wondering?
Well, that’s tricky.
Over the last week I’ve seen “One Battle After Another”, “Nuremberg”, “Avatar Fire & Ash”, “Song Sung Blue”, and “Marty Supreme” and to say that I’m still trying to gain my bearings from such a full-frontal cinematic assault would be an understatement.
1. 28 YEARS LATER
Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later is a bold, divisive return to the world he helped redefine, transforming zombie horror into a philosophical meditation on legacy, grief, and survival. Picking up nearly three decades after the Rage Virus quarantined Britain, the film follows 12-year-old Spike and his father as they venture from their rigid island commune onto a mainland reclaimed by nature and mutated infected, including grotesque “Slow Lows” and terrifying “Alphas.” What begins as a tense survival story evolves into a coming-of-age journey when Spike and his ailing mother seek out a reclusive scientist rumored to hold a cure, shifting the film toward deeply human tragedy. Visually stunning and tonally daring—sunlit beauty colliding with night-vision horror—28 Years Later reflects post-pandemic anxieties about isolation and the danger of clinging to the past, favoring conversation-provoking themes over easy thrills. More arthouse meditation than conventional sequel, it’s a risky, emotionally resonant evolution of the franchise that reminds us the old world is gone, and what comes next is still being written.
2. SINNERS
Ryan Coogler’s SINNERS, which debuted Easter weekend, is a sweaty, blood-soaked reinvention of the vampire genre that fuses horror, eroticism, music, religion, and racial commentary into something wholly original. Set in 1932 Mississippi, the film follows twin brothers Smoke and Stack (Michael B. Jordan) as they return home from World War I and Chicago gangster life to open a bar, reuniting with past loves and recruiting their gifted young cousin Sammie, whose music becomes a supernatural bridge between past, present, and future. That gift draws the attention of Remmick (Jack O’Connell), an Irish vampire whose seductive promise of unity and assimilation turns opening night into a violent reckoning, rich with metaphor about cultural theft, temptation, and survival under Jim Crow. Coogler treats music as living magic, delivers jaw-dropping set pieces, and embraces the vampire’s long-standing ties to sex and desire, while grounding the spectacle in deeply human relationships and historical weight. By the end, SINNERS stands as both an expertly crafted monster movie and a provocative cultural statement—funny, tragic, sensual, and visceral—staking its claim as a new modern benchmark for vampire cinema.
3. MARTY SUPREME
Josh Safdie’s Marty Supreme is a pulse-pounding, life-affirming knockout that follows mid-twenties table-tennis hopeful Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) as he risks practicality, stability, and common sense in his obsessive quest to become the greatest player in the world. Set in the 1950s — yet bursting with both period tunes and an unexpectedly perfect 1980s soundtrack — the film channels the “hustle mindset” of today through a retro lens. Chalamet delivers the best performance of his career, holding up a mirror (and a paddle) to the audience and asking what we’re willing to sacrifice to push past the fear that this might be all life has to offer. Is settling the same as succeeding? And what drives a person to leave something — anything — behind? Marty Supreme doesn’t just pose those questions. It dares us to answer them.
4. NUREMBERG
James Vanderbilt’s (Zodiac) story of the 1945 Nuremberg trials where the last living high-ranking members of the Nazi party were brought to trial on the world stage delivers a turn from Russell Crowe so damn good that I actually didn’t recognize him in the film for his first few scenes. A courtroom drama shot and staged like a thriller, the film follows Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelly (Rami Malek) as he sees the Nazis- including Crowe’s Hermann Goring- are mentally fit to stand trial. Leading up to the legal showdown, Kelly finds himself growing closer to Goring and finding himself torn between his oath to his profession and his duty to his country. What follows is an intimate, heartbreaking, informative, and truly mesmerizing film that asks, in no uncertain terms, what history will say about us over what we see ourselves as?
5. AVATAR: FIRE & ASH
James Cameron’s third trip to Pandora becomes one of the directors most technically impressive and visually stunning films of his career- if not of all time. When a last-ditch effort to save Jake Sully’s adopted human son Spider makes the boy able to breathe Pandora’s toxic air, the nefarious RDA corporation is hell-bent on capturing the boy to study, all while the newly-Na’vi Miles Quaritch courts the pagan witch leader of an ash-caked tribe from the volcanic lands named Varang to help him wage war against the Sully family, his eternal enemy. Diving further into Quaritch’s plot pays off in droves here, and we see our characters truly struggle with loss, family, duty, and what is “best” for the people versus what is “best” for us, all culminating in a multi-tiered final fight scene that is truly one for the ages.
Rounding out the rest of the list for the year: WICKED FOR GOOD, ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER, ROOFMAN, WEAPONS, and ZOOTOPIA 2:
6. WICKED FOR GOOD
Wicked for Good is a darker, richer, and more emotionally assured follow-up that not only meets but surpasses the expectations set by its blockbuster predecessor, transforming the “weaker” half of the stage musical into its most resonant chapter. Set months later, the film finds Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) hunted as the Wicked Witch while fighting to free Oz’s oppressed animals, as Glinda (Ariana Grande), now the Wizard’s smiling propaganda symbol, quietly unravels under the weight of lies, ambition, and lost friendship. Jon M. Chu’s direction is more confident and restrained, supported by lush, lived-in worldbuilding and a moodier, introspective score that trades instant showstoppers for deeper emotional impact. Erivo once again delivers volcanic power, but this is undeniably Grande’s film, as her vulnerable, conflicted Glinda becomes the emotional core, highlighted by a devastating new solo that redefines the character. With themes of propaganda, identity, and moral awakening woven throughout, Wicked for Good builds to a quiet, intimate finale that honors the enduring bond between its two leads, leaving audiences moved, changed, and grateful for the journey—for good.
7. ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
A wild ride from start to finish, this film follows Bob (Leonardo DiCaprio), a once-renowned freedom fighter who has retreated into isolation — until he’s forced back into the fight to protect his daughter Willa (Chase Infinity) from the ruthless Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn). One Battle After Another channels modern anxieties about immigration policy and national identity, while delivering a broader, more universal rallying cry. Like Bob, many of us were once driven by passion and purpose, only to feel worn down by the world around us. Director Paul Thomas Anderson doesn’t just encourage viewers to reignite that fire — he demands it, whether it’s for art, justice, or something entirely your own.
8. ROOFMAN
ROOFMAN is a tender, melancholic caper that turns an absurd true story into one of the year’s most heartfelt films, balancing gentle humor with quiet devastation. Set in 2004, the film follows fugitive Jeffrey Manchester (a career-best Channing Tatum) as he hides inside a suburban Toys R Us while waiting to escape the country, forming a risky, deeply human connection with Leigh (a luminous Kirsten Dunst), a single mother trapped in a joyless job and difficult life. Directed with sincerity and restraint by Derek Cianfrance, and shot on warm, textured 35mm that bathes the early-2000s setting in nostalgia, ROOFMAN finds its power not in its caper mechanics but in the doomed romance at its center. Tatum’s effortless charm and built-in empathy pair beautifully with Dunst’s blend of romantic warmth and dramatic depth, culminating in a final scene of raw emotional honesty that lingers long after the credits roll. Funny, sentimental, and refreshingly nonjudgmental, ROOFMAN is a deeply genuine film about flawed people reaching for connection, and one of the most earnest big-screen experiences of the year.
9. WEAPONS
Zach Cregger’s WEAPONS arrived under huge expectations—and exceeds them on every level. The film opened far above projections and earned acclaim from both critics and audiences, but the real triumph is how good it is: a gripping, often funny, deeply unsettling horror mystery about seventeen missing children in a small Midwest town. Cregger expertly balances dark humor with dread as multiple storylines converge, anchored by standout performances from Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, and breakout Cary Christopher—plus a chilling turn from Amy Madigan as a villain for the ages. More than just a scary movie, WEAPONS explores grief, manipulation, and the invisible forces that can destroy us. With precision filmmaking and a finale destined for horror history, Cregger solidifies his place among the genre greats.
10. ZOOTOPIA 2:
Zootopia 2 is a bigger, funnier, and more visually stunning sequel that delivers exactly what fans loved about the original—while raising the stakes with timely themes about inclusion and courage. Nick and Judy team up with a timid snake named Gary to stop a corrupt lynx empire from destroying vital swampland, resulting in a fast-paced, laugh-filled adventure packed with returning favorites and fun new characters. With sharp humor for adults, nonstop entertainment for kids, and surprising emotional depth, Disney proves this follow-up is far from a cash grab—it's one of the year’s most delightful family films.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Predator: Badlands.
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