I thought about
skipping this list this year, as I did not watch nearly as many new releases as
I have in years past and still have lots of 2025 films that remain on my
to-watch list. I have only watched 16 as of this moment, in fact, so being in
the top 10 is only kind of a compliment for some of these. On the flipside, I
have only seen one 2025 film that I have truly disliked, and even that I can’t
hate because my nephews and other enthusiasts love it (Minecraft). I
also realize that a lot of these picks are basic white boy selections... 3
comic book movies, 2 Predator movies, and not a single one from an indie
studio, up-and-comer, or fancy film festival. Oh well. These are the movies I
enjoyed most from 2025 (so far):
(Note: number 5 is the only one I haven’t already written a
review for, so it is the only one that I am including justification for. If you
want to see what I liked about the other 9, well... read the reviews)
10. Predator: Killer of Killers
9. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
8. Thunderbolts*
7. Predator: Badlands
6. Superman
5. The Phoenician Scheme
Before this I had only ever seen Asteroid City out of
all of Wes Anderson’s many films (along with the Roald Dahl shorts), and this
was by far the better movie. Asteroid City felt listless—a plot with too
many inconsequential side characters, no clear narrative, and inscrutable
fantasy moments that felt pretentious without true meaning. The Phoenician
Scheme, on the other hand, stuck to one story and three primary
protagonists, the plethora of famous faces that usually make up Anderson’s
ensemble casts all came and went as needed, always serving the plot, and the
fantastical moments were easy to digest and appreciate. The Phoenician
Scheme is quirky, pretty, and wonderfully acted and directed, which should
be no surprise to anyone who likes Wes Anderson. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel
or anything... even just two movies in I can tell that Anderson has a formula
that is tried, true, and omnipresent. But unlike Asteroid City this one
has me wanting to experience more of that formula for myself.
4. Frankenstein
3. Wake Up Dead Man
2. Sinners
1. One Battle After Another
2025 films on my list that I have
yet to see that may very well knock some of the above out of their spots in the
future- Marty Supreme, Wicked: For Good, Avatar: Fire and Ash, Ballerina, 28
Years Later, The Naked Gun, Caught Stealing, Roofman, Rental Family, The Long
Walk, Is This Thing On?, The Running Man. Like I said... I still have a lot
to get to.
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