2025 was not a great year at the movies. It was a fine year with lots of good movies, but not a whole lot of great ones. Let’s put it this way… even the best movie of this year, Sinners, is not quite original and can’t compete at all with the best movies of previous years or even the second best movies of previous years.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Sinners was great. It was cool and fun and exciting. But you can’t tell me it’s original when clearly it’s a take on From Dusk Till Dawn, about two brothers spending one night inside a bar while vampires are attacking it.
One thing this year did well is that it gave us a bunch of solid action movies. That includes two Marvel films, which is nice, because for a long long time Marvel movies just weren’t on the radar anymore. In fact, the last year we got two Marvel films on the list was 2021 (the year right after the pandemic,) when we were given both Shang Chi and Spider Man No Way Home, both in the same year. Well, this year we got Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four and both were pretty fun movies. What’s interesting about those is that Thunderbolts keeps getting a little better each time you see it (the humor and writing are just so good,) and the Fantastic Four movie keeps getting a little worse (there really isn’t enough action or excitement, among other things.)
But the Fantastic Four is smart and interesting, and what they do with Galactus is amazing. Plus, it definitely deserves points for coming in as short as it does, and therefore leaving us wanting more. But Thunderbolts and the Fantastic Four are far from the only two action movies on the list…There’s also Ballerina and Havoc, two B movies if ever there were some. Ballerina is like the ugly sister to John Wick (not that there’s anything ugly about Anna De Armas.) But let’s be realistic here, this character is no Wick, even if it does exist in the same universe. There’s a lot to like about the movie, including tons of good action, but the storyline is routine, and there are no specific action scenes that really stand out when compared to the other Wick movies.
With Havoc, on the other hand, there’s a better plot involving a mystery and double crosses. Not that it’s so incredibly original or anything, but at least it makes the effort. And Tom Hardy is always a good lead… an actor who you just want to spend time with no matter what he’s doing. Even if he’s just driving a car and talking (as seen in his terrific movie Locke.) Havoc isn’t great, by any means, but with action by the director of the Raid, and a vibrant level of energy, it definitely has some things to offer.
With Sinners added to that list of action movies, that makes five out of the top ten films of the year which are solid action flicks. The other five are the components of a mixed bag. There’s Marty Supreme, which is so good because it is a character study of a man who is willing to do just about anything to prove himself, but is also a little too arrogant for his own good. There’s Companion which is a fascinating take on robots in the future. In fact, of all the movies on the list, that one might be the most creative. Then there’ Wicked For Good, which is just the perfect sequel, answering questions about the Wizard of Oz that we’ve been wondering for decades. There’s Weapons, which tells a horror story in the most unusual and creative way, but showing us all different perspectives, one after another, to add and build on to its story one segment at a time. The way that one story continues from where another one left off, is an incredible touch. If Companion gets the award for creativity, than Weapons is right under that.
Finally we have K Pop Demon Hunters, the sensation that rocked the nation, and really the whole world. It’s anime taken to the next level, about a pop band of teenage girls who slay demons in their spare time. The coolest thing about the movie is that their enemies aren’t crazy warriors, but a boy band, meant to steal their fans. The way the movie combines fun music with action is pretty great.
So there you have it. A Solid list. Lots of good movie with lots of rewatchability. Let’s hope next year we don’t get lots of good movies, but lots of great movies. 2026 certainly looks like it should be awesome with films that finally bring things together like Spider Man Brand New Day (it’s about time we get the Scorpion in one of these movies,) to Avengers Doomsday (as curious as I am about Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom, the thing to be most excited about here is the original X Men coming back and interacting with the Avengers.) Should be a blast.
Now, here’s the list of the best movies from 2025…
1.) Sinners
2) Marty Supreme
3) Thunderbolts
4.) Companion
5) The Fantastic Four: First Steps
6) Wicked: For Good
7) Weapons
8) Ballerina: From the World of John Wick
9) K Pop Demon Hunters
10) Havoc