Best Films of 2025

This is a list ranking all the films released in 2025 that I have seen.

★★★★★ – Favourite / Classic / Masterpiece
★★★★½ – Excellent / Deeply Rewarding Experience
★★★★ – Great Experience / Enjoyed all Elements
★★★½ – Very Good / Enjoyable Experience with Minor Flaws
★★★ – Good Experience with some Flaws
★★½ – Interesting Elements but Major Flaws
★★ – Disappointing / Attractive Project that Fails
★½ – Annoying Choices of Creative or Narrative Elements
★ – Soulless / Barely a Film
½ – Abysmal / One of the Worst Films Seen

The Secret Agent
(O Agente Secreto)
★★★★½
dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho
Historical Political Thriller
[Brazil / France / Germany / Netherlands, 2025]
Budget: $5 million

Sentimental Value
★★★★½
dir. Joachim Trier
Comedy Drama
[Norway / France / Germany / Denmark / Sweden / UK, 2025]

Cover-Up
★★★★½
dir. Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus
Documentary
[USA, 2025]

All I Had Was Nothingness
★★★★½
dir. Guillaume Ribot
Documentary
[France, 2025]

Marty Supreme
★★★★½
dir. Josh Safdie
Sports Comedy-Drama
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $60–70 million

One Battle After Another
★★★★½
dir. Paul Thomas Anderson
Action Thriller
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $130–175 million

Sinners
★★★★
dir. Ryan Coogler
Horror
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $90–100 million

Train Dreams
★★★★
dir. Clint Bentley
Period Drama
[USA, 2025]

Avatar: Fire and Ash
★★★★
dir. James Cameron
Epic Science Fiction
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $350–400 million

In die Sonne schauen
★★★½
dir. Mascha Schilinski
Drama
[Germany, 2025]
Budget: $5 million

After the Hunt
★★★½
dir. Luca Guadagnino
Psychological Thriller
[Italy / USA, 2025]
Budget: $70–80 million

Wake Up Dead Man
★★★½
dir. Rian Johnson
Mystery
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $151.7 million

Bugonia
★★★½
dir. Yorgos Lanthimos
Black Comedy
[UK / Ireland / South Korea / USA, 2025]
Budget: $45–55 million

Black Bag
★★★½
dir. Steven Soderbergh
Spy Thriller
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $50–60 million

Predator: Badlands
★★★½
dir. Dan Trachtenberg
Science Fiction Action
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $105 million

Warfare
★★★½
dir. Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland
War
[UK / USA, 2025]
Budget: $20 million

Drop
★★★½
dir. Christopher Landon
Mystery Thriller
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $11 million

The Smashing Machine
★★★½
dir. Benny Safdie
Biographical Sports Drama
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $50 million

Heldin
★★★½
dir. Petra Volpe
Drama
[Switzerland / Germany, 2025]
Budget: €3.7 million

The Mastermind
★★★½
dir. Kelly Reichardt
Heist
[UK / USA, 2025]

House of Dynamite
★★★
dir. Kathryn Bigelow
Apocalyptic Political Thriller
[USA, 2025]

The Perfect Neighbor
★★★
dir. Geeta Gandbhir
Documentary
[USA, 2025]

F1
★★★
dir. Joseph Kosinski
Sports Drama
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $200–300 million

Ballerina
★★★
dir. Len Wiseman
Action Thriller
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $90 million

Night Always Comes
★★★
dir. Benjamin Caron
Crime Thriller Drama
[USA, 2025]

Sirāt
★★★
dir. Óliver Laxe
Drama
[Spain / France, 2025]
Budget: €6.5 million

Amrum
★★★
dir. Fatih Akin
Historical Drama
[Germany, 2025]

Miroirs No. 3
★★★
dir. Christian Petzold
Drama
[Germany, 2025]

Captain America: Brave New World
★★★
dir. Julius Onah
Superhero
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $180 million

Predator: Killer of Killers
★★★
dir. Dan Trachtenberg
Adult Animated Science Fiction Action Anthology
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $50 million

The Phoenician Scheme
★★★
dir. Wes Anderson
Espionage Black Comedy Thriller
[USA / Germany, 2025]
Budget: $30 million

CHAOS: The Manson Murders
★★★
dir. Errol Morris
Documentary
[USA, 2025]

Jurassic World Rebirth
★★½
dir. Gareth Edwards
Science Fiction Action
[USA, 2025]
Budget: $180–225 million