As of the start of this list–December 22nd 2025, whereupon I figured I was done watching new movies for the rest of the year–I have bested my record for most new release films watched in one year. According to my Letterboxd, I’ve seen 117 pictures that came out in the past twelve months. That tops the previous high of 113 from 2023 and last year’s 111!
So how was 2025 for movies? It was… fine. It was a year where a lot of movies were in my Very Good to Great range (3.5 – 4.0 out of 5.0), but only one movie–only one!– escaped that vortex and earned a 4.5. What movie was that? Well, you’ll have to stick around for the next two editions of the Top 30 movies and see!
But yeah, I was happy but not over-the-moon about 2025 in film overall. And that’s following a year in 2024 where I only had enough 4.5 movies to count on one hand. Am I… am I becoming a movie curmudgeon? Am I a harsher grader than I used to be?
Well, whether it’s been a drop in quality over the last two to three years or it’s been that I’m just a jerk, It’s time to look my 30 favorites of the year.
30. The Monkey
There was an absolute inordinate amount of Stephen King adaptations released as movies in 2025, and here is the first one we are going to discuss. It won’t be the last.
The Monkey isn’t high cinema by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a curious bit of fun that features the best deaths in a movie in quite some time. It’s all about making you point and laugh at what’s going on on the screen. And there’s nothing wrong with that every now and then.
Theo James plays a dual role in this one, as he portrays both of twin brothers once they are grown up. It felt a bit gimmicky to me, but he does a good enough job that you can forgive it.
29. Ballerina
The fifth movie in the John Wick franchise was released in 2025, and it was the first of these flicks to not feature Keanu Reeves as the primary star. It, instead, starred Ana de Armas as the titular Ballerina, Eve. Have no fear, though; there is plenty of Keanu in this one, especially when you get to the third act.
Like Wick movies are supposed to have, Ballerina has a few memorable action sequences, the most noteworthy of them all being the one with a flamethrower duel between two characters. And that’s really where everything hinges for this one. It’s probably the second worst of the Wick franchise for my money–I have it ranked slightly higher than Part 2–but it’s still a really good time.
I for one am down for more of the John Wick universe hitting the big screen.
28. Final Destination: Bloodlines
I was obviously a fan of this entry based on earlier this year when I declared it the best entry in the Final Destination franchise.
Having watched that entire series all in a row this year, the quality is not super high from beginning to end, but it does keep tinkering with its formula and adding new wrinkles to its mythology. I think that by the most recent entry, they really just about perfected the chemistry.
Final Destination: Bloodlines brilliantly combines humor, fake-outs, impressive deaths, and a decent enough story to make an engaging offering.
27. Influencers
One of the most recent movies on my list–if not THE most recent, as it dropped on Shudder in the middle of December–we have Influencers.
It’s the sequel to a movie simply called Influencer from a few years ago. And while I liked Influencer well enough, it was never in any peril of getting ranked among the best of its year. So what gives here? Well the follow-up outing is just a lot more fun. It’s a very twisty and turny tale, and I was really kept guessing for a while as I watched it. Is it a prequel? Is it a sequel? Your questions aren’t really answered until the second act.
Cassandra Naud is the absolute star of this one. She was great in Influencer; she is a nova in Influencers. I’m down to start seeing her in everything I watch. She obviously has a very striking look, but in addition to that, she is a very talented actress who perfectly gets the assignment in this series.
26. Oh, Hi!
Sometimes you watch a movie on an absolute whim and it turns out far better than you could have imagined. That was when I saw a quick trailer for Oh, Hi! and realized it looked truly interesting. Was it a thriller? Was it a comedy? What was I getting myself into?
It turns out that Oh, Hi! is unmistakably a comedy. The potential thriller aspects I was unsure about never materialized. But what we get instead is one of the most underseen and underrated comedy movies of the last several years. It’s a movie that starts off so mundane and adorable, but it just gets whackier and zanier as it progresses. Every time you think the flick has gotten as absurd as it’s going to, it finds a new bridge to cross.
Additionally, the cast all commit to the bit and buy in and sell the silliness like it’s the most obvious material in the world. With a weaker cast–or with one that just isn’t willing to buy what the movie is selling–this one would not be as worth the time. But luckily, we get a pitch perfect effort from everyone involved here.
25. Caught Stealing
The least Darren Aronofsky movie of all of of his that I have seen, Caught Stealing still manages to end up being a really potent outing for the decorated director.
Others have pointed out that this feels more like a Guy Ritchie film than one of Aronofsky’s. And it’s easy to see why. Caught Stealing is a crime-comedy that is based around a likable but gritty protagonist finding himself in over his head when several disparate elements come together to make his life a living hell. It’s not necessarily the dreamy and depressing world that Darren usually gives us.
But if this is what he had inside him all of this time, I’d be thrilled to see more of it going forward. Aronofsky and star Austin Butler work in beautiful synchronicity as they spin this yarn. It’s never boring across its runtime; it’s engaging and exciting and just a ton of fun.
24. One Battle After Another
Objectively one of the best MADE movies of 2025, a movie that could easily have settled into the top ten instead finds itself here at #24. What gives?
Well the biggest knock on One Battle After Another from me is that it’s easily 20-30 minutes too long. There is a little more set up than there needs to be, and the last few scenes aren’t really entirely necessary. I think there was some editing and re-writing that could have been utilized that was left out.
But enough about that. OBAA is tremendous. Let’s talk about the score to this one. It’s haunting and strained, and it encapsulates the moments as well as any score I’ve ever heard. It builds on the film around it so damned well.
There’s also a marvelously assembled cast led off by Leonardo DiCaprio just turning in another ho-hum Oscar-caliber performance. Then there are Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn, and Regina Hall all supporting him to the best of their abilities. But the story here is Chase Infiniti as DiCaprio’s daughter, and she is the real story. She immediately proves she belongs with these stars.
The point is: don’t take this rating as a slight against a very good movie.
23. The Ugly Stepsister
The Ugly Stepsister is one of those efforts that kind of came out of nowhere and took the world by storm among those who had seen it. It’s a Scandinavian movie that is a retelling of the Cinderella mythos from the point of view of Elvira, one of the ugly stepsisters from the classic tale. And it all takes place in a body horror genre flick!
The Ugly Stepsister does not pull any punches, either. The story and the effects and the shots all maximize the yuck of it all. The film is incredibly raw and vivid, and it wants the viewer to be right in the thick of everything Elvira goes through. And when you get to the third act? Wow, is all I can say. It goes off the rails.
Lea Myren plays Elvira, and she is wonderful. She manages to come across as both cunniving and sympathetic. There are times where she makes a decision that inspires you to reach through the screen and shake some sense into her. That only happens if Myren plays her as worthy of your care. And she does!
If you haven’t seen this one–it came out on Shudder earlier in 2025–I really recommend it. If you can stomach it.
22. Good Fortune
Another really surprising for the list, Good Fortune was a movie I expected to enjoy, but even I was shocked at how high it ended up placing for me. I anticipated a fun little comedy, but what I got was a message about classism and the problems with the American Dream.
Keanu Reeves works so damned well in this picture. His often stunted and subdued delivery plays so well as Gabriel, a bumbling but well-meaning angel of texting while driving. He sees his peers doing more “important” tasks, so he decides that is where he wants to be, too. Of course, he screws everything up. And then gets demoted. But hey… he tried. And it’s in that effort that Reeves shines as he makes Gabriel so earnest and then so defeated.
Aziz Ansari and Seth Rogen are pretty divisive actors in the film world, but I enjoy them each, and they add their best to this one. Aziz is pretty much just doing his thing–and I suppose Rogen is, too–but I thought they balanced out Keanu’s work very well.
21. Bugonia
The movie that, for a moment made me think I might like Yorgos Lanthimos (it turns out that he probably isn’t for me after I subsequently checked out his earlier work), Bugonia clocks in at #21 and closes out the first third of this countdown.
Begonia is a gorgeously interesting movie, with a superb plot and brilliant acting. It was one of those flicks that you sit upright while watching and just let the whole thing wash over you. I was engaged in this one! Just absorbed from the moment it started. It was pulse-pounding and intense, and I loved every minute of it.
(Maybe not the last 5-10 minutes, as my preference would be for this one to have ended a little sooner than it did; I thought the ending showed too much)
Also, Emma Stone, man. How many Academy Awards is she going to end her career with? I doubt she wins (or even gets nominated) for this performance, but… she should. She is stellar.
And that’s the first third in the books!
Let me know what you thought of everything here. Any you liked? Any you particularly disliked? Sound off in the comments!
Until next time… take care!
swoproductions.com 