Despite some headlines about the box office, 2025 has been a rather great year for movies. Fan-favorite directors like Ryan Coogler, Park Chan-wook, Guillermo del Toro, Lynn Ramsey, Paul Thomas Anderson, Celine Song, Wes Anderson, and Steven Soderbergh released new films. Audiences got not one but two Predator films (and they were both great). KPop: Demon Hunters is a global cinematic sensation, and after over a decade of struggling to keep up with Marvel, DC finally made an impression with James Gunn’s Superman. The Fantastic Four finally got a good movie. What’s more, the year is still going, with titles like Wicked: For Good, Hamnet, Avatar: Fire and Ash, and Marty Supreme still on the horizon.
In a year filled with great movies, which ones are the best of the best? It certainly isn’t easy to narrow down, but these 8 films are the best that the year has had to offer, ranging from debut feature films to new films by established legends. From Film Festival hits to studio gambles that paid off big, these are the best movies of 2025 (so far), with the top 3 bound to become classics.
8
‘Train Dreams’
In limited release and arriving on Netflix on Nov. 21, Train Dreams centers on Robert Grainier (Joel Edgerton), a man who is working to build train tracks that will connect across the United States. Yet doing so keeps him away from his wife, Gladys (Felicity Jones), and their newborn daughter. Directed by Clint Bentley, who produced one of the best films of 2024, Sing Sing, Train Dreams is another exceptional film in an exceptional year.
Train Dreams is very much a meditation on America at a very important point in its existence. Exploring one man who was such a small part in a larger machine that connected the country, ironically, leads him to be disconnected from people close to him. It is easily the best performance of Edgerton’s career. Soft-spoken and contemplative, Train Dreams is a movie that stays with the viewer long after it ends.
7
‘Blue Moon’
One of two Richard Linklater movies released in 2025, Blue Moon is set on a single night as songwriter Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) reflects on himself on the opening night of Oklahoma!, a new musical by his former colleague Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott). The movie also stars Margaret Qualley as Hart’s muse, Bobby Carnevale as a down-to-earth but witty bartender, and Patrick Kennedy as a bar patron and future Stuart Little author, E.B. White.
Blue Moon feels like a spiritual successor to Linklater’s and Hawke’s Before Trilogy, as much of the movie is set over a single night, but this time confined to one location, with the characters’ conversations being so engaging. It is hard not to hang onto every word of Hawke’s delivery, playing a man who is both the life of the party and also clearly hiding a host of pain. It is what many would call a “vibes movie” or “hang out” movie in the best way, as the 100-minute runtime breezes by, and, like a great conversation, you don’t want it to end.
6
‘No Other Choice’
Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice is the second feature film adaptation of the 1997 novel The Ax, following the 2005 French film of the same name. The film follows Yoo Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a desperate paper industry expert who, after being laid off from his company after an American buyout, decides to kill off his competition to secure future employment so he can provide for his wife Lee Mi-ri (Son Ye-Jin), and their two kids, but also keep their lavish lifestyle.
Since No Other Choice debuted at the Venice Film Festival, it has been hailed as a masterpiece and one of Park Chan-wook’s finest films. That certainly means a lot considering his credits include Oldboy, Stoker, and The Handmaiden. No Other Choice is a dark satire of modern corporate culture and the relentless and crushing weight of a job market that leaves even the most skilled employees struggling to stay afloat. Supported by a great cast, and a major shout-out to Kim Woo-hyung’s awe-inspiring cinematography working in tandem with Kim Sang-bum’s clever editing, No Other Choice is another standout film from one of the greatest living directors.
5
‘Sorry, Baby’
Sorry, Baby is a masterclass in balancing tone. This is made all the more impressive by its director, Eva Victor’s (who also stars and wrote the film) feature film directorial debut. The story follows Agnes (Victor) as a reclusive college literature professor struggling with depression following a sexual assault during her graduate program.
Sorry, Baby walks a tonal tightrope, treating the subject matter with the seriousness it deserves while using a dark sense of humor to undercut some of the emotional tension that aligns with the main character’s coping mechanism. It never jokes about sexual assault, but understands people will deal with and address it in their own ways. Sorry, Baby is genuine, witty, and powerful, with an ending that recontextualizes the title in a brutally heartbreaking way. Sorry, Baby is easily one of the best movies of 2025.
4
‘Sentimental Value’
Sentimental Value is Joachim Trier’s follow-up to The Worst Person in the World. The film follows the complex relationship between filmmaker Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård) and his two estranged daughters, Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), following their mother’s death. Gustav, who left the family when his daughters were young, is looking to revive his career with an autobiographical screenplay while trying to repair the strained relationship with his daughters.
Sentimental Value premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and competed in the Palme d’Or, losing to another entry on this list. Yet since its release, it has earned rave reviews from critics, with Skarsgård now being the frontrunner for the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award. Sentimental Value explores the deep-seated wounds of family trauma that pass down through generations. Cathartic and emotionally resonant, Sentimental Value is a must-see.
3
‘It Was Just an Accident’
It Was Just an Accident is the film that beat out Sentimental Value for the Palme d’Or, and it’s hard to argue with that win. It Was Just an Accident is a triumph of a film. The story centers on a group of former Iranian political prisoners who have the chance to get revenge on their tormentor, but with one major wrinkle: they do not know if the man they have captured is truly their tormentor, since they never saw his face and only have the sound of his prosthetic leg to go off of.
Directed by Jafar Panahi, who himself has been imprisoned by the Iranian government many times and filmed It Was Just an Accident without permits, is a compelling marriage of a political thriller mixed with the sometimes absurd nature of a road movie. The lead character picks up former political prisoners to see if anyone can identify the man he has taken hostage, with everyone expressing their fear, anger, and anxieties in illuminating ways about the torture they endured.
Lead actor Vahid Mobasseri carries the movie, but it is Mariam Afshari who steals the show with one of the year’s most emotionally heartbreaking scenes. It Was Just an Accident leaves the audience on their toes about the man who has been captured for much of the movie, and the film’s final scene might be one of the most horrifying shots of any movie released in 2025.
2
‘Sinners’
Sinners is not just one of the best films of 2025, but a full-blown cultural phenomenon. The film follows twins Smoke and Stack (played by Michael B. Jordan) as the two return to Mississippi in 1932 to open up their own juke joint with the money and supplies they’ve lifted from both the Italian and Irish mobs in Chicago. However, the night of their grand opening, they find themselves fighting to survive as the venue is attacked by vampires, led by Remmick (Jack O’Connell).
With a supporting cast that includes Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Canton, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo, and Jayme Lawson, and directed by Ryan Coogler, Sinners is one of the most talked-about movies of the year. It is a full-blown blockbuster, grossing $367 million worldwide, all the more impressive for being an original story. The songs have been hits since the film’s release, and the movie’s quotes and characters have already become part of wider popular culture.
Sinners became the year’s first true Oscar frontrunner when it was released back in April, and that momentum has not slowed down one bit. Regardless of whether Sinners becomes an Oscar contender, it will endure as a modern classic remembered years from now and become part of people’s annual Halloween rotation.
1
‘One Battle After Another’
In a year filled with great films, One Battle After Another manages to take the top spot, as within days of its release, it was hailed as a masterpiece, one enjoyed by critics and audiences alike. One Battle After Another features an all-star cast that includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, Benicio del Toro, and a breakout star making a performance from Chase Infiniti. The basic premise involves a former revolutionary who is forced back into his former combative lifestyle when his daughter is pursued by a corrupt military officer after a connection to her mother years ago.
One Battle After Another is a rare film that, despite being nearly three hours, moves by with a breeze. It is a politically minded action film that feels in tune with the current moment of ICE raids, police overreach, and fears about growing white nationalism. It is also incredibly funny, with a basic premise that plays out like Taken, but instead of Liam Neeson, it’s The Dude from The Big Lebowski stumbling through events.
A month after its release, the main outfit DiCaprio wore as Bob became an easily recognizable (and low-effort) Halloween costume and likely will be a go-to for years to come. That doesn’t happen unless the movie is iconic and speaks to a wider audience. After years of being one of the greatest filmmakers of all time who has never won an Oscar, One Battle After Another might do for Paul Thomas Anderson what Oppenheimer did for Christopher Nolan.