By: Daniel Kendle
Hey guys, it’s me: Movie Mike. If you haven’t heard of me before (chuckles), then I’d be surprised. As one of the world’s leading film critics, it’s near-impossible to encounter an aspiring reviewer in the Hollywood industry not influenced by my work. No one comes close! My opinions are sacrosanct! I wore a Criterion Collection t-shirt to my great aunt’s funeral!
Being the “movie mogul” I am, it’s safe to say that my ratings for films are all correct. This means that you simply can’t get mad at me for my opinions because, well…they aren’t! ‘Tampopo’ is overrated. ‘Bambi’ is the best Disney movie. Baz Lurhmann films all suck. These are a mere sampling of my just and truthful views, ones that – in a perfect world – would be religiously-accepted.
Anyways, that’s enough about me. 2025 was a pretty good year for movies overall, even when compared to years like 2019 and 2023. Lots of good stuff came out, so it was pretty difficult to narrow down this list to just 5. So before I begin with the countdown, let’s go over a few honorable (and dishonorable) mentions.
‘Train Dreams,’ directed by Clint Bentley, was my 6th favorite of last year. This is a lush, dreamy story about an American logger during the early 20th century, the plot paired finely with near-hypnotic cinematography. A slow film, the visuals and sound design work to captivate your interest throughout as you watch this man’s life unfold – from the beginning to the very end.
Ryan Coogler’s ‘Sinners’ also just missed out on the top 5. This was among the year’s most popular, arguably becoming the first universally-acclaimed release of 2025. I love it a lot too, though maybe a little less than others: the tone felt all over the place for me, trying to balance elements of horror, action, fantasy and even comedy genres at times, though never as gracefully as I would hope. Still very good, however.
To speed through some other films, ‘Weapons’ was one of the biggest surprises for me, especially as someone mostly-indifferent to horror flicks. I honestly foresee it potentially climbing into the top 5 with another rewatch; it gets better the more I think about it. ‘Superman’ and ‘Wake Up Dead Man’ were both extremely overrated, ‘F1’ somehow got an Oscar nom for Best Picture despite having a shallower story than ‘Cars,’ and, well…I actually did kinda like that K-Pop movie everyone’s talking about.
Alright, I think that’ll do. Without further ado, here’s my (official) list of the Top 5 Feature Films of 2025.
#5: ‘One Battle After Another’ (Paul Thomas Anderson)
Yeah, it was a shoo-in for ending up on this list, but really, why wouldn’t it? It’s safe to say that ‘One Battle After Another’ is among the premier movies of 2025, quickly becoming amongst those future cinephiles will sweat and stammer about when remembering the year’s catalog.
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film follows a group of retired mercenaries reuniting to rescue the daughter of one of their members. This is an action movie in every sense of the word, and unlike something like ‘Sinners,’ I don’t feel I have to end that statement in a question mark. The movie never lets up in its profound portrayals of family, friends and the importance of community – a notion countered by the film’s antagonist in one of Sean Penn’s best roles. Of course, Chase Infiniti, Leonardo DiCaprio and Teyana Taylor also do excellent jobs – even if I think the latter-most’s performance is a tad overrated.
While I may have it lower than others might, that’s not to diminish this film’s quality. In times of unprecedented peril and hostility around the world, it’s great to have a movie unabashedly hopeful for the future of humanity.
#4: ‘Frankenstein’ (Guillermo del Toro)
I’m a very big fan of del Toro overall, he’s easily a personal favorite director of mine. This isn’t to say he has a perfect filmography, but it’s rare for a director to have so many individually-perfect films like him. ‘Frankenstein,’ despite some minor issues, is yet another triumph from the Mexican filmmaker, feeling like the culmination of his career thus far.
Of course, the film is an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel of the same name, so I’d be wasting article space recounting the play-by-play. As it stands, however, the film is a lovely tribute to the novel, introducing new ideas whilst honoring the original’s. Oscar Issac and Jacob Elordi also do great jobs as Victor Frankenstein and The Creature respectively as well, accompanied by a talented supporting cast.
This movie pairs nicely with del Toro’s adaptation of ‘Pinocchio’ from a few years back (my personal favorite work of his), both films addressing father-son relationships, creation, and life in meaningful and touching ways. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I firmly stand by ‘Frankenstein’ as being among the year’s most heartfelt flicks.
#3: ‘Bugonia’ (Yorgos Lanthimos)
‘Bugonia’ is among the films from last year I’ve thought most about since first viewing, which goes to show its staying power in the mind. What I originally perceived as a simple alien story cartwheeled into a vast sci-fi epic – one taking place entirely in a man’s basement.
The plot has a simple set-up: 2 men kidnap a CEO under the belief that she’s an alien, both seeking to save the world from her species’ wrath. The film eventually unfurls into something greater, however: a harrowing story about vengeance and what drives people to pursue it, no matter the consequences. In a collision course of a final act, ‘Bugonia’ manages to maintain both great comedy with powerful drama and cement itself as among its genre’s finest. And that score? Woof.
#2: ‘Hamnet’ (Chloé Zhao)
‘Hamnet’ is one of those films that, upon rewatch, I could see lowering my rating for and/or placement of it here, but for now I’ll just let it go. Because WOWIE, this movie is pretty dang good, actually!
An adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel, the plot predominantly follows Agnes and William Shakespeare as they grapple with the death of their 11-year-old, the titular Hamnet. The film shows their differing methods of dealing with grief, the latter using the tragedy as the basis for a new play.
The film is largely Agnes’s, however, played by Jessie Buckley in among the actress’s finest roles. I’ve been careful with my synopsis of the story to not describe her as merely “Shakespeare’s wife,” as that rids her character of so much depth on display here. Her sadness, given tangibility by the noble nature of her son’s death, is profound and moving to a fault. It’s this character and her struggle that defines the film, making it among the best of last year.
The movie isn’t perfect, but it’s crazy just how many individual things ‘Hamnet’ does do perfectly. Again, I could see myself lowering my score upon a more critical second viewing, but for now I herald it as a triumph.
#1: ‘Marty Supreme’ (Josh Safdie)
Despite claiming the top spot, I surprisingly don’t have much to say about ‘Marty Supreme’ that others haven’t already. The Safdie brothers excel in fast-paced, chaotic films that spiral out of control within minutes, given character through honest, flawed leads that add to the narrative’s energy and dynamism. ‘Uncut Gems’ has always been a great example of this trend, and ‘Marty Supreme’ looks to equal it in its levels of mania.
As to not spoil much, the film centers on the semi-fictional character of Marty Mauser, a young man who aims to be the greatest table tennis player in the world. The plot chronicles just that — for like, an hour. Interspliced with his rise to global recognition are countless vignettes showing his madcap life that quickly steal the show, turning what would be a normal sports flick into a modern epic.
I could sit here and say the filmmaking on display isn’t rocket science, but who am I kidding: it’s miraculous how what could’ve been a smorgasbord of absurd, random nosequators was instead weaved into an all-time classic. A definite highlight of 2025, and a movie I’d recommend to anyone.
