Best Movies of 2025 (So Far)

We’re halfway through the year, so it’s a great time to look back on what 2025 has had to offer in the world of cinema so far. I can’t say I went into 2025 itching to see any movies, with the exception of my continued dedication to keeping up with the superhero genre – however, when I was putting together this list, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to come up with a selection of truly great movies this year.

I’m particularly impressed by how many movies made it to this list that I had absolutely no knowledge or expectations for going into 2025. It seems that at this halfway point, 2025 is shaping up to be a wildcard year for the film industry, and I hope that you’ll add some of my choices below to your watchlist if you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet! Now, as a horror fan, I do have to admit that this list leans a little heavier into that genre than any other, but I’ve tried my best to keep it balanced for all audiences. But enough talk, it’s time to get into our list of the best movies of 2025 so far!

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Superman

Image by DC Studios

It seems only fair to start this list with the most recent release to hit the silver screen, and by far, one of the most pleasant surprises of 2025 for me. The promotional material for Superman was a little shaky, and considering just how important this film was to the future of not only the DCU, but of DC Comics’ presence in the movie industry in general, it’s safe to say that this movie was fighting an uphill battle from the very start. With that in mind, it’s pretty remarkable that James Gunn managed to live up to the hype, and get me fully on-board with the developing DCU (especially after Creature Commandos left me a little high-and-dry).

Superman is easily one of the most charming, funny, and impactful movies I’ve seen in 2025 so far – it’s honestly mind-boggling that Gunn managed to make me enjoy a Superman movie considering I’ve never been the biggest fan of the character. With Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and, of course, David Corenswet all delivering incredible performances, Superman is the kind of comic-book movie that makes you enjoy watching superhero content again, especially in the face of such a growing sense of industry-wide superhero fatigue. Absolutely my favourite superhero movie of the year, and definitely one of the best movies of 2025 so far.

Superman is currently playing in theatres worldwide – check out our review here.

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K-Pop Demon Hunters

Image by Netflix

Family entertainment is not my thing, but when I heard about the K-Pop Demon Hunters craze going on all over social media, I had no choice but to check it out. While I’m not as obsessed with this newest Netflix sensation as everyone else seems to be, and you won’t see me blasting the soundtrack any time soon, I was completely hooked by this movie, in a way I never would have expected for a family-oriented musical. Now, to critique this movie a little bit, its general messaging is fairly standard, and doesn’t exactly shatter any glass ceilings. However, it doesn’t have to – what it does, it does extremely well, and to be fair, there is some edginess present when it comes to the demons that Huntr/x go up against.

However, it’s impossible to talk about K-Pop Demon Hunters without praising its visuals, and while I wish I could say I was surprised by how incredible this movie looked, I’ve come to expect such a level of quality when it comes to Sony Pictures Imageworks, aka the team who brought us Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Even if musicals aren’t your thing, and even if you like a little more adult-oriented storytelling in your entertainment, I still suggest you at least give K-Pop Demon Hunters a shot. If social media isn’t enough to sway you, then trust the word of this viewer who went in with my expectations on the floor.

K-Pop Demon Hunters is now streaming on Netflix.

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Final Destination: Bloodlines

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Wow, was this movie a pleasant surprise or what!? As much of a horror fan as I am, I’m never going to try to convince anyone that the Final Destination franchise has ever delivered cinematic excellence. In fact, while the whole underlying plot of Death itself being the main antagonist may seem like a stroke of genius when it comes to producing a horror franchise, many cinemaphiles have also written this whole idea off as lazy writing, and I can’t say they’re technically wrong. However, if you saw Final Destination: Bloodlines, and you say that you didn’t have at least a little bit of fun, then I’m sorry but I just don’t believe you.

All of the key elements of a Final Destination movie are at work here, with the added element of a layer of emotional involvement that I have never felt with any of this series’ movies before. Sure, the kills are as cheesy and over-the-top as always, but at this point, we know that that’s what Final Destination is going to deliver. I don’t think that this franchise is going to be up everyone’s alley, but for me, the opening sequence at the Sky View is easily the most memorable scene of the year in film for me, and the grin on my face throughout the entire movie makes Final Destination: Bloodlines makes it a shoe-in for my best movies of 2025 list.

Final Destination: Bloodlines is currently available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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Warfare

Image by A24

Well, this is quite a change of pace from the chaotic fun of our last entry. To be honest, I’m not sure that Warfare is a movie that’s going to stick with me for a very long time, or that it’s even a movie I enjoyed all that much. However, Warfare finds a home on this best movies of 2025 list because of just how unexpectedly gripping it was. I don’t tend to enjoy war films, and A24 is such a mixed-bag as a studio, so going into this, I was ready to be engaged, but wasn’t all that confident that this movie would land with me. But wow, did Warfare leave me impressed – and feeling slightly empty inside.

Warfare isn’t your traditional war movie, in the sense that the entire 95-minute runtime focuses exclusively on one specific event, when a group of U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq hole-up inside a building which is, of course, eventually attacked. The film never leaves this building, nor does it ever introduce any new characters beyond the group introduced at the very beginning of it. While this may sound like a weakness, it’s actually one of Warfare’s greatest strengths. The movie does not present you with any particular side to take, or opinion to hold – it simply documents the horrors of war from the perspective of a man who lived through it himself, as Warfare is directed by Ray Mendoza, a former soldier deployed to Iraq who based this movie entirely on his memories of this specific incident. Ultimately, Warfare is not the film for you if you’re looking for a particularly fun time – however, if you’re looking to be impressed by a movie’s ability to say so much whilst showing so little, I recommend you check this one out.

Warfare is available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Bring Her Back

Image by A24

Sticking with A24 for the moment, we come to one of the most insane movies I’ve ever seen in my life, never mind this year. After Talk To Me shook the horror industry back in 2022, the directorial debut of the Philippou Brothers (formerly known online as RackaRacka), Bring Her Back had a lot to prove. Were the directors capable of making a horror movie that was just as impactful as Talk To Me, or were they destined to fall flat? Well, not only did Bring Her Back prove that the Philippou Brothers are truly amazing horror directors, it proved that their future in the industry is only looking brighter.

Bring Her Back is one of the most disturbing, stomach-churning, and emotionally devastating movies I’ve seen in a very long time, and while it feels wrong to say I enjoyed the movie, I can’t deny just how much of a blast I had watching it. By no means is this film for the faint of heart (in fact, I had a hard time picking out an image to use that wouldn’t put some of you off reading the rest of our list), but if you can stomach it, you’re in for a truly remarkable horror film that manages to explore new horizons in an industry that seems like it has nowhere else it can possibly go. A definite recommendation for all my horror fans out there, and an incredible showcase of the talents of Billy Barratt, Sora Wong, Jonah Wren Phillips, and above all else, Sally Hawkins. A deranged time for sure, but easily one of the best movies of 2025 so far for me.

Bring Her Back is available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription.

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Thunderbolts

Image by Marvel Studios

It makes me sad that we’ve gotten to a point where it feels almost taboo to speak highly of anything getting pumped-out of the Marvel machine these days, but I don’t care. As much as they let me down when it comes to their streaming series, and admittedly, some of their recent cinematic outings, when Marvel does well, I’m going to praise them, and Marvel did a very good job with Thunderbolts. Sure, my overall thoughts of this movie pale a little in comparison to my earlier compliments for Superman, Thunderbolts was still a very enjoyable movie, and managed to single-handedly restore my faith in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, which I really hope will make it onto our best movies of 2025 list in December.

Ultimately, Thunderbolts works because it has a lot of heart behind it. These characters have appeared before across various MCU projects, but even without that background context, so much is done to make this band of misfits likeable, and in some cases, (Yelena), even loveable. For once, it feels like Marvel manages to balance comedy and seriousness pretty well, and the action sequences, whilst few and far between, managed to complement the emotional gravitas that the film brought to the table overall. In an era where all odds feel stacked against the MCU, I implore you give Thunderbolts a fair shot – it may not be one of your best movies of 2025, but I think you’ll have a great time.

Thunderbolts is currently available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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Companion

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Companion was one of those movies that I put on to unwind one day, expecting very little from it outside of a passably good time, but wow – what I ended up getting was far beyond any expectations I had set for it. An entirely self-contained, 97-minute, effective thriller movie – that sentence alone should be enough to hook many of you out there, but if you’re not convinced, let me just say that every single time you think you know how Companion is going to go, the movie turns itself on its head and throws another twist at you. It’s pure, unadulterated fun, and if you’re anything like me, it’ll have you on the edge of your seat the entire time.

It feels like Jack Quaid has been popping up everywhere recently, but this was by far my favourite performance he’s ever given, and yes, that includes The Boys. The type of character he plays here actually works a lot better for him, and he’s incredibly compelling throughout. The real star of the show, however, is Sophie Thatcher, who delivers an incredible performance as Iris, in a very challenging lead role. Companion may be a small-scale film, but it’s one of those overlooked gems that I think any thriller fan is going to die for. I personally see cult-classic status in Companion’s future – easily the most surprising entry on this best movies of 2025 list, and I couldn’t be happier about it.

Companion is currently available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.

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Sinners

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

For our final choice, it’s time we talk about the movie that is likely topping almost everyone’s best movies of 2025 list, as well as the only real Oscar-worthy film to release this year – Ryan Coogler’s Sinners. Going into Sinners, I was unsure of what to expect. Considering how many people were praising the movie as one of the best movies of the decade, my expectations were sky-high. However, while I felt confident that Sinners was going to be a good time, I didn’t expect the masterfully-crafted, musical thrill-ride that I was treated to.

On the surface, Sinners is a very strong vampire movie, with incredible special effects, and a very compelling performance from Jack O’Connell. Underneath this surface, however, Sinners explores a complex array of themes and topics, including but not limited to cultural appropriation, the importance of music in African-American culture, historical trauma, and the often under-discussed historical connection between African-Americans and Irish-Americans. With Sinners, it feels like Coogler bit off just as much as he could chew – no theme is underdeveloped, no character feels wasted, and the movie is overall one of the best takes on the vampire genre in a very long time, and wow, what a soundtrack! Any movie that so masterfully compares vampirism with assimilation is well-deserving of a spot on this best movies of 2025 list.

Sinners is currently available to buy or rent on Amazon Prime Video.

See also: 28 Years Later Review

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Conclusion

We’re only halfway through the year so far, but for us, these are easily some of the best movies of 2025 that we had the pleasure of watching – did we miss out on any of your picks for the best movies of 2025? Do you think any of these movies are strong enough to re-appear on our year-end list, or will the second half of 2025 dethrone our choices? Be sure to let us know in the comment section, and thank you for reading!

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