The Top 10 Worst Movies of 2025, Ranked

Typically here on Nerdy Nook, we like to talk about all the good that the world of cinema brings us throughout each year. However, there’s no moviegoer on this earth that hasn’t felt the sting of disappointment of watching one of their long-anticipated movies, only to be let down by what they see. That’s why today, we’re letting all of our grievances out, as we rank some of the worst movies of 2025. These films are better off left in the year behind us, as 2026 kicks off its own yearly release cycle.

As a disclaimer, this list is entirely my opinion! Some of these movies are objectively better than some of the other films released in 2025, but whether they failed to meet my personal expectations, or just made my blood boil in one way or another, the following ten movies stood out to me as the year’s worst. Let’s get our anger out here, and look forward to a new year in cinema! With that being said, let’s get into the list of our worst movies of 2025!

---

10. The Long Walk

Image by Lionsgate

I feel like I’m kicking off this list with a fairly controversial take, but hey, those are what we’re here for! As much as I wanted to love this film, and as much praise as I see it getting online, I had a pretty bad time with The Long Walk, a movie that was so shrouded in dystopian misery and soul-draining character work, that it forgot it has an audience to entertain. Even on paper, I fail to see how a story like The Long Walk could be stretched out into a feature-length film, but stranger things have happened. However, this movie proved my worries justified, as sitting through the film feels almost as draining as competing in the titular walk itself.

Granted, there are some things to like about The Long Walk. Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson are solid leads, and bring at least some sense of entertainment to what is an otherwise incredibly tiring movie. Other actors do well here, Tut Nyuot in particular, but no performances stop this cast from feeling like very little beyond the dystopian fodder that they are. Knowing that all of these characters are going to die was always going to be an obstacle when it came to their character growth, but their storylines could have been fleshed-out beyond the walk if our survivor pursued the promises that were made to them before they died. Instead, The Long Walk ends on an overwhelmingly dull note. I’m glad some people enjoy this movie – I always enjoy seeing horror winning. However, when it comes to 2025’s Stephen King adaptations, I’ll stick to Welcome to Derry.

---

9. Shelby Oaks

Image by Neon

Before I go into detail on this placement, I do want to preface this section by saying that I love the fact that Shelby Oaks was made. It’s been said time and time again, but it’s remarkable, and pretty inspiring, that Chris Stuckmann was able to make his own film, and have it play in theatres around the world. In that sense, I really respect Shelby Oaks, and the film did have some really visually impressive set pieces, as well as some very solid jumpscares. However, I have a really big issue with this movie, one that feels hard to believe, given the fact that a film critic put this movie together.

As cool as Shelby Oaks can be at times, it’s also painfully generic, with an ending that I feel like I’ve seen a thousand times over in the horror genre. What baffles me a little is that a film critic like Stuckmann would produce something this run-of-the-mill, given the fact that I feel like he himself would call out its genericity were he to review it. Perhaps Shelby Oaks is living proof that even the most original creatives can have their visions streamlined by the industry. Regardless of what went on behind-the-scenes, Shelby Oaks remains a real ‘what could have been’ scenario for me, and for that, it makes its way onto our worst movies of 2025 list – as painful as that is to say.

---

8. Captain America: Brave New World

Image by Marvel Studios

It brings me a lot less pain to call out this movie, as I’ve critiqued Marvel plenty of times before, and will likely critique them many times in the future. Marvel Studios released three movies in 2025 for the MCU, and Captain America: Brave New World was the worst by a landslide for me. I was pretty excited going into this movie, as Marvel seemed primed to move away from its multiversal antics, and tell a much more grounded, military-focused story. However, what had the potential to be a gripping political thriller ended up being another painfully generic MCU journey, with little highlights to its name.

Outside of Red Hulk in the final act of Captain America: Brave New World, I can barely remember what happens in this movie, which is a real shame for Sam Wilson. I actually really enjoy Wilson at Captain America, and I feel like, with the impending return of Steve Rogers, he was never given time to shine in the spotlight. I can say with certainty that Captain America: Brave New World has a phenomenal cast, acting on a level that is honestly so far above what the MCU usually delivers. However, in almost every other way, the movie falls apart, and delivers a subpar experience for a hero that should’ve been leading the MCU in its new age.

Read our full Captain America: Brave New World review here.

---

7. Avatar: Fire and Ash

Image by 20th Century Studios

I really debated on whether or not I was going to include Avatar: Fire and Ash on this worst movies of 2025 list, mainly because this is objectively a better film than a lot of the other entries on this ranking. Visually, Cameron continues to bring his A-game, as the Avatar franchise continues to redefine how good it is for a film to possibly look. The story is also fairly well-realised, but this point is actually what earns this movie a spot here. As strong as this movie may be in some ways, it angered me beyond belief to watch what is essentially the same plot as the previous two Avatar movies play out once again.

Avatar: Fire and Ash marks the first time that I’ve really felt the 3-hours of an Avatar movie pass by, as the plot gradually devolved into a repetitive retelling of two previous, and far better, movies. The newly introduced ‘ash people’ are completely wasted in their antagonistic role, as they become little more than tools for the RDA, as they pursue the same colonisation of Pandora as before. There’s some thrilling sequences, some well-acted new characters, and of course, the visuals are perfection. However, none of these positives can alleviate my frustration at a franchise with so much potential refusing to move beyond its self-imposed limits.

Check out our full Avatar: Fire and Ash review here.

---

6. M3GAN 2.0

Image by Universal Pictures

Honestly, I don’t know why I expected M3GAN 2.0 to be good. The first M3GAN, as charmingly camp as it was, screams ‘one-off success’, and a sequel was bound to miss the mark when it comes to recreating the cultural phenomenon of this killer doll’s 2022 outing. Like some other iconic franchises, namely Alien and Terminator, M3GAN 2.0 looks to take the world established in an original horror outing, and change the tone to be more aligned with the action genre. Unlike both of those aforementioned franchises though, M3GAN’s action sequel crashes and burns under the weight of a genre transition that is completely unsupported by the film’s questionable writing.

M3GAN 2.0 is alarmingly unexciting, somehow makes the titular doll feel bland and soulless, and against all odds, is completely unfunny. The humour was a particular sore spot for me, because where the original M3GAN leans fully into the twisted black comedy that many horror fans, like myself, would appreciate, this second film feels aimed towards edgy teenagers that find the mention of genitalia comedic genius. For some reason, M3GAN 2.0 is also two hours long. Do with that what you will. This one was a fairly easy choice for our worst movies of 2025 list, and if anything, it could have ranked even lower than this.

Check out our full review of M3GAN 2.0 here.

---

5. Wolf Man

Image by Universal Pictures

I’ve talked before about the gradual re-emergence of the Universal Monsters into the horror mainstream. With films like Nosferatu and Frankenstein delivering excellent adaptations of that old source material, and with Werwulf on the horizon for 2026, it’s no surprise that some smaller horror studios would take a stab at adapting a frightful tale as old as time. Thus came along Wolf Man, a movie that I really didn’t like, and almost can’t believe that Julia Garner is in. With Fantastic Four and Weapons under her belt for 2025, it’s pretty crazy to think that Wolf Man is also on her resumé for the year – sticking out like a failing grade on an otherwise straight-A report card.

I don’t even know what to say about Wolf Man beyond calling it mind-numbingly boring. What could have been a truly emotional and riveting story ended up being completely soulless, as Garner soars above all of her co-stars, who struggle to keep up with her performance. The special effects on the titular creature’s transformation aren’t bad, but also don’t feel up to par with the other creature designs we’ve been seeing in recent years in horror. Ultimately, Wolf Man is just another underwhelming Blumhouse Productions movie – if you like that sort of thing, you might get something out of this. For me though, this was easily one of the worst movies of 2025.

---

4. Honey Don’t!

Image by Focus Features

Honey Don’t! made me mad. I was actually supposed to review this film, but when I got to watch it, I was so utterly let down that I couldn’t bring myself to talk about. How a neo-noir black comedy movie starring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and Charlie Day ended up being so disappointing is beyond me, but somehow it happened. Despite a great set-up, and pretty strong acting from all involved, Honey Don’t! is a movie that does absolutely nothing with all of its assets, and that’s almost worse than a movie that doesn’t have any assets to it at all.

Honey Don’t! has quite a few plot threads going on, and somehow, each and every one of them ends on a disappointing note. No character’s story feels resolved, no relationship developed, no chances taken. Everything about it is just so meh, especially when you imagine what could have been. There are occasional glimpses into the fun time we could have had with this movie, but somewhere along the way, the movie lost what could have made it special. A potential cult classic that failed miserably at what it tried to achieve, and that level of disappointment makes it a sure-fire inclusion on our worst movies of 2025 ranking, and pretty near the top at that.

---

3. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2

Image by Universal Pictures

It’s not often that I like using the word ‘slop’ to describe movies, but that feels like an appropriate descriptor for Five Nights at Freddy’s 2. I never imagined I would enjoy one of these movies, but somehow, I actually kind of liked the first one. This sequel though, that’s a different ball game altogether. I hated this movie, from start to finish, and honestly have little good to say about it beyond ‘the visuals are pretty good’. It’s impressive to see the animatronics from the video game franchise brought to life, and these movies pull that off really well. That’s where the compliments end.

If you’re a die-hard Five Nights at Freddy’s fan, maybe you’ll get some fun out of this disasterpiece, but for me, someone only casually familiar with the winding lore of this franchise, I thought this was a real mess. The plot is somehow incredibly simple, and also difficult to follow, which is largely owed to how nonsensical everything in this franchise is beyond the first game’s premise of ‘kids’ souls in animatronics’. Josh Hutcherson, get out of here while you still can. What a way to finish 2025 with this movie.

Read our full review of Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 here.

---

2. War of the Worlds

Image by Universal Pictures

Is it any surprise that this is up here? If anything, it might surprise you that this movie isn’t in my top spot. However, if I can give this movie any credit, I can say that it at least feels like there was some effort made here – and also, this is a truly hilarious hate-watch. War of the Worlds is a comically bad movie, with Ice Cube delivering one of the most memeable performances of all time, as the entire movie takes place over a Teams meeting.

I honestly don’t know how this movie got made. It’s directed by Rich Lee, in his directorial debut, and was distributed by Universal, a studio that had some major successes this year. It’s also filled to the brim with Amazon product placement, so much so that the film’s plot actually feels like an advertisement. It’s a fever dream-like experience, but I can’t say I regretted watching it. It was memorable to say the least, and though I will never sit through it again, it made for a pretty fun 90-minutes with friends.

---

1. A Minecraft Movie

Image by Warner Bros. Pictures

Somehow, Warner Bros. were responsible for both my favourite movie and least favourite movie of the year this 2025. I absolutely despised A Minecraft Movie, a film that also felt like one big money-maker, but didn’t even have the good grace to make me laugh like War of the Worlds did. Like Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, I can praise this movie’s visuals. Beyond that though, everything about this film is unappealing to me, despite me growing up with Minecraft as one of my most regularly-played games.

Nostalgia couldn’t carry this movie alone, with its wholesome facade becoming completely transparent by the end of its runtime, revealing a corporate cash-grab that wasn’t at all interested in appealing to actual fans. It also kickstarted one of the most obnoxious cinema trends I’ve seen in recent years, as the ridiculous ‘Chicken Jockey’ trend plagued my social media timelines for an entire month after this disaster released. I hated A Minecraft Movie, and though it’s certainly more well-made than War of the Worlds, I simply can’t help but crown it as the worst movie of 2025 for me.

---

Conclusion

So, that’s the end of our ranking! It felt good to get all that anger out, didn’t it? What’s your pick for the worst movie of the year, and your picks for the worst movies of 2025 in general? Be sure to let us know in the comments, and thanks for reading!

See also: Top 10 Best Movies of 2025

• ShareCopied to clipboard
• X
• Facebook