My Favorite Films of 2025
What a year it’s been. Plenty of movies have come out, and many of them I haven’t seen. Of the ones I have seen, I have some favorites. This may be surprising, considering I haven’t compiled a list of movies I liked in past years. Ha. Ha. Ha. Anyway, despite growing opinion of modern entertainment degrading in value compared to stories in the past, there are still movies being released that I enjoy and think are good. Without further ado, here are my top 6 movies of 2025.
#6: Bring Her Back
This horror film, the second directed by the RackaRacka YouTubers, is unsettling, displeasing, and altogether evoking a sense of “eugh”. That’s what I bargained for when I watched it, and on that front it did not disappoint. Between the two, I do prefer their first film Talk to Me, but it is nonetheless welcome to see fresh directors contributing worthy films to the horror genre. This, in short, is about two children coming to terms with the recent death of their father while living in foster care under a caregiver who engages in cult practices.
#5: The Accountant 2
The Accountant was a surprise action-thriller back in 2016, and this sequel was another surprise that brought back the core of the original (Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal). This continues their story as they investigate a conspiracy stemming from the murder of the Director of the Department of Treasury’s FinCEN. It achieves what it sets out to do in providing action, thrills, and a unique mix of comedy from the two stars. Something that many movies don’t manage to do that this one does is make the audience concerned for the safety and well-being of the characters.
#4: Wake Up Dead Man
After the dud that was Glass Onion, I was ready to dismiss Rian Johnson’s mystery franchise. But, being a lover of mysteries, I gave this a watch. Turns out it’s even better than Knives Out, much thanks to there being less reliance on pop-cult references and the superficial appeal of a star-studded cast. It’s a great mix of comedy, mystery, and actual sincerity, the latter of which many shows and movies are missing nowadays (including its predecessors). It’s something of a shame that Netflix is kneecapping the theater experience, as this would’ve been very fun to see with a larger audience. Then again, I may not have seen this if not for the easy distribution that is Netflix. Anyway, Josh O’Connor as the lead is just really great alongside Daniel Craig.
#3: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle (1)
What can I say, this is 2 hours and 36 minutes of top-tier animation. It’s visually amazing, period. The pacing is its weakest component—Zenitsu’s fight felt tacked on and a bit unnecessary—but even then it’s negligible. This is the first installment of the final 3 movies concluding the show, following The Demon Slayer Corps as they fight to survive and ultimately kill the first demon, Muzan. There’s plenty of action, and some compelling character-building. Fun, fun, fun.
#2: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
This might be a hot take, but I liked this better than Dead Reckoning. Both are great, as what’s to be expected from a Mission Impossible movie, but this one delivered on the awe-striking sequences I’ve come to love from this series while the other felt more like a preface. What I’m mainly talking about is that submarine scene. That was just… whoa. The biplane stuff in the climax, too, was great. (The motorcycle jump in Dead Reckoning, while impressive, kind of lost its appeal for me when I saw it played and replayed over and over in the marketing prior to the film’s release.) Anyway, say what you will about the story aspect of this film, it delivered on a seemingly impossible mission. Tramell Tillman had a standout role, and the rest of the main cast are as entertaining as ever.
#1: Weapons
This was my most anticipated film of the year, and despite my own self-built hype it somehow delivered. With such an intriguing premise as a classroom of kids vanishing seemingly of their own accord on the same night, coupled with the ambiguousness of the movie title, how could I not have been excited? I will say, initially I felt a bit let-down; it took some time after viewing to let the story settle with me to conclude that it did indeed meet my expectations. The storytelling is compelling, as it’s anthologically-driven from six characters’ perspectives as they navigate the aftermath of the missing class. The mystery is great, and the ending is a surprisingly fun sequence.
Like last year, there wasn’t a movie I saw that I disliked to name as a “dishonorable” mention. Since there aren’t movies that I’ll neither include as honorable mentions, I’ll just have movies I saw and enjoyed as mentions. Superman was a nice albeit cluttered superhero movie; Wicked: For Good was comparable to the second act of the stage production, which is to say it was a weaker yet still entertaining part of the two-part story; Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale was also a nice albeit somewhat slow-paced drama; Avatar: Fire and Ash and The Black Phone 2 were all right, I think; and The Woman in the Yard was ehhh… Anyway, that’s all, folks! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
