(This article is part of our Best of 2025 series.)
Somehow in the past twelve months of chaos I managed to see a number of films at the movie theater. A number of them were good, a few were even great! This list picks five of the ones I consider the best for several reasons. If you didn’t see them in theaters, I recommend checking them out.
Sinners
The best movie I saw this year was Sinners and it isn’t even close. Months later, every detail of this film is still burned into my memory. I love the way this movie combines historical drama, by setting the film in the Prohibition era, with vampiric horror in a way that not only feels believable but is also very terrifying. This is a powerful story, the kind that resonates with you long after the credits have rolled. And the music is one of the biggest part of what makes Sinners a truly great film. From the blues songs to that unforgettable Irish jig (those who know, know), Sinners is a film that deserves to be discussed for years to come.
Mickey 17
I’m always up for a good sci-fi movie and Mickey 17 had quite the interesting premise: a person hiring themselves out for a deep-space journey as someone who is literally disposable. What caught my attention the most about this story is, while Mickey’s many deaths are initially played for dark laughs, his plight becomes horrifying the longer the story goes. This is a story that makes you really think about what it means to live and how we should treat others.
Wicked: For Good
With as great as the first Wicked film was, I was genuinely anxious to see if Wicked: For Good could bring the story home and stick the landing. Not only did it do so, but I dare to say that Wicked: For Good is fractionally superior to the first film because it had the immense job of tying up the story’s loose ends in a way that worked for a movie. Cynthia Erivo deserves all the accolades for the performance she puts in as Elphaba in this film. Seeing Elphaba’s frustration and hurt at seeing all her efforts to help Oz and those she loves go terribly wrong made this one of the most emotional movie experiences of the year for me. And of course, she nailed “No Good Deed,” my favorite song from the second act.
Captain America: Brave New World
I’ve largely left the MCU behind, but every now and again I’ll check an entry out if it looks interesting. Captain America: Brave New World was one such film. With the world being in the state it is, it seemed like a good time to see a movie that asks the question “What do you do when the government you’re supposed to be helping becomes (or appears to become) the problem?” And of course, seeing Harrison Ford in the MCU, however briefly, was something I couldn’t miss. I knew just enough about Red Hulk to know that this was a performance I needed to see and Ford nailed it.
Until Dawn
It’s not the best film, but I had to include Until Dawn in my list because I admire the filmmaker’s ambition. Adapting a video game like Until Dawn for a film is not an easy thing to do, not least because the game’s story has so many potential twists and endings depending on the player’s choices. To that end, I love that they used the concept of a time loop to mimic the choice-based action of the video game. With each iteration, the fear only grew as you knew instinctively that something was going to go wrong, it was just a question of “what” and “when.” While not all of the directing choices worked out for the best, you have to admire a director who goes for it, especially in a time when so many directors seem content to play it safe.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!