Unlike my Top 10 Albums of 2025, this list is for movies I watched for the first time in 2025, not just movies released in 2025. I’ve given a score for all of these movies, though it’s rather moot since all these movies were a 5/5 for me this year (aside from the honourable mentions).
Don’t take the specific placement of any one movie above another on this list too seriously. The formatting of these movies in a top 10 list is just because I think the format is fun.
The List
10. Challengers (2024)
A great interpersonal drama that really captures the competitive spirit that goes into playing sports at any level. Every time I play pickleball I can’t help but feel like I’m one of the main characters fighting for my life on the court, walking on to the great soundtrack this movie has.
5/5
9. Thunderbolts* (2025)
A sharp contrast to Captain America: Brave New World which I watched the day before this, Thunderbolts* actually takes the time to say something of substance, painting a realistic and highly relatable picture of depression and what it takes to fight it. Not everything about this movie is perfect, notably it takes a bit to really get to the interesting parts of the characters and the story, but I found the ending and central conflict to be so strong those flaws didn’t bother me in the slightest when I was done.
5/5
8. Sinners (2024)
The movie with the most sauce I watched this year. A visual treat with a banging soundtrack and overall just a good time. Michael B. Jordan is just fantastic in this movie, and the general atmosphere this movie has is unmatched.
5/5
7. Baby Assassins Nice Days (2024)
Being introduced to Baby Assassins for the first time was one of the best things that happened this year, because Baby Assassins is awesome. The hybrid of John Wick and a slice-of-life anime wasn’t something I knew that I needed, but it turns out I did. The chemistry between the two leads is so fun to watch, and by this third entry they really manage to shake the loose feeling of the first two and turn a tighter, more compelling story.
5/5
6. Dune: Part 2 (2024)
I wrote a [[Notes/Dune Part One Review|a great number of words]] about my disappointment with the first part of Dune, and it feels good to say that a good number of my gripes with the first were improved or mattered less in the second part. The second part of Dune hit the mark for me in ways the first couldn’t story-wise, with the stronger part of Paul’s character arc hitting and driving more of the story. Hans Zimmer’s score incorporated more musical motifs to heighten the emotion of the story in ways the first part lacked, elevating the already excellent visuals and performances to new heights.
5/5
5. Look Back (2024)
The first of two Tatsuki Fujimoto adaptations on this list, Look Back is a short but sweet look back on the bonds we form that matter, and what happens when we take them for granted. This isn’t nearly as flashy as Chainsaw Man, eschewing that in favour of a slower, quieter, more introspective story that tugs on the heart equally as strong in such a short time.
5/5
4. Chainsaw Man — The Reze Arc (2025)
I’m a big fan of Chainsaw Man. Well before the release of the anime I’d read the entirely of part one of the manga three separate times, each of them in a single sitting as I just couldn’t put it down once I got to a certain part of the story. That part is what this movie adapts, and boy does it deliver in every way I could have wanted. It’s a gripping story brought to life by ridiculous animation; the best that anime has to offer, along with a phenomenal soundtrack I listened to on repeat for days after.
5/5
3. A Real Pain (2024)
Kieran Culkin manages to be immensely likable when playing characters that should on paper be rather annoying. The pathos he brings to his character is for me the emotional core of this movie, of course along with his relationship with Jesse Eisenberg’s character, who gives a great performance in his own right. It’s a tender story of family, and I adored every second of it.
5/5
2. Three Thousand Years of Longing (2024)
I reviewed this back in March, and my feelings on this movie haven’t changed since. This movie could have spent twice as long on the vignettes of the past and I would have been just as enthralled as what’s already in the movie. This movie again solidified that George Miller is one of my favourite directors, and everything that makes his movies great is on full display here.
5/5
1. Black Swan (2010)
Horror and thriller movies typically aren’t my jam, but that I found Black Swan so compelling despite that is a testament to how well crafted this movie is. It does a masterful job of bringing you into its world and slowly boiling the pot until you’re just as deep into as the main character. Certainly one of the most memorable movie-watching experiences I’ve ever had, so much so this immediately shot into my top 10 of all time.
5/5
Honourable Mentions
Angel’s Egg (1985)
I watched this mostly for the connection it has to the art and tone of Hollow Knight, and it is ever apparent when watching it. I struggled to get much out of it other than the striking visual style, but fans of animation with a willingness to dig deep into a movie would certainly be able to get more out of this than I managed.
2/5
Snack Shack (2024)
A solidly funny coming-of-age comedy in the vein of Superbad or Booksmart, thought this one doesn’t manage to quite hit the highs of those two, it’s still a good time.
4/5
The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
At some point I might publish my full review of The Witches of Eastwick, but for now all I can say is that you won’t be bored by this movie. George Miller has a propensity for the weird, and in no other movie of his that I’ve seen is that more apparent than here. Jack Nicholson gives a standout performance that is the center of this insane roller-coaster ride of a movie.
3/5
The Muppet Movie (1979)
One of the last movies I watched these year, and what a good time it was. I don’t think it’s a better movie than any of my top 10; the pacing is just a little off and the story a bit too disjointed for it to feel fully cohesive. But the individual sequences and jokes in the movie are funny and earnest in a way many things aren’t, all thanks to what a strong personality Kermit is as the lead. It left me excited to see what the rest of the Muppet movies have in store, since there really isn’t anything else quite like this.
4/5