It was a preety good year to head to the cinema, where you’d catch everything from a KPop group hunting demons to F1 cars racing past, or a barn full of people attempting to survive a horde of vampires gathering outside.
Here are our picks for the 30 Must-Watch films released in 2025.
30.) The Smashing Machine
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Benny Safdie’s latest is a love letter to the earliest days of UFC and the fighters that were there doing the hardest yards, for barely any pay, to get the sport to where it is now.
The subject of the film, Mark Kerr, already had a doco, one of the same now, but Safdie takes the overall style of that, the feel of it, and how Kerr is presented as a man almost too early for his calling and thnks to the great performances of Dwayne Johnson, is able to present a sports-biopic like hasn’t been done before.
-Dylan
29.) Babygirl
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As the follow-up to Bodies Bodies Bodies, there’s nothing to be seen of the snappy and ridiculous characters and narrative in that film within Halina Reijn’s latest, Babygirl. It’s a very different kind of film, but one that is erotic with its sexual perversion and the sensual longing for another. One of the best films of 2025, but not one to watch with family at the theatre.
-Dylan
28.) The Monkey
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A Stephen King adaptation from Longlegs director Osgood Perkins grabs the attention, but this film is rather different from Perkins’ usual affair and the type of horror found in King’s most popular novels.
I found The Monkey to be one of the year’s best dark comedies, and that’s because it is fully committed to its world and the absurdity of everything that comes with it when a Monkey is causing people to die in more and more ridiculous ways. It all works, however, because of the cast, and primarily Theo James playing twin brothers.
-Dylan
27.) Together
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Casting a real-life couple in a film always brings with it its own intrigue, and that’s what’s happened with Together, where Alison Brie and Dave Franco play a couple who move regionally for work, for one of them, and their relationship begins to falter.
Although there are elements of body horror here, the film never goes full Cronenberg. The film also challenges ideas about how we must change, adapt, and pick each other up in a relationship to make it work. Do we still keep ourselves, or do we simply become our partners?
-Dylan
26.) A House of Dynamite
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Tension builds steadily in this tightly constructed thriller about how a missile strike on the USA might play out. With a unique structure and a strong cast, Kathryn Bigelow’s film will have you fully engaged as the events play out, if some elements will leave you wanting more.
-Ashley
25.) September 5
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September 5 gives a unique perspective on the hostage situation at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, focusing on the ABC Sports crew and their coverage of the events. A tension-filled film that showcases the lengths news crews will go to report the news.
-Ashley
24.) Companion
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AI is all the rage, of course, so robot and android narratives are back with a vengeance recently. But with Companion, it’s how the film looks at dating and partnership in our modern age that is both potentially very frightening while also not seeming too otherworldly—we know the tech is here and growing.
-Dylan
23.) The Rule of Jenny Penn
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One of the creepier films of 2025 was John Lithgow running around and tormenting the elderly with a doll at the end of his hand in The Rule of Jenny Penn. And although its premise may sound super-odd, it’s actually more terrifying because of what it’s saying about getting older and the loss of control.
-Dylan
22.) F1
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Speed, obsession, and the dangers of racing take centre stage in Joseph Kosinski’s high-octane sports drama. F1 is filled with exquisitely-shot exhilarating race sequences while also exploring the unique team dynamics in the sport where there can only really be 1 winner.
-Ashley
21.) The Long Walk
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Bleak, relentless, and a look at male friendships, this dystopian Stephen King adaptation never shies away from its dark concept: 50 young men will walk until only one is left. Led by fantastic performances from Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, The Long Walk is an experience that’s as harrowing as it is unforgettable.
-Ashley
20.) Novocaine
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Filled with inventive set-pieces and relentless momentum, Novocaine takes full advantage of it creative concept. Jack Quaid is at his likeable best in this film that delivers humour and thrills throughout.
-Ashley
19.) Splitsville
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One of the funniest and rather poignant films about relationships in 2025 was Splitsville, which was more than happy not to play to any perceived genre tropes.
There’s a great cast here bouncing off one another between Dakota Johnson, Kyle Marvin, and Adria Adjona; each bringing their own sensibilities to a story that often bounces into the weird, but wonderful as it looks at dating, and relationships in 2025, and what it means to be with someone and what you’re willing to do to make it work.
-Dylan
18.) Thunderbolts*
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Marvel Studios returned to form with this film about moral ambiguity and fractured personalities in this darker, more cerebral take on the superhero film. Thunderbolts* thrives on character conflict between the put-together team of former villains, led by a fantastic Florence Pugh. Thunderbolts* manages to bring something new and exciting to a franchise that has seen better days.
-Ashley
17.) KPop Demon Hunters
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The film that took the world by storm, KPop Demon Hunters manages to blend Korean mythology and music in a story about accept who you are and rely on your friends. Every song in the film is a banger and is coupled with fantastic choreography, animation and writing to be a film parents are happy to watch again and again and again.
-Ashley
16.) Ne Zha 2
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Ne Zha 2 is a showcase of the scale and spectacle that is achievable in the animation medium. Continuing the story of the Chinese mythological character Ne Zha, the film is filled with humour, creative action sequences and animated sequences that have to be seen to be believed. An incredible cinematic achievement.
-Ashley
15.) We Live in Time
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Memory, grief, and fleeting moments shape this deeply affecting love story starring Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. We Live in Time uses its structure to heighten emotional impact, allowing joy and heartbreak to beautifully coexist as we see the relationship between the two leads play out from beginning to end.
-Ashley
14.) The Life of Chuck
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Mike Flanagan’s latest Stephen King adaptation wasn’t one of his horror stories; instead, The Life of Chuck, a book many deemed impossible to break into a film or series due to its rather genre-breaking narrative structure and storytelling style. Nonetheless, Flanagan persisted in a film that, although it won’t work for everyone, nails the story it sets out to tell.
Trying to explain to anyone the story of The Life of Chuck, or what you should expect, is nearly impossible without straight-up breaking it down. However, for me, it was one of the most beautiful life-affirming films I watched in 2025. One that embraces its themes about life, death, and the acceptance that we are ever in the decisions we make, and that life can be messy, fantastic, and everything in between. And although the large cast was all fantastic, from the smallest to the largest players, it is the dance scene with Tom Hiddleston that embodies the love of the smaller moments in life that I adored.
-Dylan
13.) A Complete Unknown
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Timothee Chalamet shows once again why he is the leading actor of his generation in his portrayal of the iconic Bob Dylan. Also featuring a fantastic performance by Monica Barbaro, A Complete Unknown explores the relationships that shaped the man and the creative choices he made that would prove to be polarising at the time.
a-Ashley
12.) Materialists
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A sharp, modern relationship drama, this film interrogates ambition, love, and self-worth with surprising bite in this film about the world of matchmaking. Materialists stands out thanks to its smart dialogue, grounded performances from its star leads Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, and its willingness to tackle some of the hard relationship issues at the moment.
-Ashley
11.) Bugonia
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For their fourth team-up, director Yorgo Lanthimos returns with his go-to star Emma Stone for a wild ride that leaves you constantly questioning who is telling the truth, and whose reality we’re living in.
Emma Stone once again delivers a stellar performance under Lanthimos, this time as the kidnapped CEO of a huge tech company, held hostage by two men, Jesse Plemons and Aidan Delbis, who believe she is an alien trying to take over the planet. And it all builds up to an unforgettable final act that had me nodding silently in the cinema as the credits began to roll, saying, “Yeah, fair enough.”
-Dylan
10.) Black Bag
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Black Bag went to cinemas in 2025 and bombed, which was one of the earliest and most disappointing signs of audiences’ reluctance to engage with original stories on the big screen. Nonetheless, the film is one of the year’s best, with Soderbergh delivering a whippy spy drama with style I haven’t seen in the genre for a long time.
The chemistry between both Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett as a married couple who work in different areas of International Security and must keep constant secrets from one another was some of the year’s steamiest and most infatuating. The constant questions around just who, if any, of them was playing the other, also one of the most fun cat-and-mouse stories I’ve seen in a while.
-Dylan
9.) Superman
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The new DC Universe is off to a successful start with the latest take on Superman. Rather than focusing on the alienness of the character, James Gunn chose to showcase his humanity, something perfectly portrayed by David Corenswet as we got a Superman who is always looking to do the right thing, even when others don’t believe in him. With Nicholas Hoult being a brilliant Lex Luthor, Edi Gathegi stealing scenes as Mr Terrific and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane being a perfect partner to this Clark Kent, the future of this franchise looks as bright. Also, Krypto was great.
-Ashley
8.) Bring Her Back
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Danny and Michael Philippou follow up their huge success, Talk to Me, not with another story that engages both horror and comedy, but with a psychological horror exploring themes of grief and the lengths we’re willing to go to when we lose loved ones.
At the heart of the younger cast is Sally Hawkins, who is sensational, but it’s the basically silent performance of Jonah Wren Phillips, who is there to give the scariest scenes of the film, and play the physically and emotionally demanding finale in a gruelling final act that is demanding of its viewers to sit through, but well worth the journey.
-Dylan
7.) Weapons
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As his follow-up to Barbarian, Zach Cregger had a lot of eyes on him for how he’d let loose with a bigger budget and larger cast, and he certainly didn’t disappoint with a film willing to break horror-genre tropes and moulds for a film willing to play in dark corners, while still injecting enough laughs and jaw-dropping moments.
Amy Madigan delivers one of the year’s best performances as Aunt Gladys here; still, the cast overall makes a multi-character POV work, covering all angles of this story of missing children in a small town. There are still plenty of questions I have about what the film is trying to say about our unresolvable fears, but that’s part of the magic.
-Dylan
6.) Predator: Badlands
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Dan Trachtenberg continues his revitalisation of the Predator franchise, this time by making a film starring a Predator. Predator: Badlands is a lean, tense, and brutal experience that features the wonderful pairing of the Yautja warrior Dek and the Weyland-Yutani Corporation synthetic Thia, which makes this film a surprising found-family film as they try to survive the many dangers of the planet Genna.
-Ashley
5.) Nosferatu
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Robert Eggers take on Dracula/Nosferatu was every bit as gothic and eerie as we’ve come to expect from The Witch’s director.
With Bill Skarsgard willing to dive into the role of Count Orlok and let it take over him, he delivers in every way you’d want for the role. The dark vampire is as repellent and scary as need-be, while Lily-Rose Deep is able to deliver the infatuated Ellen Hutter with an equal commitment.
-Dylan
4.) One Battle After Another
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Watching One Battle After Another in the cinema for the first time, it was my euphoric “this is cinema” moment for the year. There’s usually, and hopefully, always at least one film every year that just blows me away like this, and somewhat unsurprisingly, it was the latest from Paul Thomas Anderson.
At its heart, the film is about the continued persistence required to progress and overcome oppression and control, and about how there must always be those willing to hold onto hope. It’s also a film that explores generational battles, and how often our families’ past fights never end, and get passed on to the next generation to either pick up or give in on. And although all of these themes are tied around Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, Bob, simply trying to save his daughter from the immovable object that is Sean Penn’s character, Steven. J. Lockjaw, it does so with a masterful mix of action, laughs, cheers, and tears in the right amount.
-Dylan
3.) Conclave
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Conclave is a gripping political thriller set in amongst the College of Cardinals who must convene to elect a new pope. Filled with quiet scheming conversations and scandalous twists, this film gives a look behind the curtain of the Catholic Church as it raises questions about power, faith and personal greed.
-Ashley
2.) 28 Years Later
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Nearly twenty-eight years later, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland returned to the ‘28 Series’ with a visually stunning and strong character piece that feels more in line with 28 Days Later than its follow-up, 28 Weeks Later. Although a strong performance from Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the first act of the film brings you into this quarantined world, it’s the relationship and performances of Jodie Comer and Alfie Williams that are at the heart of the film. As a young boy’s first steps into ‘manhood’ in this violent and dangerous world, he clashed with his own ideas of faith and with the introduction of Ralph Fiennes’ character.
Sure, the film is violent, and there’s plenty of moments for scares from zombies in the dark, but it’s the risks the film takes in its narrative, and where it’s willing to go with the characters that make it one of the year’s best, and why the follow-up, The Bone Temple, is highly anticipated for 2026.
-Dylan
1.) Sinners
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If there was any doubt that Ryan Coogler is one of the best directors working today, his slow-burning horror film set in 1930s Mississippi has cemented his status in the industry. Masterfully told, this film slowly ratchets up the sense of unease and tension until finally revealing its true intentions. With Michael B. Jordan seamlessly portraying the twin brothers Stack and Smoke, Miles Caton being a revelation with the voice of an angel and a stacked supporting cast on top of the fantastic blues music that features throughout, Sinners is an incredibly well-executed film that will stick with you for a very long time.
-Ashley
Find all of Explosion Network’s Best of 2025 coverage right here, and be sure to let us know your thoughts on any of our lists in the comments section.
