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There's no doubt that 2025 was a massive year of hits in the film industry. From Sinners to Marty Supreme, there was so much released in one year that cannot go undiscussed. Only getting to see about 20 of the hundreds of films released in 2025, here are my opinions on the best, the worst, and some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
It was hard picking just three films to top my 2025 list, as there were so many interesting contenders, but before getting to the top three, some honorable mentions are deserved.
While no superhero films topped my list this year, 2025 gave a resurgence of the genre with Thunderbolts* and Superman being clear standouts. In this post-infinity saga era, Marvel Studios has been struggling to find its voice, but Thunderbolts* brings back that feeling of watching a phase two movie with its digestible story and great cast chemistry. Superman also brought back hope through David Corenswet’s charming performance of Clark Kent. James Gunn’s influence on this film was perfect for this new adaptation of the iconic character, bringing bright coloring and fun to superhero movies.
The Bottom Three
The Minecraft Movie was the worst way to translate Minecraft into a film. It seems as though nothing in the project was taken seriously, and there were no intentions of making a good movie. It’s no shock that they geared the film towards kids, as it has a huge player base of younger audiences; however, there was no intention to please the older audience that grew up on the original sandbox game. It was just an hour and a half of Jack Black being himself in a poorly CGI Minecraft world. I went into the film with low expectations, but nothing could have prepared me for the actual film.
For most of the year, the film I was most disappointed in was Materialists because of its subpar acting and horrible pacing. However, after finally getting the chance to watch Honey Don’t!, it quickly dethroned Materialists for me. Ironically, Chris Evans stars in both films, but his acting wasn’t the issue; the plot of Honey Don’t! was almost unfollowable. Every scene introduced something new to the story, but nothing was ever completely resolved by the end. I was really interested in this film when the previews first dropped, but was left extremely unsatisfied. With such a short runtime, all of the characters felt half-baked, never fully knowing anyone the entire film. Both films had interesting marketing, yet dropped the ball with their story.
The Top Three
There is simply no universe where Sinners does not take the top spot of my top three films. Starting the first half of the year watching pointless live-action remakes of animated movies, seeing such a beautiful original story like Sinners was breathtaking. From the minute the film started to the final scene of Sammy (Buddy Guy) in the bar, talking to Stack (Michael B. Jordan) and Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), I was completely lost in the screen. Not only is the music perfect, but the use of auditory storytelling adds another layer to the film. When Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) recounts a story of him and his friends getting arrested—and one even getting killed—instead of showing the scene to the audience, they only use audio to tell the story, including shouting and gunshots. Moreover, when Delta Slim cannot finish the story, he hums to calm himself down. It’s so brilliant. Furthermore, “I Lied to You” combining multiple genres of music rooted in Black culture, as well as the stunning performance of “Rocky Road to Dublin,” shows how much care and research was put into correctly portraying multiple cultures, making the film all the more special. Sinners no doubt stay in my top film list for a long time.
My second favorite film of the year was the third installment of the Knives Out series, Wake Up Dead Man. My previous review for the film goes into detail as to why I enjoyed it so much, but with every rewatch, it gets better. The beauty in the Knives Out series is the amount of details picked up after the initial watch, making it feel like a brand new film that you can pick apart. Although some of the acting is below average, the use of religion as a metaphor for power in the wrong hands makes up for the inconsistencies. Reviving the entire mystery genre as a whole, I can’t wait to see where Rian Johnson takes the series.
The last film on my list is Eternity. This film had such an interesting concept that I felt as though I couldn’t miss seeing it in theaters. I was absolutely blown away by how much I enjoyed the film. With such a heavy question as the film presents, most of the film was very light and funny. Elizabeth Olsen and Miles Teller give impressive performances, as both their characters are old people within a younger body. I would see the young actors on screen, but their mannerisms and tone mirrored the older generation perfectly; it was very fun to watch. The plot seems pretty straightforward for the most part, making me think I know exactly where it would go, but I was pretty surprised by how many times I was thrown for a loop within the end of the second and beginning of the third act. Eternity is very charming, and it was a great film for the holiday season.
Anticipated Films for 2026
After such success in the film industry in 2025, this upcoming year has a lot to live up to, but there are a few projects set to release in 2026 that give me hope. Massive superhero films like Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday are exciting to look forward to. Other big-name films like Steven Spielberg's Disclosure Day, Project Hail Mary, and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping are high up on my anticipated film list, but even smaller projects like The Drama and How to Make a Killing make 2026 seem like a pretty stacked year for promising films. I expect to visit the movie theaters quite a few times this year.
Sources: IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, Minecraft, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, Spotify, Spotify, IMDb, IMDb, Byte, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb, IMDb
Contact Sam Jasionowski with comments at samantha.jasionowski@bsu.edu or on Instagram @s.jasionowski.
