The Best of 2025 So Far

2025 has been a very interesting year for the movies. I learned that it had not one, not two, but three of this generation's Citizen Kane. The way that some of my brethren talk about films keeps surprising me. I struggle with the concept that Across the Spider-Verse really is "one of the greatest films ever made in the history of cinema", as a popular online reviewer stated. One of the films held up as a masterpiece that will be watched for centuries to come made my Ten Worst of 2025 list. Another one of these cinematic hallmarks was somewhere in the middle. To be fair, one of these three adored films did enter this, my Ten Best Films of 2025 list (so far). However, while I thought it was great, I am not about to call it this generation's anything, let alone putting it on equal level with the Orson Welles' masterwork. Now, let us go into what I thought were the Best Films of this past year.

First, I have an Honorable Mention, a film that I did not review but which I enjoyed greatly. 

I had never seen any Final Destination film until Final Destination Bloodlines. As such, I was a bit hesitant to go see the newest one. I needn't have worried. Final Destination Bloodlines is the funniest film that I have seen this past year. I could not stop laughing at the outlandish ways that all these people got whacked. Except for one moment which did not even involve a gruesome death, I could not get enough of the over-the-top antics. I turned to my cousins at the end and asked them if they were all like this. I was told that they were, so now I may go see more Final Destination films and hope that they are as hilarious as Final Destination Bloodlines. Granted, now my relatives think that I am a potential serial killer because I could not stop laughing and smiling at how all these morons were dispatched. Still, I had a great time at Final Destination Bloodlines and would sooner watch it than some of the esteemed films that will win Oscars and have been declared turning points in cinematic if not human history (I'm looking at you and you). 

Now, onto my Ten Best Films of 2025 List. 

Number 10: Riefenstahl

Some people see her as one of the most innovative filmmakers of all time. Others see her as the embodiment of all human evil. Riefenstahl, the documentary on Triumph of the Will and Olympia director Leni Riefenstahl, leans strongly towards the latter. Some of the evidence is damning, such as her recorded conversations with Albert Speer post-prison. It is even worse when you think that she recorded them herself. However, can she really be blamed for a group of Polish Jewish men being murdered because she wanted them out of her camera shot?

Number 9: Caught Stealing

It is a shame that Caught Stealing flopped. Fast and fast-paced, Caught Stealing was wild and funny. It gives everyone a chance to show their talents in front of and behind the camera. Caught Stealing shows Austin Butler's range. It is, to be fair, a bit more gruesome than I like. However, I liked how the plot works. It also has a nice, breezy manner that makes it amusing viewing.

Number 8: Brave the Dark

What I liked about Brave the Dark was how it forgoes many tropes. We could have had an "inspirational" tale of a teacher saving a troubled young man. Instead, Brave the Dark allowed for deep flaws and virtues with both of our characters. Brave the Dark also featured strong acting from Jared Harris and Nicholas Hamilton. The former showed a different side, gentler and kinder. The latter is an up-and-coming actor who also forgoes "troubled young man" cliches. 

Number 7: Is This Thing On?

A late entry into the Ten Best of 2025, it is another shame that Is This Thing On? kinda came and went. This is a solid dramedy about two flawed people who a struggling between loving each other and being in love with each other. Will Arnett, like Jared Harris in Brave the Dark, shows a greater range than he has been given credit for. Is This Thing On? also does a wise thing in showing neither husband nor wife as all good or all bad. Instead, we see them as basically good and decent people attempting to make things work. Bradley Coooper, the director and cowriter, did a strong job. Bradley Cooper, the actor, did not. That is probably one of the great flaws in Is This Thing On? but a minor one. 

Number 6: Rental Family

I was surprised at both how charmed and moved I was with Rental Family. This story of love and grief couched in culture clash is funny, warm, affectionate and intelligent. Rental Family has two parallel stories involving a young girl and an old man but manages to balance them well. It has charming acting from its cast both Western and Japanese. It is both a universal story and one unique to Japanese culture. Ultimately, Rental Family is a delight from start to finish.

Number 5: Truth & Treason

Truth & Treason is the first of two World War II-set films. It has been eighty years since that devastating and cataclysmic war ended. However, there are still many tales from that era to be told. I had not heard of Helmut Hubener, the Mormon youth executed by the Nazis for posting anti-Nazi leaflets near the war's end. As one of my fellow reviewers put it, Hubener got killed for trolling. While that does make it seem silly, Truth & Treason gives us a genuine profile in courage. That Hubener, at seventeen, had such moral clarity and was willing to die for his beliefs is a deeply moving realization. Truth & Treason tells us a universal truth: sometimes the greatest act of courage and defiance is not in using guns but in using words. One voice can stand against the very forces of demons.

Number 4: F1: The Movie

As I write this, I am listening to Hans Zimmer's main theme to F1 (or F1: The Movie) on an extended loop. F1 celebrates tenacity and the pursuit of excellence. Brad Pitt may be one of the last movie stars, able to showcase both acting talent and physical beauty even at 62 years of age. Wisdom is just as powerful a tool as youth, with both the young hotshot and grizzled veteran showing the other a thing or two. F1 shows us how glorious it is to pursue glory. It has excellent visuals that are intense and thrilling. F1 will be a film that its viewers, especially men, will embrace for years to come. 

Number 3: Sally

Dr. Sally Ride was a pioneer and icon. Yet, she was also an outer space sphynx, mysterious even to those closest to her. Sally is as intimate a portrait of Dr. Ride as one will ever get outside of a seance. She was a woman with secrets. A woman with secret ambitions. A woman who held herself in a metaphorical glass cage: visible but untouchable. Sally is a time capsule on this extraordinary historic figure.

Number 2: Nuremberg

Nuremberg is the second of the World War II-set films. In some ways, Nuremberg is a standard chronicling of the first International Military Tribunal against the surviving Nazi regime leadership. It is also a reminder of how seductive evil can be. It is a reminder of how we cannot forget the truly satanic evil that men like Russell Crowe's Hermann Goring did. The use of actual archival footage of the liberated camps in Nuremberg was a brave, bold choice. I will be haunted by remembering the sobs and gasps from the audience watching Nuremberg alongside me. We cannot forget. We cannot allow ourselves to forget. Otherwise, we will see these horrors return.

Number 1: Marty Supreme

I initially marveled at the praise that Marty Supreme was receiving. I had been burned twice already by both Sinners and One Battle After Another receiving such almost unhinged praise. The latter was fine but not this brilliant piece of filmmaking. The former is a film that is not only wildly overrated, but also hilariously bad. Final Destination Bloodlines was scarier and more logical than Sinners. However, like the meme says, "it's true, all of it" when it comes to Marty Supreme. This tale of the obsessed and arrogant young man pursuing his dreams no matter at what cost to himself or others was everything Sinners and One Battle After Another were not. It is funny. It is moving. It is well-paced despite the length. It is well-acted. It is also my choice for the Best Film of 2025.

I figure that as I catch up on some other films, this list will change. That being said, I think that it will take a lot to dislodge Marty Supreme, a film that lives up to its title.