While 2025 may not be a strong contender for the best year for movies, it still produced some excellent films. With great sports movies, blockbusters, animated movies, and action movies. This list I have compiled were just some of my personal favourites that I watched, and while they may not be Oscar contenders, I still found them to be an excellent time and a worthwhile watch. Some honourable mentions include Zootopia 2, Mickey 17, How to Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World Rebirth, and Mission Impossible – the Final Reckoning, Fantastic Four: First steps and Thunderbolts* (note that no rated R movies are included in these lists). So sit back, relax, and enjoy my top 5 films of 2025 in no particular order.
Karate Kid: Legends
For those unaware of the Karate Kid franchise, it follows the story of a boy learning to integrate into a new society, and in the process finds love and enemies. Through the art of karate, he is able to deal with his bullies, creating the perfect formula for the classic underdog story. The original Karate Kid is a aFor those unaware of the Karate Kid franchise, it follows the story of a boy learning to integrate into a new society, and in the process finds love and enemies. Through the art of karate, he is able to deal with his bullies, creating the perfect formula for the classic underdog story. The original Karate Kid is an all time great sports movie, and with the loveable characters of Daniel LaRusso and Mr Miyagi, it has become a cult classic. From this first movie, a franchise has spawned, with 4 sequels, a T.V. show and a reboot. Karate Kid: Legends is the 4th, and possibly final, movie in the series and does a great job in living up to the original. This movie follows the formula well, with a loveable main character, a master of karate and kung fu as his aides, a compelling love story, and a punchable bad guy. Beyond this however, Legends ties in aspects from all areas of the franchise. The return of Daniel LaRusso was a huge draw, but even more than this, the inclusion of Jackie Chan’s character Mr Han from the reboot was the cherry on top. It brings in aspects from all of the Karate Kid movies, even including small references to the Cobra Kai T.V. show. However, you don’t have to watch the rest of the franchise to enjoy this movie. From a film stand point, I found it to be very entertaining, with awesome karate fight scenes, heartfelt emotional moments, and a great soundtrack. The setting of New York adds a different and new element to the franchise and the dual masters of Mr Han and Daniel LaRusso make for a funny and interesting pairing. If you’re after a sports movie that leaves you with that feel good feeling, wax on (or jacket on) your T.V. and give this super sequel a watch.
Superman
In a time of superhero fatigue, I found Superman to be a refreshing watch. James Gunn brings his excellent superhero formula of taking weird and unknown comics characters and turning them into beloved superheroes. In this case, I am not referring to Superman, but rather the plethora of side characters thrown in, being Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, and Mr Terrific. While all these characters are handled and portrayed perfectly, it’s Gunn’s handling of Superman that is incredible. There hasn’t been a successful Superman adaptation since Reeve’s version in the late 70s (sorry Henry Cavill fans), but Gunn expertly takes an unknown star and helps bring back that heroic feel to the man of steel. The Superman in this film looks like he was ripped straight out of the comics, and the whole film sets off that vibe, with the vibrant colours and amazing action set pieces. Superman’s supporting character cast is also great, with good chemistry between Superman and Lois Lane, and the inclusion of Jimmy Olsen (hooray!). Lex Luthor in this film is absolutely perfect. Top tier aura farmer, top tier ragebaiter, an overall menacing presence, a good motivation, and he definitely looks the part. The styling and characters of this film are perfect, but what about the story. That is done very well, with Superman being slightly weaker making the stakes feel higher, a great evil villain plan, and a heartwarming story about family at the core of it. For comics fans, this film is an absolute treat, with the inclusion of Krypton, the Fortress of Solitude, and Krypto the Superdog! This film is also a key cornerstone for James Gunn’s new DC universe, leaving grim and gritty and moving towards more comic book fun. Superman ties in great with other past and future projects in this universe, personally I enjoyed the Peacemaker cameo. Superman brings back the comic pizzazz to superhero movies, and is a great addition to James Gunn’s DC universe, and this movie should fly into your watch list.
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F1: The Movie
After Covid, the film that brought the movie industry back was Top Gun: Maverick, giving audiences high speed thrills and adrenaline pumping action. Now take the directors, producers, and thrills of Top Gun: Maverick, but instead of planes it’s cars. That’s the F1 movie for you, and it delivers on those high speed thrills. I saw the film in IMAX originally, and that is one way to get your adrenaline flowing, as the camera movements and filming make you feel like you’re in the car. The filmmakers nailed the feel of the movie, keeping audiences on the edge of their seats as they watch the protagonist throw his car around corners at 200 mph. In terms of story, this also delivered, with the protagonist Sonny Hayes having both a comeback and underdog story. Alongside his hotheaded young teammate, Joshua Pierce, Sonny Hayes works to help a struggling F1 team stay afloat, salvaging his own career in the process. This movie delivers in so many aspects, and really shows what a summer blockbuster should look and feel like. Watching Sonny Hayes’s antics was entertaining, his rivalry and later friendship with Joshua Pierce felt very genuine, and the cast is a mix of old and new stars. However, the main selling point of this movie is the F1 racing action, and in that aspect, the movie blows it out of the park (or should I say track?). For F1 fans, it also delivers, featuring cameos from F1 drivers like Carlos Sainz Jr and Lewis Hamilton, and the settings being the different race tracks F1 takes place on. F1: The Movie proves to be an amazing racing movie, giving races, rivalry, and redemption all wrapped into one. F1: The Movie is an action packed adrenaline pumping movie, with the added bonuses of a great cast, soundtrack and story, making this a must watch movie.
The Ballad of Wallis Island
This choice is a bit more of an outlandish one. It wasn’t a mainstream blockbuster hit, nor a franchise movie, and was a fairly cheap movie to make. Rather, the part in this movie I like the most is the heart and story. It follows a simple premise, with a millionaire inviting the two former members of the folk duo McGwyer Mortimer to perform a private concert for him on his island home. This movie’s comedic elements were excellent, with the dynamics between the former bandmates, and former lovers, of McGwyer and Mortimer adding lots of awkward scenes. The millionaire is also comedically great, being a shy awkward guy that loves their music, and lives a very secluded lifestyle with all his millions made through winning the lottery. Beyond the great comedy in this film, there is also a deep sense of heart and soul in this movie. Charlie, who is the millionaire, is living alone on this island, beyond the single mother and her son that work in the only convenience store, and both Mcgwyer and Mortimer encourage him towards love and to talk to her. There is also great character growth and dynamics in an emotional sense. Mcgwyer starts out as a more cynical guy, only in it for the money, showing clear signs of his struggling music career after the break up, but he goes beyond this and you feel bad for him and what the breakup did to him. On the other side of the coin, Mortimer provides a positive reinforcement and feeling throughout the movie, providing some emotional grounding. The movie may not provide you with the fully resolved happy ending that you want for them, but rather provides a fitting ending that really leaves you with a smile on your face. Pair that with a soundtrack that sounds very close to Fleetwood Mac, and you have a nice indie feel good movie that definitely lives up to its rumours.
A Minecraft Movie
This list, I feel, would be incomplete without this movie. There was a time when the Minecraft movie was thought to never come out, and was just one of those old internet conspiracies, and here it is, in all its glory. Is this movie a stupid goofy movie made for kids without any serious noteworthy film elements? Yes. Is this movie inaccurate to the game? Yes. However, was this movie not stupidly fun to watch with friends and jam packed full of references for the Minecraft community? 100% yes. Just seeing the Minecraft world and lore being put into a movie was incredible for me, and I loved reference spotting, and this movie is full of them. Ranging from famous Minecraft Youtubers like DanTDM and Technoblade to famous Minecraft lore and legends, like a Herobrine reference. While the story itself featured elements that were not accurate to the game, like Steve having elytras without going to the end, it was still incredibly fun to see Minecraft elements and game mechanics in a movie. While some elements of the design and look of the movie felt a bit off from the game, certain elements, like the Iron Golem and Creepers, looked very well done. The acting was also very funny to watch. Jason Mamoa and Jack Black fit perfectly in this film, and it feels like they’re both putting their full heart and soul into acting in this movie. I mean Jack Black’s Steve is just so perfect in such a funny way, over delivering all his lines, like ‘I am Steve’ and ‘Waterbucket, RELEASE!’. Jack Black also delivers some hilarious musical numbers, with iconic songs like ‘Lava Chicken’. However, I think the main sell of this movie was definitely the memes and the experience. Seeing this in cinemas with my friends was hilarious, and the iconic line of ‘Chicken Jockey’ became a meme sensation. The memes alone make this a worthwhile movie to watch, and I wait in anticipation for the sequel coming out next year. For those that play Minecraft, watch Minecraft Youtubers, or just enjoy video game adaptation movies, this blocky flick is definitely worth your time.
Conclusion
2025, while not being the strongest year for movies, still had some great heavy hitters. This is without mentioning the great animated movies that came out last year, a lot of which I have yet to see. It has definitely been a good year for Warner Bros. and I am excited to see what more they have in store for us this year. Looking ahead, 2026 looks to be an even better year for movies, with some franchise heavy hitters coming our way soon (with a list for those definitely on the way). This list has just been some of my personal favourites, and I know there are still some great films from last year I must watch, but for now, these are my top 5 films I would recommend watching from 2025.
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