The Best Movies of 2025 (So Far)
From Sinners to One Battle After Another, these films are the top reasons to visit the cinema this year.
A Silent Voice by Naoko Yamada
The latest film from anime great Naoko Yamada is a joyous tale about three teenagers using music to explore their next steps in life. Full of imaginative fantasy and deep abstractions, yet true to the emotional world of high-schooler Totsuko, a girl who can see people’s ‘colours’, the director of A Silent Voice has created a beautiful and sensitive coming-of-age animation. It may well be the best film of the year.
Marvel’s Thunderbolts Featuring Florence Pugh
If MCU's Phase 5 has underwhelmed, Florence Pugh’s role as broken Russian assassin Yelena Belova shines. She invigorates a deliberately scrappy team-up film that tackles themes like trauma, depression, and mental health amid battles with a new superhuman threat.
Marvel deserves credit for moving away from endless CGI battles to a more grounded, practical-effects style guided by former indie director Jake Schreier (Paper Towns).
- The rest of the Thunderbolts team provides enjoyable company.
- David Harbour stands out as an ex-Soviet superhero facing obsolescence and a growing waistline.
- Even the post-credit scene is rewarding.
Paul Greengrass’s Signature Style
Paul Greengrass continues to combine intense action sequences with deep moral questions in his work.
"Paul Greengrass has built a career on mixing hyper-kinetic action with moral complexity."
Author's summary: These top 2025 films impress with emotional depth, fresh storytelling, and memorable performances, making this year a rich one for cinema lovers.