Movie fans, 2025 has been quite the wild ride. With theaters rebounding and studios starving for blockbusters, bold, star-studded, genre-defying films are drawing audiences in droves-audiences that now hold as much sway as critics on platforms such as Letterboxd. Which movies have won over both the hearts of the Letterboxd community and critical acclaim? Here’s a countdown of the top 10 films of 2025.
10. The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel’s First Family gets the reboot fans have long wanted, set in a stylish, retro-futuristic ’60s world. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach bring charm and energy, while production design dazzles. At last, a Fantastic Four movie that feels fresh and fun.
9. The Naked Gun
Liam Neeson is a surprise bundle of hilariously deadpan joy as Frank Drebin Jr. in this reboot of the classic comedy franchise. With Akiva Schaffer at the helm and an excellent supporting cast, it strikes that perfect balance of absurd humor and clever gags to make this a laugh-out-loud success.
8. Thunderbolts
But team misfit antiheroes-Bucky, Yelena, Red Guardian, Ghost, and others-in this action adventure, Marvel does. Florence Pugh stars, and director Jake Schreier brings a tale of a hodgepodge team who learn to pull together under duress. Fun, chaotic, full of heart.
7. Deep Cover
Bryce Dallas Howard stars as an improv teacher pulled into an undercover mission with Sean Bean. The film’s playful energy, witty dialogue, and fast-paced action make this one of the standout action-comedies of the year.
6. Warfare
Co-written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, this military thriller drops audiences smack-dab into the terrors of combat. With tight storytelling, immersive direction, and raw tension, this film is visceral and unforgettable.
5. Sovereign
Nick Offerman gives a riveting performance in this taut, true-crime thriller about a father and son thrown into extremist politics. The film’s tense atmosphere, combined with its commentary on radicalization, makes it one not to be missed.
4. KPop Demon Hunters
With K-pop, demons, and bright visuals melded together, this anime action-comedy gets very high-energy. Following the heroine idols Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, the movie combines catchy music, dynamic action, and family-friendly fun in a truly inventive way.
3. Predator: Killer of Killers
This anthology entry sees the Predator franchise soar, setting the iconic alien against the most fearsome human warriors, including a Viking mother and son. Lean, visually striking, and relentlessly thrilling, it is one of the very best entries in the series.
2. Battle after Battle
Paul Thomas Anderson delivers a wild screwball adventure about Bob, a washed-up revolutionary navigating paranoia and chaos. Packed with dazzling action sequences and deep character work, it’s both entertaining and thematically rich, a PTA triumph.
1. Black Bag
Steven Soderbergh’s espionage caper takes the top spot. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender light up the screen in a sleek, witty spy story that’s as stylish as it is thrilling. Black Bag is clever, charismatic, and a masterclass in modern spy filmmaking.
From superheroes to animated adventures, thrillers, and screwball escapades, the year 2025 has given us some pretty unforgettable moments on the screen. Are you a casual fan or a cinephile? It drives one irrefutable point home: movies are back, and this time, better than ever.