With all the exaggerated speculation on the death of the movie theater, we here at Conskipper found ourselves there with an oversized bucket of popcorn and a big pile of candy more than ever given all of the great films which were released in 2025! There were wonderful movie moments for everyone this year, and our list represents a fantastic variety of genres and talents in the industry. The list is ranked, with Number One being our pick for the best movie of 2025.
#10: The Naked Gun (2025)
Finally… comedies are returning to the movie theater after years of not being produced or being stuck in streaming purgatory! The 2025 edition of The Naked Gun hit all of the right notes by casting Liam Neeson in the lead role and being downright hilarious and irreverent from start to finish.
#9: Keeper
Horror director extraordinaire Osgood Perkins returned in 2025 with two movies, The Monkey and Keeper. I liked both of them but I liked Keeper better due to its downright creepy feel, interesting characters, mythological subtext, and chilling creature effects. This film didn’t quite make as big of a splash with critics or audiences when it came out, but I think it deserves to be re-examined.
#8: Superman (2025)
Featuring a fantastic ensemble cast, solid storytelling, and a proper cinematic reimagining of earth’s greatest hero, James Gunn’s Superman hit all of the right notes to thrill comics fans and movie fans alike. The inclusion of Krypto and Supergirl made me all the more excited to see how DC ends up doing with this newest iteration of their cinematic universe!
#7: The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Anyone who knows me or has read my commentary in the past knows I was sick and tired of the Marvel Cinematic Universe long before it was in vogue to be sick and tired of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Fantastic Four: First Steps serves as a rare exception to the tired tropes of the mechanical formula by introducing plenty of fresh faces and leaning into a retro futuristic aesthetic that reminded me of all the things I love about classic Marvel comic books. Bringing in George Burns’ “Nation on Wheels” (a song featured on the iconic Disney PeopleMover) for a memorable moment of the film was the cherry on top!
#6: Eddington
Writer/director Ari Aster made an explosive return to the silver screen in 2025 with Eddington, the most nail-biting and absurd take on the pandemic that’s ever been filmed. Simultaneously hilarious and terrifying, Eddington shows that no one can tap into the psyche of of our most paranoid impulses (and the fact that just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean something isn’t happening) than Ari Aster. He’s long stopped making horror movies, but his movies are always horrifying nonetheless.
#5: Weapons
Weapons shows that Barbarian was no fluke for writer/director Zach Cregger, with its fine balance of twists and turns with genuine thrills and a few hearty laughs along the way. Weapons pleased audiences and critics alike, and it was the perfect cinematic horror experience for the summer of 2025. All I can say is I can’t wait to see Cregger’s upcoming take on the Resident Evil franchise!
#4: Bugonia
Yorgos Lanthimos is another auteur who has been remarkably busy during the past two years, and Bugonia is his third consecutive collaboration with Emma Stone. Hopefully they never stop working together because Bugonia shows that their work (along with Jesse Plemons) is only becoming more absurd, refined, and provacative. It’s best to watch this movie knowing nothing about it, and then to spend the next couple of days thinking about all of its ideas and subtext. It’s fun on the surface, but even more interesting as you peel away the layers of the film in your mind. The inclusion of Stavros Halkias is the icing on the cake, and hopefully he will get more opportunities to explore these kinds of cinematic performances in the future.
#3: Marty Supreme
The funny, thought-provoking, frenetic Marty Supreme is a pure delight from start to finish! Director Josh Safdie improved on the pacing of his previous hit film, Uncut Gems to truly harness an entertaining level of controlled chaos that’s reminiscent of last year’s hit Anora by Sean Baker. Timothee Chalamet gives a blockbuster lead performance which will leave you constantly checking your impulses to root for Marty Mauser through all of his various disasters of his own making. Every supporting performance and cameo is an added touch to this menagerie of characters which feel real and a world which feels lived in despite the insanity of what’s happening on screen for majority of its runtime. Marty Supreme is a major standout of 2025!
#2: Sinners
Sinners was an explosive start to a great year for movies with its eclectic blend of history, folk storytelling, music, and more. Writer/director Ryan Coogler and A-Lister Michael B. Jordan continue their incredible partnership with this elevated horror story that’s sure to capture your attention and your heart. For a vampire movie, it’s quite an achievement how real these characters and their stories feel. This is due to incredible creative decisions which were made in piecing together every minute detail of the set, the costumes, the script, and the soundscape which all come together to reveal a wonderful tapestry of humanity and the rituals and feelings and emotions which all bind us together.
#1: One Battle After Another
Leonardo DiCaprio continues the “adult buffoonery” phase of his career in the exceptional Paul Thomas Anderson epic, One Battle After Another. Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, and Sean Penn all deliver supporting performances deserving of top awards as Anderson fires on all cylinders in this Rubik’s Cube of a movie which demands to be examined on a personal, generational, historical, and contemporary level. This is Anderson’s most poignant take on fatherhood and family yet, and it’s delivered in a manner which is simultaneously thrilling, entertaining, heartfelt, and hilarious. An achievement on every level, One Battle After Another represents everything great about why we go to the movies, why we talk about movies, and how we connect movies to our lives.