You see the thing about a pizza is its only as good as the ingredients in it and sometimes those ingredients are premium grade A, five star, creamy, goodness mozzarella cheese and sometimes it’s cheddar for some god forsaken reason. Yes we are still on the pizza metaphor anyway that mouth watering mozzarella is half of what you want in a pizza, sure there’s the rest that make up the pizza, crust, toppings, the tears of your enemies, garlic, but there is no denying that sometimes one ingredient just shines through and really makes it. As we have made the metaphor ridiculously silly, cough, we mean obvious we are here to talk about the creamy cheesey goodness of preformance that made their films just that, grade A premium quality. Like most things art and preformance is a subjective experience and these were our writers favorites from this year.

This is mxdwn’s top 10 best performances of 2025.

10. Alfie Williams as Spike in 28 Years Later

Alfie Williams – 28 Years Later One of the most memorable child actor performances I can remember ever seeing. Similar to why I loved Rose Byrne’s performance, Alfie Williams’ role of Spike just delivered so much real emotion. His profound and unwavering love and dedication to risking everything to try and save his mother was so beautiful. I felt the screws coming together on Spike becoming his own person, rejecting the identity that his father was trying to mold him into. Couldn’t be more excited to see Alfie Williams’ grow as an actor and cannot wait for the upcoming 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple.

– Kyle Guzman

9. Benicio del Toro as Sensei Sergio in One Battle After Another

Benicio del Toro gives an electric performance in his role of Sensei Sergio in One Battle After Another. He walks around with such tranquility even in the moments Bob is launching himself into the ground when he sees a police siren pass by. del Toro is full of such charisma and life that really makes his character feel alive.

– Dante Estrada

Benicio Del Toro in One Battle After Another is an example of a supporting role being so special that every word out of the character’s mouth deserves an applause break. When he shows up, you wonder why the movie isn’t about his character.

– Dempson Juvenal

8. Ethan Hawke as Lorenz Hart in Blue Moon

Ethan Hawke in ‘Blue Moon‘ was a true revelation. You know it’s a good performance when you completely cease to see the actor in the film. He effortlessly slips into this role of a reprehensible but sympathetic tortured artist. He holds scene presence very well, which he needs to since he is literally always on screen. It’s riveting, and some of the best work I have seen out of Ethan Hawke in some time.

– Justin Brayer

Ethan Hawke’s performance in Blue Moon is simply incredible. He’s been one of the most dependable and versatile actors for decades now, but he completely disappears into this role. He’s incredibly magnetic, charming, heartbreaking, and tender all in equal measure, allowing the audience to deeply feel for a man whose in the twilight of his career, battling his internal bitterness, jealousy and regret as he tries to put on a brave face in order to support his former creative partner. Hawke has given a myriad of fine performances, but this might just be his finest work to date.

– Tom Chatalbash

7. Elle Fanning as Thai/Tessa in Predator Badlands

Elle Fanning – Predator Badlands In a film predominantly featuring a character speaking a fictional alien language, it’s Elle Fanning’s immense screen presence that helps make every inch of Predator Badlands an enjoyable experience. From the first seconds she shows up, she is instantly likable, warm and funny. The duality of of her character and the no-nonsense over seriousness of Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s Dek gives the film a simple but powerful focus to balance on.

– Raymond Flotat

I only had recently discovered the joy that is the Predator franchise and Badlands was my first experience in theaters and I’m so happy it was. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi’s Dek is an amazingly written and played character but the real heart of the film that keeps it together was Elle Fanning playing both warm and caring teacher Thia to Dek and the ruthless Tessa. The moment Fanning shows up its like a weight is lifted and the audience has hope Dek will find his way. Playing both field guide and kind of mentoring friend Fanning offers an excellent sound board for Schuster-Koloamatang to react and talk to bringing life and joy to the story that starts with a tragedy. From spending half the film without legs and the other half being a menace to the Wayland company Fanning makes Badlands a joy to watch.

– Vanessa Winders

6.Jacob Elordi as The Creature in Frankenstein

My favorite male performance of the year was Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein. He made Frankenstein’s monster have a caring and human soul (one that is enveloped by sewn flesh). A totally unexpected performance, but it truly exceeded my expectations.

– Izaiah Shupe

Jacob Elordi surprised me with how incredible his performance as the creature was in Frankenstein. I admit that I was skeptical after he replaced Andrew Garfield in the role but I could not picture the film being as heartfelt and captivating without Elordi’s inclusion. He acts perfectly as the gentle giant from Mary Shelley’s novel and aggressively commands the screen when he’s tossing around people.

– Dante Estrada

5. Jesse Buckley as Agnes in Hamnet

Jesse Buckley (Hamnet): Another tricky performance as Agnes in Hamnet is intentionality meant to be a bit of a mysterious person early on. But something about Buckley’s performance that I can’t quite put my finger on made me instantly connect with her. It’s also a tricky performance, as Agnes goes through so much traumatic loss throughout the film that require her to act out these deeply emotional moments that, if poorly acted, could come across as overly showy and inauthentic. And I think it’s a testament to Jesse Buckley’s performance that these moments always felt very real and authentic to me.

– Jacob Birks

It’s a tough performance, as Jesse Buckley’s character, Agnes, goes through so much throughout the film. A lesser performance could’ve easily made all the tragedies she goes through feel overly melodramatic. But Buckley manages to make Agnes feel like a real, authentic person, so everything she goes through ends up feeling so real, and all the more moving.

– Also Jacob Birks

4. Timothée Chalamet as Marty in Marty Supreme

Timothée Chalamet (Marty Supreme): An absolute whirlwind of a performance. Chalamet makes Marty into a guy who’s so in-your-face with every word and action that you can’t keep your eyes off him. Chalamet also makes Marty likable enough that you actively root for him to succeed, despite his reckless and selfish choices throughout

– Jacob Birks

Though some may have found his press tour irritating, Timothée Chalamet once again proved that his actions are deliberate and strategic. Portraying a character meant to be both deplorable and compelling is no easy task, yet Chalamet pulled it off through sheer charisma and immeasurable talent.

– Samantha Breslauer

3. David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent in Superman

I thought we’d never see an actor take up the cape and trunks that could rival the masterful nature of Christopher Reeve. Corenswet didn’t try to do what others did before, but he took the material, wore his heart on his sleeve, and gave audiences a reason to believe in Superman once again.

– Raymond Adams

David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman: David Corenswet as Superman was one of my favorite performances of the year. You can tell the amount of time Corenswet took to truly understand his character and his strengths, weaknesses, struggles, and everything in between. The subtle changes in behavior when he is Clark versus when he is Superman, in terms of confidence and even tone of voice, are an astute level of paying attention to character, and Corenswet exemplifies that every moment on screen.

– Amani Sanders

2.Rose Byrne as Linda in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Hopefully Rose Byrne finally gets her accolades for portraying one of the year’s most emotionally complex characters. Through a relentless series of close-ups and emotional blows, Byrne delivers a nuanced performance that stays with you long after the film ends. Unflinching and deeply uncomfortable, the film would not work without Byrne’s total commitment to the role and to her craft.

– Samantha Breslauer

Rose Byrne in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You is a powerhouse performance. In a movie about how horrifying and draining being a mother is, she is balancing the nightmare with comedy chops that make the anxiety-inducing film extremely compelling.

– Dempson Juvenal

Rose Byrne – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Rose Byrne delivers one of the defining performances of the year in this film, just truly powerful stuff. She puts everything into this role of a mother who is just trying to find her way in the world, being ridiculed at every turn, and dealing with true anxiety that she is failing her daughter by not having all of the answers. The major tension in this film was me legitimately feeling the weight of the world on my shoulders, the same pain and struggle that Linda felt. That helpless feeling Rose Byrne is struggling with is so raw and real here and I loved every second of it, even if it resulted in an anxiety filled theater experience.

– Kyle Guzman

1. Michael B. Jordan as Smoke/Stack/Vampire Stack in Sinners

Michael B. Jordan should win two Oscars. He is not only playing twins, but playing two twins with years of history and differences between them. Smoke and Stack may look alike, but they are far from the same, and Jordan is able to portray that with such ease and finesse that you start to believe that there’s a Michael A. Jordan that no one’s ever heard about.

– Austin Waybright

Michael B. Jordan – Sinners Excelling at every role he’s taken going all the way back to the immaculate The Wire on HBO, Michael B. Jordan crushes an immensely challenging role, that kind of means he’s playing three different characters. Smoke and Stack each have their own fully formulated purpose and demeanor, and the pure insanity this story puts them through is seen heavily on Jordan’s face. It’s evident that no other actor in the modern arena could have been these characters in a film of this scale.

– Raymond Flotat

Michael B. Jordan deserves every single bit of praise he’s gotten for his performance in Sinners. It was exhilarating and heart wrenching at the same time, half way through the film I forgot he wasn’t actually two people. Then there’s the sinister post vampire Stack that feels like a whole new character entirely, all of human Stack’s kindness and sass replaced with a monstrous cruelty that devastates the audience as Stack is truly gone and yet he’s still there almost mocking Smoke, who is also Jordan. It’s mind bendingly fantastic in the best way.

Also there’s just something cathartic about the ending that had people jump to their actual feet and cheer(including me) Smoke’s final hail Mary in the theater. I saw this five weeks after it released and the theater was still packed, if all of the awards Jordan’s already gotten for this performance since doesn’t convince you that this is a must see performance- go watch Sinners immediately.

– Vanessa Winders

Bonus comments for our honorable mentions for the supporting ensemble in honor of Sinners making the staff lose their minds at its sheer awesomeness.

Hailee Steinfeld as Mary in Sinners really solidified herself as a serious actor. She was amazing in it and it was a shame her song Dangerous wasn’t featured in the film, her chemistry with Jordan was off the rails.

– Maysam Khan

Miles Caton (Sinners) – For a first performance, Caton delivers a fantastic range of emotion, while also performing a wonderful song performance in “I Lied to You”.

– Michael Samuel