If you thought you could escape our movies are like pizza metaphor think again,  we’re back on it, and this time we’re here to talk about the best of the best; that homemade sweet Italian goodness that is to die for. Much like everything when it comes to taste, taste in movies is subjective ,what is good for one person is bad for another yada yada you know the drill, but occasionally there is that one thing that is so close to universal adoration that you can’t help but smack a gold star on it and put it on top of a podium. Those are the best and today we are here to talk about the best movies 2025 had to offer.

Here is mxdwn’s top 10 films for 2025.

10. Avatar: Fire And Ash

Avatar: Fire and Ash: James Cameron is doing the lord’s work by continuously giving us reason to return to and discover Pandora. This might just be Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldaña’s best performances as Jake Sully and Neytiri, plus the introduction of Oona Chaplin’s Varang as a compelling juxtaposition to the beauty and innocence that we knew of Pandora and the Na’vi.

-Amani Sanders

Avatar: Fire And Ash– The moment Way Of Water rolled credits, I knew I needed to see Fire and Ash. So many questions, so many theories, such high hopes for the characters. It’s putting it lightly to say that Fire and Ash was as fulfilling as I needed it to be, and then some. The story threads picked up from Way of Water feel like such an organic continuation for the characters, and there’s a deeply human exploration of grief and how to grapple with loss. Not to mention, plenty, and I do mean plenty, of James Cameron’s usual gravitas. The world building here is outstanding, and the stakes for the story feel the biggest they ever have up till now. Much like how Jake told Quaritch that Pandora goes much deeper than he thinks, the Avatar films go much deeper than gorgeous visuals, and Fire and Ash never loses sight of this. Wonderfully emotional and deeply fulfilling in every way!

– Raymond Adams

9. Knives Out 3: Wake Up Dead Man

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery the first Knives Out is always the number one pick, but Wake Up Dead Man is the perfect number two. Wake Up Dead Man was a twisty mystery that is centered around religion and faith. Absolute perfection.

– Izaiah Shupe

Knives Out is this generation’s Sherlock Holmes. Yeah sure we had the BBC Sherlock, sure count that, but the Knives Out is a unique original spin on the classic quirky detective genre that through the power of Daniel Craig gave us a character so fun that it feels like he is always been here. Which is frankly a testament to Craig’s incredible acting ability, but that said everything around him is only elevated by his presence as each film is packed with love and thought for not only the idea of mystery movies but also an inner reflection about the why. Wake up dead men is another slam dunk while still focusing a lot on the why. With plenty of red herrings and suspects that are excellently flushed out and given proper motives it’s the most immersive yet out of the series. On top of some very funny bits among the suspects and excellent crimes to be had the film is non-stop fun, especially with the dead guys.

– Vanessa Winders

Knives Out: Wake Up Dead Man: Although late in the game, I think is a great film about religion and personal beliefs can conflict with a person’s duty to society that leaves the audience with an overwhelming positive feeling that I find personally lacking in other movies centered around the topic of religion.

– Mallery McKay

8. Sentimental Value

The opening sequence of Sentimental Value establishes the film as a meditation on performance versus reality. Striking and deliberate, the scene sets the emotional framework for understanding the strained relationship between a filmmaker father and his actress daughter. Elle Fanning, playing the American outsider, tactfully conveys the discomfort of embodying another person’s most intimate experiences. The theme of art as a form of love emerges from Trier’s evident devotion to cinema itself.

– Samantha Breslauer

Sentimental Value is a film that will bring you to your knees. It features some of the best written dialogue all year, and uses that to dissect the complex relationships between family members which span generations. This is done using the house in the film, which holds so much character itself, both thematically and physically. The performances are all top notch, with Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning all being highlights.

– Justin Brayer

7. Marty Supreme

Marty Supreme captures the highs and lows of ambition, passion, and drive in a way only Josh Safdie. While many sung the praises of a mediocre Bob Dylan impression, Chalamet is undeniably great as an obsessed, ego driven ping pong player who is willing to do basically anything to achieve his dream. Along with some stellar supporting characters, my personal favorite being Koto Kawaguchi as Koto Endo, this gorgeous film is a must see for anyone who’s ever tried to “make it” in this world.

– Austin Waybright

Marty Supreme subverts the traditional sports movie with the electric energy consistent with a typical Safdie film. Timothée Chalamet delivers a career-defining performance, inhabiting his character with precision. As the story unfolds through a series of twists, the stakes continually rise, and the audience is ultimately rewarded simply for going along for the ride.

– Samantha Breslauer

Marty Supreme: A film that begins as this over-the-top sports movie, before then transitioning into this wild, chaotic comedy-of-errors epic exploring the absurdity of the American Dream and American Individualism.

– Jacob Birks

6. Kpop Demon Hunters

As a fan of animated movies I like to think I am up to date on any news or announcements following that industry, then K-pop Demon Hunters came out of the middle of nowhere and absolutely blew me away. I had no idea it was even in development, let alone available on my own streaming service until at the end of the week of its premiere on Netflix. I have never rewatched a film as frequently as I have rewatched Kpop Demon Hunters. I’ve always been a fan of Asian Cinema and the fusion of Korean culture, music, and fashion with the American animation style was astounding. It’s as close to a truly perfect animated musical as there could ever be.

– Vanessa Winders

K-Pop Demon Hunters was an unexpected hit in 2025. As everyone anxiously awaited for the release of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, they gave us this instead (and it was fantastic). It was a story of acceptance, found family, and redemption; mixed with some incredible songs, laugh-out-loud moments, and a few heartbreaking scenes. One of the best animated films of all time.

– Izaiah Shupe

5. Frankenstein

Frankenstein was also amazing cinematography was amazing but what got me was Oscar Isaac’s performance. Although the film was a little predictable both Isaac and Elordi acted their hearts out.

-Maysam Khan

Frankenstein- GDT rarely misses the mark. His repertoire is very stylistic and of high quality, but I’d argue Frankenstein is his magnum opus. The gothic nature of Mary Shelley’s masterpiece is adapted expertly, but del Toro displays a very intimate understanding of the nuance the story contains, wonderfully elevated by a perfect cast giving career-defining performances.

– Raymond Adams

Frankenstein: Just absolutely massive in scope, Guillermo Del Toro’s vision for Frankenstein exceeds all expectations. In its story, its performances, behind the camera efforts, and directorally I was blown away. Victor Frankenstein and the Monster are the keys to understanding that we are molded by our environment, growing and evolving from the beliefs and ethos of our predecessors. The complexity and nuance of the story and performances was executed wonderfully, connected with beautiful visuals that truly made the viewing experience feel grand.

– Kyle Guzman

4. Superman

Superman: In my opinion was a great comic adaptation for Superman and Clark Kent that I think will make for a great franchise,

-Mallery McKay

Superman represents everything good and it showed in the film David Corenswet embodied him so well. Left the theater feeling something else. Wanting to be a better person, so so good.

– Maysam Khan

Unfortunately, I am an optimist. I wake every morning trying to look to a brighter future, and I try to do what I can to help others. At the end of the day though, I’m just a normal person who can only do so much, so why even try? Why waste my time and energy helping others, sticking my neck out for what’s right, and standing up for a better tomorrow? Well, because Superman would. James Gunn’s Superman reminded me why I try. Growing up I always loved Superman, the ultimate hero, the peak of human kindness, empathy, and good. As I grew older, Superman became “boring” or that’s what everyone around me said. Then, Zack Snyder decided that Superman should be portrayed as a sort of dissociated god figure and everyone else decided that Superman is more compelling as a bad guy making numerous films, games, and comics depicting a man of steel, an alien god gone rogue. Gunn takes all of these recent interpretations and THROWS THEM OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE SUPERMAN IS ABOUT HOPE. I saw this film 3 times in theatres, and each time I found myself moved to tears at a film that’s core message was that we should strive to help each other by any means necessary. We should do what we can when we can because WE CAN. Superman (2025) is a fun comic-book film that refuses to desaturate it’s colors and sand down it’s weird edges. There are giant kaiju, billionaires with pocket dimensions, and even KRYPTO! While David Corenswet was never my first choice to play big blue, he delivers a stellar performance along with Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult. I know putting the goofy, optimistic Superhero movie over a thematically deep, historically rich film may be foolish or naive, but, unfortunately, I am an optimist.

– Austin Waybright

Superman felt like a comic book come to life. It perfectly captures the core of the character, and had a powerful message of hope at its center.

-Michael Samuel

Superman- This felt less like a film and more like an experience. Gunn has such a perfect understanding of the Man of Steel, and this felt like one big love-letter to the legacy of Superman. With close to 100 years of stories to live up to, Superman managed to strip away the outermost layers of the character and show audiences just who he is underneath. So many times in that theater did I want to stand up and scream “yes! That’s Superman! That’s what he’s all about!” I don’t think there’s a better mind than James Gunn’s working on comic book films right now, and Superman was the perfect example of that. A beautiful encapsulation of a beautiful character.

-Raymond Adams

Superman brought so much heart towards its titular character after years of being mischaracterized. James Gunn knew what the hero means to people and brought that symbol of hope perfectly represented. Superman saves everyone, from the squirrels to believing there’s a small shred of good within the evil scientific tech billionaire Lex Luthor, who tried having Superman killed numerous times. A film that is not ashamed of having comic book roots similar to The Batman and the Spider-Verse films.

-Dante Estrada

3. Predator Badlands

Predator: Badlands might just be the best entry in the entire Predator franchise, maybe even better than the legendary first film. Director Dan Trachtenberg lovingly takes the best tricks from the modern era of video games and renders a richly rewarding story about found family and redemption set amidst an inhospitable battle planet teeming with monsters at every turn. Essentially starring only Elle Fanning and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi as the bisected android Thia and this film’s Yautja predator Dek, the group has to find a way to work together and find balance with their surrounds. Unlike so very many fictions in the modern era, this one powerfully sticks the landing.

– Raymond Flotat

Predator Badlands hit the ground running for an absolutely action-packed emotional story about a brother’s revenge turned journey to inner peace. Deck is by far one of the most interesting characters in the entire franchise, the only one who probably comes even close to him and his fantastic development is Prey’s Comanche warrior Naru. Much like Prey, Badlands structures itself around a warrior learning the value of skills and wisdom over strength in a hunt. The effects are brilliant, with a breathtaking backdrop captured by excellent cinematography, the film looks every bit as fantastical as it’s story. The cast while small is stellar in their roles. Elle Fanning who played the android helper that gets rescued by Dek and Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi who played the Yuatja himself for so compelling you almost forget they’re real playing parts and not the characters themselves.

– Vanessa Winders

2. One Battle After Another

One Battle After Another was totally unexpected (especially as a Paul Thomas Anderson film). It was funny, dramatic, thrilling, and full of action. It was a really great film.

– Izaiah Shupe

One Battle After Another: The film represents everything I love about Paul Thomas Anderson, but on a blockbuster scale. Not only does PTA showcase his filmmaking talent at every opportunity, with his camera always moving in practically every scene, but he also finds the precise places to put the camera, which is shown best in that glorious final car chase. But most of all, the film shows PTA’s knack for balancing broad ideas within his films’ narratives with the more personal. For every timely depiction of the criminalization of immigration and militarized violence on city streets, there’s a film also about a father and daughter, and the love and community that allows the revolution that surrounds them to thrive.

– Jacob Birks

One Battle After Another will become a defining film of the generation. Everything about it exudes life and spirit especially when it comes to the complex but likable characters and the monumental obstacles they must overcome. The 2 hours and 40 minutes fly by as you are completely invested in the well-being of Willa and Bob’s determination to connect with her. There is a lot the film is tackling such as the impact of rebellion its effects on small communities, but the heart lies within DiCaprio and Infiniti’s characters, and the film knows this and zeroes in on them. All of the performances are great, with the standouts being Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn. This is just one of the best in Paul Thomas Anderson’s already incredible filmography.

-Justin Brayer

OBAA: A mountain of a film where it feels like every character uniquely is able to steal the screen when necessary. The strongest quality of this film is that it never takes its foot off the gas, bringing constant suspense and tension that comes to a head in a way unlike any other film this year with the car chase scene. Paul Thomas Anderson delivered such a unique and important story, weaving serious themes of facism and the daily struggle of everyday life into an unforgettably entertaining cinematic experience. The full creative team delivered in droves from the performances, the cinematography, the editing, and the score all fit together marvelously. If I had a vote for best picture of 2025, One Battle After Another would earn my vote.

– Kyle Guzman

One Battle After Another is easily the defining film of the year. In a year full of political violence, protests, immigration rights, Paul Thomas Anderson tackled on all of these themes with great care and expressed how they cannot be ignored. Anderson shows that most white people feel relaxed enough to put down the fight once they’ve drank themselves to sleep, he uplifts the Black women in this film by showing they are the ones who have been behind many movements in our history and are willing to not let the fight be over even if it meant the end of their own life. The film is spectacular visuals from its tense car chase sequence and the simple moments of seeing a father go through every lengths to protect his daughter, One Battle After Another is the most beautiful and darkly satirical of what our political landscape looks like nowadays.

– Dante Estrada

1. Sinners

Sinners- Don’t really have to explain, Michael B Jordans performance as both Stack and Smoke was phenomenal and as a twin I very much approve. Cinematography, Grand. Soundtrack, Unbeatable.

– Maysam Khan

Sinners is a beautifully shot film that manages to be a mix of horror and musical. The storytelling done through music and sound design is mesmerizing, and the throwback to classic vampire rules such as requiring permission to enter a household is refreshing.

– Michael Samuel

What was there not to love about Sinners! It’s a perfect team up of talent, storytelling, music, and visual flare on top of the fact it came from probably one of the best directors working Hollywood right now. Ryan Coogler rolled up with something that is arguably the closest we’ll ever get to a modern classic; this is a movie that will still be talked about decades from now. This is a film that should not be nearly as good as it is, and then it goes further, it’s probably the best horror film of the year by a long mile in a year that was stacked with heavy horror hitters. If you had told me an original southern gothic vampire movie would sweep the spring box office and create a cult following while it’s still in theaters by word of mouth alone, I honestly would have called you nuts, but boy am I glad that’s the time line we’re in.

– Vanessa Winders

Sinners, was everything I expected and then some. It was so much more than a vampire movie; it was a commentary on black life in the south, black culture, and the power of music.

– Izaiah Shupe

Sinners: Was an excellent blend of genres (Horror, Drama, Thriller, Action, etc.) with exceptional acting performances from the ensemble cast. To be frank, no film was beating the one-shot sequence of Miles Caton singing “I Lied to You” in Club Juke.

– Amani Sanders

Sinners is just incredible filmmaking on every level. Coogler directs this genre picture with a deft, confident hand as B. Jordan anchors the film effortlessly as both lead characters. It delivers all the genre thrills and chills one would want while also delivering perhaps the most visually sumptuous film of the year.

– Tom Chatalbash

Sinners: A studio blockbuster that’s so open-heartedly the vision of Ryan Coogler. With a 90 million dollar budget, Coogler crafts a pure celebration of the people, culture, and genres that he loves. Its first and second acts unfold as a hangout movie, in which Coogler envelops you in a world and characters who feel so authentic and lived-in, representing a culture that Coogler clearly holds near and dear to his heart. That then makes way towards a glorious creature feature third act, built around characters you genuinely care about. It then becomes a pure creature-feature horror film, while still having a lot to say about cultural assimilation, and music as the purest means of cultural expression.

– Jacob Birks

Sinners: Before the sun went down – I think that was the best day of my life (Sammie Moore) Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan’s collaboration for Sinners brought to life a powerful story. I really appreciated how this film was rich with culture, delivering such nuanced and subliminal messaging with how said cultures and beliefs can be exploited. Two of my favorite sequences in this film were the two major dance scenes both inside and outside of the juke joint. I felt these two scenes were both simply mesmerizing, all this being said without even mentioning the very real horror elements in this story. Sinners will go down as an emotional and memorable entry in 2025 cinema that won’t soon be forgotten.

– Kyle Guzman

Ryan Coogler’s masterpiece Sinners is an ambitious take on gothic horror, set in transitionary time in the USA’s difficult history of the deep south Mississippi Delta. What initially seems like an examination of the time’s checkered history with racism and equality along with the rise of several truly homespun American art forms explodes into a terrifying vampire story. Michael B. Jordan takes on the dual-role of twin brothers Elijah “Smoke” and Elias “Stack” alongside terrific performances from Hailee Steinfeld and Miles Caton. Jack O’Connell is amazing in his role as the sinister lead vampire Remmick. It’s intricate and boundary breaking, but it’s a wonderful piece of cinema that must be seen.

– Raymond Flotat

Sinners is a brilliant accumulation of what music means to people and how it touches us all in different ways. It can literally transform a room as shown in that amazing sequence in the middle of the film. Ryan Coogler masterfully tells how white people aim to take that away from Black culture and take it as their own, they even thirst for it. Sammy is what all boring banjo players hope to achieve even if it means tearing apart the place for it. Sinners is truly rich in its brilliant visual storytelling and through sound as well.

– Dante Estrada

Sinners should be #1. Straight and simple. This is a master filmmaker using all of his powers to create one of the most unique and thought-provoking films I’ve ever seen. Michael B. Jordan should straight up get 2 Oscars. The set design, the costuming, the special effects, THE MUSIC! Every aspect of this film is expertly crafted and brought together in a way only Ryan Coogler and his creative team could. There’s so much to chew on this film thematically that it’s hard to just say, “Great Film. Go see it.” But truly that is best way to enjoy this film, to experience it.

– Austin Waybright