2025 is a tough crop of movies to write about. On the one hand, it featured what will be remembered as some of the greatest films of the decade, and those are pretty undeniable. On the other hand, the “middle” of the movie-going experience (the mid-budget studio films and indies, particularly for adults) is really starting to sag. It may be partially due to the Hollywood strikes of 2023, but it is becoming more difficult to find non-consensus favorites, the diamonds in the rough that make watching any new film so fun. With all the recent media consolidation news (mostly Warner Brothers in line to be purchased), I can only hope that movie-going can retain what health it still has.

With that said, there were more than enough incredible films in 2025. Of the 69 new releases that I saw, here were my favorites.

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