Best and Worst Movies That Came Out in 2025

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Summary: In 1932 Mississippi, the Smokestack Twins (both played by Michael B. Jordan) return to their hometown to open a juke joint with their younger cousin Sammie (Miles Caton), but evil lurks as the sun starts to set.

Many critics agreed that the Ryan Coogler-directed film deserved to sweep awards shows in the fall.

“My film of the year, deserving of all of the accolades and more,” critic Ben Ha Meen of the “For All the Nerds” podcast said. “Repeated viewings bring out more of the intentionality and vision of Ryan Coogler and company.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Summary: After a traumatic event upends her career, Agnes (Eva Victor) navigates adulthood with the help of her best friend Lydie (Naomi Ackie) and her shy neighbor Gavin (Lucas Hedges).

Victor — who wrote, directed, and starred in A24’s “Sorry, Baby” — enthralled critics with her nuanced, sensitive drama.

“You can’t say enough about the interactions between Victor and Ackie, who capture the rhythms of deep, resounding friendship with great accuracy and honesty,” John Serba wrote for Decider.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Summary: Acclaimed filmmaker (Stellan Skarsgård) returns to Norway after his ex-wife passes, hoping to reconcile with his estranged daughters Nora (Renate Reinsve) and Agnes (Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), even as he adapts their complicated family history into a new project.

Critics had high praise for director Joachim Trier’s latest picture, calling it a worthy follow-up to his award-winning drama “The Worst Person in the World.”

“‘Sentimental Value’ evolves into something achingly human and beautifully tragic,” M.N. Miller wrote for FandomWire.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 97%

Summary: Two grieving men, Dennis (James Sweeney) and Roman (Dylan O’Brien), form a fast friendship after they meet in a bereavement support group for those who have lost their twins.

Critics had high praise for Sweeney and O’Brien’s chemistry in this dark, inventive film.

“‘Twinless’ will have you squirming in your seat with the impressive performances from Dylan O’Brien and James Sweeney,” Emily Maskell wrote for PinkNews.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Summary: After winning the lottery twice, Charles Heath (Tim Key) tries to reunite his favorite folk band by inviting musicians Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan) to his island to play a private show.

“The Ballad of Wallis Island” earned acclaim for evoking warmth and comfort without straying too far into melodrama.

“The movie thrives on low-keyed, character-driven fish-out-of-water humor, but it’s also an affecting meditation on loss,” Robert W. Butler wrote for Butler’s Cinema Scene. “Don’t be surprised if you find yourself gulping back a few tears.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 96%

Summary: Rumi (Adren Cho), Mira (May Hong), and Zoey (Ji-young Yoo) — the stars of the hit K-pop girl group Huntrix — lead double lives as a demon-hunting trio.

Popular with critics and audiences alike, “KPop Demon Hunters” quickly became the most-watched original film in Netflix history.

“Vibrant, fun and validates why it’s an international sensation,” said critic Sheraz Farooqi. “Fans of K-pop will love it, and newcomers will definitely enjoy the ride.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%

Summary: After trying to reconnect with her temperamental father, Lily (Barbie Ferreira) accidentally befriends a stranger (John Leguizamo) who coincidentally has the same name as her dad.

Critics were moved to tears by Ferreira and Leguizamo’s winning performances.

“You don’t need to be family or in love with someone to show the type of kindness that can be life-altering,” Jason Delgado wrote for Film Threat. “It’s a supremely powerful message that could not possibly be more vital to the times than now.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

Summary: Washed-up resistance fighter Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) relies on the help of martial-arts teacher Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro) after a corrupt military officer targets him and his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti).

Critics said DiCaprio was a perfect fit for leading acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film.

“This is a film that needed someone the caliber of DiCaprio to pull it off and DiCaprio absolutely delivers in what should be considered one of his best performances to date,” Richard Propes wrote for The Independent Critic.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%

Summary: Best friends and roommates Dreux (Keke Palmer) and Alyssa (SZA) concoct crazy schemes to pay their rent on time after Alyssa’s good-for-nothing boyfriend runs off with their money.

With Palmer and SZA at the helm, “One of Them Days” was a nonstop delight.

“A certain magic exists when two comic talents slide perfectly in sync,” said film critic Josh Larsen.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%

Summary: In the third “Knives Out” installment, detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) faces his toughest case yet as he’s called up to solve a locked-room murder mystery at the behest of a young priest (Josh O’Connor).

Critics had nothing but love for the ensemble cast — which included Glenn Close, Josh Brolin, Kerry Washington, Andrew Scott, and more — in director Rian Johnson’s latest sequel.

“I’ve enjoyed all three movies, but this one is the best of the ‘Knives Out’ mysteries so far,” Odie Henderson wrote for the Boston Globe.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 36%

Summary: After a group of friends cover up a deadly car crash, they’re hunted down one by one by a hook-wielding slasher. To stay one step ahead, they reach out to Julie James (Jennifer Love Hewitt) and Ray Bronson (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who survived a similar event decades prior.

Although “I Know What You Did Last Summer” amped up the gore of the original films from the late ’90s, critics said it paled in comparison to its predecessors.

“‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ fails to capture any of the fun and surprise of the original film and trades in an intelligent script for one laden with nostalgia and just asking to be ripped apart by a fish hook,” John Stark wrote for Mac The Movie Guy.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 35%

Summary: In this globetrotting adventure, estranged siblings Luke (John Krasinski) and Charlotte Purdue (Natalie Portman) team up to track down the fabled fountain of youth.

Critics said that, instead of launching a new original adventure, Guy Ritchie’s latest action movie seemed to borrow from better films.

“This movie is a mishmash of a low-rent ‘Da Vinci Code,’ shoehorned in with some ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark,’ and a sprinkle of ‘The Mummy,'” said film critic Michael Cook. “It’s a Frankenstein movie where they try to put all these parts together and none of them quite work.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 27%

Summary: After a family tragedy, Morgan (Allison Williams) picks up the pieces left behind as she raises Clara (Mckenna Grace), who is falling in love for the first time.

“Regretting You” ended up shelved alongside “It Ends With Us” as another Colleen Hoover book-to-screen adaptation that failed to win over critics.

“Despite solid turns from Williams and Thames, ‘Regretting You’ stumbles through tonal swings and shallow melodrama,” Dionar Hidalgo wrote for Algo Más Que Cine.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 24%

Summary: Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) is tasked with helping a top-secret Starfleet division stop a dangerous weapon that she herself once helped create.

Die-hard Trekkies said that this latest installment felt less like a traditional “Star Trek” film and more like a “Guardians of the Galaxy” ripoff.

“It is sloppy, misguided, and frankly rote, overstuffed with concepts that it only superficially explores,” Angelica Jade Bastién wrote for Vulture.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 18%

Summary: Reformed hitman Marvin Gable (Ke Huy Quan) was enjoying his quiet life as a successful real-estate agent until a former connection from his past reappeared, shattering his suburban peace.

Though critics said that Quan’s role as a leading man was overdue, they said that “Love Hurts” failed to hold their interest.

“There’s definitely some hurt, but what you don’t realize until the end credits is it was more painful to watch it,” Alfred Castaneda wrote for Shade Studios.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 15%

Summary: After barely escaping alive in “The Strangers: Chapter 1,” Maya Lucas (Madelaine Petsch) continues to be targeted by masked killers, whose only motive is to inflict cruelty on others.

As a follow to a poorly reviewed prequel, “The Strangers: Chapter 2” had a hard time winning over critics.

“It could have opted to flesh its characters out to build suspense, but this excruciatingly lazy middle segment of a slasher trilogy does nothing to justify its existence,” Jeffrey M. Anderson wrote for Common Sense Media.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 14%

Summary: In an alternate world ravaged by robot wars, orphaned teen Michelle (Millie Bobby Brown) enlists the help of a washed-up soldier (Chris Pratt) to find her beloved brother.

Even critics who enjoyed the original “Electric State” sci-fi novel by Simon Stålenhag struggled to find much they liked about the Netflix adaptation.

“There is a very Marvel-ish aspect to this film, but in a recycled and dull way,” Peter Rainer said in a review for LAist.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 14%

Summary: Secret agent Sam (Rebel Wilson) tries to pull off a covert mission while juggling her responsibilities as a maid of honor for her friend Betsy (Anna Camp). Her plans backfire — until a wedding hostage situation offers her a chance at redemption.

Despite providing a fun reunion for “Pitch Perfect” castmates Wilson and Camp, “Bride Hard” had little for critics to recommend in terms of laughs.

“For an attempt at a slapstick, screwball comedy, ‘Bride Hard’ is stiff,” Maxwell Rabb wrote for the Chicago Reader.

Rotten Tomatoes score: 14%

Summary: After Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye — playing a heightened version of himself — loses his voice at a concert, he has a strange but romantic encounter with an obsessive fan (Jenna Ortega).

Critics said that the stylish-but-flat psychological thriller felt like a self-serving vehicle for the famous singer.

In a review for 3C Films, Cris Parker called it a movie “so concerned with looking great it forgets the basic building blocks of telling a story.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 0%

Summary: Married special agents Joe (Scott Eastwood) and Lara (Willa Fitzgerald) have their peaceful cabin retreat wrecked when they discover their rivals have other plans.

“Alarum” landed at the bottom of critics’ lists in 2025, failing to earn a single positive review.

“A film so bad it shames American cinema itself,” Leslie Felperin wrote for the Guardian. “And it wasn’t even made in Hollywood!”