Only six months into 2025, and this has been another great year at the movies. It’s not often that from January to June, we get new films from filmmakers like Danny Boyle, Celine Song, Bong Joon Ho, Wes Anderson, Ryan Coogler, Questlove, and two films by Steven Soderbergh. Already this year, we’ve fought vampires from inside a club with Sinners, watched a robot gain her sentience in Companion, seen a burst of excitement for old franchises with Predator: Killer of Killers and Thunderbolts*, and we even got a great Tim Robinson and Paul Rudd buddy comedy with Friendship. The second half of 2025 also looks incredible, but it’s going to be tough to beat what we’ve already seen this year at the movies.
At this halfway point of 2025, let’s take a look at the 25 best films of 2025 so far. Time to get your Letterboxd watchlist ready.
’28 Years Later’
Directed by Danny Boyle
Related
‘28 Years Later’ Review: Danny Boyle’s Zombie Horror Sequel Was Worth the 18-Year Wait
Boyle, Alex Garland, and Ralph Fiennes are at the height of their powers.
Danny Boyle is back and he’s better than ever. Over two decades since he reinvigorated the zombie genre with 28 Days Later, a grainy, low-budget horror flick starring a then relatively unknown Cillian Murphy. Now, he reunites with writer Alex Garland for the first installment in a new trilogy, ignoring the events of the more glossy 28 Weeks Later. Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and newcomer Alfie Williams, 28 Years Later may very well be Boyle’s best movie since his cult classic, Trainspotting, and undoubtedly one of the year’s best movies.
You might expect a grand, end-of-the-world, high-stakes story, as that is almost always what franchise films offer us. But Garland keeps the story of a child learning the ways of a fallen Britain due to a devastating zombie apocalypse relatively small. But Boyle doesn’t hold back in his direction at all, giving us the same edgy, frenzied, but still tender storytelling that he employed when telling us the story of what being a heroine addict was like in ‘90s Edinburgh. With outstanding performances from Williams, Comer, and especially Fiennes, even if you wouldn’t usually call yourself a horror fan, 28 Years Later is a summer blockbuster event you should be a part of in the theater. — Emma Kiely
- Release Date
-
June 20, 2025
- Runtime
-
126 minutes
- Director
-
Danny Boyle
- Producers
-
Alex Garland, Andrew Macdonald, Bernard Bellew
‘The Accountant 2’
Directed by Gavin O’Connor
Related
Affleck and Bernthal have undeniable chemistry in Gavin O’Connor’s sequel to his 2016 sleeper hit.
Here’s the thing: I can’t exactly call The Accountant 2 a cerebral movie. It’s the dudebro movie to end all dudebro movies, full of shootouts and beer drinking and sundry other moments of distinctly masculine chaos. But, as someone who usually abhors that kind of film, I found myself stunned by how much fun I had with Gavin O’Connor’s action sequel, swept up in its unabashedly loud sense of style from the moment it began.
While it veers pretty far away from the tone of the original, I’d argue that the Ben Affleck-led film is the better of the two, amping up not only the stakes, but also the comedy, resulting in a film that feels slightly less sophisticated, but all the more enjoyable. And while Affleck is clearly the film’s heart, it’s Jon Bernthal who steals the show, getting a rare chance to show off his comedy chops as the irritating little brother with a bad mouth and even worse impulse control. Put the two together, and you’ve got a perfect team — even if they want to bite each other’s heads off half the time. — Maggie Boccella
- Release Date
-
April 25, 2025
- Runtime
-
132 Minutes
- Director
-
Gavin O’Connor
- Writers
-
Bill Dubuque
- Producers
-
Ben Affleck, Kevin Halloran, Matt Damon, Jamie Patricof, Lynette Howell Taylor, Scott LaStaiti, Michael Joe, Mark Williams, Alison Winter
‘The Actor’
Directed by Duke Johnson
Related
‘The Actor’ Review: André Holland Finds Himself in Duke Johnson’s Gorgeous Solo Debut
The co-director of ‘Anomalisa’ returns with a gripping story about identity and the lives we lead.
A decade after Duke Johnson‘s directorial debut alongside Charlie Kaufman in Anomalisa, Johnson returns with The Actor, a beautifully inventive adaptation of Donald E. Westlake‘s thriller novel, Memory. For a while, The Actor certainly seems like something a collaborator of Kaufman’s would make, as actor Paul Cole (André Holland) ends up with amnesia in a small town with no idea who he is or how he got there. The whole world feels like it’s on a stage, with actors like Tracey Ullman, May Calamawy, and Toby Jones playing multiple characters. But once the strangeness starts to wash over you, The Actor becomes a beautiful story about deciding to start over and creating a new life, particularly here when Paul meets Edna (Gemma Chan). Paul struggles to figure out if it’s worth continuing his life he doesn’t even recognize anymore, or if it’s more worthwhile to try a new life that could be a bigger risk. Johnson brings this concept to life with wonderful playfulness, and it makes us hope it doesn’t take another decade for Johnson to make another film. — Ross Bonaime
The Actor
- Release Date
-
March 14, 2025
- Director
-
Duke Johnson
- Writers
-
Stephen Cooney, Duke Johnson
‘The Ballad of Wallis Island’
Directed by James Griffiths
Related
The Ballad of Wallis Island is a lovely gem of a film that deserves its moment to shine. Based on a short film, the movie stars Tom Basden as Herb McGwyer, a folk singer trying to be a pop star, who’s invited to perform a private concert for superfan Charles Heath (Tim Key). Unbeknownst to him, his former partner, musically and romantically, Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan), is also invited, forcing the two to reunite and play together once more.
The Ballad of Wallis Island stands out as equal parts comedic, equal parts heartfelt, and equal parts a celebration of the power of music. It’s genuinely funny thanks to the bumbling, oblivious interactions, courtesy of Charles. Yet there’s an added layer of watching these three people grieve their pasts while finding connection and a way to move forward. The beautiful, remote Welsh island is its own character as it reflects the isolated nature of each of the leads. Backed by one of the best folk albums in the last few years, The Ballad of Wallis Island will make you laugh, cry, and pull on your heartstrings in the best possible way. — Meredith Loftus
- Release Date
-
January 25, 2025
- Runtime
-
99 minutes
- Director
-
James Griffiths
- Writers
-
Tim Key, Tom Basden
-
Carey Mulligan
Nell Mortimer
-
‘Black Bag’
Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Related
Fassbender and Blanchett star in his twisty spy film that is one of the year’s most gripping films so far.
Sure, Tom Cruise dangles off the side of a biplane in this year’s Mission: Impossible installment, but real ones know 2025’s most thrilling spy film so far is Black Bag, director Steven Soderbergh’s dynamite – and far too underappreciated – tale of espionage that eschews flashy stunts in favor of good, old-fashioned intrigue. Michael Fassbender plays George Woodhouse, a British cyber-security spy tasked with rooting out a betrayer in his own office. On the list of suspects is Woodhouse’s own wife and co-worker, Kathryn St. Jean, played by Cate Blanchett. He’s buttoned-up and methodical. She’s fiery and free-spirited. They quickly become the movie couple of the year, even if you’re not sure whose side Kathryn is on until the final act.
Rounded out by an excellent supporting cast that includes Tom Burke, Regé-Jean Page. Naomie Harris, Marisa Abela, and Pierce Brosnan (who knows a little something about spy movies), Black Bag is Soderbergh’s smartest and snappiest movie since Ocean’s 11. Who needs crazy stunts when this film can wring so much tension and suspense out of some truth forum and a handful of dinner invitations? In a just world, a sequel would begin pre-production sometime next year. – Robert Brian Taylor
‘Companion’
Directed by Drew Hancock
Related
These two have more than a few relationship issues to iron out…
Drew Hancock’s Companion may just be one of 2025’s best surprises. Despite having well-known names like Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, and Harvey Guillén attached, I don’t think anyone was expecting such a smart and damning story of men’s control over women and the dangers that AI pose. It sounds very much like Ex Machina, but Companion isn’t trying to be as prescient as Garland’s thriller. Companion is more a satire of the modern “nice guy” who hides a much darker attitude towards women. The film follows cyborg girlfriend Iris (Thatcher) as she discovers the truth about her relationship with her dickhead boyfriend, Josh (Quaid), and sets out to save herself and reclaim her autonomy before Josh can reset her.
Horror, comedy, and even rom-com fans will all find something to enjoy in Companion. It’s well-paced and consistently entertaining from start to end, and balances its mixing bowl of genres perfectly. What really drives it home, though, is a spectacularly versatile performance from Sophie Thatcher, who makes a robot the most endearing and human character of the film. With Jack Quaid smarlty using his nice guy persona to form an insidious asshole, Companion may not be the biggest movie of the year, but it is certainly one of the best. — Emma Kiely
Companion
- Release Date
-
January 31, 2025
- Runtime
-
97 Minutes
- Director
-
Drew Hancock
- Writers
-
Drew Hancock
‘Final Destination Bloodlines’
Directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein
Related
Death is back and hungrier than ever.
After a 14-year wait, in which the horror genre was struggling to redefine itself after the wilderness years of the ‘90s and early 2000s, the Final Destination franchise came bursting back onto our screens, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. With the likes of Damien Leone’s Terrifier movies bringing the slasher subgenre back to the forefront, the uniquely killer-less Final Destination was in good company. And clearly, audiences had missed the deliciously devious antagonist that is Death, with the movie doing incredible numbers at the box office.
In the hands of directing duo Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky, the well-worn formula of the series was expanded by having Death focus on one particular person, and anybody unfortunate enough to be descended from her. The movie delivered the wild death sequences, wacky fake-outs and, most notably, the final screen appearance of horror icon Tony Todd, reprising his role as Bludworth for the final time, lending the film a real-world poignancy that nobody expected. It was a great return to form for the series, and — fingers crossed — the jumpstart that a thoroughly entertaining franchise was waiting for. — Luna Guthrie
- Release Date
-
May 16, 2025
- Runtime
-
110 minutes
- Director
-
Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
- Writers
-
Lori Evans Taylor, Guy Busick
- Producers
-
Craig Perry, Toby Emmerich, Jon Watts, Dianne McGunigle, Sheila Hanahan Taylor
-
Kaitlyn Santa Juana
Stefanie Reyes
-
Teo Briones
Charlie Reyes
‘Friendship’
Directed by Andrew DeYoung
Related
Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson’s ‘Friendship’ Delivers the Top Limited Box Office Opening of 2025
The film has a 93% Rotten Tomatoes Score.
Making friends as an adult is hard, but it’s even harder for Tim Robinson’s Craig Waterman, who thinks he’s met the “one” in the form of the mustachioed TV weatherman Austin Carmichael (Paul Rudd). While this set-up is familiar territory for a comedy, Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship takes this premise to an unhinged level.
If you’re at all familiar with Robinson’s work, you know he specializes in comedy that is absurd and often surreal, and after giving us Detroiters and the incredible I Think You Should Leave, Robinson has found a filmmaker who has a true understanding of his unique brand of humor. Robinson is hilarious in the lead role, perfectly playing an awkward and mentally unstable father, opposite Rudd’s “straight” man. From drug-induced trips to an imaginary subway, to ditching your wife in the sewer system, or having a shouting match with Connor O’Malley, Friendship is the kind of big-screen comedy we’ve long been waiting for. — Nate Richard
- Release Date
-
May 9, 2025
- Runtime
-
100 minutes
- Director
-
Andrew DeYoung
- Producers
-
Paul Rudd, Nick Weidenfeld, J.D. Lifshitz, Johnny Holland, Raphael Margules, Alexis Garcia
‘Grand Theft Hamlet’
Directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls
Related
‘Grand Theft Hamlet’ Review: Will Shakespeare Work in ‘GTA’? That Is the Question
Two friends try to put a production of ‘Hamlet’ on in the dangerous world of Los Santos in this wild and strangely compelling documentary.
It might seem weird to see a movie like Grand Theft Hamlet in a list devoted to the very best of the year. After all, how could a film shot entirely inside of a video game truly achieve cinematic greatness, let alone when its premise is something so absurd as a pair of actors attempting to put on a Shakespearean show inside an MMO? However, Grand Theft Hamlet is so much more than what our prejudices would have us believe. Directed by Sam Crane and Pinny Grylls, the movie follows Crane and fellow performer Mark Oosterveen in their struggle to stage a production of Hamlet in the world of Grand Theft Auto Online as the COVID-19 pandemic rages outside their doors. What begins as a somewhat silly idea soon becomes a gigantic enterprise, with a fair number of players involved as audience and cast members. While telling this story, Grand Theft Hamlet stretches the possibilities of an online RPG can be and gives new meaning to the Bard’s words, providing us with an investigation of the human soul that only the very best documentaries are capable of offering. — Elisa Guimarães
- Release Date
-
March 10, 2024
- Runtime
-
89 Minutes
- Director
-
Sam Crane, Pinny Grylls
- Writers
-
Sam Crane Pinny Grylls
Cast
‘The Life of Chuck’
Directed by Mike Flanagan
Related
‘The Life of Chuck’ Review: Mike Flanagan Makes Stephen King’s Story Soar | TIFF 2024
It’s not a horror film, but this latest Flanagan project is still fantastic.
Who would’ve thought that one of the most moving, uncynical, earnest films of 2025 would come from director Mike Flanagan, based on a short story by Stephen King? The Life of Chuck is a tremendous film, one that shifts from apocalyptic tale to feel-good story to a glimpse of an ordinary man’s life. In doing all of this, Flanagan is showing the beauty that comes from a life that might not seem extraordinary, the small moments that create our world and who we are, and how even the simplest choices can mean the world to us. Flanagan has gathered an excellent ensemble to bring this story to life, from the title character, played by Tom Hiddleston as an adult, a cast that includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthew Lillard, Mia Sara, Karen Gillan, and a rarely-better Mark Hamill, and a narration by Nick Offerman that never gets overbearing. Flanagan has made a film that will fill your heart and make you appreciate the small moments, while also crafting one of the best King adaptations yet. — Ross Bonaime
- Release Date
-
May 30, 2025
- Runtime
-
110 minutes
- Producers
-
D. Scott Lumpkin, Elan Gale, Trevor Macy, Molly C. Quinn, Melinda Nishioka