Before award season gets into full swing, Boardroom takes a look back at the films that broke through and impacted the year.
As awards season ramps up and conversations about “the best of the year” start to crystallize, these are the films that defined 2025 for us.
If you haven’t checked out our list of best TV shows of 2025, give it a read here.
This year’s movie landscape was shaped by bold original stories, ambitious franchise evolutions, and genre films that took real risks — especially in horror, sci-fi, and drama. Some titles dominated the cultural conversation, others quietly built momentum through word of mouth, but each film on this list left a mark that extended beyond opening weekend.
We at Boardroom didn’t build this list based on predicting trophies or echoing consensus. Every film here had to be released in 2025, move at least one member of our staff in a meaningful way, and spark a conversation worth continuing as we head into the Golden Globes, Oscars, and beyond. The result is a list of 25 movies that reflect where cinema is headed, not just where it’s been.
Whether you’re catching up before ballots are cast or revisiting the films you can’t stop thinking about, this is our definitive take on the movies shaping the year and the conversations still to come.
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25. Afternoons of Solitude
Albert Serra’s Afternoons of Solitude is not for everyone. On one level, it’s an ASMR horror film in a bullfighting ring. A sensory assault of heavy breathing, dirt, and gore. It’s also an ecstatic viewing experience, in the classic mystical/religious sense, as you enter the world of bullfighting phenom Andrés Roca Rey in the highest-stakes arena in sports. It provides a shockingly powerful new way of exploring the psychology of an elite athlete, moving with an unflinching gaze from the quiet tension of ritualistic pre-game preparations before exploding into a visceral, mud-and-blood spattered contest of life-and-death. — Tucker Hughes
24. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc
Hollywood action movies are so CGI-heavy that they are essentially animated films with real actors clumsily inserted into the action. If you want real action, and I mean truly jaw-dropping spectacles of gleeful violence, you need to be watching anime. Otherwise, you probably missed the best action movie so far this decade. Based on the hit anime, the literally titled Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is, in fact, a movie which covers the arc of a character named Reze. The titular Chainsaw Man is a teenage dirtbag essentially made out of chainsaws. What else do you need to know? From a surprisingly sweet romance to mind-melting, blood-soaked action sequences, and iconic cinema references from Kurosawa to Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, this film is the most fun you can have in 100 minutes. — Tucker Hughes
23. Companion
Sometimes movies can just be fun! And 90 minutes! A movie that’s an hour and a half? Remember those?! The cliche about this movie is that it was Ex Machina for dumb guys, and while that’s not too far off, it belies just how entertaining this movie is. Sophie Thatcher and Jack Quaid give great lead performances. And while it’s not the most complex critique of toxic masculinity, there’s an idea or two in this thing! Gang, it’s fun! — Matthew Strickland
22. Bring Her Back
C.S. Lewis once wrote that no one ever told him that “grief felt so much like fear.” It’s unclear whether or not Danny Philippou and Michael Philippou read Lewis’s 1961 book, A Grief Observed, but their latest horror thriller, Bring Her Back, does well at framing the dangers of grief that goes unchecked. The film parallel paths the stories of a sibling couple sent to live with a counselor after the death of their cancer-stricken father and the story of a mother looking to find a way to reconnect with her child who passed away under cloudy circumstances. What plays out is one of the creepiest, goriest, and most—there’s no other way to say it—brilliantly fucked up films to come out of the A24 stable. If you’re expecting a fun and spooky ride like Talk to Me, let us be the ones to tell you, this ain’t what you want. — Damien Scott
21. Together
Together is a haunting, unexpectedly tender love story that uses body horror as a mirror for emotional decay. Dave Franco and Alison Brie bring real intimacy and chemistry to a film that understands when to unsettle you and when to let humor cut the tension. What begins as a quiet relationship drama slowly mutates into something far more disturbing. The film’s biggest strength is its restraint; it builds patiently and delivers a final turn that genuinely surprised me. Together doesn’t just aim to shock. It asks uncomfortable questions about love, transformation, and what happens when the body and heart stop moving in sync. — Michelai Graham
20. Sentimental Value
This is a slow-moving, heart-achingly beautiful film about the ways loved ones hurt each other without trying to, intergenerational trauma, and the different ways individuals might cope with those things — by turning to art, studying the past, or withdrawing from valued relationships. The performances from the entire central cast. Renate Reinsve, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Stellan Skarsgård, and Elle Fanning are all worthy of award season consideration. The minimal Swedish design throughout provides a gorgeous backdrop for all the capital-A acting happening here. If you’re a crier, prepare your box of tissues beforehand. — Stephanie Talmadge
19. Mickey17
The most important thing to know about Mickey17, based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, is that director Bong Joon-ho (Parasite, Snowpiercer) felt it was essential to change the book’s title just so he could kill star Robert Pattinson an additional ten times before the main storyline even kicks off. In a market dominated by endless sequels and expansive cinematic universes, Mickey17 delivers a refreshingly original sci-fi film that’s straight up fun to watch, without any pre-screening homework. Robert Pattinson plays an “expendable”, a low-wage blue-collar worker on a space colony who can be “reprinted” if he dies on the job. It’s a simple premise that feels like a logical evolution of the same capitalist forces we deal with every day, delivering a darkly hilarious workplace comedy at the edge of the universe full of heart, grit, and humor. — Tucker Hughes
18. A House of Dynamite
What does the end of the world look like? Plenty of TV shows and movies concern themselves with what happens afterwards — A Quiet Place, The Walking Dead, Paradise, Last of Us, and countless others — but fewer contend with the stressful hours (or in this case, mere minutes) that constitute the effectual end of society as we know it. Kathryn Bigelow, reigning queen of the political thriller, masterfully does just that in A House of Dynamite for 1 hour and 52 minutes of pure, unadulterated stress. My only complaint is that it didn’t have a longer theatrical run. — Stephanie Talmadge
17. Splitsville
Dakota Johnson is a dish best served dry (please see Madam Webb for further evidence), and Splitsville grants her the perfect canvas to work within. Reminiscent of a more absurdist Away We Go, which follows a couple auditioning for hometowns, Splitsville features two couples navigating marital stagnancy by trying out different “arrangements” with increasingly comedic results — there’s a fight scene in the first 20 minutes that legitimately made me laugh out loud. It’s fun to see a romantic comedy tackle ethical non-monogamy, and despite the fact that by the end, I’m not sure it has much to definitely say on the subject, it’s an enjoyable ride. — Stephanie Talmadge
16. Secret Mall Apartment
An incredible and inspirational statement on art, capitalism, community, ambition, malls, and where to find a bathroom. The less you know going into this wonderful documentary, the better, but it’s probably not a spoiler to say that it involves a group of young Providence artists building and living in a secret mall apartment. The film is a cinematic joy machine. I challenge you to see this movie and not want to immediately run out and create, or at least view, art. — Matthew Strickland
15. Materialists
I liked Materialists because it felt really honest about ambition, relationships, and the trade-offs we make as we get older. It doesn’t glamorize success or love. Instead, it shows how complicated and sometimes uncomfortable they can be. A lot of it lives in what’s left unsaid, which made it feel real and relatable. I also appreciated that it didn’t try to tie everything up neatly. — Rose Kanarick
14. Friendship
Sometimes we tend to overthink comedies. There’s a tendency for crtics and fans to see this film and think, “what is this movie trying to say about the male loneliness epidemic?” And while I think Friendship has interesting things to say about connection, masculinity, and narcissism, the more important thing it did was make me laugh the whole way through. Tim Robinson’s particular brand of absurdist cringe comedy isn’t for everyone, but it certainly is for me. Additionally, Kate Mara turns what could have been a rote character into something incredibly moving. Worth checking out for the Subway scene alone. — Matthew Strickland
13. Black Bag
This film wastes no time. I’ll watch anything Steven Soderbergh makes, he’s got such a specific and personalized style of filmmaking that you always know when it’s his work. Black Bag, starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender, has a great cast, perfect pacing, a meticulous plot, and keeps you guessing until the end. A fresh twist on the spy genre that doesn’t rely on gadgets and chase scenes and instead leans into psychological intrigue, allowing the viewer to test their own secret agent chops. As a video editor, one of my favorite signature things Soderbergh does is remove all sound design and only leaves a music bed to carry a transitional scene or montage. The simplicity is both original, easier to follow, and less work for the post team. — Craig Newton
12. Jurassic World: Rebirth
Jurassic World: Rebirth was one of my favorite movies of 2025. It finally gave us that pure dinosaur adventure vibe with epic set pieces that actually felt like classic Jurassic Park on the big screen. Scarlett Johansson, Mahershala Ali, and Jonathan Bailey bring real energy to the cast, making it way more fun and engaging than a lot of folks (myself included) expected, and the action and creature designs — especially those mutant dinos — were just wild. Even if it’s not perfect, it totally delivered the big, thrilling moments and nostalgia rush that made it a blockbuster smash. — Vinciane Ngomsi
11. Predator: Killer of Killers
A lot has happened since the Thomas brothers wrote a screenplay in the ’80s about a mysterious alien hellbent on hunting the most powerful soldiers it could find. There’s been seven standalone films and two crossover movies featuring the Xenomorphs from Alien. Despite it being one of the most valuable and beloved franchises, it seemed like the Predator train was out of steam. Then entered Dan Trachtenberg. The 10 Cloverfield Lane director partnered with writer Patrick Aison on 2022’s Prey, a story that took place before the original Predator films and worked to restart the narrative. It was, by all accounts, the best Predator movie in years. As Trachtenberg prepped the next film in the series, he secretly worked on an animated project that would act as a prequel of sorts to the next live action entry. That project was Predator: KIller of Killers. Taking place throughout history in Japan, Scandinavia, and United States, the Killer of KIllers showed the Predators looking for the best warriors to be brought back to their home planet for a penultimate battle. What could have been a cheap ploy to cash in on the success of Prey was actually a thoughtful and expertly animated movie that stands near the top of the franchise. — Damien Scott
10. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t
The third installment of the Now You See Me franchise was much-anticipated, and I believe it was worth the wait. This movie was just as funny and entertaining as the first two, but now with a new group of horseman to go along with the original cast. The chemistry they all have together on screen is amazing. The big trick they pull in this movie is my favorite of the three, with the sequence of them explaining the trick absolutely blowing me away with all the reveals. This was absolutely one of the most fun movies of the year and my favorite of the series. — Ellis Buery
9. 28 Years Later
28 Years Later proves this franchise still has plenty of life — and vision — left in it. Rather than simply revisiting familiar ground, the film expands the world in meaningful ways, setting the stage for a larger, interconnected universe. It balances tension and atmosphere with long-term storytelling, making it clear this isn’t a one-off return, but the beginning of a new chapter. With another installment already on the way and a newly announced follow-up in development, 28 Years Later positions itself as both a compelling standalone entry and the foundation for what could become the franchise’s most ambitious era yet. — Michelai Graham
8. Superman
It’s often said that Superman is the hardest comic to write. It makes sense if you think about it. How much tension and drama can you create around someone who is essentially unbeatable; who by all measures cannot lose? Some writers, like Alan Moore, have figured out how to crack the code. The trick, it turns out, is to focus on the conflicts that arise around the Man of Tomorrow. And that’s just what James Gunn, the new steward of the DC cinematic universe, has done with his first swing at the brand’s marquee superhero. The film spares us the tedious origin story and gets right to business, plopping down in the middle of the Kryptonian’s life as he tries to balance his private life with the needs of those around the world who depend on his protection. It’s a story that feels both timely and timeless—just the way Superman should always be. — Damien Scott
7. The Naked Gun
Honestly, The Naked Gun is such a blast and easily one of the more light-hearted movies I watched this year. Liam Neeson is surprisingly perfect as Frank Drebin Jr. His deadpan delivery makes all the absurd jokes hit even harder. And Pamela Anderson? She’s hilarious and totally owns every scene she’s in. No wonder people assumed they were together in real life. The movie’s packed with crazy gags, funny callbacks to the originals, and just nonstop silliness. It’s the kind of comedy that sticks with you long after you’ve watched it. — Vinciane Ngomsi
6. Bugonia
Bugonia is a weird movie and definitely not for everyone. But if you’re into suspense, and Emma Stone, and Jesse Plemons, and Yorgos Lanthimos, and aliens, and conspiracy theories, and Yorgos’ particular brand of weirdness, then Bugonia is definitely for you. And in a year where spots five to 10 in the Best Picture Oscar nomination categories are wide open, Bugonia surely deserves consideration from the Academy. — Shlomo Sprung
5. Eddington
Ari Aster goes west! In his second straight film starring Joaquin Phoenix, Aster tackles the country’s polarization problem, using the COVID pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement as flashpoints to watch how a small, remote town handles the upheaval to their normally quiet lives. In previous movies, Aster has shown a mastery of the exploration of internal turmoil, meditating on themes of loss, anxiety, destiny, anger, and the like, but Eddington clearly wants to say something about the collective rather than the individual. What does it say exactly? That every one of us is a hypocrite and a grifter. But don’t worry, still there’s plenty of Mom Stuff in it too — it’s still Aster, afterall. — Stephanie Talmadge
4. Frankenstein
Did we need yet another remake of Mary Shelley’s 1818 classic? No, not really. But this latest rendition isn’t just any ol’ reboot—it’s a Guillermo del Toro movie. That means, in addition to the borderline psychotic attention to detail when it comes to the costumes and settings, the story is perfectly worked to reflect modern-day sentiments around the monstrous things humans can do when they believe they’re doing the right thing. Jacob Elordi disappears into the role of Frankenstein’s monster, while Oscar Isaac excels as the eponymous mad scientist who loses his humanity in his quest to create life. The real surprise, though, is Mia Goth who delivers an electric but enigmatic performance. You may know the story, but you’ve never seen it like this. — Damien Scott
3. Weapons
Writer and director Zach Cregger loves to play with expectations. His breakthrough film, Barbarian, slowly lulled viewers into a state of complacency before it pulled the rug from beneath them and left them wondering what happened to the movie they started watching an hour ago. His latest effort isn’t as destabilizing, but is just as puzzling. Centered around a town in which a group of kids mysteriously disappear one night, Weapons spins up a dark horror tale that spirals into something wholly unexpected. Which is probably just the way Zach Cregger wanted it. — Damien Scott
2. Sinners
Sinners is a soulful, Southern Gothic horror that proves Ryan Coogler thrives most when he’s working from his own original vision. Set in the Jim Crow–era Mississippi Delta, the film blends supernatural horror with history, Blues culture, and Black generational trauma. Michael B. Jordan is commanding in a dual role as twin brothers carrying different versions of the same pain, but the real power of Sinners is how it lets the story simmer before the horror reveals itself. When it finally does, the stakes feel personal rather than performative. Coogler doesn’t use vampires for shock value; he uses them as a metaphor, turning the genre into something haunting, poetic, and emotionally devastating. — Michelai Graham
1. One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson is a master of subversion. The best of his films—which, for PTA, is damn near all of them—work on levels that are often at odds with the genre it is trafficking within. His latest opus, a large-scale generational tale about a former reluctant revolutionary who is forced back into the game by a corrupt cop, does just that. On its face, it’s a family drama that speaks to the societal pressures mounting onto the certain segments of the American citizenry, but just beneath the surface, like a splinter rooted in your dermis, you can sense a prickly black comedy constantly working to subvert the very serious playing out on screen. It’s a magic trick of an effort; something only a master like PTA could pull off. — Damien Scott
