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Supermansaved us this year. So did Shakespeare, Benoit Blanc, theSmokestack twinsand crazy oldAunt Gladys.
In the past 12 months, films have been a needed escape from in an unstable world as well as a cultural reflection of the real-life tumult. ("One Battle After Another"and"The Long Walk"weren't just movie titles, they were existential descriptors.) The movies were consistently here for us, though, and of course,Tom Cruisehung off an airplane, which is pretty much like comfort food at this point.
You are in fact seeing double. Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown to open up a juke joint in Ryan Coogler's "Sinners." Here's how the horror movie ranks against the rest of the year's best movies." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
30. "Him": Franchise star Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans, left) tests rookie Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) at his remote training camp to see if he's ready to be the next San Antonio Saviors quarterback in the bizarre and trippy football horror movie." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
29. "The Testament of Ann Lee": Amanda Seyfried (center) stars as Ann Lee, the charismatic founder of the Shakers religious movement and a somewhat controversial figure in 18th-century America, in the engrossing historical musical drama." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
28. "Sorry, Baby": Eva Victor writes, directs and stars in the funny, moving dramedy as a college literature professor still battling the psychological effects years after being sexually assaulted by her teacher." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
27. "Good Boy": The most innovative horror movie of the year stars, yes, a pooch. Indy the dog is a canine best friend whose owner is haunted by a dark spirit in a scary movie that's equally unsettling and thoughtful." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
26. "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning": Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) goes to extremes to battle a villainous AI and save the world, including hanging out of a plane, in the thrilling franchise installment wrapping up a 30-year storyline." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
25. "How to Train Your Dragon": Astrid (Nico Parker) and Hiccup (Mason Thames) ride high with their Night Fury friend Toothless in the live-action remake, a coming-of-age movie filled with great flying sequences and all the feels." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
24. "The Secret Agent": In the 1970s-set political thriller, Wagner Moura is terrific as a Brazilian researcher hunted by mercenary killers, who aims to escape the country's ruthless dictatorship with his son." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
23. "One Battle After Another": When an old enemy resurfaces for vengeful reasons, an ex-revolutionary (Leonardo DiCaprio) scrambles to find his daughter when she goes missing in Paul Thomas Anderson's timely action thriller." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
22. "In Your Dreams": The lively animated fantasy comedy centers on young girl Stevie and her little brother Elliot, who team up with snarky stuffed giraffe Baloney Tony to find the mythical Sandman and make a wish to save their parents' marriage." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
21. "Sentimental Value": Renate Reinsve (left) and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas star in Joachim Trier's moving French dramedy as sisters dealing with the emotional consequences of their estranged father making his comeback movie about their family." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
20. "Train Dreams": The absorbing period drama stars Joel Edgerton as a logger working on building the railroad in the Pacific Northwest whose job keeps him away for long periods from his wife and life." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
19. "Blue Moon": Richard Linklater's dishy 1940s-set dramedy centers on lyricist Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) trying to save his pride and career at the premiere afterparty celebrating his former collaborator Richard Rodgers' musical "Oklahoma!"" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
18. "28 Years Later": Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes, left) shows Spike (Alfie Williams) how he honors the victims of the infected in a horror sequel that's a thoughtful exploration of family, tribalism and remembering the dead." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
17. "Magazine Dreams": In Elijah Bynum's intoxicating cautionary tale, Killian Maddox (Jonathan Majors) is a socially awkward bodybuilder dealing with past traumas and wanting to make a human connection who goes down an extraordinarily bad path." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
16. "Ballerina": As a newbie assassin, Ana de Armas is a one-woman wrecking crew – and shares screen time with John Wick himself, Keanu Reeves. It's an impressive franchise spinoff packed with stellar brawls, superb gunfights and a nifty flamethrower faceoff." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
15. "Left-Handed Girl": A 5-year-old Taiwanese girl (Nina Ye) and her older sister (Shih-Yuan Ma) move from the countryside back to Taipei with their mom, a return that brings financial and personal struggles in a touching slice-of-life drama." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
14. "The Perfect Neighbor": Told through police bodycam footage, the gripping, heartbreaking documentary chronicles hostilities between an older white woman and the Black parents and children living around her, leading to a tragedy that shakes their neighborhood." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
13. "Frankenstein": Elizabeth (Mia Goth) shares a moment with the newborn Creature (Jacob Elordi), who confronts his maker in epic fashion in Guillermo del Toro's gorgeous, thoughtful and moving adaptation of Mary Shelley's legendary work." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
12. "Nuremberg": Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek, left) and imprisoned Nazi leader Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) match wits in James Vanderbilt's stirring combo of post-World War II historical thriller and courtroom drama." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
11. "Jay Kelly:" Movie legend Jay (George Clooney) has a heart-to-heart with his oldest daughter (Riley Keough) in Noah Baumbach's charming character study of a celebrity realizing that he's always put work ahead of loved ones." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
10. "Weapons": A schoolteacher (Julia Garner) becomes a local pariah when every kid but one in her class mysteriously disappears overnight in a provocative, genre-defying horror flick that boasts unhinged gore and a delightfully dark sense of humor." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
9. "Is This Thing On?": Will Arnett proves he's got dramatic chops as a middle-aged man on the cusp of a divorce when he finds a needed outlet with stand-up comedy in Bradley Cooper's film about creative catharsis and complicated relationships." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
8. "Superman": The Man of Steel (David Corenswet) isn't happy with his dog Krypto making a mess of the Fortress of Solitude in James Gunn's electric superhero adventure, which relaunched the DC universe and introduced a screen Superman worthy of the name." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
7. "Hamnet": Agnes (Jessie Buckley) comforts her husband, William Shakespeare (Paul Mescal), in director Chloé Zhao's drama, a heartfelt film about the Bard's family life, the creation of his play "Hamlet" and different ways of dealing with grief." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
6. "Marty Supreme": Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet) has big dreams of being a ping-pong champ, if his own selfish attitude doesn't derail him first. Josh Safdie's 1950s-set sports comedy is a masterful panic attack of a table-tennis movie." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
5. "It Was Just an Accident": Vahid Mobasseri plays a mechanic and former Iranian political prisoner who kidnaps his former torturer. Jafar Panahi's thriller is an unforgettable juggling of serious moral questions and clever screwball comedy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
4. "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery": Ace detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig, left) helps young priest Father Jud (Josh O'Connor) when he's accused of murder in the Southern-fried super-sleuth's most personal and thoughtful case yet." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
3. "Rental Family": An American expat actor (Brendan Fraser) stands in as the groom for the wedding of a Japanese woman (Misato Morita). Fraser exudes compassion and awkward, earnest charm in director Hikari's fish-way-out-of-water dramedy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
2. "Sinners": Southern gangster Smoke (Michael B. Jordan, left) and his guitar-playing cousin Sammie (Miles Caton) endure a horrific night dealing with vampires in Ryan Coogler's devilishly spectacular and absolutely mesmerizing fright fest." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
1. "The Life of Chuck": Chuck (Tom Hiddleston) suddenly feels the beat and shares an impromptu dance with a stranger (Annalise Basso) in Mike Flanagan's must-see Stephen King adaptation that warms hearts, captures minds and blows up convention." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Want to see a great movie? Here are the best films of 2025
You are in fact seeing double. Michael B. Jordan plays twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown to open up a juke joint in Ryan Coogler's "Sinners." Here's how the horror movie ranks against the rest of the year's best movies.
So which ones fed our soul the most? Here are 2025's best movies, definitively ranked:
10. 'Weapons'
In Zach Cregger's follow-up to his deliciously twisty "Barbarian," there are metaphors aplenty to interpret in a thriller about a town that goes bonkers when 17 kids go missing in the middle of the night and everybody points to their teacher (Julia Garner). The provocative, genre-defying horror flick boasts unhinged gore, a delightfully dark sense of humor,an Oscar-worthy Amy Madigan as the creepiest aunt ever, and a crowd-pleasing finale.
Where to watch:HBO Max,Apple TV,Amazon,Fandango at Home
9. 'Is This Thing On?'
Bradley Cooper's latest directorial effort is a more relatable, downright funnier outing than either "A Star Is Born" or "Maestro," plus unlocks Will Arnett's dramatic chops. He plays a middle-aged man who's split from his ex-athlete wife (Laura Dern) when hestumbles into the world of stand-up comedyand finds a needed outlet for his issues. Cooper also has a hilarious role in the film about creative catharsis and complicated relationships.
Where to watch:In theaters Dec. 19
8. 'Superman'
For too long we subsisted withouta really good cinematic Man of Steel. Then David Corenswet came along, with a morally powerful Superman worthy of the name and a modern "kindness is punk rock" vibe. Director James Gunn's electric superhero adventure not only relaunched the DC universe in positive fashion but also unleashed a timely tech-bro villain in Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and a role model for good journalism in Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane.
Where to watch:HBO Max,Apple TV,Amazon,Fandango at Home
7. 'Hamnet'
Prepare to be an emotional wreck by the end of Chloé Zhao'sheartfelt look at William Shakespeare's family life. Jessie Buckley is absolutely sensational – and an Oscar best actress no-brainer – as Agnes, who's married to Will (Paul Mescal) and raises the kids while the Bard works in London. Tragedy leads to resentment and disconnection between the two, but ultimately also to the creation of "Hamlet" and different ways of dealing with grief.
Where to watch:In select theaters now, expanding wider into January
6. 'Marty Supreme'
Like "Uncut Gems," director Josh Safdie's sports comedy is another masterful panic attack of a movie, this time set in the world of 1950s table tennis. Shoe salesman Marty Mauser (Timothée Chalamet)will do anything to be a ping-pong champion. He's also a selfish, conceited jerk, and his pursuit of glory sucks assorted players into his chaotic world, from Marty's childhood best friend (Odessa A'zion) to a famous actress (Gwyneth Paltrow).
Where to watch:In theaters Dec. 25
5. 'It Was Just an Accident'
Jafar Panahi's thrilleris an unforgettable juggling of serious moral questions and clever screwball comedy. Following an incident where a family hits a dog with its car, a mechanic (Vahid Mobasseri) believes the driver (Ebrahim Azizi) was his peg-legged torturer in an Iranian jail and kidnaps him, then brings in other former political prisoners who have to figure out if he's their tormentor and what to do with him in a breathtaking modern fable.
Where to watch:In theaters now
4. 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery'
James Bond? Pfft.Daniel Craigagain proves Benoit Blanc is the franchise role he was born to play, and Rian Johnson's third "Knives Out" mystery is the Southern-fried super-sleuth's most personal and thoughtful case yet. When good-hearted young priest Father Jud (Josh O'Connor) is accused of killing his church's imperious monsignor (Josh Brolin), Blanc and Jud become a dynamic duo tackling faith and religion amid a superbly crafted whodunit.
Where to watch:In theaters now,Netflixstarting Dec. 12
3. 'Rental Family'
Brendan Fraserexudes compassion and awkward, earnest charm in director Hikari's fish-way-out-of-water dramedy. Fraser stars asan American expat who can't find his groove as a thespianin Japan until he works for a service that hires out actors to play stand-in roles in their clients' lives. It's an entertaining character study that doubles as a touching look at found family and how we all deal with loneliness.
Where to watch:In theaters now
2. 'Sinners'
Is it a gangster film? Heck, yeah! Is it a vampire movie? You bet! Is it a musical? That, too! Ryan Coogler pulls off something devilishly spectacular with thisgenre-bending, 1930s-set flick, featuring a magnificent Michael B. Jordan in double duty as twins who come home to Mississippi and have their party crashed by a band of charismatic bloodsuckers. Coogler also tackles racism and cultural appropriation in a wondrous fright fest that's mesmerizing in its filmmaking and meaningful in its message.
Where to watch:HBO Max,Apple TV,Amazon,Fandango at Home
1. 'The Life of Chuck'
The only Stephen King adaptation where you'll feel better about life, the universe and everything after watching it. Directed by Mike Flanagan, a filmmaker who captures the magic of King's prose better than most, thesoulful three-act character studyis a life told in reverse, where the confusion caused by the end of the world leads to a child finding his artistic self after navigating tragedy. (There's a whole lot of dancing involved, too, and none of it by evil clowns.) Tom Hiddleston is the grown-up title character, Benjamin Pajak impresses as the younger Chuck, and Mark Hamill plays the coolest grandpa ever in a killer ensemble. "Chuck" is the kind of life-affirming journey that everyone could use, a must-see film that warms hearts, captures minds and blows up convention.
Where to watch:Apple TV,Amazon,Fandango at Home, Hulu starting Dec. 26
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The 10 best movies of 2025, ranked