A Retrospective of 2025 in Films

Opinion Piece Written By: Juan Drown

2025 was a great year for films, of the hundreds of major films that were released last year, three defined the year for audiences and critics. 

The first massive film of 2025 was Ryan Coogler’s record-breaking supernatural horror movie Sinners, which Coogler wrote, directed, and produced. His fusion of period-drama and horror garnered 16 Academy Award nominations out of 17 possible categories.

Critics and fans alike praised Sinners for its poignant, blues-inflected soundtrack from Ludwig Goransson, and Michael B. Jordan for his Oscar-nominated dual role of twins. 

Prior to Sinners, Coogler directed Fruitvale Station (2013), Creed (2015), Black Panther (2018), and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022), all which earned Certified Fresh ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Sinners was an audience favorite of last year. Critics, however, did not necessarily see it in high regard–rather their favorite last year was the Paul Thomas Anderson comedy-thriller, One Battle After Another.

One Battle After Another was a dark comedy action-thriller that follows Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of an ex-revolutionary father reuniting with comrades to save his daughter from a corrupt officer.

One Battle After Another dominated cinema late 2025, garnering 13 nominations. The film received high recognition for its cinematography by Michael Bauman, Jonny Greenwood’s score and newcomer actress Chase Infiniti. 

Throughout the year, there was one film that had generated immense hype with audiences and critics, the absurdist sports-drama Marty Supreme, the first solo feature from Josh Safdie. Timothee Chalamet starred in the role of Marty Reisman, a young, obsessively ambitious table tennis player.

The story is loosely based on real-life ping-pong star Marty Reisman. He received universal acclaim for his obsessive-maniac performance. Production Designer Jack Fisk’s immersive production design transported audiences to 1950s New York City, where the commitment to detail won high marks from critics and garnered nominations for Fisk and Adam Willis (set decorator).

Altogether the film has earned 9 Academy nominations. 

Trier’s meditative drama Sentimental Value has received high distinction for performance from Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, Renate Reinsve, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, of which all 4 received nominations.

While these were the films that defined cinema last year in terms of critical and audience appreciation, they were far from the only significant films. Last year also yielded Guillermo del Toro’s long-term passion project, Frankenstein. 

The film has received recognition for meticulous production design and costuming, while receiving some derision for its overly artificial look from its flat lighting. His film garnered 9 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, tying itself with Marty Supreme and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value. 

Other highly distinguished films up for Oscars include Chloé Zhao’s period piece tragedy Hamnet, with Jesse Buckley up for Best Actress, Yorgos Lanthimos’ paranoia-driven black-comedy Bugonia (remake of the South Korean film Save the Green Planet! By Jang Joon-Hwan), and Kleber Mendonça Filho’s neo-noir political thriller The Secret Agent set in 1970s Brazil (nominated for both Best Picture and Best International Feature Film).

These films were all showstoppers, and there were many more 2025 films that prove that film as an art-form is continuously evolving and breaking new records.