Here are some of the top movies of 2025 so far
USA TODAY movie critic Brian Truitt reveals his top movies of 2025 so far.
Tom Cruise doing daredevil stuff on a biplane. Brad Pitt driving really, really fast. Dragons, vampires, killer toy monkeys and a dancing Tom Hiddleston. And it’s only July, folks!
Here in the season of blockbusters, we’ve already seen a slew of movies that are worthy of a “best of” list. We’re still months away from fall film festivals and Oscar season, yet there are flicks making a move for best picture, like Ryan Coogler’s horror movie “Sinners.” The good stuff includes a couple of Stephen King adaptations, a few franchise installments and one live-action remake of an animated classic. (Sorry, “Snow White,” we’re not talking about you. Or you, “Lilo & Stitch.”)
Here are 2025’s best movies so far, ranked:
10. ‘The Monkey’
A movie that goes as deep on themes of mortality as it does on buckets of blood. Osgood Perkins’ gory and gloriously absurd horror comedy, based on a Stephen King short story, unleashes Theo James in a dual role as estranged twins whose childhoods were marked by a cursed monkey toy. The bros thought they destroyed it, but it’s back with a vengeance, sparking creative deaths and complicating their lives in an extremely demented, intriguingly insightful tale.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
9. ‘Warfare’
A crew of Hollywood up-and-comers (Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Michael Gandolfini and more) play Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission caught in the middle of a harrowing standoff with Iraqi insurgents. Directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, an ex-soldier whose experience was the basis for the film, put viewers though unflinchingly brutal moments that feel uncannily real and unlike any other war story.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
8. ‘Black Bag’
In Steven Soderbergh’s effortlessly cool spy thriller, a British intelligence officer (Michael Fassbender) is tasked with sussing out the culprit who leaked a top-secret software program and betrayed their country. There’s a delicious whodunit aspect to it, too, as the list of five potentially traitorous suspects includes the operative’s own high-profile wife (Cate Blanchett). A wickedly talented ensemble and great character work make it a scintillating watch.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home, Peacock
7. ‘Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning’
Who knows if this is the last time Tom Cruise will dangle perilously off a plane or go spelunking in a submarine? (Chances are, not likely.) But this franchise installment does nicely wrap a 30-year-old story line for Cruise’s secret agent Ethan Hunt, who battles a villainous AI in a high-stakes quest to keep mankind from being wiped out. While the action scenes are aces, the film also makes a compelling argument for why the world is worth saving at all.
Where to watch: In theaters
6. ‘How to Train Your Dragon’
Whether we like it or not, we’re in the era of every animated classic getting turned into a live-action remake. This soaring adventure, however, is one that actually reaches the heights of the amazing original outing. A Viking teen (Mason Thames) becomes besties with an adorable dragon and gets his friends and family to reconsider their hatred of the beasts in a coming-of-age movie filled with great flying sequences and all the feels.
Where to watch: In theaters
5. ’28 Years Later’
Don’t call it a zombie movie. As good as “28 Days Later” was, this horror sequel succeeds at being something more. Nearly three decades after the rage virus infected the U.K., a young boy (Alfie Williams) on a remote island ventures to the mainland, runs afoul of monstrous figures and meets a strange doctor (Ralph Fiennes) in a quest to help his sick mom (Jodie Comer). The rare scary movie that’s also a thoughtful exploration of family, tribalism and remembering the dead.
Where to watch: In theaters
4. ‘Magazine Dreams’
A stirring, dark drama that many people will never watch because of Jonathan Majors’ legal troubles. Still, the man is an exceptional talent, both phenomenal and frightening as a troubled amateur bodybuilder in Elijah Bynum’s intoxicating cautionary tale. Majors’ painfully awkward gym rat goes down a spectacularly bad path of protein shakes, steroids, rage issues, misplaced idolatry and macho posedowns in an effort to craft the perfect physique.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
3. ‘Ballerina’
Throwing dinner plates and breaking bones, Ana de Armas is a one-woman wrecking crew in this impressive “John Wick” spinoff. Yes, the franchise’s main man, Keanu Reeves, shows up as well, but the action flick keeps its focus on de Armas’ dancer/assassin as she’s introduced into a dangerous landscape and then goes rogue on a revenge mission. It’s packed with stellar brawls, superb gunfights and one unforgettable flamethrower faceoff.
Where to watch: Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango at Home
2. ‘Sinners’
Is it a gangster film? Yes! Is it a vampire movie? You bet! Is it a musical? That, too! Ryan Coogler pulls up something devilishly spectacular with this genre-bending, 1930s-set flick, with a never-better Michael B. Jordan pulling double duty as twins come home to Mississippi and having their party crashed by a band of charismatic bloodsuckers. Coogler also tackles racism and cultural appropriation in a fright fest that’s mesmerizing and meaningful.
Where to watch: Max (on July 4), 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. Mike Flanagan’s soulful three-act character study is 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. Did we mention the surprise Tom Hiddleston dance break in the middle of it? “Chuck” is a must-see film that warms hearts, captures minds and blows up convention.
Where to watch: In theaters
