By John Corrado

There you have it, folks. We have reached the end of 2025. Another year has officially come and gone, which means that it’s time for my countdown of the best movies of 2025. Or, perhaps more correctly, my favourite movies released this year.

This includes, in no short order, a trio of auteur-driven box office hits from Warner Bros. (Weapons, Sinners, One Battle After Another), as well as a couple of Netflix movies (Frankenstein, Jay Kelly). Due to release schedules, the 2025 and 2024 TIFF People’s Choice Award winners are also both on this list. And my number one film just opened in theatres on Christmas Day.

Finally, I’ve kept this list to narrative films, but I do want to give a special shout out to the excellent documentary Come See Me in the Good Light. It’s not only by far the best documentary of the year, but also one of the most deeply moving films I saw as well. Seek it out.

Honourable Mentions:

#25: Wicked: For Good; #24: Die My Love; #23: Rental Family; #22: Sirāt; #21: Sorry, Baby; #20: The Baltimorons; #19: F1: The Movie; #18: Roofman; #17: Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie; #16: The Phoenician Scheme; #15: It Was Just An Accident; #14: Eddington; #13: Zootopia 2; #12: Weapons; #11: Blue Moon

#10: Frankentstein

Guillermo Del Toro has been wanting to make his version of Frankenstein for years, and his passion project comes alive with stunning production design and resonant themes of misunderstood monsters, overbearing fathers, and sincere questions of faith. In other words, this film balances being a faithful adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel, and, well, a Del Toro movie, with its gorgeous practical sets, meticulous attention to detail, and humanistic touches that makes us sympathize with the monster, who in this version is a tortured creature seeking approval from his creator. At the heart of it all is Jacob Elordi’s surprisingly moving and soulful portrayal of The Monster, which is what has stuck with me most about this adaptation. (Full Review)

#9: Jay Kelly

George Clooney might essentially be playing himself in Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, but it provides a wonderful meta layer to this story of an aging movie star, and gives him the opportunity to deliver one of his finest performances. Ditto Adam Sandler, delivering soulful dramatic work as the titular star’s personal assistant. Baumbach’s film simply lets us spend time with these characters, working as a Euro-trip hangout movie, family drama, and insider Hollywood story. As such, it’s one of the most purely enjoyable films I saw this year, but one sprinkled with an underlying melancholy and poignant touches. The beautiful final sequence seals the deal in terms of this Clooney celebration being one of the year’s best movies. (Full Review)

#8: Sinners

Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is the sort of entertaining and thrilling genre-blending film that feels like a true original. Before the genre elements even take centre stage, the film works as a sort of Blues-driven hangout movie set in the Jim Crow American South, thanks to immersive production design that recreates an entire town and juke joint. Coogler stages stunning set-pieces around these musical elements (including that transcendent one-take sequence), while weaving thought-provoking themes into what eventually becomes a full-throttle horror movie. Michael B. Jordan leads the film with a convincing dual performance as twin brothers, backed up by an excellent ensemble that includes Jack O’Connell in a memorable villain role. (Full Review)

#7: One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest film is already nothing short of revered in cinephile circles. This is PTA flexing, delivering a mix of chase movie, father-daughter story, and searing political screed. It features one of Leonardo DiCaprio’s finest modern roles, chilling supporting work from Sean Penn, a star-is-born performance from Chase Infiniti, and a soulful Benicio Del Toro leaving his mark on the entire movie despite limited screen time. We also get a car chase for the ages through rolling hills, gorgeous 70mm cinematography, and a selection of perfect needle drops. This remarkably well-paced thriller was also maybe the shortest nearly three hours you could spend in a theatre, with Jonny Greenwood’s exceptional score helping the whole thing move like jazz. (Full Review)

#6: Materialists

Celine Song crafted one of the best debut films of all time with Past Lives (my favourite movie of 2023), and I was completely taken by her follow-up, even if others may disagree. The film works not only because of the wonderful central trio of performances from Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, but also because of the way that Song’s perceptive screenplay probes things like body image and the values we assign each other in relationships. This is Song taking the rom-com formula and making it her own, reminding us how well the formula can work in the hands of a skilled writer. This includes one of the most touching “what are we?” scenes in recent memory, beautifully delivered by a never-better Evans under twinkling garden lights. (Full Review)

#5: No Other Choice

Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook has steadily proven himself to be one of the true masters of international genre cinema (his magnum opus Decision to Leave made my list in 2022), and his latest film is one that works on every level as a cinematic thrill ride. It’s a dark comedy that also functions as crime thriller and social satire, constantly surprising us with the twists and turns that it takes, while remaining completely gripping every step of the way. Lee Byung-hun brings humanity to his portrayal of a laid off factory worker trying to find work by any means necessary, and Park’s thrilling filmmaking flourishes not only show him in complete command of his craft, but make the whole thing feel electric to watch. (Full Review)

#4: Hamnet

Chloe Zhao’s Hamnet won the People’s Choice Award at TIFF this year, and I believe a big part of the reason why is because of the sheer power of seeing it with an audience of hundreds of people all being audibly being moved to tears by it at the same time. The film is guided by Jessie Buckley’s completely shattering performance as a mother, backed up by a great Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, and Jacobi Jupe in a remarkable child performance as their titular son. The film is blindingly emotional. But this is no misery porn. The beautifully done final act provides incredible catharsis that works on multiple levels, with Zhao delivering a remarkable testament to the enduring power of Shakespeare’s work and the possibility of healing through the arts. (Full Review)

#3: The Life of Chuck

Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation won the TIFF People’s Choice Award in 2024, and it easily could’ve made my list last year, but was only released in 2025. I will never forget being at the world premiere at TIFF, and experiencing this film for the first time alongside the audience that gave it that award (and mid-movie applause). It’s a powerfully life-affirming film, told through a backwards triptych narrative centred around Tom Hiddleston’s titular Chuck, with a dance break in the middle that is one of the most euphoric cinematic sequences in recent memory. In hindsight, I wish the film had come out last fall when it still had buzz from the festival, because not enough people saw this one. But, if NEON fumbled the release of the film (a rare misstep for the distributor), I’m hopeful the film’s small but mighty fanbase will turn this into a beloved cult classic in the years to come. It’s one of the finest King adaptations, and the best thing Flanagan has ever done. (Full Review)

#2: Sentimental Value

Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier already delivered one of the defining films of the 2020s with The Worst Person in the World. His latest – which reunites him with Worst Person star Renate Reinsve – is another knockout, this time exploring the meta-narrative of how art is influenced by our personal lives (and vice versa). Stellan Skarsgård delivers one of the best supporting performances of the year as a filmmaker father, who has devoted his life so fully to his art that he has lost touch with how to have a relationship with his actress daughter (Reinsve). We get a collection of richly drawn characters and excellent performances, including Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas as the sister, and Elle Fanning as an American starlet. Trier has crafted a nuanced and moving character drama about the levels of artifice in our own lives, from the performances we put on, to how our memory-filled houses act like movie sets. I loved this one. (Full Review)

#1: Marty Supreme

Could there be any number one for me this year other than Marty Supreme? Director Josh Safdie’s adrenaline shot of a movie offers a variety of things that I love; a propulsive pace, seamless tonal shifts, and Timothée Chalamet in what might just be his best role yet. It’s the most locked in I’ve been at a movie this year, with Safdie’s period piece ping pong epic rocketing us back to New York in the 1950s, and taking us on a wild ride alongside Chalamet’s titular Marty Mauser as he is in pursuit of table tennis greatness.

This world, brought to life through incredible production design, is further defined by a pitch-perfect supporting cast that includes everyone from movie star Gwyneth Paltrow to Canadian TV personality Kevin O’Leary, who is shockingly good here as he owns some of the film’s most memorable scenes (including that scene, already making headlines). Daniel Lopatin’s pulsating electronic score further sets the tone of this exhilarating film.

I was onboard the entire time, but the breathless last act of Marty Supreme is what ensured nothing could move it from this top spot. The film has been further defined by Chalamet’s ballsy, partially in-character press tour where he has essentially declared that he wants to be the greatest actor of his generation, a bold proclamation that has turned out to be inarguably true. He’s at the top of his game here, proving himself to be a true movie star who can open a film like this on his name alone, while delivering a career-defining performance in the process. (Full Review)