When you have a year filled with fantastic films like 2025, so many of them narrowly miss the cut of a top ten list. Because of that, I wanted to honor the noteworthy films that were left out of my list on our end-of-year episode; a surprising, eclectic mix of films that only solidified just how strong of a year 2025 was.
Here are the rest of my top 20 films of the year, in ascending order of preference:
#20: HAMNET
From the gorgeous cinematography to the film’s emotional depth, director Chloe Zhao returns to the big screen with something truly great in Hamnet. This heart-wrenching period drama struck a chord with me in a way that I wasn’t expecting. The film would’ve been a powerhouse with just Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal as the leads, but the film really hits it out of the park with Jacobi Jupe as the titular character. That young man’s standout performance shocked me to the point of tears. While it’s not my favorite Zhao film, Hamnet still succeeds in showing just how phenomenal she is in the director’s chair.
#19: THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME
While I personally haven’t seen a single dud from Wes Anderson, I was nevertheless pleasantly surprised that The Phoenician Scheme resonated with me more than his previous two films (2023’s Asteroid City and 2021’s The French Dispatch) did. The star-studded ensemble is great, the script is delightful, the film flies by, and the impeccable design choices are exactly what anyone would expect from a modern Wes Anderson film. 2025 was a great year to have a film led by Benecio del Toro. Also, Michael Cera is such pitch-perfect Anderson fodder that it’s insane to think this is their first collaboration.
#18: MATERIALISTS
Man, this movie felt like it stumbled out the gate before it even hit theaters. With a questionable trailer and a difficult release date—not to mention being one of several films A24 churned out last year—it’s no surprise that Celine Song’s sophomore follow-up felt like it came and went without being given a fair chance. In my opinion, that’s a shame because Materialists shows yet again just how good Celine Song is as both director and writer. The film looks good, the script does an impressive job of juggling vastly different topics, and all three leads have some great shining moments throughout the film. It’s definitely not as good as Past Lives, but I’d argue that Materialists still has more to offer as a well done, modern romance.
#17: BLACK BAG
When director Steven Soderbergh hits, it truly is something special. Black Bag is a slick, tight espionage thriller that thrives on its straightforward premise and fast pace. It paints the spy film in such a brutal yet uniquely cool way, keeping you invested without ever skipping a beat narratively. As much as I love Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett in the lead roles, they really shine when they’re able to let a scene breathe and bounce off of the talented ensemble. For a man that can jump between vastly different genres even in the same year, Soderbergh really builds one hell of a surprising thriller that sticks in the mind way past its ninety-minute runtime. It was such a blast of a film that I wish I got a chance to see it in theaters when it was initially released. Regardless, whether on a big or small screen, Black Bag rules.
#16: THE LIFE OF CHUCK
For the past decade, Mike Flanagan has had one hell of a run in both film and television. The Life of Chuck does not change that. Flanagan does a phenomenal job of capturing the beauty of a Stephen King drama in a way that just hasn’t been done since Frank Darabont’s one-two punch of The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile three decades ago. Beautiful, inspiring, and wonderfully sappy, The Life of Chuck is a celebration of life in a way that resonates on so many levels. From its heartwarming moments to its poignant pauses, Flanagan shows yet again that the man understands King to a scary degree. Whatever he’s doing next, I’ll be there on opening weekend with no hesitation.
#15: NE ZHA 2
If I saw this film when I was in middle school, I would’ve been ruined just by how much I would want to spend on action figures alone. Six years after its successful, solid first outing, Ne Zha 2 expands on every single aspect of the first film. The writing is better, the film’s giant cast of characters are engaging across the board, the animation is top-notch, and the action is some of the best I’ve seen from any 3D-animated film. It’s a movie that hits its third act at the ninety-minute mark and spends its final hour putting up one fantastic action sequence after another, countless phenomenal character designs, and an emotional core that resonates a thousand times more than any of its dramatic moments scenes in its predecessor. Chinese animation thrived in 2025, and a major part of that is thanks to Ne Zha 2 being one of the best surprises of the year.
#14: WEAPONS
I saw this film in theaters three times in less than a week. Was that entirely on purpose? No, but the reason why I kept coming back is because there was something truly special watching Weapons in a theater with an unsuspecting crowd. Zach Cregger’s follow-up to his surprise hit Barbarian is creepy, entrancing, hilarious, and filled with some truly fantastic moments. Plus, the film’s cast perfectly captures the film’s tone regardless of its occasional wild shifts. Even if it bites off more than it can chew, Weapons is a film I cannot wait to show unsuspecting friends for years to come.
#13: SPLITSVILLE
While studio comedies felt whole again when The Naked Gun ended up being a genuinely hilarious film, my favorite comedy of the year felt like it came out of nowhere with Splitsville. This absurd comedy from Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin never goes a scene without making me cackle. It’s a delightfully silly film with an earnest emotional center, a strong central cast, and one of my favorite fight sequences of any film in 2025. It’s such a cheeky, well-written film that makes me wish we had at least two films like this a year from now on. Regardless of whether or not Covino and Marvin work together again in the near future, I’ll be following both of them in hopes that at least one of them will make yet another surprisingly great film like Splitsville.
#12: CHAINSAW MAN: THE MOVIE – REZE ARC
Chaotic, insane, hilarious, and filled with some of the best animation to come out of this studio, MAPPA. This theatrical follow-up to the 2022 anime’s first season was a delightful surprise for me. Even as someone who really loves the original manga, I was caught off-guard by how the kinetic visuals, fantastic voice cast, and truly awesome score by Kensuke Ushio all bring to life the horrifying, fantastic arc that really starts to kick the overarching story into full gear. If MAPPA decided to just make Chainsaw Man films for the foreseeable future, I wouldn’t complain because there was something truly wonderful watching this gonzo, gory story on the big screen. Plus, if Kenshi Yonezu is doing the opening track in this hypothetical scenario, I’ll be there every opening weekend with a giant grin on my face.
#11: SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Sentimental Value was the last film I watched in 2025 before I even compiled my top ten for our annual special. I spent the last quarter of the year wondering if Joachim Trier’s follow-up to The Worst Person in the World (a film that has been on my must-watch list for WAY too long) was as wonderful as many people were hyping it up to be. After watching it nearly two times back-to-back, I can easily say that it definitely earned the hype. This emotionally exhausting, beautiful film resonated with me almost immediately thanks to its simple yet effective premise, striking cinematography, powerful editing, dysfunctional family dynamic, and a cast led by three actors that are absolutely captivating when given a moment to shine. Renate Reinsve is a powerhouse, Stellan Skarsgård’s Gustav Borg might be my favorite of his performances I’ve seen, and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas brings a subtle supporting performance that is practically foundational for some of the hardest emotional scenes in the film. Despite the film being as heart-wrenching as it is, I couldn’t be happier to end the year on an incredible film like Sentimental Value.
Freelance writer out of Indianapolis. Co-host of Odd Trilogies podcast. Whether it's films or television, I'm always down to watch!