Warner Bros.Weapons joins our list of the best movies of 2025 so far, which includes new Jurassic World and Mission: Impossible entries, as well as James Gunn’s Superman.
The early months of 2025 were good for horror, with the likes of Wolf Man, Companion, The Monkey, and Sinners scaring up a storm.
While now we’re well into summer blockbuster season, meaning new Marvel and DC movies, as well as crowd-pleasers about dinosaurs, dragons, and rage-infused zombies.
So scroll down for the best movies of the year – in alphabetical order – which we’ll continue to update as-and-when new bangers are released.
28 Years Later
Sony PicturesWhat it’s about: 28 years after the Rage virus infected humanity, a father and son leave their tiny island home to embark on a quest through the zombie-ravaged mainland.
28 Years Later review: “There are moments where 28 Years Later awkwardly combines genres, with comedy and tragedy rubbing shoulders with action and horror, sometimes in the same scene. But the movie works best when telling a simple story of the love between mother and son.”
The Ballad of Wallis Island
Universal PicturesWhat it’s about: An eccentric lottery winner pays his favorite folk duo to reform and play a private concert, but during their stay in his secluded island home, old tensions and resentments re-emerge.
Why we like it: Longtime collaborators Tim Key and Tom Basden both write and star in this bittersweet comedy-drama that manages to be brutally funny, but also tug on the heartstrings in a way that will make you laugh through the tears.
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy
Universal PicturesWhat it’s about: Following the death of her husband while away on a humanitarian mission, Bridget Jones is now a single mom, raising her two children with the help of old friends, and still looking for happiness and love.
Bridget Jones review: “No matter how you dress it up – or down sans Spanx, as Bridge finds out this time – Mad About the Boy is an absolute delight. It takes approximately 30 seconds to embrace the warm cardigan-shaped hug that emanates from the screen, wondering how we ever existed without our fix of middle-class madness.”
Bring Her Back
A24What it’s about: A brother and sister witness a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother.
Bring Her Back review: With Bring Her Back, Aussie duo Danny and Michael Philippou show they’re far more than one-trick ponies. The harrowing tale of grief and its ensuing desolation is far more bleak than you may expect. It’s a film that’ll stick with you long after the credits roll.
Companion
Warner Bros.What it’s about: Josh and his “companion” Iris head to a cabin in the woods for a weekend away with friends. But the trip quickly turns violent and bloody, for reasons we won’t spoil here…
Companion review: “While it won’t necessarily blow you away and leave you begging for a follow-up, Companion is a hell of a fun time for as long as it lasts. An intriguing concept that unfurls with many twists and turns to the point that each scene will have you wondering where on Earth the plot moves next.”
Dangerous Animals
VertigoWhat it’s about: A surfer called Zephyr is kidnapped by serial killer Bruce Tucker, who plans to take her out onto the ocean, and feed her to sharks. But Zephyr won’t go down without a fight.
Dangerous Animals review: “Released during a summer season that’s filled with bloated blockbusters weighed down by exposition and overstuffed ensembles, Dangerous Animals this is the exact opposite; a simple, straightforward horror romp that’s as lean and mean as the killing machines at its core.”
Elio
Disney/PixarWhat it’s about: A lonely boy called Elio is abducted by aliens who mistake him for earth’s leader, sending him on the adventure of a lifetime, during which he meets an extra-terrestrial kid with problems like his own.
Elio review: “It’s lovely stuff, and while the film’s finale doesn’t quite measure up to what’s come before, Elio nevertheless builds to an emotionally charged resolution that will have audiences reaching for the tissues.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
Marvel StudiosWhat it’s about: A team of astronauts and scientists return from space with superpowers, which come in useful when cosmic entity Galactus arrives on Earth with plans to devour the planet.
Fantastic Four: First Steps review: “Fantastic Four is… fantastic, and easily the best MCU movie since Guardians of the Galaxy 3. As the franchise barrels towards its biggest event since Endgame, this is a movie that has a genuine artistic vision that doesn’t compromise itself to fit the mold. It’ll leave you excited for Doomsday, but more importantly, you might just believe in the MCU again.”
Final Destination: Bloodlines
Warner Bros.What it’s about: This belated Final Destination sequel revolves around a colleague student plagued by nightmares of a tragic disaster that ties into her family history.
Final Destination Bloodlines review: “Final Destination: Bloodlines is the best the franchise has been in almost 20 years. Creative kills, smart callbacks, and a surprisingly poignant farewell to an iconic character make this a worthy revival. It doesn’t reinvent the franchise, it sharpens it. And honestly? That’s exactly what we needed.”
How to Train Your Dragon
Universal PicturesWhat it’s about: In the land of Berk, Viking settlers are at war with fire-breathing dragons, but when youngster Hiccup stumbles upon a feared Night Fury dragon, he realises there might be a way for the enemies to co-exist.
How to Train Your Dragon review: “It’s a needless remake, but like the original, this How to Train Your Dragon also a fantastic family movie that’s filled with engaging characters and exciting action, wrapped up in a heartwarming story.”
Jurassic World Rebirth
Universal PicturesWhat it’s about: A pharmaceutical company sends a team of scientists and mercenaries to a Jurassic island where their mission is to extract DNA from three of the largest prehistoric creatures on the planet.
Jurassic World Rebirth review: “Jurassic 7 succeeds when it’s man (and woman) vs beast, in scenes fueled by several spectacularly realized dinosaurs, as well as some suitably nasty deaths.”
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning
Paramount PicturesWhat it’s about: Kicking off where Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning concluded, super-spy Ethan Hunt is again going up against rogue AI ‘The Entity’ with a little help from the Impossible Mission team onscreen, and a crack band of stunt-people behind-the-scenes.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning review: “Whether you call him Ethan or Tom, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is the most satisfying tribute either could ask for. Cruise has raised the stakes for action, emotion, and impeccable storytelling, and no Mission: Impossible fan will walk away from the farewell feeling hard done by.”
The Monkey
NeonWhat it’s about: A wind-up toy monkey attaches itself to twin boys, cursing their family, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake.
The Monkey review: “As a follow-up to Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs, The Monkey is an unexpected and wildly fun horror-comedy that shouldn’t be taken too seriously. To question it is to take away the magic of the premise, and if you’re looking for a haunting exploration of life and death, you won’t find it. What you will find instead are some genuine laughs, kills that’ll make you cringe, and plenty of self-aware jabs.”
Presence
NeonWhat it’s about: An unhappy family moves into a beautiful new home, where mom drinks to much, dad consults divorce lawyers, the kids bicker, and then things start going bump in the night…
Why we like it: Written by David Koepp and directed by Steven Soderbergh, the genius of Presence is that it tells a haunted house tale from the point-of-view of the ghost, which makes for a spellbinding viewing experience that has you constantly questioning the spirit’s intentions.
Sinners
Warner Bros.What it’s about: Sinners revolves around twin brothers who return home to start a juke-joint on the outskirts of town, only for opening night to become a bloodbath thanks to visiting vampires.
Why we like it: Following in the footsteps of Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther, Sinners is another collaboration between writer/director Ryan Coogle, and actor Michael B. Jordan, and the dynamic duo simply don’t miss. Their film is a solid western and a kick-ass vampire flick, while the music is literally to die for. Yet Sinners also has something serious to say, about both racism, and cultural appropriation.
Superman
Warner BrosWhat it’s about: Superman is living on Earth alongside both humans and metahumans, but efforts to protect the planet bring him into conflict with evil billionaire Lex Luthor, who wants the Man of Steel gone for good.
Superman review: “This is a Superman movie unlike any you’ve seen before; for (mostly) better and (barely) worse. It’s epic, emotional, and proof that the Man of Steel isn’t boring; by the end, you’ll believe that James Gunn’s DCU can fly.”
Thunderbolts
MarvelWhat it’s about: Valentina Allegra de Fontaine assembles a superhero team consisting of John Walker, Yelena Belova, Ghost, and Taskmaster, but all does not go according to plan when they meet a supervillain called Bob.
Thunderbolts review: “Thunderbolts doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to. It’s a character-driven, thematically rich, often hilarious team-up movie that proves Marvel can still deliver when it focuses on the fundamentals: heart, humor, and heroes worth rooting for – even if they’re more villain than Avenger.”
Warfare
A24What it’s about: Co-directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, Warfare follows a Navy SEAL squad as their surveillance post comes under siege amid the Battle of Ramadi.
Why we like it: Warfare abandons Hollywood gloss in favor of brutal, boots-on-the-ground realism. With a stripped-back style, the film immerses us in the chaos of a real-time combat mission. There’s no sweeping score, no expository flashbacks – just raw tension and visceral soundscapes, making this a sobering, nightmarish meditation on the psychological weight of war.
Weapons
Warner Bros.What it’s about: In a small town, at the same time, on the same night, a group of kids get out of bed, walk out their front doors, and promptly disappears. Suspicion falls on their schoolteacher, but something altogether stranger might be afoot…
Weapons review: “Weapons does everything a good horror movie should, delivering chills and scares via a story that gets under your skin, before concluding two hours of tense set-up with a truly wild pay-off.”
Wolf Man
Universal PicturesWhat it’s about: After Blake and his family are attacked by something in the woods, they barricade themselves into a house, little realising that the threat now inside might be more dangerous than the creature prowling their perimeter.
Wolf Man review: “Wolf Man is a must-see for monster horror fans, particularly werewolf lovers. In saying that, Leigh Whannell’s reboot defies expectations to be a truly grounded experience, its emotional heart just as important and prevalent as the frights and scares.”
Head here for Dexerto’s picks for best TV shows of 2025 so far as well as the best games. Alternatively check out our list of the top grossing movies of all-time and best movies ever.
