The Best Films of 2025

With another year over it's time to take a look back at the highlights of the film world that were bestowed upon audiences throughout the year of 2025. The following list is based on UK general releases from 2025, this means anything that started its British cinematic run sometime between January 1st 2025 and December 31st 2025 - anything released outside of that isn't counted towards this list. This means that Nosferatu, which released in Christmas 2024 in the US but on New Years Day 2025 in the UK, counts, but Hamnet, released in November 2025 in the US but won't be releasing until January 2026 in the UK, does not count. 

Here's the official Deight Night ranking of the Top 10 films of 2025:

10. Zootropolis 2 

Zootropolis 2 (2025, Bush/Howard, Walt Disney Studios)

Zootropolis 2 has become one of 2025's biggest success stories, reaching over $1 Billion worldwide and even overtaking Avengers: Endgame in China. While the film is obviously not exactly original, it's still not a live-action remake and proves that Disney still has the potential to succeed with new and original films - even if they are with pre-existing characters. The film's success was in no way solely thanks to the presence of Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde however, it does what every good sequel should do - it expands the world, deepens the characters and provides more emotional stakes. While the story remains similar to the first, Zootropolis 2 teaches families important lessons about love, friendship and doing what's right in a world gone wrong. 

9. Weapons

Weapons (2025, Zach Cregger, Warner Bros.)

Marketing wasn't Hollywood's strong point in 2025, with several films being advertised with trailers giving away pivotal moments or even just the whole plot. However, Weapons was an example of a film advertised right, while some later trailers were more basic, the majority of the marketing sold a delicious mystery to be solved and the film itself didn't disappoint when it reached cinemas. Zach Cregger took all the good will from Barbarian and made an even better, scarier and mysterious horror flick which had audiences screaming and cheering. Its deep and subtle themes provide a film that's not only frightening but a dark and unsettling mirror of American life. 

8. The Life of Chuck 

The Life Of Chuck (2025, Mike Flanagan, Studiocanal)

Taking a break from terrifying horror, in a year filled with many, Mike Flanagan brought audiences yet another Stephen King adaptation in the form of The Life Of Chuck, which has quite rightfully been described as an It's A Wonderful Life! for the modern era. The film is filled to the brim with heart-warming and life affirming moments that bring floods of tears as well as an enticing mystery that slowly and masterfully unravels as the runtime progresses. It's very rare to see a film like The Life Of Chuck which is so packed with a joyous variety of all the things that make films magical and contains what is probably the sweetest dance number of the year. 

7. I'm Still Here

I'm Still Here (2025, Walter Salles, Altitude)

Going from life-affirming now to down right life-destroying, I'm Still Here is one of the most depressing and soul-crushing films about loss and life under dictatorship. Brutality isn't ever really seen but its presence is always implied throughout the film and while many of the film's characters maintain a happy face, it's obvious how constantly frightened they truly are. Shedding light on one of the darkest parts of Brazil's history, I'm Still Here contains a career defining performance from Fernanda Torres and quite possibly one of the most heartbreaking scenes ever put to screen. 

6. Bring Her Back

Bring Her Back (2025, Danny and Michael Philippou, A24)

Speaking of career defining roles, Bring Her Back contains the absolute best performance of 2025 and thanks to its genre, it will never see its well deserved Oscar award. This is, of course, a reference to Sally Hawkins' portrayal of the broken and twisted foster mother, Laura, who is one of the deepest villains of the year. Not content with providing all of the above, the Philippou Brothers' latest horror exploit is teeth clenchingly tense, emotional and most importantly, the most gruesome horror film of 2025 with a scene that will make you never look at a kitchen knife in the same way ever again.  

5. Warfare 

Warfare (2025, Garland/Mendoza, A24)

Controversy often surrounds war films, and Warfare was no exception. Did it glorify the American invasion of Iraq? Was it a testosterone filled, jingoistic action filled romp celebrating American imperialism? The short answer is no. Alex Garland's latest foray into war thrillers, made with the help of Navy Seal Ray Mendoza, is less a celebration and more a cautionary tale posing as a horror film of how quickly situations in warzones can turn into life altering events. Indeed, Warfare is a tale of the horrors of war itself and while this particular account was from the Iraq War, the moral of the film is that this could have happened at anytime throughout the long and brutal history of human conflict.

4. One Battle After Another 

One Battle After Another (2025, Paul Thomas Anderson, Warner Bros.)

Paul Thomas Anderson is always a safe bet, but he really overdid himself with One Battle After Another. Everything good about this film has already been said to death but it's nevertheless important to say just how seminal it is. Anderson provides a modern epic of a blockbuster which carries brilliant performances from the entirety of its cast, beautiful cinematography, a phenomenal soundtrack and, of course, a gripping story to boot. It will be a shock if One Battle After Another doesn't sweep the Oscars this year as it's nothing short of a filmic miracle. 

3. Nosferatu

Nosferatu (2025, Robert Eggers, Universal Pictures)

It feels as though Robert Eggers was put on this Earth to give us a remake of one of the films that pretty much started it all. Every shot of Nosferatu is filled with a love for the original gothic masterpiece but also a love for the history and legacy of cinema as a whole. What's more is that it's a genre defining horror classic in its own right, much like the film that it owes its existence too. Nosferatu is one of those films that makes you realise the power of cinema and the magic one person can do with the right camera, script and cast. 

2. Sinners 

Sinners (2025, Ryan Coogler, Warner Bros)

Passion doesn't even begin to describe what went into Ryan Coogler's work on his career defining horror film, Sinners. The vampire horror is obviously the director's magnum opus and proves Coogler as a master auteur behind the camera, finally shedding the chains of Marvel and the Rocky franchise to provide a story that comes very much from his own heart and will be almost impossible to top. His love for not only horror, but films and, most notably, music leaks from the screen to provide an emotional, terrifying and deliciously taut horror flick that was one of the cinematic events of the decade.  

1. Friendship

Friendship (2025, Andrew DeYoung, A24)

While there are films on this list that may technically be better than Friendship, Andrew DeYoung's comedy masterpiece is a lot more than simply a laugh riot - despite the fact it very much is the funniest film of the year and probably a contender for one of the funniest of this decade. Friendship is proof of the adage that comedy and horror are two sides of the same coin, the film provides moments of complete hilarity whilst also having the tense and uncomfortable atmosphere of any great horror. It's one of the most unique and creative films to come out in a very long time, it's a side-splittingly hilarious comedy with a heartfelt message about loneliness and is all brought together by one of Tim Robinson's most manic performances to date.