I'm a little late this year, but the time has come for my annual movie ranking. I take a look back at all the movies I watched in 2025 and I pick out the ten that I enjoyed the most. These can be movies that didn't come out in 2025. These can be movies I've seen before. I just have to have watched them at some point in 2025. Also, I am not saying that any of these movies are the best movies of all time, just the ones that I happened to enjoy the most. Look, I know Street Fighter with Jean Claude Van Damme isn't winning any awards. But dammit, I enjoyed that movie. So it's making my list.
#10:
Street Fighter
Most people consider this an objectively bad movie. It is often the butt of many jokes. But I don't care. I've always had a soft spot for this movie, going back to when I was a kid. This year, it really hit the spot when I watched it. I paid attention. I picked up on a lot of things I missed when I was younger. How did I not get the obvious Nazi parallels?
I really took the time to appreciate the over-the-top performances of the characters. While much of the acting is "bad", I still like it. And how can you not appreciate Raul Julia's performance? It is amazing. He deserves accolades for this role. He is the best part of the whole movie. And he says one of my favorite lines ever:
I know this movie probably doesn't deserve to be here. I originally had the final spot down to Sinister, Con-Air, Incendies, Child's Play, Speed, Rogue One, or The Mummy. But Street Fighter takes it home. Take that, movie snobs! Eh, who am I kidding? Movie snobs are probably appalled by my taste in films.
#9:
Bridge to Terabithia
I'm not really a Disney guy, so this is a movie that has never been on my radar. I just happened to be reading a clickbait article about "the saddest movies of all time", and this was on it. I perked up and thought: hey, I need to check that out. I like sad movies and I like movies that make you cry. I know that sounds weird, but it's hard for me to find a movie that provokes a strong emotional reaction out of me, so I am always on the lookout for ones have potential to do so. I like to feel something from time to time.
This movie definitely did the trick. It does such a good job telling this coming of age story with two young kids who seem to really care for each other. Looking at the girl from the perspective of the young boy (I forgot their names) you can really see him starting to fall in love with her. I knew coming in that she was going to die. I just didn't know how. I figured the swing had something to do with it. Even still, the ending hit super hard. It's just the unexpected and sudden way in which it happens. One moment she's there, and one moment she's not. It's devastating. So yeah - this was a good one for me. Woo hoo.
#8:
Fargo
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Well guess what? Fifth time was a charm. I liked it again. It's really the performances of the characters that make the movie go. Because not a lot really happens in it in the "grand" scale of things. It's a small, contained story about true crime in a small town. The characters are unassuming. It's funny, it moves along quickly, and it really puts you in the shoes of everyday folks who don't really know how to do crimes, doing crimes. I enjoyed it a lot. Steve Buscemi and William H Macey in particular are great in their roles.
#7:
The Fugitive
I remember seeing this movie a lot when it first came out. It was 1993. I was 11 years old. I remember going to see this in the movie theater with my grandparents. Shortly after, it came out on video and my family rented it. We burned it to a VHS tape. We watched it again and again. Then it hit television and would be played seemingly at all hours of the day. I must have seen this more than a dozen times when I was a kid. And then just like that: the movie disappeared from the zeitgeist and right on out of my life. I'm sure I've seen bits and pieces of it a few times since then, but 2025 was the first time I sat down and watched the movie through the eyes of an adult.
I picked up on all kinds of things I missed out on as a kid. I don't think I really understood a lot of what was going on when I was younger, like with the pharmaceutical company and all that. But this time, it all made sense. Not only is it a fast paced and fun movie, the stakes are high and the action always feels real. And the performances are fantastic. I always found Tommy Lee Jones annoying as a kid, but this time around I appreciated his performance and I thought he stole the show.
This is definitely an awesome movie. Everyone forgets how big a blockbuster it was. I'd encourage anyone who wasn't alive back when this movie was a massive deal to check it out.
#6:
Weapons
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I came into this movie relatively blind. I knew the basic premise, and that was it. A group of kids wake up in the middle of the night and walk out into the dark, never to return. These kids are all from one classroom. One kid is left behind, seemingly untouched by whatever has happened to his classmates.
It is such an interesting hook. I was unspoiled, so I had no idea what was going on. I loved the first half of the movie. It had such a mysterious, almost "Leftovers" reminiscent feel to it. Was it horror or science fiction? It was a combination of the two. As the movie progresses, it becomes more straightforward. And I loved the second half, too. I felt like it took a lot of inspiration from Sam Raimi, and the way he handles body horror/humor in such a unique, slapsticky way. The whole movie was just a lot of fun in general, and I am very glad I watched it.
#5:
The Wild Robot
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This is the only movie on my list that I watched twice in 2025. I watched it once by myself, because I'd heard that it was a "crying" movie. As I said in my Terabithia review, I am always on the lookout for a movie that will spark an emotional reaction from me. This one did not. I liked the movie, but it didn't really hit those emotional marks with me. I could identify the parts of the movie that were clearly designed to make you cry. But I myself did not cry.
The very next day, I was talking about this movie with my wife and kid - and they said they wanted to watch it. So we did. This time, I liked the movie so much more. My kid was particularly interested in it. It's funny how it was such a different experience for me this time around. The first time I watched it, it was more of a detached experience. But watching it with two people who were watching it closely and crying and reacting to the emotional scenes had a reaction on me. I liked it so much more the second time around. It was like their energy rubbed off on me. The emotional scenes were a lot more touching and hit a lot closer to home. I ended up really loving this movie. It lingered with me. I thought about it for a few days afterwards, which is normally something I don't do. I have to say, it is one of the better kids movies I've seen in recent years.
#4:
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
ET is a beloved movie from my childhood that I watch every five years or so. It's a movie that's always connected with me. It came out the year I was born. Even a few years later when I was old enough to form memories, it was still around and popular. Toys, merchandise, the infamous Atari video game, that kind of thing. I had an ET clock where his finger would light up.
But what is good about this movie is that it is not a movie that I've ruined for myself by watching too many times, like Jurassic Park or the original Star Wars trilogy. I think I've watched it just the right amount of times, where every time I watch it, I notice something I hadn't before. And it still feels fresh. I'm still teleported right back to the 80s every single time. I still feel that sense of wonder when ET and Elliot make their initial connection. I still feel the sadness when things get grim in the middle of the movie. And of course, I feel the emotion when ET leaves at the end. It's a near perfect movie for me. It hits the mark every single time. I know that for some reason this movie has its haters, but I don't know how you could say anything bad about it.
#3:
The Substance
This was my first time watching this, I fell in love with this movie right away. It's so slick and stylish. I just love the way it is filmed. It's like Requiem for a Dream meets Black Mirror. It has this hypnotic quality to it. Even when things are moving slowly, you can't help but be fascinated by what is happening onscreen. There's a deep mystery and lore contained within this world that is just ripe for exploration. Plus, I like gross shit and body horror. Combine that with a mysterious science fiction element, and you've got something that is right up my alley.
This movie got a lot of attention, and for good reason. I was engrossed every step of the way. Like all movies that get a lot of praise, it often gets the criticism of being overrated. But I feel like this is perfectly rated. People like it because it's fucking good. I'm already getting the urge to watch it again. I will say that I didn't really like the end. I know it's silly to say "it's not realistic" in a movie that is not realistic, but too many things happened that completely wrecked my suspension of disbelief.
#2:
The Green Mile
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The Green Mile won my ranking when I last watched it a few years ago. I'm not sure why I decided to watch it this year, but it was probably because I was on the lookout for something that could make me cry. I'm not sure if it ever did or not, but I ended up loving the movie, like always. It's beautifully filmed, it's well-acted, it moves along at a pretty good pace (at least, in my opinion it does). It never feels as long as it really is.
This is a controversial statement, but I like it more than The Shawshank Redemption. It feels more personal, and less cold and oppressive. To me, this could very well be King's best movie. I find it to be such a memorable film. Coffey is an iconic character. Percy is one of the most easy to hate villains you'll see in a movie. The film has a tragic ending (and looking back, I think I may have shed a tear). But it also ends in a satisfactory manner. Someone gets exactly what was coming to him.
I just think this is an all around fantastic film. It works for me on nearly every level. And a big plus: I haven't seen it too many times, so every time I do watch it, it feels very fresh to me.
#1:
Titanic
It works well as an action movie and a romance movie. It works well as a period piece, whisking you back in time effortlessly. The movie is 30 years old now, and it doesn't feel outdated at all. It's a bit on the long side, but I don't care. That just means there is more movie to love. I've never had a bad experience watching this movie. It clicks on every single level for me. I can't say anything bad about it. I will die on the hill that this movie deserved all the love, praise, broken box office records, and Oscar wins it earned. It's the greatest movie of all time. For me, anyway.
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That's it! Thanks for reading. For a complete list of all 118 movies I watched last year, and when I watched them, check out my list below. Anything you feel that should have made the cut, but didn't? For me, it was Speed. I hadn't seen it in ages, and watching it again really transported me back to the 1990s when I was a teenager sitting in front of the TV, completely enthralled by this film. I loved every second of it.
Until next year!
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January (14):
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Threads
Saw X
Predator
Terminator Salvation
Terminator Genisys
Batman: Mask of Phantasm
Session 9
Annihilation
Commando
Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio
Dune Part One
Tomb Raider (2018)
Hellraiser
February: (9)
A Perfect Getaway
Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
Unlawful Entry
The Substance
X-Men
Blue Steel
Pacific Heights
The Fugitive
Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life
March: (9)
Dreamscape
X2
Pet Sematary 1989
The Green Mile
Skinamarink << possibly the worst movie I've ever seen
The Dark Tower
Super Mario Bros.
Batman & Robin
Chaos: The Manson Murders
April: (7)
X-Men: The Last Stand
Titanic
Stir of Echoes
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
X-Men: First Class
Dune: Part Two
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
May: (9)
The Wolverine
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Trilogy of Terror
Incendies
The Blair Witch Project
Creep
War For the Planet of the Apes
Creep 2
Predator 2
June: (9)
Bridge to Terabithia
Exam
The Wild Robot
The Village
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Sinister
The Purge: Anarchy
First Blood
Tales From the Darkside: The Movie
July: (7)
Sunshine
The Virgin Suicides
The Crazies
Brick
Sinister 2
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Rising Sun
August: (12)
Speed
Sinners
Dead and Buried
The Super Mario Bros Movie
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me
Con-Air
Copycat
Jurassic Park
The Revenant
Vanilla Sky
One Cut of the Dead
The Conjuring
September: (15)
Total Recall
Ghostbusters
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Titan: The Oceangate Submersible Disaster
Big Trouble in Little China
Weapons
Fargo
Terminator: Dark Fate
Civil War
Police Academy
Police Academy 2
28 Days Later
Nosferatu
Halloween III: Season of the Witch
Jurassic Park III
October: (8)
Zodiac
No Country for Old Men
The Fifth Element
Train To Busan
The Perfect Neighbor
Dead Alive
Raw
Bring Her Back
November: (11)
Child's Play
ET: The Extra-Terrestrial
Hook
His House
Child's Play 2
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
The Long Walk
Coherence
The Mummy (1999)
Solo: A Star Wars Story
December: (8)
Street Fighter
Mortal Kombat
Child's Play 3
Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero
Police Academy 3
The Karate Kid reboot
Southern Comfort
Gremlins
For a complete index of all my past posts and game reviews, click
>HERE<
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