List compiled by Eddie on 06/01/2025

Suffering from an aftershock of content disruption that occurred throughout 2023, 2024 was a relatively tough time in the cinematic landscape with many films failing to hit the marks expected of them commercially and critically. 

Looking to bounce back in a major way, 2025 is jampacked with content that on paper appears to be a great mix of known properties and original offerings that hopefully continue to inspire and encourage movie pundits to get out of their loungerooms and into their local cinemas. 

While there are undoubtedly many more films that could’ve made this list here’s the top 10 films (plus a bonus 10) on my watch list that I think will make 2025 a special year for movie fans of all shapes and sizes. 

Happy reading and see you at the movies. 

Disclaimer – plot summaries from IMDB. 

10. Superman

Director: James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) 

Cast: David Corenswet, Isabela Merced, Nicholas Hoult, Frank Grillo

Follows the titular superhero as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way in a world that views this as old-fashioned.

To be honest, I don’t think the world needs another Superman but knowing how passionate director James Gunn is about this property I am quietly excited by what the results may be for this film. Potentially a star-making turn for its lead David Corenswet and a chance for DC to finally get back on track with their feature film landscape, there’s a lot riding on the back of Superman’s cape. I look forward to seeing the end result. 

9. Tron: Ares

Director: Joachim Rønning (Kon-Tiki) 

Cast: Jared Leto, Jeff Bridges, Evan Peters, Gillian Anderson

A highly sophisticated Program, Ares, is sent from the digital world into the real world on a dangerous mission.

After man slept on the initially undervalued Tron: Legacy, it appeared as though the Tron cinematic universe was no longer for this world. Fast forward to well over a decade on and its almost surreal that Disney have invested once more in the cult favourite property that will be bought to life by talented if unpredictable director Joachim Rønning and the equally unknown property that is Jared Leto. Here’s hoping Ares can at the very minimum provide a thrilling and visually captivating big screen ride. 

8. Sinners

Director: Ryan Coogler (Black Panther) 

Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Delroy Lindo 

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

One of the years most intriguingly unknown properties, Sinners could be many things with Ryan Coogler’s mysterious project mostly still shrouded in secrecy despite a memorable trailer debut late in 2024. One of the industries most unique voices, Coogler’s latest collaboration with long-term partner in crime Michael B. Jordan might just be a new classic in waiting.  

7. Havoc 

Director: Gareth Evans (The Raid) 

Cast: Tom Hardy, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker

After a drug deal gone wrong, a bruised detective must fight his way through the criminal underworld to rescue a politician’s estranged son, unravelling a deep web of corruption and conspiracy that ensnares his entire city.

As each year goes by I seem to be putting The Raid director Gareth Evan’s Tom Hardy/Netflix collaboration on this list but after finally releasing its first set of official images in late 2024 it finally appears as though this action orientated event is going to be unleashed into loungerooms this year after being mostly completed all the way back in 2021. Doing so much with his first two Raid films and giving us the entertaining if forgettable Apostle, I’m really hoping Evans once more knocks it out of the park as his one of the most talented young filmmakers to emerge in the last decade. 

6. The Smashing Machine

Director: Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) 

Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Bas Rutten

The story of mixed-martial arts and UFC champion Mark Kerr.

Being fully transparent, usually any film starring Dwayne “don’t call him The Rock” Johnson is a film I’d rather avoid where possible but his team-up with Uncut Gems director Benny Safdie has me more than intrigued. Not personally knowing a lot about famed UFC champion Mark Kerr, one suspects that the stars are aligning here for a real career moment for Johnson who has a chance to showcase a whole other side to him as a performer we’ve never really been privy too.  

5. F1

Director: Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun: Maverick) 

Cast: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Javier Bardem

Follows a Formula One driver who comes out of retirement to mentor and team with a younger driver.

His first project behind the camera since his box office smashing Top Gun sequel Maverick, Joseph Kosinki’s collaboration with Apple and Brad Pitt should be one of the most thrilling and spectacular of the year. Here’s hoping this big-budgeted event film gets a decent run in cinemas where the film should be seen not just in the comfort of ones loungeroom.  

4. Caught Stealing 

Director: Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) 

Cast: Austin Butler, Zoë Kravitz, Bad Bunny, Vincent D’Onofrio

Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined.

As is the case with any Darren Aronofsky project one must tread with caution as too not be burned but with a stacked cast and a great sounding premise, Caught Stealing could well be a return to form for the unique filmmaker who has over the last decade or so lost some of his creative spark. Giving us another chance to witness the hot streak of lead Austin Butler in action, Caught Stealing could be that rare arthouse film that strikes a chord with awards voters and general pundits alike. 

3. The Battle of Baktan Cross

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) 

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio Del Toro, Sean Penn

Plot Unknown.

Plot wise we are in the dark but any time you see the names of Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio on the same project there’s cause to be excited. Reported to be a fairly large production budget wise and earmarked as an “event film”, the at one stage monikered Battle of Baktan Cross should be one of 2025’s most original offerings from a director who has long proven to be one of the most consistent working in the industry.  

2. 28 Years Later

Director: Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) 

Cast: Jodie Comer, Cillian Murphy, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes

Plot under wraps. The third film in the “28 Days Later” franchise.

Secretly shot as at least a two-parter, the long-gestating return to the zombie landscape for director Danny Boyle and his frequent screenwriting collaborator Alex Garland should be a thrilling and visceral experience. Reportedly shot entirely on Iphone 15 phones, there’s a lot at play in 28 Years Later but with Boyle and Garland on board and a cast that includes returning original star Cillian Murphy, there’s reason to suspect this film might be one of the events of the year. 

1. Avatar: Fire and Ash 

Director: James Cameron (Titanic) 

Cast: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Kate Winslet, Jemaine Clement

Sequel of Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The plot is unknown.

We know the third film in the Avatar series isn’t going to be providing us with any ground-breaking narrative arcs or plot lines but we can be assured that James Cameron’s newest trip to Pandora is going to provide audiences with a serious reason to get a ticket to the largest screen available to them. An experience that is going to remind us all once more of the power of cinema when used to its capabilities, Fire and Ash could just be what the industry is crying out for, all delivered by a genius who has time and time again upped the game.  

Best of the Rest – 

11. Mickey 17

Director: Bong Joon Ho (Parasite)  Cast: Robert Pattinson, Mark Ruffalo, Toni Collette

Mickey 17, known as an “expendable,” goes on a dangerous journey to colonize an ice planet.

12. The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet (Vox Lux)   Cast: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce 

When visionary architect László Toth and his wife Erzsébet flee post-war Europe in 1947 to rebuild their legacy and witness the birth of modern America, their lives are changed forever by a mysterious and wealthy client.

13. Bugonia 

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)  Cast: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Alicia Silverstone

Two conspiracy obsessed young men kidnap the high-powered CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien intent on destroying planet Earth.

14. Predator: Badlands 

Director: Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane)   Cast: Elle Fanning

Plot under wraps. 

15. In The Grey 

Director: Guy Ritchie (Snatch)   Cast: Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eiza González

Revolves around two extraction specialists who have to designate a route of escape for a senior female negotiator.

16. The Running Man

Director: Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead)   Cast: Glen Powell,  Josh Brolin, Lee Pace

The futuristic United States of 2025 when the world has become a dystopia.

17. Nobody 2

Director: Timo Tjahjanto (The Night Comes for Us)   Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Sharon Stone

Suburban dad Hutch Mansell, a former lethal assassin, is pulled back into his violent past after thwarting a home invasion, setting off a chain of events that unravels secrets about his wife Becca’s past and his own.

18. Companion 

Director: Drew Hancock (feature debut)   Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Rupert Friend

Plot unknown. 

19. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning 

Director: Christopher McQuarrie (Jack Reacher)   Cast: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Vanessa Kirby

Plot unknown. 

20. The Fantastic Four: First Steps 

Director: Matt Shakman (Cut Bank)   Cast: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach

One of Marvel’s most iconic families makes it back to the big screen, the Fantastic Four.

What films are you most looking forward to in 2025? Let me know in the comments below!