The Wasteland Reviewer

The Wasteland List: Best Films of 2025

How often do you sit there thinking about what to watch? You might have an endless watchlist that keeps piling up (I certainly have one myself). Sometimes you are just in the mood for a type of film or a certain filmmaker or actor and want to take yourself into a deep dive. As someone who watches so many movies, I have people asking me for recommendations all the time. One of the best feelings as a cinephile is recommending a film and that person loves it. Take this wealth of cinematic knowledge and experience and enjoy some recommendations on me. Genre. Subgenre. Filmmaker. Actor. Composer. Writer. Genre. Story. Trope. Cliché. Any other cinematic elements or them. Here is The Wasteland List:   

Best Films of 2025

Sinners

Ryan Coogler crafted a genre-mashing vampire masterpiece with a stellar ensemble (led by a double-dose of Michael B. Jordan) that has a heart full of incredible music and plenty of themes around race and identity.

Resurrection

Bi Gan crafts is one of the most bold and gorgeous cinematic expressions of the year that explores human senses through a collection of expertly crafted tales threaded together in a science fiction package.

The Long Walk

One of the strongest adaptations of Stephen King’s work, this boasts a dynamic ensemble of young actors who bring Francis Lawrence’s film to life which is packed full of emotion, blood, and a rebellious spirit in the face of authoritarianism.

Hamnet

Chloe Zhao delivers one of the most gorgeous cinematic experiences of the year which will also open a waterfall of tears as Jessie Buckley and Paul Mascel tear your hearts out, bringing this tragic tale of Shakespeare’s life.

The Life of Chuck

Mike Flanagan shows his own as he tells a profound experience that highlights humanity’s multitudes through this time-breaking narrative about Chuck, a man who loves dance and navigates the ups and downs of life amongst a beautiful tapestry of humanity.

No Other Choice

Park Chan-wook’s darkly funny and biting new satire highlights the dimensions of actor Lee Byung-hun as a man who will go to great lengths to eliminate his peers in order to find new employment in the world of cut-throat capitalism.

Sorry, Baby

Eva Victor delivered one of the biggest surprises of the year with their funny, moving, and sharply crafted drama about an artist overcoming a horror buried in the mundane life of a college student that is so deeply human and compelling.

One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson returns to cinemas with this battle cry of rebellion, humanity, and idiocy that boasts an incredible ensemble (with DiCaprio, del Toro, Taylor, Infiniti, and Penn all shining bright) as well as thrilling tension in this impeccably crafted cinematic experience.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Rian Johnson did it again as he crafts the deepest and most profound Benoit Blanc mystery that delves deep into faith in a nuanced and thoughtful way while still delivering all the Knives Out trappings of whodunnit, humor, and a stellar ensemble (with O’Connor, Craig, Close, and Brolin shining in stain-glassed glory).

Sentimental Value

Joachim Trier grabs international attention again with his new drama featuring his muse, Renate Reinsve, who navigates a complex familial dynamic filled with trauma, regret, and tension as she is supported by fellow standouts, Stellan Skarsgard and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas.

It Was Just an Accident

Jafar Panahi delivers a shockingly funny experience about the darkness of one’s past circling back around due to fate and the dark places people will go to get vengeance or closure which engrosses the audience through its shocking final moments.

Tatami

A criminally underseen sports drama that not only delivers thrilling and action-packed elements at this World Judo Championship but also delivers powerful thematic work that explores rebellion through a duo of electric performers, Arienne Mandi and Zar Amir Ebrahimi.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Aardman is back with vengeance (most fowl!) as this new Wallace & Gromit adventure boasts plenty of classic slapstick shenanigans, clever commentary on technology, and the dastardliest villain in the history of cinema…Feathers McGraw.

Predator: Badlands

Dan Tratchenberg continues to show why he is the best driver of the Predator franchise as this classic horror/action franchise gets a twist as audiences follow a young Yautja on an action-packed journey on the most dangerous planet of all.

Billy Joel: And So It Goes

This sprawling five-hour documentary highlights the darkest depths and meteoric rise of music’s “Piano Man” as this new film shows why Billy Joel’s music and persona has resonated with so many fans for decades.

Warfare

One of the most shocking, brutal, and visceral war films of all time, Alex Garland teams with real war veteran Ray Mendoza and a stellar ensemble cast to deliver one of the most intense cinematic experiences in a long time.

Universal Language

Quirky and profound, this Canadian flick highlights a strange little village north of the border that explores the lives and shenanigans of the residents with all the absurdist humor that you can find out in the Canadian wilderness.

Weapons

One of the most surprising and shocking rides of the year, Zach Cregger’s new horror film is layered in narrative and character complexity, plenty of laughs, and laugh out loud moments that come together with this stacked ensemble.

No Other Land

Haunting and controversial, this documentary struggled to find distribution due to the harrowing subject matter as an Israeli and Palestine team up to show the violent and horrific state of the West Bank.

Blur: To the End

More than just another concert film, this new documentary features the electric performances of the renewed Blur as well as capturing their unique creative process of putting a new album together as well as the real tensions that threaten to tear them apart.

Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk

You would never expect how profound and powerful a series of video calls can be but this new documentary from Sepideh Farsi captures a growing relationship over the phone while also showing the harrowing experience in Gaza.

The Dark Money Game: Wealth of the Wicked

HBO Documentary Films explores the decades-long investment of powerful people to reshape the United States in their image of hate and oppression through the use of money and influence in this harrowing and frustrating film.

Inkwo for When the Starving Return

A bold and gorgeous animated short film draped in indigenous folklore as a young, gender-shifting warrior goes on a daring mission to save their community from haunting and horrific monsters along the way.

28 Years Later

Danny Boyle and Alex Garland are back to this franchise with a vengeance as they combine zombie and post-apocalyptic elements along with powerful messages about family, humanity, and death to deliver an intense, boldly crafted, and terrifying experience.

Train Dreams

Joel Edgerton delivers a powerful and poignant performance in Clint Bentley’s gorgeous, harrowing, and moving frontier tale filled with striking visuals, an impactful cast, and a story that sprawls across time and the evolving American landscape.