By Sara Bright
The first half of 2025 has delivered a cinematic landscape of remarkable range – from Ryan Coogler’s genre-defying vampire epic to Steven Soderbergh’s ghostly domestic thriller, from Danny Boyle’s long-awaited return to horror to the quiet triumphs of independent filmmaking that remind us why the cinema remains irreplaceable. As the year reaches its midpoint, with the major festival season approaching and awards contenders preparing to emerge, the films already released have set a standard that will be difficult to surpass.
What distinguishes 2025, so far, is not merely the quality of individual films but the breadth of ambition. Studios are taking risks. Independent filmmakers are finding audiences. And the most interesting work is being produced by directors who refuse to be confined by genre, budget, or expectation.
Sinners: The Film of the Year
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners has dominated the conversation since its release, and rightly so. The film, which earned over 300 award wins across critics’ groups and topped multiple year-end lists, is the first original screenplay in five years to become a major box-office event – a feat made possible by an unusual deal with Warner Bros. that granted Coogler first-dollar gross participation and ownership of the film reverting to him in 2050.
Set in the Mississippi Delta of the 1930s, Sinners follows twin brothers, both played by Michael B. Jordan, who return to their hometown seeking a fresh start, only to encounter a supernatural evil that predates their family by centuries. Coogler uses the vampire genre not as mere spectacle but as a vehicle for exploring the history of Black music, community, and resistance. The film’s central set piece – a juke joint performance that becomes a battle for survival – is among the most exhilarating sequences in recent cinema.
The gamble paid off: Sinners became the highest-grossing original film in five years, proving that audiences will invest in risk when the creative vision is compelling. Coogler’s achievement is not merely artistic but structural – a demonstration that filmmakers can negotiate deals that preserve both creative control and financial ownership.
One Battle After Another: The Critics’ Favourite
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerged as the most celebrated film of 2025, topping the IndieWire critics’ poll with 573 points and earning the Best Director prize as well. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed-up revolutionary living off-grid with his spirited daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), when a nemesis from his past resurfaces and Willa goes missing.
Anderson, whose filmography includes There Will Be Blood, The Master, and Phantom Thread, has long been regarded as one of American cinema’s most accomplished directors. One Battle After Another represents a departure – a more accessible, emotionally direct work that retains his characteristic precision while embracing a rawer, more urgent energy. Critics praised its blend of paranoia, family drama, and social commentary, noting its relevance in a moment of political volatility.
The film’s success in critics’ polls suggests it will be a formidable contender in the awards season – a distinction that, for Anderson, would represent both a capstone and a continuation.
Black Bag: Soderbergh at His Best
Steven Soderbergh released two films in 2025, a feat that has become characteristic of his restless productivity. The first, Black Bag, is a cyberespionage thriller starring George Woodhouse as a British intelligence officer tasked with identifying a traitor within his own office. The second, Presence, is a ghost story told from the perspective of the spirit haunting a family’s new home.
Black Bag has attracted particular attention for its sophisticated handling of genre conventions. Soderbergh, who shoots his own films under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, creates a world of moral ambiguity where loyalty and betrayal are indistinguishable. The film’s central relationship – between Woodhouse and his wife, played by Cate Blanchett – has been identified as one of the year’s most compelling on-screen partnerships.
What distinguishes Soderbergh’s work, in both films, is his refusal to treat genre as a limitation. Black Bag is a thriller that operates with the pacing and psychological depth of a character study. Presence is a horror film that achieves its effects through restraint and poetry rather than spectacle. Together, they demonstrate the range and ambition that have made Soderbergh one of contemporary cinema’s most reliable practitioners.
28 Years Later: The Sequel That Justified Itself
Danny Boyle’s 28 Years Later reunites the director with writer Alex Garland for the first installment in a new trilogy, ignoring the events of the more glossy 28 Weeks Later. The film, which stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer, Ralph Fiennes, and newcomer Alfie Williams, has been hailed as Boyle’s best work since Trainspotting – a return to the raw, visceral energy that made 28 Days Later a cultural phenomenon.
The film’s achievement lies not merely in its technical brilliance but in its emotional ambition. Boyle uses the zombie genre as a framework for exploring grief, community, and the fragility of civilisation. The performances are uniformly strong, with Williams, in particular, drawing praise for a debut that combines vulnerability and resilience.
Presence: The Quiet Masterpiece
Among the year’s most unexpected pleasures is Soderbergh’s Presence, a ghost story that subverts every convention of the genre. The film is narrated by the spirit haunting a family’s new home, and Soderbergh – shooting as Peter Andrews – becomes a character in the film himself, using his craft to give the mysterious presence personality and purpose.
Presence builds dread slowly, through domestic detail and psychological tension rather than jump scares. It is a film that trusts its audience to engage with ambiguity and atmosphere. Critics have compared it to the work of Robert Altman and Michael Haneke – films that use the familiar to reveal the uncanny.
Sorry, Baby: The Indie Gem
Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby is the kind of film that reminds you why independent cinema matters. The debut feature, which premiered at Sundance, tells the story of a woman navigating the aftermath of a traumatic event with a blend of dark humour and emotional precision that has earned comparisons to early Greta Gerwig.
Victor’s achievement is remarkable: a first-time filmmaker who has created a work of confidence, wit, and genuine emotional depth. Sorry, Baby is not merely a promising debut but a fully realised artistic vision – a film that announces the arrival of a significant new voice.
One of Them Days: The Comedy Surprise
One of Them Days emerged as one of the year’s most pleasant surprises – a comedy that, in the words of one critic, “loves comedy more” than any other film in recent memory. The film’s energy is infectious, its performances are sharp, and its commitment to laughter is unapologetic.
In a year dominated by serious drama and genre innovation, One of Them Days offers something equally valuable: joy. It is a reminder that comedy, at its best, is not escapist but essential.
What Lies Ahead
The second half of 2025 promises further riches. The major festivals – Venice, Toronto, Telluride – will unveil the films that dominate the awards season. Sequels to major franchises, including Avatar: Fire and Ash and Wicked: For Good, will test the limits of spectacle. And the independent films that have already distinguished themselves will continue to find audiences through streaming and theatrical release.
But the films of the first half have already established 2025 as a year of exceptional quality. The diversity of vision, the willingness to take risks, and the depth of talent on display suggest that cinema, far from being diminished by streaming and fragmentation, is entering a period of creative renewal.
The best films of 2025 so far are not merely good. They are essential.
For more on cinema, explore our feature on the future of theatrical release and the rise of independent filmmaking.
