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Best Movies of 2025: A List of Lists
Top movies of 2025(Clockwise from top left): One Battle After Another, Sinners, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, It Was Just an Accident, The Mastermind.
As the 2025–26 awards season kicks into gear, the race for top honors quickly becomes a battle for critical consensus. While it is perhaps impossible for critics to predict which films will come out on top at the BAFTAs, Golden Globes, and Oscars, their collective preferences can offer a sense of the top contenders. This list of lists—a compendium of critical opinion from various publications—aims to do exactly that ahead of what promises to be an intense awards season.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is the most frequently mentioned film across lists, reflecting the near-universal acclaim it has received from critics. In addition to winning best musical or comedy film, best director, and best screenplay at the Golden Globe Awards and best film at the BAFTAs in 2026, the film has been awarded top honors by the New York Film Critics Circle, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Gotham Awards, and the Critics Choice Awards, among others. Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which won the Golden Globe for cinematic and box office achievement, likewise appears on several critics’ lists. Though the vampire horror film became the frontrunner in the Oscars race after bagging a record-setting 16 nominations, it was Anderson’s One Battle After Another that bagged the most Academy Awards, taking home six Oscars, including best picture, best director, and best adapted screenplay. Still, Sinners didn’t leave the ceremony empty-handed, winning best actor (Michael B. Jordan) and best original screenplay (Coogler).
Hollywood titles face stiff competition from foreign-language films this year. The most critically celebrated of these are Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or-winning It Was Just an Accident, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent (winner of best foreign-language film at the Golden Globes), and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value.
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Movie Brief
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski |
| 2 | April* | Dea Kulumbegashvili |
| 3 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 4 | Left-Handed Girl | Shih-Ching Tsou |
| 5 | Bugonia | Yorgos Lanthimos |
| 6 | Magellan | Lav Diaz |
| 7 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 8 | The Ice Tower | Lucile Hadžihalilović |
| 9 | Train Dreams | Clint Bentley |
| 10 | Rebuilding | Max Walker-Silverman |
Film Comment (multiple contributors)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 3 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 4 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 5 | Caught by the Tides* | Jia Zhangke |
| 6 | Afternoons of Solitude | Albert Serra |
| 7 | Misericordia* | Alain Guiraudie |
| 8 | Sirāt | Oliver Laxe |
| 9 | The Shrouds* | David Cronenberg |
| 10 | If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Mary Bronstein |
Cahiers du Cinéma (multiple contributors)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | Afternoons of Solitude | Albert Serra |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Yes! | Nadav Lapid |
| 4 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 5 | I Only Rest in the Storm | Pedro Pinho |
| 6 | L’Aventura | Sophie Letourneur |
| 7 | 7 Walks with Mark Brown* | Vincent Barré and Pierre Creton |
| 8 | Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater |
| 9 | Drifting Laurent | Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, and Mattéo Eustachon |
| 10 | Miroirs No. 3 | Christian Petzold |
Sight & Sound (multiple contributors)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 3 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 4 | Sirāt | Oliver Laxe |
| 5 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 6 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 7 | Sorry, Baby | Eva Victor |
| 8 | Weapons | Zach Cregger |
| 9 | Dry Leaf | Alexandre Koberidze |
| 10 | Resurrection | Bi Gan |
The Los Angeles Times (Amy Nicholson)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 2 | Hedda | Nia DaCosta |
| 3 | Eddington | Ari Aster |
| 4 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 5 | Kiss of the Spider Woman | Bill Condon |
| 6 | A Useful Ghost | Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke |
| 7 | The Roses | Jay Roach |
| 8 | In Whose Name? | Nico Ballesteros |
| 9 | Sirāt | Oliver Laxe |
| 10 | The Naked Gun | Akiva Schaffer |
The New Yorker (Justin Chang)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | Sirāt | Oliver Laxe |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Caught by the Tides* | Jia Zhangke |
| 4 | Resurrection | Bi Gan |
| 5 | My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow* | Julia Loktev |
| 6 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 7 | Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski |
| 8 | April* | Dea Kulumbegashvili |
| 9 | On Becoming a Guinea Fowl* | Rungano Nyoni |
| 10 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
The New Yorker (Richard Brody)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| Note: Brody has also published a separate, unranked list of documentaries that is not included here. | ||
| 1 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 2 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 3 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 4 | The Phoenician Scheme | Wes Anderson |
| 5 | Hedda | Nia DaCosta |
| 6 | Afternoons of Solitude | Albert Serra |
| 7 (shared) | Highest 2 Lowest | Spike Lee |
| 7 (shared) | This Life of Mine* | Sophie Fillières |
| 8 | Misericordia* | Alain Guiraudie |
| 9 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 10 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
The New York Times (Manohla Dargis)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 4 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 5 | BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions | Kahlil Joseph |
| 6 | My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow* | Julia Loktev |
| 7 | Sorry, Baby | Eva Victor |
| 8 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 9 | Caught by the Tides* | Jia Zhangke |
| 10 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
The New York Times (Alissa Wilkinson)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 3 | My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow* | Julia Loktev |
| 4 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 5 | The Testament of Ann Lee | Mona Fastvold |
| 6 | Predators | David Osit |
| 7 | Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk | Sepideh Farsi |
| 8 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 9 | Eephus* | Carson Lund |
| 10 | The Voice of Hind Rajab | Kaouther Ben Hania |
The Hollywood Reporter (David Rooney)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Sirāt | Oliver Laxe |
| 4 | Peter Hujar’s Day | Ira Sachs |
| 5 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 6 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 7 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 8 | Train Dreams | Clint Bentley |
| 9 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 10 | Frankenstein | Guillermo del Toro |
The Hollywood Reporter (Jon Frosch)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 4 | Peter Hujar’s Day | Ira Sachs |
| 5 | Weapons | Zach Cregger |
| 6 | Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski |
| 7 | The Perfect Neighbor | Geeta Gandbhir |
| 8 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 9 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 10 | Twinless | James Sweeney |
The Hollywood Reporter (Sheri Linden)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | The Voice of Hind Rajab | Kaouther Ben Hania |
| 2 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 3 | Presence* | Steven Soderbergh |
| 4 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 5 | The Testament of Ann Lee | Mona Fastvold |
| 6 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 7 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 8 | Souleymane’s Story* | Boris Lojkine |
| 9 | The President’s Cake | Hasan Hadi |
| 10 | Blue Moon | Richard Linklater |
Variety (Owen Gleiberman)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 3 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 4 | Bugonia | Yorgos Lanthimos |
| 5 | Wild Diamond* | Agathe Riedinger |
| 6 | Mission: Impossible—The Final Reckoning | Christopher McQuarrie |
| 7 | Lurker | Alex Russell |
| 8 | Weapons | Zach Cregger |
| 9 | Black Bag | Steven Soderbergh |
| 10 | Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater |
Variety (Peter Debruge)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | Dreams | Dag Johan Haugerud |
| 2 | Souleymane’s Story* | Boris Lojkine |
| 3 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 4 | Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski |
| 5 | 28 Years Later | Danny Boyle |
| 6 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 7 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 8 | Train Dreams | Clint Bentley |
| 9 | The President’s Cake | Hasan Hadi |
| 10 | Steve | Tim Mielants |
Associated Press (Lindsey Bahr)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | If I Had Legs I’d Kick You | Mary Bronstein |
| 3 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 4 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 5 | The Naked Gun | Akiva Schaffer |
| 6 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 7 | Sound of Falling | Mascha Schilinski |
| 8 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 9 | The Voice of Hind Rajab | Kaouther Ben Hania |
| 10 (shared) | Urchin | Harris Dickinson |
| 10 (shared) | The Chronology of Water | Kristen Stewart |
| 10 (shared) | Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight* | Embeth Davidtz |
Associated Press (Jake Coyle)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 2 | No Other Choice | Park Chan-Wook |
| 3 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 4 | Marty Supreme | Josh Safdie |
| 5 | Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery | Rian Johnson |
| 6 | April* | Dea Kulumbegashvili |
| 7 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 8 | Secret Mall Apartment | Jeremy Workman |
| 9 | Blue Moon | Richard Linklater |
| 10 | Afternoons of Solitude | Albert Serra |
Time (Stephanie Zacharek)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| **Initial release in 2019. | ||
| 1 | Nouvelle Vague | Richard Linklater |
| 2 | An Officer and a Spy** | Roman Polanski |
| 3 | Blue Moon | Richard Linklater |
| 4 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 5 | Peter Hujar’s Day | Ira Sachs |
| 6 | Roofman | Derek Cianfrance |
| 7 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 8 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 9 | Kill the Jockey* | Luis Ortega |
| 10 | One of Them Days | Lawrence Lamont |
Slate (Dana Stevens)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | April* | Dea Kulumbegashvili |
| 2 | Blue Moon | Richard Linklater |
| 3 | Familiar Touch* | Sarah Friedland |
| 4 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 5 | Listers: A Glimpse into Extreme Birdwatching | Owen and Quentin Reiser |
| 6 | My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow* | Julia Loktev |
| 7 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 8 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 9 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 10 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
The Ringer (Adam Nayman)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | It Was Just an Accident | Jafar Panahi |
| 2 | The Shrouds* | David Cronenberg |
| 3 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 4 | Cloud* | Kiyoshi Kurosawa |
| 5 | The Secret Agent | Kleber Mendonça Filho |
| 6 | The Mastermind | Kelly Reichardt |
| 7 | Caught by the Tides* | Jia Zhangke |
| 8 | The Testament of Ann Lee | Mona Fastvold |
| 9 | 28 Years Later | Danny Boyle |
| 10 (shared) | Dracula | Radu Jude |
| 10 (shared) | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
The Washington Post (Ann Hornaday)
| ranking | title | director |
|---|---|---|
| *Initial release in 2024. | ||
| 1 | The Life of Chuck* | Mike Flanagan |
| 2 | One Battle After Another | Paul Thomas Anderson |
| 3 | Sentimental Value | Joachim Trier |
| 4 | Orwell: 2+2=5 | Raoul Peck |
| 5 | Peter Hujar’s Day | Ira Sachs |
| 6 | Holding Liat | Brandon Kramer |
| 7 | In Waves and War* | Jon Shenk and Bonni Cohen |
| 8 | Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere | Scott Cooper |
| 9 | Sinners | Ryan Coogler |
| 10 | Hamnet | Chloé Zhao |