It's easily one of the biggest surprises of this year. While it doesn't yet settle the debate about where video game movies will go from here, it proves the subgenre is evolving. Video game movies, especially "Mortal Kombat" movies, don't have to be radical reinventions, nor do they need to be relegated to fan service slop. They can be more.

Obsession has a nasty sense of humor at the heart of the story, but the reality of what's going on is extremely dark.

There's a lot of room for cheap, silly schlock here, but Goldhaber and Mazzei actually attempt to take this (sort of) seriously, which results in a far better movie than you might be expecting.

Over Your Dead Body pulls off the magic trick of bringing exploitation cinema into a timeline that's a walking parody of itself, delivering one of the bloodiest and most entertaining films of the year.

The Drama is a cinematic Trojan horse: it's a breezy farce that feels uncomfortably ominous, and it's also a star-studded romance movie which could set off a discourse bomb.

Although much of the pleasures of They Will Kill You come with the caveat that the movie doesn't quite lead anywhere memorable, one aspect that is fully fantastic and very memorable is Zazie Beetz.

It's not "elevated" horror attempting to reinvent any wheels. It is, however, a very satisfying, very fun, and very well executed scary movie.

Horror sequels often divide fans, especially when the original develops a passionate cult following like Ready or Not. Matching that film's sharp humor, bloody chaos, and bonkers energy would be no small feat. Fortunately, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come proves to be just as explosively fun as its predecessor, even if it's essentially "the same, but more."

undertone is so effectively spooky that I found my eyes nervously darting to shadows as I walked to my car after the screening. The best horror movies don't need cheap jumpscares, they just need to make you feel like something dreadful is out there, lurking, waiting to make itself heard.

It will lift up and squeeze your heart, crack you up with laughter, and give you a sense of hope and wonder in a way that few movies have been able to inspire. Lord & Miller have created something truly magical, and we'll be talking about this one for decades to come.

Like its title character, this old hound finds new tricks and delivers a fitting "Peaky Blinders" coda that won't disappoint.

Using the framework of territory as well-worn as "Bride of Frankenstein" (which, to be fair, was pretty subversive for its time) to launch such a visually sumptuous, unapologetically bold story of love, graphic violence, and rage has to count for something. At a time when movie studios taking big risks and big swings feels more unlikely than ever, "The Bride!" is willing to charge headfirst into intentional audacity.

Audacious, heartfelt, and uproariously funny, Hoppers has all the makings of an instant classic for Pixar.

How to Make a Killing is a movie that sneaks up on you, and like Becket himself, doesn't simply stab you in the chest or punch you in the gut. Instead, it slowly poisons you, leaving you bewildered by the end as to how sick you and the country you live in has become.

Love it or hate it, believe it to be honest or self-indulgent, "The Moment" is a movie that refuses to pander, and for that, I appreciate it. We may never know who the real Charli XCX is, but unlike the fictional Charli, she seems to be putting herself out there on her own terms.

I had oodles of fun watching Raimi go wild and give McAdams a chance to play the type of unhinged weirdo she hasn't really played before.

I left 28 Years Later nervous about what might come next. After The Bone Temple, I'm thrilled at the prospect of where this story could go. That's what I call progress.

Greenland 2 still feels like a silly disaster pic at times. But it's a cut above the rest, mostly because it's less interested in grand spectacle and more focused on everyday people just trying to make it through another damn day. We can all relate to that.

Anaconda taps into a sweet spot that's just edgy enough to make adults laugh and just family friendly enough to let kids have a good time with their parents too. It's hilarious, harmless, and puts a fun spin on a familiar formula, even if the snake still looks fake as hell.

It cannot be overstated how integral Arnett and Dern are to making this movie work. It's deceptively simple in its presentation, but it couldn't be a more complex tale of a crumbling marriage and two people struggling to keep their lives together for the sake of their kids.

If you hand Paul Feig a good script, he becomes a better director. With "The Housemaid," he doesn't just explore his characters well, but wisely delves into themes of class. The dishonesty of the rich dangles over "The Housemaid," pointing out how wealth is a moral trap. It's alluring and dangerous. Wealth is practically a living creature. It seems to be dazzling and charming and seductive, but hides its true intentions, fangs secretly in its otherwise perfect smile.

Avatar: Fire and Ash is a triumph of genre filmmaking, proof that sci-fi/action can be both deliriously daring and thoroughly thrilling. At this point, I can't wait to go back to Pandora.

There is a bittersweetness to be seen in "Ella McCay," as the movie openly wonders whether hope in our political system is as outdated as everything else. This theme may be fully intentional or it may be coincidental, yet it feels heartfelt in either case.

This is unquestionably the best performance of Timothée Chalamet's career, and Marty Supreme is one of the best movies of the year. I can't wait to watch it again.

Some might wish the filmmaker had avoided current politics at all, but the "Knives Out" films are very much a reflection of our modern times, and Johnson clearly has an uncomfortable but important message he's trying to preach: faith and belief are good things ... until someone starts using them the wrong way.

Mescal is quite good and tender in these final moments, as Will grapples with his grief. But it is Buckley who remains the shining beacon that keeps "Hamnet" alive.

Zootopia 2 may be the gateway to teach young viewers to question who sets the rules, and be inspired to break those rules if it means doing what's right. Zootopia 2 may not be as politically biting as something like "BEASTARS," but if you need the Mouse to validate your politics, you don't actually have politics.

There are certain movies that grab you from the jump, and Train Dreams is one of them — as the film began its journey, I felt instantly connected to it; engrossed, near hypnotized. I didn't want it to end.

Oh, and if you aren't sold on Jonathan Bailey being selected as People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2025, the way he yearns while performing "As Long as You're Mine" will fix that for you.

Despite its beasties, "Keeper" is not a monster movie, but is instead a scathing look at an idea inherent in human relationships, particularly romantic ones.

The Carpenter's Son might just be creepy enough to work for you even if you've managed to go your whole life without religion or faith. But I imagine it works even better if you've spent some time in church.

The film lives and dies with Lawrence, who's fearless performance here reminds us why she became so acclaimed to begin with. Let's hope we start seeing more of her again now that she's back.

By far the funniest, most heartfelt, and boldest "Predator" movie of them all, "Badlands" etches its place in franchise history — right alongside the classic that started it all and the three worthy follow-ups that Trachtenberg has delivered so far. Let's hope there are many more to come.

This is a truly beautiful film. But these visuals wouldn't be nearly as effective if del Toro had neglected the emotional heft of the story. Thankfully, he has Elordi to do a lot of the heavy lifting.

It's sick and twisted enough to stick with you, and the closing moments are particularly delightful (in a bleak sort of way). I just wish it all added up to a little bit more.

Anemone does a capable job of building up the mystery at its heart, waiting and waiting until the pressure builds before finally giving both audiences and its characters a release valve — primarily through yet another tour-de-force monologue that Daniel Day-Lewis makes a meal out of, as he's done many a time before.

A House of Dynamite delivers on its promise of creating a gripping, well-crafted, anxiety-inducing thriller that sticks with you.

Though Verbinski's smallest movie since "Mouse Hunt," it still feels as ambitious as the director's blockbuster work.

The final result is the funniest feel-bad movie in ages, though one that will worm its way into your thoughts long after the credits roll. No Other Choice is proof of that all-too-rare kind of theatrical experience — one capable of being far more than it appears to be from the outside looking in.

It's silly at times. It doesn't take itself too seriously. Yet, it also has something pretty loud and timely to say. It goes hard with the gore when it needs to. The movie feels a little long in the tooth at times, particularly before we figure out what's going on, but that's a minor crime compared to what Nelson got away with here.

I don't know if I could rightfully say that this is the best "V/H/S" movie ever. "V/H/S/2" would have something to say about that. But it absolutely continues the hot streak the series has been on. If they continue to be this good, the franchise could run forever and I'd be happy about it.

For audiences curious to know the ins and outs of the early days of MMA fighting, you'd be better served by watching the 2002 documentary. If, however, you're more curious about the people involved, and if you're someone who feels like either a winner or a loser (or, more to the point, both at once) in life's big match, then The Smashing Machine is for you.

The most impressive feat Black Phone 2 pulls off is finding a way to bring The Grabber back that feels coherent and actually adds to the character. We get some backstory on the child-abductor that comes across as deepening the character rather than just answering questions that no one asked.

This film frequently feels like a powder keg ready to go off...And yet, Anderson also keeps the film consistently fun and funny. Nearly everything DiCaprio is doing here is hilarious.

Sometimes the jokes aren't funny so much as they are vindicating; it's cathartic to see a movie capture all the little insulting ways that low-wage workers are often treated. 

Whatever the flaws of The Conjuring series as a whole, "Last Rites" feels like a worthy conclusion.

The Long Walk is an emotionally obliterating all-time great Stephen King adaptation, and undoubtedly one of the best films of 2025.

Sometimes, you just want to watch a handsome guy try to get out of trouble while taking care of an ornery, fluffy cat. We could use more modern movies like Caught Stealing.

The Roses is the kind of movie you should be seeing with a crowd, even if it doesn't seem to demand a big screen experience. See it with your parents. See it with your significant other. Just see it.

The star of Eenie Meanie and the reason to see it — other than those car crashes and flips, that is — is Weaving, and she absolutely is the most valuable player in the film.

Whatever the flaws in Lee's remake design, Highest 2 Lowest rises above its issues thanks to the filmmaker's inherent skill and Washington's unbeatable charisma.

Will Nobody 2 set hearts aflame? No. If this had been the first "Nobody," no one would have been clamoring for a sequel. But it is a glorious Saturday matinée, a brisk trifle for the waning days of summer. It's the kind of movie that you'll remember better for the friends you saw it with than the movie itself. And that can be one of cinema's most important functions.

When it comes down to it, Freakier Friday is lively, fun, charming, and just plain delightful.

The Naked Gun is one of the most consistently and even exhaustingly funny movies in a long time, the kind of outrageous, outlandish comedy that multiplexes have been missing for years. It's truly a revelation to have a movie where the laughs come so fast and furious.

A wonderful mixture of bad vibes and macabre fun, Weapons is one of the best horror movies of the year, and further confirmation that writer-director Zach Cregger is one of the most exciting voices in the genre right now.

The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set in a world that I wouldn't mind living in. Even if there are occasional, ineffable cosmic deities plotting to devour me, and terrifying silver aliens ripping my soul apart with their eyes. "First Steps" is a superhero movie where we're already better. And I love that.

If you're on the fence at all, there is a mid-credits sequence that truly leaves the mid-credits made mandatory by the Marvel Cinematic Universe dead in the dirt and is so damn good that it completely recontextualizes the tone of the movie that came before.

Unapologetically silly, disarmingly earnest, and intentionally corny, Gunn's movie is entertaining, fast-paced, and, most important of all, fun.

It's a film that never feels neutered or held back, and as such it lingers in the mind for days afterward.

The original "M3GAN" was a drag show. "M3GAN 2.0" is a drag show where a straight bachelorette hijacks the VIP table. But since she tips well, is a respectful ally, and has a non-ironic appreciation for "Above the Law," she can stay.

The ending is a massive disappointment, but it can't undo everything that came before it. Boyle and his team have conjured up a kind of sensory overload — the blend of violence, mixed-media, and a frequently jarring soundtrack swirl together with feverish effect. "28 Years Later" is both scary and touching, and that's not easy to achieve. It's impressive, effective, and memorable. But someone should have told Boyle to nix that finale.

The frenetic pace may keep kids hooked, but parents will appreciate the sequences when Elio hits the pause button and allows audiences to sit in the silence — of complicated ideas, of emotionally challenging conversations, and of the wonders around us we too often fail to appreciate.

There's a bit of quiet courageousness to the movie in its commitment to depth over trying to nakedly appeal to others, and that's a quality which makes any person — and any film — more desirable. So, I'll follow the film's bravery by admitting, right here and now, that I'm in love with it.

In stark contrast to the rise of "second screen" brain rot and clunky dialogue meant to catch streaming audiences up on whatever they missed while scrolling on their phones, Killer of Killers demands your undivided attention every step of the way lest you fall behind.

Instead, The Life of Chuck is one of the most insightful and moving philosophical films ever made, a movie that's as much Kierkegaard as it is King.

What the movie lacks in laughs it more than makes up for with a hip savviness that pervades every frame.

This version of Nani and Lilo's relationship is far closer to reality, which makes the heartstring-pulling snap back with even more intensity. In a cute albeit sanitized reimagining, the bond of these sisters is the one thing that cannot be broken.

The film belongs to Del Toro and Threapleton, each of whom steal the film in disparate ways.

If you like your horror bleak, mean, and scary in ways you can't quite articulate, you're in for a wonderfully nasty treat.

When the world feels like it's on fire and atrocities are inescapable, there are few outlets for cathartic stress relief quite like a Final Destination movie. We're a culture plagued by existential dread already, so why not have fun shrieking, laughing, and judging people for their dumb decisions without consequence? Watching a film like Final Destination Bloodlines in a theater full of screaming strangers is my kind of community building.

Provides a spoonful of laugh-out-loud moments of sugar from David Harbour to help make the medicine go down. It's a self-aware, serious, action-comedy that never sacrifices story to make its point, and never talks down to the audience even if it has to be a bit more obvious for four-quadrant viewers.

The filmmakers have made a movie which, while not being particularly deep, manages to be fresh, engaging, creepy and fun. For a mainstream horror flick adapted from a game, that's a feat in and of itself, but what gives "Until Dawn" extra heft is its meta, existentialist twist on the monster mash, making the film not the best, but the most horror movie of the year.

This is a one-of-a-kind experience that simply doesn't come around very often. Hyperbole or not, I'm willing to bet we'll be talking about "Sinners" for a long time to come.

The film is undeniably at its best when grappling with the push and pull of technology versus old-school espionage.

Hess and his army of screenwriters (only five are credited) have taken the wisest possible route with their adaptation: A Minecraft Movie is a broad, slapstick farce without a hint of seriousness, reverence, or coolness. The most shocking thing? It's not terrible. 

While there may be a few folks out there for whom Hell of a Summer gives them a chill, the majority of horror fans probably won't find themselves too fearful. What Bryk and Wolfhard have here instead is one of the coziest horror movies in recent memory, one which instantly feels charming from the start.

Warfare is downright experimental in its presentation, daring even in how it bucks form and structure. As an experience, it cuts to the bone.

Ultimately, Snow White is better than "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Little Mermaid" — by a long shot — but it's not as good as Branagh's "Cinderella" or Burton's "Dumbo." And, sadly, it overall still bears the boring sheen of a corporate mandate. This is another cynical enterprise, tapping into certain nostalgic images in the hopes that we'll pay for the same high we had as children.

When it comes to Nicolas Cage movies where he fights insurmountable odds while losing his mind, The Surfer is a great time.

Friendship is a delightful, vulnerable, agonizing film, and it's a new career height for Tim Robinson. 

It's a lean, crowd-pleasing ride worth taking. Buckle up for one bad yet wilding entertaining, nail-biter of a date.

It's rare that sequels outdo what came before, but O'Connor manages to do so here. This is pure popcorn entertainment, executed effectively.

If you want to watch a bunch of silly rich people get murdered by a unicorn, this is the film for you. And if you want to watch Jenna Ortega co-lead a horror/comedy slasher movie again, you're gonna have a good time.

Novocaine is a delightful and surprisingly relatable hoot. If too many over-stylized, gleefully immature action movies have been a particular pain in your ass lately, then consider Novocaine your analgesic.

This movie veers in some truly wild directions and it's not quite as polished as its predecessor. At the same time, it feels in line with what came before. It certainly doesn't betray the characters or the world Feig has set up.

Black Bag is a perfect example of all of Soderbergh's strengths and the heights he's capable of reaching throughout this run-and-gun phase of his post-retirement career.

Mickey 17 crystalizes our horrific reality into an existential parable, one that fundamentally understands the hell of working-class existence with the allegorical precision of "The Twilight Zone." It's a story about people finding love, connection, and community under hopeless circumstances, and a rallying cry that we all deserve better conditions for existing.

Action junkies, horror fiends, and romance enthusiasts have seen all of this done before and done better, sure. But it's a rare kind of gem that even attempts to pack all of these disparate elements into the same package. It's an even greater (dare I say pleasant) surprise that the last group will be the one walking away most satisfied by this, when all's said and done.

Ultimately, how you feel about "Opus" depends on what kind of movie lover you are — if you're the type who, like me, loves to go over films again and again with a fine-tooth comb to mine the layers of theme and subtext, then the movie could be surprisingly rewarding. If you're looking for a purely visceral and emotionally engaging experience, then "Opus" is unquestionably a letdown.

The Wedding Banquet may be the feel-good movie of the year, but that's not to call it a frivolity. It's a film that, once again, demonstrates how all of us, no matter from what background, can relate to each other, and in the era we're currently suffering through, that's a message we could all use more of.

Shanks can clearly blend horror and comedy, keeping things hilarious while never letting the tension diminish, and it's a technique that allows him to play an audience like a fiddle.

The film is a haunting curiosity, a movie that exists on the cusp of both folk horror and cosmic horror without resolving that tension.

Kiss of the Spider Woman is a big kiss of a movie, one so genuinely loving that it's hard not to swoon.

As intended, "Section 31" is the Michelle Yeoh show, and she wears Georgiou like a spiky, vampy, blood-soaked glove at this point. Either you enjoy watching Yeoh strut and kick and smirk through action scenes, or you have no taste.

Moviegoers often cry out that they want fresh, original films instead of more endless remakes and sequels. Well, here you go. Companion is exactly what you're looking for. Don't miss it.

Den of Thieves 2 frequently feels less abrasive than the first film; almost kinder. At the same time, there's still a scuzzy, energy drink-infused atmosphere at play that only adds to the charm. This is junk food cinema, and sometimes, that's exactly what you're hungry for.

The outcome is a "Sonic" movie that feels like everything fans love about the games distilled into a film that's fast, flashy, a hell of a lot of fun, and boasts an absolute banger of a soundtrack.

Watching The Brutalist has the feeling of reading a great, sprawling work of literature; as you near the final pages, you're both thrilled at having made it through the journey while also wishing there were just a few pages more.