We’ve done it again. We’ve covered enough films to make a Top 5 Best and a Top 5 Worst Films of the year list. Not only that, but we have passed our 10th anniversary. That’s right. I started this site in August of 2015, over a decade ago now. I may not be the most frequent blogger but you can’t say I’m not loyal. This year has been very peachy indeed.

As usual, we’re going to eat our vegetables first and list the Top 5 Best Films I saw this year. Let’s dive right in.

5. Together

I think this might become required viewing for any couple contemplating either marriage or ‘settling down.’ The body horror is some of the best I’ve ever seen, but what elevates Together as a film is its writing.

Our main couple (played wonderfully by Dave Franco and Alison Brie) wrangle with each other’s egos, struggling to find common ground with their individual goals and ambitions. They know that the obstacles they face can hinder each other’s commitment, obstacles that can be uncomfortable to confront. This romance isn’t glamorous or easy to watch, but it feels real. The writing here demonstrates a great degree of emotional intelligence in that respect.

The body horror isn’t for the squeamish, but neither is the drama. Either way, Together is a challenging horror film but for the greatest of reasons.

4. Weapons

There are plenty of horror films that are weird and interesting, but not good. There’re also plenty that’re good but not weird and interesting. Weapons might be one of those rare cases that achieve the balance.

The mystery is attractive enough to hook anyone, but bizarre enough to give you no hope of deducing the answer. Each member of the film’s ensemble is well-developed and compelling in their own way.

There are jump scares, disturbing sights and an ending just as gratifying as Danny Devito’s Matilda (if you know you know). It’s a great ride.

3. 28 Years Later

This took some time to grow on me. The style of filmmaking I found very jarring and the introduction of different ‘breeds’ of infected I thought was too derivative. However, the writing was so good that it overpowered my discomfort caused by the editing and my temptation to scoff at the zombie variants.

Shot in the beautiful North East of England (I say that with absolutely no bias whatsoever), 28 Years Later is a moving coming-of-age story that tackles death, family, isolationism, nationalism and history. Needless to say, I cannot wait for The Bone Temple.

2. Frankenstein

What can you say but Del Toro does it again. He adapts another classic in a way that’s faithful to the source material but deviates enough from it to justify its existence. 

This version of the Frankenstein story is certainly the most compassionate I’ve ever seen. Don’t expect a bitter ending. The film leaves on a hopeful and reconciliatory note, which is remarkable as well as uplifting. Those final scenes have lived rent-free in my mind ever since.

Surely Netflix will let Del Toro make At The Mountains of Madness now, right? 

1. The Long Walk

For me, the best viewing experiences are those that blow your expectations out of the water. Going into The Long Walk, I was expecting a tense but generic thriller with a high concept. What I got was an incredible drama about a group of men trying to create meaningful connections with each other before they die.

Like a great episode of Star Trek or Doctor Who, The Long Walk is about big ideas in a small world. On a single road snaking through various small towns, we learn about an America that is disturbingly like the country at present. The economy is in ruins, the country has lost all credibility on the international stage, and unconditional patriotism is expected from everyone.

It’s a lot better than it needs to be. I can’t think of another title this year that was as surprising and thought-provoking as The Long Walk, hence it has earned the mantle of the best film I saw in 2025.

Time for dessert. Here are the Top 5 Worst Films I saw in 2025.

5. Jurassic World: Rebirth

My tolerance for legacy sequels is pretty much gone. We’re in the mid-2020s now. We know how this kind of film works and no one’s falling for it anymore. Hence despite everything I liked about Rebirth, I put it in my Top 5 Worst of the Year list with no reservations.

Classic sequences from the original Jurassic Park are recreated attentively and shamelessly, even down to John Williams’ score. Nothing, not the scary Mosasaurus scenes or D-Rex scenes, could make me forgive Rebirth for that. Especially when coupled with the dull characters.

Unless it gets rave reviews, I’m avoiding the sequel.

4. Troll 2

How could they mess this up?! I wondered after finishing Troll 2. If the writing had been at the same level as the first one, I wouldn’t have minded as long as there was more troll action.

Despite what you’d expect looking at the trailers, the film’s troll-on-troll action lasts less than 5 minutes. The rest of the runtime centres on human affairs and a single troll rampaging through Norway, which we already saw in the first one.

If there’s a sequel, I’ll check it out as I do think this series has potential. I can only hope that this blunder is a one-off.

3. Predator: Badlands

A film led by a Predator: can you think of a better set-up? Well, I certainly couldn’t think of a worse execution.

Humanising the Predator and making them empathetic was never going to be a good idea. You can’t ask an audience to invest their emotions in such a creature.

Can you get them to invest their interest? Absolutely. A film with a Predator protagonist should play like a nature documentary, not an action drama. The Predator mentality is brutal; getting us to feel for it would be a big mistake, going against it would be an even bigger mistake.

But that’s what Badlands does: Disneyfies the Predator. Need I say more?

2. Star Trek: Section 31

Guardians Of The Galaxy made on a TV budget set in Star Trek’s prime timeline. How could this turn out as anything but abysmal? This was another review where I couldn’t be bothered to break it down, I just rambled in a stream of consciousness what I hated about Section 31.

We have an intergalactic tyrant for a protagonist who feels immense guilt, not for the countless genocides she’s committed, but for some friend she had to kill once. She is then handcuffed to a ragtag team of Guardians Of The Galaxy rip-offs.

Add some cringe-inducing ‘banter’ and pretentious uses of terms like ‘fate’ and ‘redemption,’ and you’ve got the worst Star Trek film to date, as well as the second worst film I saw in 2025. It did indeed turn out abysmal.

1. War Of The Worlds

This, ironically, is probably the most watchable of my Top 5 but make no mistake, it is at number one for a reason.

Video calls are part of our everyday life now, so it’s no surprise that writers and directors are using them in storytelling. However, I am yet to see a film or show set in a video call that isn’t unbearably awkward.

Ice Cube acting his heart out on a Teams call is the most pathetic and hilarious thing I’ve seen all year. When he backs away from his desk, you know something big’s happened. As hilarious as the filmmaking can be, its comedic value is finite. It wore off for me at around the 45-minute mark. By that point, I didn’t feel like I was watching a so-bad-it’s-good-film but just a bad film.

I’d recommend it for those first 45 minutes. If you’re still giggling after that, then you’ll love this film.

If you’ve made it this far, I can only thank you for being a loyal reader. It’s nice to know that some people find my writing worth the time. As you know, I don’t review everything. I’m a creature of habit who only covers stuff that interests me.

Fortunately, next year has a lot of releases that I’m excited about, including Disclosure Day, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Dune: Part Three and The Mandalorian and Grogu.

I hope you’ve all had a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, a Happy Kwanzaa, and of course, I hope you all have a Happy New Year. See you soon.