As 2025 draws to a close with drama over the very future of the theatrical experience, we’re here to tell you that the foundation of the art form that we love so dearly is strong. On Tuesday, RogerEbert.com named Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” as the best film of 2025, and you’ll find it on dozens of lists below.
Today, we reveal all of the individual top ten lists from our regular writers, revealing the depth of quality this year. From new works by acknowledged masters like Jafar Panahi, David Cronenberg, and Guillermo del Toro to debuts of new voices like Eva Victor, Carson Lund, and Sarah Friedland, these lists truly capture what was great about this year in movies. Read through them all, pick your favorites, and watch a movie this weekend. Heck, watch two.
CHAZ EBERT
“One Battle After Another”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sinners”
“Highest To Lowest”
“Hamnet”
“Frankenstein”
“Jay Kelly”/ “Sorry, Baby”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“The Man Who Saved the World?”
“Bugonia” / “Weapons”
BRIAN TALLERICO
“One Battle After Another”
“Train Dreams”
“Sinners”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Marty Supreme”
“My Undesirable Friends, Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”
“My Father’s Shadow”
“Sentimental Value”
“Sorry, Baby”
“Sirat” RUNNER-UPS: “Blue Moon,” “”Die My Love,” “Familiar Touch,” “Frankenstein,” “A Little Prayer,” “No Other Choice,” “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” “The Secret Agent,” “The Testament of Ann Lee,” and “Wake Up Dead Man”
MATT ZOLLER SEITZ
“From Ground Zero: Stories From Gaza”
“The Secret Agent”
“The Shrouds”
“Without Arrows”
“Bauryna Salu”
“Fucktoys”
“Sinners”
“Merrily We Roll Along”
“Predator: Badlands”
“The Life of Chuck”
ROBERT DANIELS
“BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Pavements”
“Cactus Pears”
“The Secret Agent”
“There Was, There Was Not”
“Tendaberry”
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”
“One Battle After Another”
“Eephus” / “Sorry, Baby”
NELL MINOW
“Blue Moon” “Highest 2 Lowest” “Jay Kelly” “KPop Demon Hunters” “Nuremberg” “One Battle After Another” “One of Them Days” “Rental Family” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners”
Honorable mention: “Dog Man,” “Ella McCay,” “The Life of Chuck,” “My Dead Friend Zoe,” “Sorry, Baby,” and “Zootopia 2”
CLINT WORTHINGTON
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“28 Years Later”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sorry, Baby”
“Black Bag”
“Blue Moon”
“No Other Choice”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
SIMON ABRAMS
“Grand Theft Hamlet”
“April”
“The Shrouds”
“My Undesirable Friends Part 1–Last Air in Moscow”
“An Unfinished Film”
“Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass”
“Universal Language”
“Eephus”
“Caught By the Tides”
“Viet and Nam”
CARLOS AGUILAR “Frankenstein” “It Was Just an Accident” “Little Amélie or the Character of Rain” “Misericordia” “Resurrection” “The Secret Agent” “Sirat” “Sorry, Baby” “Sound of Falling” “Train Dreams”
JASON BAILEY
“One Battle After Another”
“Sentimental Value”
“Train Dreams”
“Sinners”
“Zodiac Killer Project”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Marty Supreme”
“SLY LIVES!”
“The Phoenician Scheme”
“If I Had Legs, I’d Kick You”
NANDINI BALIAL “28 Years Later” “Frankenstein” “Hamnet” “Homebound” “Mistress Dispeller” “One Battle After Another” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners” “Sorry, Baby” “Twinless”
Runner-ups: “Black Bag”, “Blue Moon”, “Familiar Touch”, “A House of Dynamite”, “Left-handed Girl”, “The Life of Chuck”, “Mickey 17”, “Misericordia”, “No Other Choice”, and “Souleymane’s Story”
MAX COVILL
“One Battle After Another”
“No Other Choice”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sentimental Value”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sinners”
“Hamnet”
“28 Years Later”
“Train Dreams”
KAYLEIGH DONALDSON
“The Secret Agent”
“Die My Love”
“The Mastermind”
“One Battle After Another”
“Train Dreams”
“Eddington”
“Wake Up Dead Man”
“The Shrouds”
“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
“Hamnet”
ISAAC FELDBERG
“Eephus”
“One Battle After Another”
“Eddington”
“Dreams (Sex Love)”
“Marty Supreme”
“Sentimental Value”
“The Mastermind”
“The Phoenician Scheme”
“Familiar Touch”
“The Ice Tower” Honorable Mentions: “A Little Prayer,” “Boys Go to Jupiter,” “Cloud,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” “Highest 2 Lowest,” “The Shrouds,” “Misericordia,” “My Father’s Shadow,” “The Secret Agent,” “To A Land Unknown,” “The Testament of Ann Lee”
MARYA E. GATES
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“Blue Moon”
“April”
“All That’s Left of You”
“Sudan, Remember Us”
“Blue Sun Palace”
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
“Endless Cookie”
“Highest 2 Lowest”
TIM GRIERSON
“My Undesirable Friends: Part I – Last Air in Moscow”
“Sound of Falling”
“The Mastermind”
“Grand Tour”
“Sorry, Baby”
“Sirat”
“Below the Clouds”
“Resurrection”
“One Battle After Another”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
BRENDAN HODGES
“Caught by the Tides”
“One Battle After Another”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“The Secret Agent”
“28 Years Later”
“Marty Supreme”
“Resurrection”
“Black Bag”
“Wake Up Dead Man”
“Eddington” Runner-ups: “Sinners,” “Eephus,” “The Shrouds,” “Happyend,” and “Avatar: Fire and Ash”
CHASE HUTCHINSON
“April”
“The Mastermind”
“Train Dreams”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“Resurrection”
“One Battle After Another”
“Powwow People”
“WTO/99”
“Sorry, Baby”
“The Chronology of Water” Runners-ups: “Alpha,” “BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions,” “Boys Go to Jupiter,” “Hedda,” “It Was Just an Accident,” “Friendship,” “Misericordia,” “Not One Drop of Blood,” “OBEX,” On Becoming a Guinea Fowl,” “Sinners,” “The Secret Agent,” “To Kill a Wolf,” “Urchin,” “Vulcanizadora,” Wake Up Dead Man,” and “Zodiac Killer Project.”
ALLY JOHNSON
“Sorry, Baby”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“One Battle After Another”
“Blue Moon”
“100 Meters”
“Train Dreams”
“Black Bag”
“Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk”
“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
RENDY JONES “Hamnet” “Hedda” “It Was Just an Accident” “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” “One Battle After Another” “The Secret Agent” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners” “Sorry, Baby” “The Testament of Ann Lee”
CORTLYN KELLY “Hedda” “My Father’s Shadow” “On Becoming A Guinea Fowl” “One Battle After Another” “One of Them Days” “Put Your Soul On Your Hand and Walk” “The Secret Agent” “Seeds” “Sinners” “Sorry, Baby” Honorable Mentions: “Black Bag,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,” and “Sentimental Value”
BEN KENIGSBERG
“My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 — Last Air in Moscow”
“One Battle After Another”
“Sirāt”
“Marty Supreme”
“No Other Choice”
“The Mastermind”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“Who by Fire”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“The Annihilation of Fish”
GLENN KENNY
“The Shrouds”
“Henry Fonda for President”
“The Friend”
“One Battle After Another”
“Black Bag”
“My Undesirable Friends, Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”
“Caught Stealing”
“Sentimental Value”
“An Officer and a Spy”
“Die, My Love”
WAEL KHAIRY “Best Wishes to All” “Chime” “Hamnet” “I Swear” “The Plague” “A Poet” “Put Your Hand on Your Hand and Walk” “Sentimental Value” “Sirat” “Train Dreams”
TOMRIS LAFFLY “Bugonia” “Frankenstein” “The History of Sound” “It Was Just An Accident” “Marty Supreme” “Nouvelle Vague” “One Battle After Another” “Resurrection” “The Secret Agent” “Train Dreams”
ZACHARY LEE
“Lurker”
“Sorry, Baby”
“One Battle After Another”
“28 Years Later”
“Sinners”
“Sirāt”
“Wake Up Dead Man”
“Rebuilding”
“Predator: Badlands”
“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” Runners-ups: “KPop Demon Hunters,” “Sunlight,” “Train Dreams,” “Black Bag,” “Urchin,” “Bugonia,” “Twinless,” “The Mastermind,” “Sentimental Value,” “Jay Kelly,” “A Useful Ghost,” “All That’s Left of You,” “It Was Just an Accident,” “The Ballad of Wallis Island,” “etetch”
CHRISTY LEMIRE “Bugonia” “Eephus” “Marty Supreme” “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow” “One Battle After Another” “Sentimental Value” “Sinners” “Sorry, Baby” “Train Dreams” “Weapons”
CRAIG LINDSEY “Blue Moon”/“Nouvelle Vague” “Die My Love”/If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” “Eephus”/“F1” “Highest 2 Lowest”/“Sinners” “It Was Just An Accident”/“Misericordia” “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”/“Sorry, Baby” “One Battle After Another”/“The Phoenician Scheme” “Predators”/“Zodiac Killer Project”
JANA MONJI
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain”
“Kiss of the Spider Woman”
“KPop Demon Hunters”
“Kokuhō”
“No Other Choice”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
“Sinners”
“Train Dreams”
“Rental Family”
“Zootopia 2”
SHERIN NICOLE “40 Acres” “Billy Idol Should Be Dead” “The Fisherman” “Happy Birthday” “KPop Demon Hunters” “Little Amelie or the Character of Rain” “Rental Family” “The Secret Agent” “Sinners” “Train Dreams”
SHEILA O’MALLEY
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Eephus”
“Frankenstein” UNRANKED FROM HERE: “Hedda” “My Mom Jayne” “My Undesirable Friends, Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow” “The Secret Agent” “Sinners” “Sirat” “Train Dreams”
CARLA RENATA
“Hamnet”
“Sinners”
“Weapons”
“Jay Kelly”
“Wicked: For Good”
“Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning”
“Train Dreams”
“Sentimental Value”
“F1: The Movie”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
KATIE RIFE
“The Voice of Hind Rajab”
“On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“Sorry, Baby”
“The Perfect Neighbor”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sound of Falling”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“April”
“One Battle After Another”
PAUL RISKER
“Sorry, Baby”
“April”
“Caught Stealing”
“Blue Moon”
“The Secret Agent”
“It Was Just An Accident”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“Black Bag”
“Companion”
“Weapons” Honourable mentions (in order): “Highest 2 Lowest,” “The Long Walk,” “Sister Midnight,” “Eephus,” “Presence,” “Hot Milk,” “Sinners,” “Sentimental Value,” “No Other Choice,” and “Frankenstein”
PEYTON ROBINSON
“One Battle After Another”
“Sorry Baby”
“The Stringer”
“Die My Love”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Sentimental Value”
“Bring Her Back”
“Lurker”
“Twinless”
RICHARD ROEPER
“Sinners”
“One Battle After Another”
“Rental Family”
“The Friend”
“Black Bag”
“Weapons”
“Is This Thing On?”
“Jay Kelly”
“Final Destination: Bloodlines”
“The Lost Bus”
JOURDAIN SEARLES
“One Battle After Another”
“If I Had Legs I’d Kick You”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“No Other Choice”
“The Mastermind”
“Sinners”
“The Shrouds”
“Hedda”
“The Secret Agent”
KAIYA SHUNYATA
“One Battle After Another”
“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”
“Pillion”
“After the Hunt”
“Train Dreams”
“To a Land Unknown”
“Plainclothes”
“Warfare”
“The Testament of Ann Lee”
“Eddington”
PETER SOBCZYNSKI
“One Battle After Another”
“Nouvelle Vague”
“Materialists”
“The Shrouds”
“Highest 2 Lowest”
“The Mastermind”
“It Was Just An Accident”
“Ella McCay”
“Black Bag”
“Sorry, Baby” Runners-Up (in alphabetical order): “Blue Moon,” “Die My Darling,” “Eephus,” “Honey Don’t!,” “One of Them Days,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sinners,” “Sister Midnight,” “Splitsville,” and “The Testament of Ann Lee”
COLLIN SOUTER “The Baltimorons” “Eephus” “It Was Just An Accident” “A Little Prayer” “My Undesirable Friends: Part 1 – Last Air In Moscow” “One Battle After Another” “Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk” “Scarlet” “Sentimental Value” “The Testament of Ann Lee”
SCOUT TAFOYA
“Two Pianos” & “Spectateurs!”
“The Ice Tower”
“28 Years Later”
“Kontinental ’25”
“The Shrouds”
“Black Rabbit White Rabbit”
“The Woman in the Yard”
“Rabbit Trap”
“Red Sonja”
“Death Will Come”
BRANDON TOWNS
“Sinners”
“Twinless”
“Endless Cookie”
“One of Them Days”
“Caught Stealing”
“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc”
“Mickey 17”
“Roofman”
“Superman”
“Companion”
MICHAEL VIERS
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“Frankenstein”
“Weapons”
“The Life of Chuck”
“Bob Trevino Likes It”
“Two Women”
“The Ugly Stepsister”
“Eephus”
“Eddington” Honorable Mentions: “The Toxic Avenger,” “Splitsville,” and “Vulcanizadora”
BRANDON WILSON
“One Battle After Another”
“Sinners”
“The Secret Agent”
“It Was Just an Accident”
“Frankenstein”
“My Undesirable Friends, Part 1 – Last Air in Moscow”
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