David’s 25 Favorite Movies of 2025
Despite everything going on in 2025, somehow I managed to watch 173 movies, most of which were released in the last year and almost 70 of those in theaters. Check out the list below to see which ones ranked as my favorites, and be sure to give them a watch if you haven’t yet!
Weapons
I had the pleasure of seeing this horror blockbuster twice in theaters, then another time after it hit streaming this fall. With each viewing, Weapons has gotten better for me.
Check out my full review here!
2. Frankenstein
Guillermo Del Toro knows his way around a monster movie, and Frankenstein might be his best yet. Netflix made a huge mistake by only releasing this epic in theaters for a very limited, two-week engagement. Luckily, I caught a screening before it hit streaming and it was exhilarating in the cinema.
Check out my full review here!
3. Sinners
Based on my top 3 picks of 2025, it’s evident that 2025 was a banner year for horror movies. While I am a huge fan of the genre, I promise my year-end lists are not biased toward it. (Last year my #1 favorite was Thelma and the year before that it was Barbie!)
Anyway, Sinners deserves all of the awards. Everything from the direction to the performances to the music is perfect, and it all culminates in a thrilling final act. Greatest vampire movie of all-time? Quite possibly!
Check out The Drive Home’s full episode on Sinners here.
4. Kiss of the Spider Woman
It’s a shame that Roadside Attractions did not promote this movie-musical more, because in my opinion, it was better than this year’s other musical tentpole Wicked: For Good. With a trio of strong performances from Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez, and Diego Luna, and captivating direction from Bill Condon (who helmed one of my all-time favorites Dreamgirls), Kiss of the Spider Woman tells a gripping story that feels more timely now than ever, even though it was originally written in the 1970’s.
Check out The Drive Home’s full episode on Kiss of the Spider Woman here.
5. F1
As I wrote back in July, F1 is like Top Gun: Maverick meets Days of Thunder dialed up to 11.
Brad Pitt plays a former F1 driver who returns to the sport for one last shot at glory after retiring 30 years earlier due to a life-threatening accident. The plot is simple, but not dumb, and even non-F1 fans (like yours truly) will understand what’s going on. Most importantly, the story leaves plenty of room for numerous breathtaking race sequences, expertly filmed by director Joseph Kosinski and crew.
Everyone in the movie looks smoking hot, and even at two and a half hours, it never drags. F1 is the near-perfect summer movie if you ask me!
Not to mention, the soundtrack is full of bangers. I loved hearing Don Toliver and Doja Cat’s single “Lose My Mind” blasting through the cinema speakers before an epic F1 race.
As for the rest of my list…
6. Together
7. The Lost Bus
8. Zootopia 2
9. The Housemaid
10. Final Destination Bloodlines
11. Bugonia
12. Presence
13. Nonnas
14. Roofman
15. Train Dreams
16. Wake Up Dead Man
17. Freakier Friday
18. Rental Family
19. Companion
20. Hamnet
21. Eternity
22. Black Bag
23. Dangerous Animals
24. 28 Years Later
25. Bring Her Back
Cheers to another great year of movies!