a confident, colourful original with big ideas, inventive imagery and enough warmth to stick the landing. After a few years of “fine,” this felt like a genuine step back in the right direction.

The Bluff is a competently made pirate action-thriller that lands as you would expect for a better streaming original but there is very little here to make it stand out as anything more than a fun, and instantly forgotten watch.

Good Luck, Have Fun, Don't Die is a fantastic return for Gore Verbinski. Packed with fun ideas, enjoyable characters and an original take on the time travel formula with a venomously anti-AI approach that's refreshingly blunt and satirical in all the best ways.

Cold Storage is derivative, tonally confused, visually cheap and missing the practical-effects creativity that could have made it a fun viral horror-comedy.

Wasteman is a brutally grounded, intense and often uncomfortable British prison drama that lands with constant unease.

The Testament of Ann Lee is a spellbinding, exhausting, and singular experience anchored by a career-best performance from Amanda Seyfried, and one of the most visually and musically distinctive films of the year.

The Voice of Hind Rajab is a harrowing, deeply upsetting experience, and one of the most unforgettable films of the year. It’s not an easy watch, nor should it be.

Crime 101 is highly derivative of many classic crime-thrillers (especially Michael Mann’s work), but the vintage vibe, slow-pacing and character-focused approach makes for a better than expected heist-thriller.

Looney Tunes: The Day the Earth Blew Up is a very easy film to like. It’s funny, visually delightful with its vibrant 2D animation, and made with a clear affection for these characters and their legacy.

Greenland 2: Migration is the definition of a diminishing-returns sequel. It doesn’t disgrace the original, but it also doesn’t justify its own existence beyond being another sturdy Gerard Butler vehicle to be dumped in January.

H is for Hawk is a gentle, visually rich, and thoughtfully acted exploration of grief that values subtlety over catharsis. It doesn’t always find the emotional lift its subject promises, but Claire Foy’s performance, the extraordinary presence of Mabel the Hawk, and the film’s calm, observational beauty make it a worthwhile watch.

Saipan may not fully justify its existence as a feature, but thanks to an incredible central performance from Éanna Hardwicke, solid support from Steve Coogan and a sharp, thriller-like presentation, it stands as a smart, contained drama that is far better than you would expect.

Rental Family isn't immune to manipulative mawkishness, but it wears its heart on its sleeve to deliver a tender, thoughtful and funny exploration of loneliness in a fascinating sub-culture of Japan.

Song Sung Blue is a messy, overstuffed, tonally schizophrenic musical biopic held together almost entirely by two phenomenal performances and an earnest heart. Flawed but fascinating, unhinged yet sincere, this is a film I admired more in pieces than as a whole, but one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.

In this conversation, the Film Focus Online team delve into their favourite films of 2025. They explore the performances of actors, the direction styles of filmmakers, and the emotional impact of various films. The discussion also touches on anticipated future releases and the disappointments of the year, providing a comprehensive overview of the current film landscape.

Marty Supreme is thrilling, stressful, hilarious, and deeply uncomfortable in the best possible way. It’s not an underdog sports story, and it’s not just another Safdie anxiety spiral, it’s a madcap character study powered by ego, obsession, and the delusional thrill of believing you’re destined for greatness.

James Cameron proves he can deliver unmatched spectacle and filmmaking craft, but sadly the franchise seems to already be in the mode of rehashing beats from the previous films with very little new added to it.

In an era where “true crime” and documentaries as a whole have been hollowed out into content sludge, Predators stands out as one of the most intelligent, ethically challenging documentaries I’ve seen in years.

Fackham Hall won’t convert anyone who already hates spoof comedy, and it definitely outstays its welcome by a few minutes, but as a broad, silly, relentlessly stupid satire of British period dramas, it mostly does the job. A fun, disposable cinema watch that proves parody still has a pulse, even if it’s occasionally not landing the punchline.

Seeing Kill Bill in this form has only strengthened my belief that The Bride’s journey is one of Tarantino’s finest achievements. It’s everything he loves about cinema, revenge, emotion, music, mythology, genre, and sheer cinematic joy distilled into one four-hour odyssey that's as sharply written, packed with unforgettable characters, heart and extraordinarily violent action.