Benjamin Judge's judgements

Morning.

Welcome to my countdown of every 2025 film I saw in 2025, ranked from my least favourite to my favourite. As that list is 225 films long, I thought I would break it down into nine posts of 25 films each and post one an hour until 5 o’clock this afternoon. I realise that most people will only be interested in the bottom and top 25s but that’s ok. Take from today whatever you like. Hopefully, you’ll find a new film or two to watch.

FAQs

• What do you mean by a ‘2025 film’? 

  Thanks for asking. Yes, my definition of what counts as a 2025 film does differ from most other lists. A lot of films get two releases: they will play a film festival and then, if they are lucky, get a general release. My list considers only the general release, because that is what I have access to.So, for example, No. 5 on the Sight & Sound list of the best films of 2024 was Hard Truths because it played the BFI Film Festival in October 2024, but it is on my 2025 list because it got a general release in January 2025, which was when I saw it. Equally, the No. 5 film on their 2025 list is The Secret Agent, which will be on my 2026 list.In a nutshell, any film that got a general cinema release or a streaming release in 2025 in the UK is eligible for my list. I don’t have all the streaming services, but I do have too many.

• So how come my favourite film isn’t on your list? 

  Well, because I didn’t see it. It’s not like I didn’t try. I saw 225 films, dude.But if I did miss a classic, please mention it in the comments, because I like watching films. Especially good ones.

• What other films haven’t you seen, dickhead? 

  All right mate. Blimey. Keep your hat on. Yes, there are a few obvious/glaring gaps in my list. I have some really good excuses though…Films I can’t watch: Generally, I go to the cinema to have a good time. I have a low tolerance level for watching people suffer. I can’t do harrowing. After a period of avoiding all horror films, I am returning to the genre, but cautiously, and with a reasonable idea of what I don’t want to see. This means that Bring Her Back (Empire’s No.6 of 2025) is not on my list. I wasn’t brave enough. Sorry. Also missing are Final Destination: Bloodlines, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Black Phone 2, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and several dozen cheap slasher films, some of which I’m sure were treats that I missed. Not sorry.I watch the news, and keep up with what’s happening in the world, but/so I find it very hard to build up the willpower to watch harrowing documentaries about those events. Again, sorry. In a similar vein, given what is happening in the world at the moment, I haven’t found myself in the mood for nuclear apocalypse drama A House of Dynamite since its release. Again, not sorry.

  Films I don’t watch: I don’t watch films about serial killers or smurfs. Can’t see the appeal of either of them.

  Films I didn’t/couldn’t watch: The most obvious gap in my list is Ne Zha 2, which was, by a wide margin, the biggest film of 2025. In fairness to me, by the time I knew anything about how big it was it had already ended its (very limited) UK release. The other big film I missed was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle, which appeared to be a sequel to a series based on a film that was based on a manga that I wasn’t familiar with. 7th biggest film of the year worldwide, mate. I’ll try not to make the same mistake again.

  Films I really wanted to see but missed because I was on holiday, or ill, or busy, include Ebony and Ivory, The Stimming Pool, The Surfer, Lokah: Chapter One, The Glassworker, and Cloud.

• Why are your opinions on cinema so crap? 

  Please try to remember that this is a list in order of how much I liked them, not how good they are. I saw a few indisputably good films in 2025 that I really hated. I also saw some absolute trash that I adored. Everyone’s different. I am who I am and I’m pretty happy with the results.

• Did you really watch 225 new films in 2025? 

  Yes. Yes I did. And some old ones too. I really like movies.