2025 is halfway over, and there are still plenty of movies to look forward to. There’s a spiffy newFantastic Fourfilm, the conclusion toWicked, and another dose of James Cameron’sAvatarcome Christmas. With so much to look forward to, it’s easy to forget the first crop of films from this year.
If you didn’t catch them at the theater, now is the time to stream them as they all make themselves available across several services. Here are 10 films from earlier this year that should be added to your watchlists, whether you just need to catch up or plan on assembling that best-of-the-year movie list.
2025
Runtime
1 hour 33 minutes
Based on a true story,Last Breathis the tale of deep-sea divers on a dire rescue mission. With a crew member stranded on the ocean floor, it’s up to the skilled divers to prevent the waters from claiming another soul. But the mission won’t be easy, as the harsh pressure and lack of oxygen make this a daring ordeal with lives on the line.
With a strong ensemble cast of Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu, Finn Cole, and Cliff Curtis,Last Breathhas some fine performances amid its bubbling tension. There is plenty of danger in this survival thriller, made all the more inspiring by its biographical nature. If you love films about challenging rescues and real-life heroes rising to the occasion, this is a recent film you shouldn’t miss.
Peacock
Last Breathis a survival thriller based on the true story of deep-sea divers taking on a daring rescue mission.
1 hour 49 minutes
Nathan (Jack Quaid) is a strange guy with a condition called Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis (it’s a real thing), which prevents him from feeling pain. While his cautious life and job at a bank leaves him introverted, he finds love with his co-worker Sherry (Amber Midthunder). But bank robbers take her hostage, and Nathan decides to use his pain-free sensation to his advantage, getting involved in gritty fights where bullets and stabbings can’t slow him down.
Novocainehas a clever premise and solid comedy with the always-exuberant Quaid’s (he’s great inThe Boys) manic performance. He makes a fun, unlikely hero with his antics, in how he reluctantly thrusts himself into situations, such as deep-frying his hands and stabbing people with his exposed bones. While the script does take some leaps and bounds with getting from point A to point Blood, the energy is high, and it’s pretty entertaining for those craving more slapstick comedy with their gruesome action.
Paramount Plus
Novocainefollows the adventures of a man who can’t feel pain as he fights criminals to rescue his girlfriend.
1 hour 38 minutes
Companionhas a twist so fun that even talking about the film is a spoiler. The premise involves the uncertain Iris (Sophie Thatcher) venturing off on a group cabin vacation with her boyfriend, Josh (Jack Quaid). Something feels off when she arrives to meet Josh’s friends, as something much darker about them and herself is revealed with a sci-fi surprise.
WhileCompanion’sstory feels as though it could’ve been plucked fromBlack MirrororTheTwilight Zone, it’s the comedy that really makes this film stand out. There’s terror in Iris’s discovery, but also absurdity and cleverness in a situation involving apps, identity, language, and deception. The quirky characters make this film a fine stew of science fiction, horror, and comedy.
HBO Max
Companionfeatures a sci-fi twist on the nature of dating and identity.
1 hour 29 minutes
If you loved the colorful creativity of theCaptain Underpantsmovie, DreamWorks has returned to the books of Dav Pilkey with an adaptation ofDog Man. The film follows the adventures of a cop with a dog head and human body trying to stop the villainous schemes of the evil cat Petey. But there might be more to Petey than Dog Man thought in his never-ending quest to bring justice to his city.
Fast-paced and funny,Dog Manis overflowing with absurdity fit for family audiences. Although not as unique with experimenting asCaptain Underpants, there’s a childish playfulness to the doodle art style and misspelled words. If you’re looking for a good starter film for the youngest viewers in your household, this is a good choice for its colorful appeal, zippy slapstick, and simple charms, where the kids won’t have to worry about jokes going over their heads.
Dog Manfeatures the hilarious adventures of a half-man/half-dog cop trying to stop the evil plans of the cat, Petey.
2 hours 17 minutes
After Bong Joon Ho won numerous awards for his class satireParasite, he returned to the sci-fi genre again withMickey 17. In a depressing future, the film follows the adventures of Mickey (Robert Pattinson), a down-on-his-luck guy who has signed up for a planetary expedition. He has also signed up for a cloning process so that he’ll never die, an invention that creates controversy when more than one of him is present.
Echoing his previous works ofSnowpiercerandOkja, Bong Joon Ho’s newest film embraces a meaningful message amid the absurdity of capitalism. In addition to Pattinson’s slurring speech and weary delivery, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo play cartoonish elites aiming to strip a planet of its resources. Although rather blunt, the acclaimed director continues to produce meaningful science fiction with a potent message and plentiful satire.
Mickey 17is a satirical sci-fi adventure depicting capitalism’s ills through planetary exploration and cloning.
1 hour 31 minutes
If you miss the days of traditional animation,The Day The Earth Blew Upwill restore your faith in the medium. This feature-lengthLooney Tunesmovie features Daffy and Porky as brothers struggling to maintain their old home. While working at a chewing gum factory, they stumble onto an alien plot threatening the planet.
A film like this would be easy to recommend for the traditional 2D medium alone, but it’s much easier with such robust characters and comedy. Without the usual ensemble of cartoon characters, Daffy and Porky are given enough time to have their dynamic, akin to theLooney Tunessegments ofDuck DodgersandRocket Squad. Free of pop culture references and having fun with B-movie tropes, this is easily one of the bestLooney Tunesmovies and a must-watch for any cartoon lover.
The Day The Earth Blew Upfeatures Daffy and Porky trying to save Earth from a horrific and absurd alien plot.
2024
2 hours
David Cronenberg delivers another cerebral and surreal dose of terror withThe Shrouds. Vincent Cassel plays Karsh, a man in the business of graves who recently lost his wife. Overwhelmed with an existential crisis, he develops a machine to contact the realm beyond our mortality. But he’s not ready for the darkness he unearths with his latest experiment.
While Cronenberg’s films are always fascinating for how they delve into the uncomfortable strangeness of the human body, his latest film does so through the strong theme of grief. The more intimate topic crafts a film that feels more personal rather than a routine contemplation on evolution and body horror. You still get all, but posed through a surprisingly cathartic approach to death, more preoccupied with where humanity ends rather than what the material will shape next.
The Criterion Channel
The Shroudsexplores the nature of death when a grieving man attempts to make contact with another realm.
1 hour 39 minutes
Set in Zambia,On Becoming a Guinea Fowlstarts with the reserved Shula discovering her Uncle Fred dead in the street. Soon after, she reluctantly engages with her family’s funeral traditions. However, the activities unearth some of the more disturbing controversies of the past while trying to find something worth preserving since childhood.
Rungano Nyoni’s film combines the absurd and the traumatic, with a bittersweet surrealism about handling grief and burying the past. Susan Chardy’s performance as Shula isn’t just muted, but understandably stone-faced amid her memory-hazed aunts and checked-out father. The movie is not an easy watch, but it does boast some levity amid its darkness, as when Shula discovers the corpse while dressed in a Missy Elliot costume.
On Becoming a Guinea Fowlis a bittersweet contemplation on the funeral process that unearths dark secrets of abuse and a surreal desire for escape.
1 hour 35 minutes
Director Steven Soderbergh delivered another brilliant, sexy, sly thriller withBlack Bag. Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett play a married couple working within a spy agency. When it’s revealed there’s a mole in their organization, their trust and how well they can outsmart each other and their coworkers will be put to the ultimate test.
CallingBlack Bagclever would be an understatement. Soderbergh’s direction remains as slick as ever, with eye-popping camera work and boldly intimate cinematography, bundled with an intelligent script. The characters are also as gorgeous as the direction, featuring Fassbender and Blanchett as a dapper couple so devious that they deserve each other. You shouldn’t miss this one if you like your spy thrillers with beauty and brains.
Black Bagis a clever and sexy spy thriller about a married couple struggling with secrets.
Ryan Coogler directed an absolutely thrilling, musical, and bloody masterpiece withSinners. Set in 1930s Mississippi, the film follows the business venture of the Smokestack Twins (both excellently played by Michael B. Joedan), who are trying to open their juke joint. Despite having some help, including a prodigy blues player with the young Sammie, their opening night goes awry when vampires target the establishment.
Coogler infusesSinnerswith a strong thematic core of a conflicted community, cultural corruption, and music’s power. The characters are so robustly established that it doesn’t matter that the vampires don’t show up for the movie’s first half. With mesmerizing musical numbers, a strong Southern vibe, and some fantastic brutality, this is one of Coogler’s most intoxicating films and easily one of the best of 2025.
Sinnersfuses music and vampires into a historical drama overflowing with soul, sex, and horror.
It’s easy to scoff at the first half of the year not featuring the best films, but you’d be doing yourself a disservice by missing out on these great movies. So, play catch-up with these titles before you get drowned in summer blockbusters and holiday favorites. There’s something for everyone, whether you’ve got young kids who like the Dog Man books, need a satisfying dose of sci-fi, or a refreshing take on horror.
