Believe it or not, but 2025 is already halfway over. While the 2025 new movie release schedule has plenty more on the docket for this year and there are a number of good summer blockbuster movie options to enjoy in movie theaters right now, I’d thought I’d take a moment to reflect on my favorite movies of 2025 so far.
Extra bonus, all of these movies are available to watch at home right now either through streaming services or via digital on-demand.
Seeing as we’re just half way through the year, I’ve picked my five favorite movies so far rather than the traditional 10; though if the 2024 edition of this mid-year check in is any indication, a good number of these could have some staying power on the eventual year-end list (four out of the five movies I cited as my “favorite of 2024 so far” made my final top 10 of 2024).
Without further ado, here are my five favorite movies of 2025 so far (in alphabetical order), and how you can watch them at home:
I can usually rely on the Sundance Film Festival to deliver at least one first-half of the year gem, and this year that came in the form of The Ballad of Wallis Island. This indie comedy centers on a professional musician who finds out his most recent gig is playing for a concert exclusively for an eccentric lottery winner on a remote British isle. And to make things more awkward the musician’s ex-bandmate/girlfriend was also invited.
That sets up plenty of gentle humor in this charming film, with stars Tom Basden, Tim Key, Carrey Mulligan and Sian Clifford playing their roles in perfect harmony. But there’s also a touch of beautiful sadness to the story that allows The Ballad of Wallis Island to sit with you a good while after you’ve watched it.
Stream The Ballad of Wallis Island on Peacock in the US; the movie is still playing in movie theaters in the UK.
Between my Black Bag review and a plea for viewers missing adult-targeted movies like this to show up for Black Bag when it premiered on streaming, I’ve made my support for Steven Soderbergh’s modern spy movie known. But just in case you haven’t seen Black Bag yet, here’s a reminder to do so.
Michael Fassbender stars as George Woodhouse, one half of a powerful spy couple along with his wife Kathryn St. Jean (Cate Blanchett). But when a key piece of technology goes missing, George is tasked with finding who the traitor is, with the list of suspects including his wife.
Black Bag is a tight, expertly made spy thriller, which you can stream on Peacock in the US; available to rent via digital on-demand in the UK.
One of Them Days came out all the way back in January but for my money it remains the funniest movie of 2025 to date. Keke Palmer and SZA star as two best friends and roommates who find themselves short on rent when an airhead boyfriend spends it on himself. They have until the end of the day to scrounge up enough money to keep them from being evicted, while having to deal with a slew of characters in their LA neighborhood.
As I wrote in my One of Them Days review, Palmer and SZA have great comedic chemistry, while the movie itself has the inklings of a Friday for the 21st century. It’s a great option if you’re in need of a laugh.
Stream One of Them Days on Netflix in the US; available via digital on-demand in the UK.
If I had to rank my favorite movies of 2025 right now, Sinners would be in the pole position. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan reunited for another incredible movie that should’ve absolutely been seen on the big screen (and as indicated by its box office many did). But if you need to catch up with it at home, by all means sit back and revel in this horror/action blockbuster.
Jordan stars in the movie as twin brothers Smoke and Stack as they return to their home in the Mississippi Delta in the 1930s after years away with the aim of opening up a club. They round up old friends and family to help put on their opening night party, but soon find that they’ve attracted some unwelcome guests that threaten to turn the night upside down.
Currently available via digital on-demand in the US and UK, Sinners makes its streaming debut on Max in the US on July 4.
I’ve previewed the funniest and what I think right now are the best movies of the year, so to close this list out I’m highlighting the most intense movie of the year, Warfare. Civil War’s Alex Garland co-directed this movie with veteran Ray Mendoza, portraying a real-life mission featuring Navy SEALs, with the story taken from the memories of those who took part in it.
While the action in the movie is still intense, watching Warfare at home may be better for some who don’t want to feel a little shell-shocked from theater acoustics. And however you watch it, it’s an incredible story of brothers in arms and the cost of war.
Buy or rent Warfare via digital on-demand platforms in the US; stream Warfare on Prime Video in the UK.
