Welcome to my 2025 media roundup. As per the tradition, here are the films, TV shows and videogames that I have personally enjoyed the most this year, out of this list of everything here.
These are just my favourites, what are yours?
Films
We saw the in the New Year with Nosferatu, Robert Eggers’ much anticipated remake of the original bloodsucking Dracula copyright-dodger, though this time with much more of a psychosexual emphasis and a lot more moustaches. However the performances are excellent and the production design, costuming and the cinematography all drip with a heavy gothic atmosphere that is irresistible. Although it’s now pretty much cliché to complain about anything that is a ‘remake’, this is one that absolutely nails it.
Also on the period piece vampire tip, was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, with Michael B Jordan taking on the dual role of a set of twins. The buildup takes its time in setting the scene and fleshing out the world, so the off kilter second half’s action sequences feel a little rushed in comparison and then the ending is drawn out again - however overall this one is still highly recommended, particularly since Coogler retained much of the creative control for his vision. The oft talked about musical sequences are a highlight, especially the vampire folk jig and the extended musical ‘time travel’ sequence.
Steven Soderbergh is one of the hardest working directors out there and his insane output - across multiple genres too I may add – remains impressive. One of two films he released this year, Black Bag is a slow burning and intense spy thriller were a group of ‘agency’ friends navigate tense conversations around dinner tables. Who’s the mole? Who has outplayed whom? Who is always thinking three steps ahead? It’s less brain-dead action and more whip smart dialogue combined with 70s chic and brooding paranoia.
Another lad who has been busy this year (counting his phat stacks at least) is Stephen King who has had no less than four(!) of his works adapted for the big screen this year. I’ve watched them all, however my favourite out of these has been The Long Walk - an absolutely brutal dystopian nightmare where young men just… well… walk. Until they can’t. This is the OG ‘last man standing story’, but its political barbs strangely feel just as relevant today as it did when it was published back in 1979. Its grimy, harrowing and with great performances throughout from its ensemble cast.
Speaking of ensembles, Wake Up Dead Man is Rian Johnson’s third entry into the Knives Out series of films and as expected there is a great cast, tantalising mystery and of course more of our favourite southern drawling super-sleuth Benoit Blanc. Whilst Daniel Craig is always so fun to watch in this role, this time it feels like he takes a bit more of a back seat in favour of Josh O’Connor’s Father Jud, who is the true heart and soul of this tale. Whilst a bit less humourous than the previous Knives Out entry Glass Onion, the story and themes are still well constructed and engaging.
2025 was also a good year for animation, starting off on this list with Flow - a tale of one cat’s survival in a flooding post apocalyptic world. The art direction and animation are superb with a clear storytelling thrust and emotion portrayed exquisitely, despite not a single word being spoken throughout. This film won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and it is easy to see why. A Beautiful film and a must watch, especially if you like cats.
Another beautifully animated feature was KPop Demon Hunters. Despite blowing up on social media massively since its release, putting aside all the hype, this one is genuinely a fantastic film. The story is great, the animation (from the team that brought us the Spider-Verse films) is spectacular, the dance (and fight) choreography is top notch and every song is an absolute banger (though admittedly we are at the point of saturation with the amount of ‘Golden’ covers floating around out there now). This has given KPop a massive platform for western audiences and I can see it continuing to grow in popularity as a result. Demon Hunters is slick, charming and humourous without feeling twee or overly sentimental like you would expect from something like a Disney feature. This one has been absolutely huge so no doubt there will be a sequel coming at some stage.
Also growing in popularity has been the renewed interest in classic franchises, one example being Predator. Of which one such project this year has been the animated anthology Predator: Killer of Killers which features separate stories of deadly Yautja encounters across different time periods in history. So you get a story with vikings, another with samurai and another with WW2 pilots and then finishing off with something else that I am not going to spoil here. These kinds of scenarios, once limited only to the confines of comic books, now get the full 'on screen' treatment, with animation being the right choice in this instance given the scope of something like this would be too expensive to film in live action. That’s not to say they skimped at all here - the animation is stylized, stylish and surprising violent and gory. The director, Dan Trachtenberg also directed this year’s Predator: Badlands, which I have yet to watch but hear has been well received.
Similarly animated and violent is Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc the big screen adaptation picking up from where the animated series left off. Whilst the kinetic action of the second half goes wonderfully off the rails, the first half surprisingly has a heartfelt and measured buildup. The animation is of course utterly spectacular and this is a must watch for fans of the series, but also for anime fans in general. If you are going into this with no prior knowledge your mileage may vary however as you are given little context to the happenings. This year I also watched (the author) Tatsuki Fujimoto’s previous manga film adaptation Look Back – which is also highly recommended. That would definitely have made the list this if it had been released this year.
Finally we have perhaps my favourite of the year, Weapons. It’s such a weird creepy, mysterious, funny and often brutally horrific movie that keeps you engaged throughout. Zach Cregger’s previous film Barbarian made it on to my 2022 list and this film feels more accomplished and ambitious, bursting with intriguing ideas and an irresistible mystery of its central hook (what if all the kids in a neighborhood just suddenly got up one night and disappeared?). The payoff and gradual reveal is suitably wild and I would urge you to go in blind for the best effect of this. A rare treat for horror fans.
Honourable mentions
Frankenstein – Guillermo Del Toro’s sumptuous production design in full force. A little overlong but I’m glad he is given the freedom to be able to make these projects that he wants and in the way he wants to.
Heart Eyes – A genre mash up of slasher and rom-com that shouldn’t but absolutely does work.
Good Boy – A unique angle of presenting a horror story largely from a dog’s POV. Smart concept aside this will also get you in the feels – especially if you have ever owned a pet dog.
Companion – Best approached blind to get the full effect. Great performance from Sophie Thatcher who we saw in last year’s excellent Heretic.
Heavy Trip/Heavier Trip – Not released this year so not eligible, but this Finnish heavy metal comedy (and its slightly inferior sequel released a few years later) have been highly enjoyable watches for me. The main band of characters are so likeable and endearing.
TV Shows
The British miniseries Adolescence was not only technically very impressive (each of the three episodes is presented in a single take which is a remarkable achievement), but also very relevant to the problems the kids of today (and their parents) are faced with. It's not so much a whodunnit but a whydunnit and seeing it all unfold is heartbreaking. The performances are what make it especially standout. Stephen Graham is great in everything he is in, but it is the young Owen Cooper that truly shines, particularly in the face of the long takes and nuanced characterisation he has had to deliver.
Let’s face it, the easy option for making a TV series from the Alien IP would be to just do a repeat of something we have previously seen before in one of the films. However Alien: Earth decides to be so different in its approach. Instead of a slasher in a haunted house in space or a colonial marines shoot-em-up as you may expect, it instead opts for hard sci-fi, with its focus on future technologies, androids, synthetic humans, transferred consciousnesses and multi billionaire corporations vying for dominance. It all just happens to play out in a world where Xenomorphs (and a host of other extraterrestrial nasties) also exist. That’s not to say that there aren’t some throwbacks for the fans: the sequences on the transport ship heavily reference the original Alien film’s 70’s retro future aesthetic, however interestingly the main focus for the majority of the series is instead on telling a story about the wider world of Alien rather than focusing solely on the creature itself.
The Rehearsal / Nathan For You
Whilst the first season of The Rehearsal was actually released back in 2022 – watching it completely took me by surprise. Nathan Fielding is an odd fellow and the meta levels he deconstructs with his ‘character’ (if you can even call it that) is mind-bending to watch. The initial premise is this: Nathan is helping someone who is wanting to sit down with a friend and have a difficult conversation. So what better way to prepare for this by rehearsing this conversation. Except Nathan takes it to the Nth degree, hiring actors, recreating locations as sets and exploring different lines and reactions that may or may not occur. It’s all fascinating to watch and only gets stranger from there. However Nathan himself is the main enigma – how much of himself is acting up for the camera how much is really him? Is there a distinction? How much of the ‘reality show’ is real? Is anything real? What does ‘real’ even mean?
Nathan For You is actually an earlier TV series of his, which ran from 2013-2017, but I also fell down the rabbit hole of watching these. The premise here is bit more straightforward but equally beguiling: Nathan poses as a business guru that looks for ways to help failing businesses (much like several high profile reality shows of the time) – except the solutions he offers them are absolutely bonkers. Though what’s crazy is that not only do some people agree to implement his ideas, but in other cases they actually work! Well sometimes anyway. Definitely worth checking out if you can track down this program somewhere.
Honourable mentions
The Piano – Series 1 & 2 – Playing catch-up as I haven’t seen the latest series yet but this show has always been a delight to watch. Some impressive talent on show and the occasional genuinely moving story.
Marvel Zombies – Given this is an What If offshoot series and not tied to any main cannon – all bets are off – anyone from the cast of Marvel superheroes can get wiped out at any moment, which makes it genuinely interesting to watch. Blade Knight is also a badass.
Squid Game: The Challenge – Season 2 – Just as fun to watch as Season 1 though this time it manages to be slightly bigger in scope and somehow even more brutal, particularly in pitting the players against each other. I would argue that even if you have no interest in the actual Squid Game series, this one is still ‘reality TV’ worth watching for its thrills and drama – and this is coming from someone that hates reality TV!
Videogames
The original Hades was my favourite game of 2020. Despite that, going into Hades 2 (Switch) I was adamant I wouldn’t get sucked in again. How wrong I was. Whilst it is essentially just like its predecessor in how it plays, this sequel adds a lot more content, whilst remaining just as addictive and rewarding in your gradual progression through the game. The same sharp writing, stellar music and excellent character designs are all present once again - with some returning faces but plenty of new ones being introduced too. I have finished the game but am still playing the post-game content now just to be able to see every interaction, dialogue and hidden surprise. Supergiant Games are at their absolute pinnacle in terms of presentation and game design.
In 2021 I enjoyed playing Astro’s Playroom – a fun mascot platformer with plenty of references and easter eggs to Sony’s storied history both as a console manufacturer and publisher. However that game was essentially just a glorified tech demo, whereas Astro Bot (PS5) is a fully-fledged game for this plucky little robot. Easily the best action platformer I have played in recently memory, with a chockfull of interesting mechanics being introduced every few levels and enough variety and unlockables to keep you coming back for more. The references and homages are also present and correct, this time mainly in the form of the various videogame character bots you rescue along the way (and sometimes even get to play as). Whilst some of the game can be considered a bit on the easy side to appeal to a wide audience, the later challenge levels and final master challenge are no joke – with multiple attempts needed to clear them. Fortunately, restarts after death are quick! The Platinum trophy challenge for me felt perfectly pitched and supremely satisfying.
Whilst it cannot be ignored that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (PS5) absolutely cleaned up at The Game Awards earlier this month, by that time I had in fact long since finished playing (and obtained the Platinum trophy for it). A few hours into the start of the game I was not so sure – there were certainly rough edges and a fair few indicators of jank (those infuriating Gestral Beach minigames are not anything I would ever want to revisit!) but the mystery of the story, the turn-based but timing heavy RPG combat mechanics, the heavy emphasis on skill customization and the excellent voice acting and music - all kept me going. Before I knew it I was scouring every corner of the map like a man possessed. Whilst the story and world design are what most people have praised, for me it was the game mechanics and flexibility of the same that kept me invested. There are certainly rough edges and (contrary to what most people say) I didn’t entirely love the story and I don’t think it can be praised for being all that original with its game mechanics. However the presentation and package as a whole is what was done really well and I ended up thoroughly enjoying my time spent with it. What’s most surprising is that this is Sandfall Interactive’s first game – no doubt everyone is waiting to see what they will come out with next.
I first gave Balatro (iOS) a go when I had access to Apple Arcade for a few months. It was initially a bit overwhelming with all the numbers and multipliers whizzing around, with stranger rules and conditions constantly being introduced and then being wiped when starting a new run. However the more you figure out what does what, pick your jokers and form your strategies to get those high scores needed to maintain your run, the more addictive it becomes and all the more intensely rewarding for it. Whilst I don’t think I have the will to truly 100% the thing, this is the only game I currently have on my phone and it is always an easy option to jump into if I have a half hour or more spare on a train journey or some such. As people often give us a reason for the addictiveness of Balatro: “big numbers go brrrrrrr”. Couldn’t agree more.
What is this, 2016? Why is Dark Souls 3 (PS4) on this list? Well, three reasons – firstly it was good to revisit this on PS5 to be able to play it in glorious 60FPS. Secondly, I had never played the DLCs for this game before and these were some of the most highly praised expansions of the series. And thirdly, this was the only Soulsborne game I didn’t have the Platinum trophy for and that bothered the heck out of me. So I dived back in, perhaps getting even more into it that I went I first played it way back when. Sure, the covenant item grind was mindnumbingly painstaking (particularly the ears and shackles!) but I got there in the end and enjoyed my time revisiting Lothric. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the game and reminded me once again why I love this series so much. Looking at my Playstation end of year roundup, this was also the game I spent the most time on this year – though to be honest a lot of that was likely to do with that bloody covenant item grind!
Honourable mentions
Black Myth: Wukong (PS5) – Great action game based on Chinese mythology. If you enjoy battling bosses this game has a truckload for you.
Rise of the Ronin (PS5) – Whilst it has its flaws (the story itself being pretty lackluster), all being said I enjoyed my time with this game. An open world Samurai game with fun combat and traversal.
Resident Evil Village: Shadow of Rose DLC/3rd Person Mode (PS5) – Another game I revisited, partly to play the (okay) DLC, but mainly to playthrough the game again in 3rd person mode. I feel like I somehow enjoyed it more this way? That’s just my take as I generally enjoy 3rd person games over 1st person.
So that’s a wrap for my favourites of 2025. See you again next year!
24th Dec 2025
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