From the acclaimed 'Sinners' and 'Thunderbolts*' to indie hits and new works by masters like Takeshi Kitano and Mike Flanagan – our editorial team picks the best films of the first half of 2025.

While some argue over who received longer applause at the Cannes Film Festival, and others count how many superhero movies can fit into a single calendar year, the film industry relentlessly moves forward. The first half of 2025 has already gifted us works by acclaimed masters, as well as debuts that you want to rewatch rather than add to a 'watched and forgotten' list. If you happened to miss the latest festival hit or didn't make it to the premiere of the season's most talked-about blockbuster, don't rush to be upset: you still have a chance to catch up and choose the best of what has already happened on the big screens. And our team is here to help you.

The Surfer

Nicolas Cage returns to the Cage Rage genre—stories about a hero challenging the world order in a surreal space. This time, the action unfolds on an Australian beach, where his unnamed character, who came to buy a house for his family, encounters the brutal rules of the local surfers: 'Not local—no surfing.' The territorial conflict quickly escalates into an existential crisis: the hero loses everything—his car, phone, documents—and balances between madman and prophet, trying to maintain a connection with reality.

— a chaotic but profound film about trauma requiring almost monastic detachment. The director breaks thriller conventions, plunging the hero into Kafkaesque absurdity where reality follows its own laws. Like 'Apocalypse Now' or 'Midsommar,' this film challenges the viewer, leaving room for interpretation. Cage once again proves that cinema can be art, and he is its unique conduit.

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Top 10 films of the half-year according to Vitaly Gizatullin:

1. The Brutalist
2. The Surfer 
3. Sinners 
4. The Ugly Sister 
5. Summer Will End 
6. Ballerina 
7. Under Fire 
8. The Maldoror Case 
9. Predator: Killer of Killers 
10. Devastation

Broken Rage

Before starting his directing career, Takeshi Kitano frequently appeared on stage as part of the comedy duo 'Two Bits.' He and Jiro Kaneko formed a manzai duo, whose performance style resembled a verbal duel of contrasting roles—tsukkomi (serious and responsible) and boke (silly and absurd). Later, this dualism would completely consume Kitano: the Japanese man with an inscrutable gaze would find himself in an eclectic mix of yakuza slow-burners and quirky satire.

'Broken Rage' is not Takeshi Kitano's strongest project, but that doesn't stop it from being a nontrivial and even unique embodiment of the stated 'recipe.' Plot-wise, the film is designed for thirty minutes, but it takes a full hour to unfold its concept. The adventures of a hitman nicknamed 'Mouse' is a good story told twice: as a thriller and as a comedy. The density of both is simply overwhelming, making the film an ideal entry point into the director's work.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Alexander Popov:

1. The Romantics
2. The Room Next Door
3. Under Fire
4. Queer
5. Broken Rage
6. All That We Imagine as Light
7. The Box Man
8. Black Bag: Double Game
9. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
10. The Gorge

Thunderbolts*

'Thunderbolts*,' unlike many recent Marvel films, minimized fan service and managed to tell an independent and complete story that will be understandable even to those who haven't watched previous projects. But at the same time, the film doesn't break away from the overall structure of the cinematic universe. The creators managed to maintain a balance between humor and drama, making the (anti)heroes vulnerable and touching. The stakes for the characters, played by charismatic actors with great chemistry, are finally not cosmic or planetary in scale, but more personal—even if they save an entire city, it's more a consequence of trying to help one person.

Nevertheless, the themes in the film are quite global—loneliness, loss of meaning in life, disappointment in oneself and the world around. And the cherry on top of this anti-hero cake is the charming Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the antagonist.

In the end, 'Thunderbolts*' turned out to be the first successful Marvel film in several years, giving hope that the heart of the cinematic universe can still beat brightly again.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Nadezhda Vasilyeva:

1. The Life of Chuck
2. The Materialist
3. Under Fire
4. Sinners
5. Bring Her Back
6. The Surfer
7. Thunderbolts*
8. Lovers' Eyes
9. Small Things Like These
10. Mickey 17

The Last Showgirl

'The Last Showgirl' is a film by Gia Coppola, continuing the legacy of the famous cinematic dynasty, with Pamela Anderson in the lead role. The actress, who had never starred in significant films, finally delivered a brilliant performance, receiving rave reviews from the press and rightfully earning a Golden Globe nomination. Anderson's character has been a successful soloist in a Las Vegas dance show for 30 years, where revealing outfits and feathers were valued. But one day, the manager announces its closure due to low attendance. Now the former star seeks a new path and meaning in life.

Gia Coppola created a deep, touching, and heartbreaking drama. She was greatly aided by Pamela Anderson's performance, whose life story resonates similarly with that of the main character. Throughout her life, the actress was not taken seriously. Participating in this project became her chance to show her sincerity and prove to critics that their opinion was wrong.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Evgeny Aniskovich:

1. Summer Will End
2. The Last Showgirl
3. Sinners
4. The Monkey
5. Under Fire
6. Presence
7. The Prophet. The Story of Alexander Pushkin
8. The Most Precious of Cargoes
9. Small Things Like These
10. The Gorge

Eephus

Aging players of an amateur baseball league gather for the last game at the local stadium. After this, the stadium will be demolished, and a much-needed school will be built in its place. The time of baseball has passed, and the local middle-aged men spend the entire film trying to say goodbye to it. They shuffle between bases, drink beer on the bench, yell at each other, and lie to themselves that they played much better ten years ago.

There hasn't been a softer and more inconsequential elegiac comedy in a long time: the creators don't mock anyone in particular, but rather simply record how even the funniest things from the outside can be someone's last significant joy. 'Eephus' shows around what strange, sometimes downright absurd things friendship can grow, and how, on one hand, human communication is vulnerable in the face of change, and on the other, how uncompromising love can be (even for baseball, even unrequited). The players' relatives leave their games, unable to bear the boredom, loyal fans prefer an afternoon nap, but lonely men of pre-retirement age continue to play even at night—unwilling to say goodbye; unwilling to admit that time has nevertheless passed irrevocably.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Ivan Kilyakov:

1. The Harsh Truth
2. Eephus
3. Small Things Like These
4. With the Flow
5. The Maldoror Case
6. Alma and the Wolf
7. Broken Rage
8. The Pavement Method
9. Black Bag: Double Game
10. Friendship

The Life of Chuck

'The Life of Chuck' contains a great multitude. At first glance, it's hard to say what the film is—an eschatological epic, a philosophical nocturne, or an inspiring coming-of-age story. It's time to admit that Mike Flanagan is not an ordinary Hollywood craftsman, but a true creator! Because only a creator, armed with genre chaos and platitudes, can create something so beautiful that the mere fact of such a film's existence brings joy.

What prompted an unremarkable bank clerk to break into a dance, forgetting that he was late for a business lunch? The same irrational force that prompted Mike Flanagan, a native of Salem (the same one where King's vampires roam), to become the 'new Frank Darabont.' Some people call this force 'fate' or 'divine providence,' but I personally avoid these terms due to their religious connotations. Nevertheless, even me, a staunch materialist, Charles Krantz made me doubt. 'The Life of Chuck' is a highly sensual film; subjecting it to rational, mathematical analysis would be a big mistake. It needs to be felt! Even if the central motif of the film (every person is a whole universe) is banal to the point of indecency, in our age when the value of human life has once again ceased to be inviolable, I believe such things need to be spoken. Out loud and for all to hear!

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Nikita Margaev:

1. The Life of Chuck
2. Summer Will End
3. Dad Died on Saturday
4. Under Fire
5. The Monkey
6. Sinners
7. Universal Language
8. June and John
9. The Maldoror Case
10. At the Top of the Mountain

28 Years Later

The long-awaited return to the zombie franchise (though we're ready to argue about the concept of zombies). Before us unfolds an already mature, multi-layered statement about what happens to a person at the end of the world. Danny Boyle and Alex Garland made not a standard sequel, but a disturbing odyssey about survival, loneliness, and the attempt to preserve oneself when there's nothing left to save. The story revolves around teenager Spike and life in a commune (and he will surprise you just as much as the boy from 'Adolescence')—it is his coming of age that becomes the emotional center of the new part.

It's impossible not to mention that the film is atypically shot and edited. Besides the already widely mentioned scenes shot on iPhone with newsreel footage, there are also shaky shots, circular slow-motion, sharp changes in rhythm, and much more. Visually, everything here works for maximum immersion. And Ralph Fiennes, Jodie Comer, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson create a solid, truly dramatic backbone. The finale does not give us the usual release—it only poses a heavy question: what is it even worth surviving for? Is it worth it? What has become of people over these 28 years? Here we have a film not about monsters, but about loneliness among the survivors.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Larisa Polshikova:

1. Sinners 
2. 28 Years Later
3. How to Train Your Dragon
4. Ballerina
5. Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
6. Nosferatu 
7. F1 
8. The Accountant 2
9. Companion
10. Thunderbolts* 

Sinners

Ryan Coogler's film can be called one that no one expected—so quiet was its marketing campaign compared to the effect produced by word of mouth. And how justified it was. It's hard to remember the last time a blockbuster made specifically for IMAX theaters was so alive and full of soul and beauty, created without looking back. And the stunning soundtrack, composed by Ludwig Göransson, in this film not just accompanies scenes, but becomes a unique guide through history, bringing it to life as if you were there yourself. It embodies the heroes' struggle, their unbreakable connection to their roots, and supernatural energy, creating and amplifying this amazing emotional experience.

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This opportunity to immerse yourself in this one hot day (and an equally hellishly hot night), and to be imbued with such a personal story, which is difficult for most people to understand, but told in such a way that almost no one has a choice—is definitely one of the most beautiful cinematic events of this year.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Lera Denisova:

1. Sinners
2. Bring Her Back
3. The Materialist
4. The Phoenician Scheme
5. Under Fire
6. Black Bag: Double Game
7. The Life of Chuck
8. The Monkey
9. Mickey 17
10. Novocaine

The Assessment

The film is set in a future where the state has taken control of literally everything—from the climate to the birth of children. Mia and Arian, a couple of scientists, dream of becoming parents, but to do so they must undergo a strict evaluation: for a whole week, an official named Virginia comes to their home to determine whether they are worthy of receiving a child.

The film impresses with its atmosphere: debut director Fleur Fortune, who previously directed music videos for M83 and commercials for Chanel, managed to create a world where every detail—from sterile interiors to artificial animals—works to create a general feeling of anxiety and alienation. But the main thing here is not the setting, but the acting: Elizabeth Olsen and Alicia Vikander deliver such emotional duels that at times you forget to breathe. Their heroines don't just argue about rules; they fight for the right to be real, to make mistakes, and to love, despite the pressure of the system. 'The Assessment' skillfully balances between social satire and personal drama, without descending into banal moralizing. This is a film about how easy it is to lose yourself in trying to meet others' expectations, and how scary it can be to come face to face with a power that considers itself entitled to decide who is worthy of happiness. There are no clear villains or heroes here—only people forced to make difficult choices.

Top 10 films of the half-year according to Roman Kovalev:

1. Sinners
2. The Assessment
3. Black Bag: Double Game
4. Legends of Our Ancestors
5. Flight Risk
6. Small Things Like These
7. Predator: Killer of Killers
8. Undercover
9. Bring Her Back
10. Thunderbolts*

Which films from the first half of 2025 stood out to you? Write in the comments.