If you’re even slightly tapped into film and television, it’s hard not to feel like we’ve been swimming in a vast but bleak sea of IPs, as unnecessary reboots, sequels, and spin-offs have dominated both the box office and streaming. Of the top 10 highest-grossing films this year, two are sequels, two are remakes, and four are franchise films that are attached to large companies and have pre-existing material that they are based on, leaving only two original films.
Despite this, many original movies have proven the merit of media outside of the numerous IP films released throughout the past decade, and 2025’s original movies have been a shining example of this.
Materialists
Should I want someone who’s above six feet tall, or should I settle for someone who’s 5’9? Is it ok if I only date people of a certain race? Am I classist if I want to date someone in my tax bracket? My heart is screaming for the guy with the 401 (k) and stable salary, but my heart yearns for the cute, rugged guy who barely makes ends meet. What should I do?
In Celine Song’s masterfully written romantic comedy “Materialists,” there’s an answer to every single one of those questions, and some may not be that straightforward.
The movie follows the blunt, failed actor turned matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Fanning), who struggles to pick between her ex, a humble but objectively broke theatre actor John (Chris Evans), or the charming, affluent financier Henry (Pedro Pascal), trying to make sense of themselves within the notoriously hectic dating scene in New York City.
“Materialist” twists the conventional tropes and clichés of the romcom into something more self-aware and avant-garde, but never outright rejects what it is as a movie. The cynicism attached to the idea of the modern relationship, compared to a lot of other movies within its camp, is palpable. People often have to be worldly and materialistic when it comes to finding a partner, but this mindset clashes and merges with our need for validation and emotional fulfillment. The movie’s themes are directly benefited by Johnson’s performance as a deeply flawed woman who struggles with being romantically and financially fulfilled, effectively defining the film’s message.
K-Pop Demon Hunters
Sony has mainly been on a winning streak after a history of being hit or miss with its movies.
While the company is known for its many dumpster fires, such as the “Smurfs” duology and the “Open Season” movie series, with average Rotten Tomatoes scores of 17 and 40, respectively, Sony has struck gold a few times with its trademark comic book-style films, most notably seen in “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” its sequel “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and The Mitchells vs. the Machines,” all scoring in the 90s on Rotten Tomato scores.
The audacious “K-Pop Demon Hunters” only continue to cement Sony’s place in the industry.
The movie is quite literally its title, and centers around a popular K-pop trio composed of the hardworking and earnest Rumi, the stoic and defensive Mira, and the optimistic and somewhat dorky Zoey, who are the “demon hunters.” They secretly lead lives slaying demons and use their voices to create a barrier that separates the human world from theirs.
The film is a visual marvel, drawing heavy artistic inspiration from the saturated, saccharine aesthetic of modern K-pop, the futuristic yet familiar cityscapes reminiscent of cyberpunk, and the grit and sleekness of action anime. The movie’s animation and writing are extremely over-the-top and intricate, from the cartoonish expressions that can be missed in the blink of an eye during humorous moments, to the campy dialogue that critiques the K-pop industry, and the dark gradients employed to complement the melodramatic, sullen atmosphere of the more intense scenes.
The film bursts with serotonin and humor, thanks to its spunky script and colorful characters, which enrich its emotional core. The themes and many of the characters’ struggles revolve around embracing cultural heritage, learning to live with insecurities, and the importance of achieving a work-life balance.
One of Them Days
Even after all the progress made in media representation today, it’s rare to see Black women at the center of buddy comedy movies, let alone mainstream films that offer realistic, flawed depictions of them. Slowly but surely, we’ve been making progress. The 2017 movie “Girls Trip” proved that Black women can be at the center of this classic genre and still earn both commercial and critical acclaim. In 2025, the irreverent “One of Them Days” takes the cake and follows suit.
The movie follows the exploits of Dreux, a hardworking waitress and aspiring business professional portrayed by Keke Palmer, and Alyssa, a mellow, go-with-the-flow artist with a comedically horrible taste in men, portrayed by singer SZA. They embark on a humorous mission to secure rent money — and later, their lives.
The movie is chock-full of out-of-pocket moments, and for every joke that doesn’t land, the next several will force at least a chuckle out of you. The film has a charmingly distinct visual style that feels Western — as in Black comedies set on the West Coast like “White Men Can’t Jump” (the latter of which was filmed in the exact location as “One of Them Days)” — and even spaghetti Western, with the stylistic use of text throughout the movie and the unexpected grit prevalent throughout the film.
The action sequences avoid feeling hollow because we’re watching two best friends that the movie has successfully made us care about in a showdown against the antagonist. While doing this, it also avoids many of the major pitfalls we see when Black women are portrayed in the media. Dreux is allowed to be ambitious and assertive without falling in line with the “angry Black woman” stereotype that pervades movies and television shows with predominantly Black casts, detailed in research from the Jim Crow Museums website by Dr. David Pilgrim.
In tandem, Alyssa is allowed to be sexually liberated and spontaneous without falling into tropes of the “hypersexual” and “insatiable Jezebel,” a stereotype explained thoroughly in Marie Diby’s article, “Moving Past Stereotypes and Colourism: Why Can’t Black Women Ever Be the Main Role in Cute and Heart-Warming Media?” The true heart of the movie lies in seeing the two women learn how to exist in a world built for anyone but them, economically and socially, and how they come into their own anyway.
The Ugly Stepsister
Horror has proven that it can be held in the same regard as prestige dramas and comedies when it comes to receiving acclaim and awards, with psychological horror films like “Black Swan” and “Get Out” receiving praise and awards buzz because they leaned more into the former genre rather than the latter.
Body horror is a facet of the genre that depends on the effective use of bodily mutilation, destruction, and decay, and many movies under this label, like “The Substance” and “Possessor,” have experienced similar acclaim despite leaning into the grotesque. At the Sundance Film Festival on January 23rd, 2025, the satirical body horror film and directorial debut of Emilie Blichfeldt, “The Ugly Stepsister,” debuted to similar praise, and for good reason.
Based on the original Brothers Grimm tale “Cinderella,” “The Ugly Stepsister” tells the story of the hopeful but insecure Elvira, who competes against other girls in her town — including her “beautiful” stepsister Rebekka, for the affection of the prince and the other affluent male patrons at a grand ball to restore the family’s wealth after her stepfather dies. As the movie progresses, we get to see the horrific bodily modifications and mutilation Elvira is willing to put herself through for the sake of fulfilling her fantasy of being noticed by the prince.
Everything about this movie is sickeningly twisted. Along with the masterfully done practical effects used to a horrifyingly stunning capacity, as shown in the main character’s degrading form, the poignant commentary on feminine beauty standards, and the idealization of romantic relationships. The movie also displays how adults enable these harmful systems through conditioning the youth, which only works to make the film more realistic and stomach-churning. Despite this, the movie retains a whimsical quality, despite its darkness, with an essence similar to the golden era of Disney, evident in its source material, coloring, and costuming.
The movie also feels strangely retro, mainly due to the use of electronic music in the soundtrack that clashes with the film’s archaic nature, as well as the camera shots and humor reminiscent of 2000s movies like “Marie Antoinette” and “Mean Girls.“
Sinners
Trying to talk about “Sinners” feels like beating a dead horse — a culturally relevant, timeless, and intricately made dead horse, but a dead horse nonetheless.
Vintage and vintage adjacent Black horror is an avenue that has been visited in recent years with projects like the anthology show “Them” and the psychological horror film “Antebellum.” Still, it often feels exploitative in the way that the character’s suffering seems more for shock value rather than contributing to their arcs or character development. “Sinners” masterfully avoids feeling like Black torture porn, and in turn creates a new lane for African-American cinema.
Sinners centers around the cool and casual Elias “Smoke” Moore and the no-nonsense, smooth-talking Elijah “Smoke” Moore (both played excellently by Michael B. Jordan), as criminal twins who seek refuge in their hometown in the Mississippi Delta as they’re forced to confront both a horrific occult occurrence and the people they left behind.
To say that this movie is flawless would be an understatement. The stunning cinematography and intentionally bleak, dingy color grading used at key points in the film subconsciously evoke a sense of unease while also immersing the audience in the mindset of characters grappling with the Olympian-level struggle of being Black in America during the early 1900s.
The strong and highly distressed performances from the ensemble cast (including but not limited to Miles Canton, Wunmi Mosaku, Jack O’Connell, and Hailee Steinfeld) only work to drive that point further, as you’ll be grateful you aren’t in their shoes. The musically diverse yet cohesive soundtrack, featuring genres such as blues, gospel, rock, and even Irish folk, is a work of art. It’s used throughout the story’s four-act East Asian narrative structure, Kishōtenketsu, keeping the pacing as tight as the grip the story will have on you.
“Sinners” is ready to have the uncomfortable conversations that still echo in the Black community today. These include the ripple effects of Jim Crow on the Black psyche, racial violence and discrimination, cultural appropriation, and the conflicts between religion, personal identity, and desires. Because the film chooses to tackle these issues head-on and with a bold, original twist, rather than sugarcoating or playing it safe, it is why it has become one of the most popular phenomena of this year.
