Wow! Where did the time go? With two months left of 2024, it’s only natural that we start to think about what 2025 will be like. What will the hottest songs be? What new television shows will be released? When will current shows release new seasons? Personally, I’m most excited about the movies.
With 2025 quickly approaching, there are many films to look forward to. There are sequels, remakes, trilogies, and original movies galore! “Lilo and Stitch,” “Snow White,” and “Freaky Friday” are films that will fulfill a feeling of nostalgia. What I’m looking forward to are the original and newer films: “Wolf Man,” “Michael,” and “Atlantis,” amongst many others.
There are a lot of great films to see, and the list can be overwhelming. Don’t fear; this list will give you a range of films to see. Whether you like drama, comedy, or animation, or if you’re looking to expand your palette, this is the list for you.
January
Wolf Man
The film stars Christopher Abbott, who inherits his remote childhood home in rural Oregon after the disappearance of his father. To reconnect his relationship with his wife and daughter, they visit the property. However, as they travel in the middle of the night, they are attacked by an unknown creature. As the night goes on, Blake (Christopher Abbott’s character) starts to behave strangely, and his wife is forced to make a decision regarding his condition.
Starring: Christopher Abbott, Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Ben Prendergast, and Benedict Hardie.
Director: Leigh Whannell
Release Date: 17th January 2025 (UK)
Den of Thieves: Pantera
A sequel to the first film, “Den of Thieves”, this movie picks up with Big Nick tracking down a group of thieves on the streets of Europe and his mission to capture the leader of the group, Donnie. Meanwhile, Donnie has gotten caught up with life in the Panther mafia and its world of diamond thieves.
Starring: O’Shea Jackson, Jr., Curtis Jackson, Swen Temmel, Meadown Williams
Director: Christian Gudegast
Release Date: 10th January 2025 (USA)
February
The Monkey
Twin brothers Hal and Bill discover an old monkey toy of their father’s. Soon, chaos ensues, and a series of gruesome deaths start to happen. The twins get rid of the monkey toy and grow apart over the years, but they must reunite again when a new set of deaths begins. They must find a way to stop the monkey for good.
Starring: Theo James, Christian Convery, Tatiana Mislay, Elijah Wood, Laura Mennell, Sarah Levy, Colin O’Brien, Kingston Chan, Zia Newton, Danica Drayer, Rohan Campbell.
Director: Osgood Perkins
Release Date: 21 February 2025 (USA)
Captain America: Brave New World
Sam Wilson finds himself in a dilemma after an encounter with President Thaddeus Ross. He must go on a journey to discover the reasoning behind an evil global plot and who the ringleader in this plot is.
While many fans express their concerns for the new film, there have been mixed reactions as a whole, with criticisms also aimed at MCU for its disconnect as a series for a few years. These reservations largely come from the Winter Soldier and Falcon TV series that aired on Disney+, but many fans hope that they will be proven wrong.
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Shira Hass, Tim Blake Nelson, Carl Lumby, Harrison Ford, and Liv Tyler
Director: Julius Onah
Release Date: 14th February 2025
March
Snow White
Based on the 1937 original Disney Film, this Disney classic comes back re-imagined as a live-action musical as we visit Snow White, The Evil Queen, and The Seven Dwarves once more.
There can’t be a Disney remake without controversy happening, but there has been a considerable amount surrounding this film. Many fans have criticized Rachel Zegler for her thoughts towards Snow White being one of the more inappropriate fairy tales: Snow White gets a non-consensual kiss from her Prince Charming, and we’re supposed to think that it’s the most romantic thing ever. She’s not wrong.
Some have criticized the upcoming film for its lack of direction away from the original plot. Others have criticized it for its casting, given that Gal Godot, who’s playing the Evil Queen is Pro-Israel and Rachel Zegler is Pro-Palestine. The dwarves and how the love story translates in a 2025 setting have also come under fire. Again, valid arguments. We’ll just have to see how it all goes. Hopefully, not too horrible.
Starring: Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, Marc Platt, Erin Cressida Wilson, Martin Klebba, Andrew Burnap, and Ansu Kabia
Director: Marc Webb
Release Date: 21st March 2025
Sinners
Twin brothers, wanting to start their life again, return to their hometown only to discover a surprise waiting for them. It turns out that this film does have supernatural elements to it, which I wasn’t anticipating. I do enjoy that the film will include supernatural elements with people of color in the starring cast.
The film will include vampires, which has been seen in films such as “Salem’s Lot”, “Nosferatu”, and of course, “Twilight”. However, the film takes place in 1930s Louisiana, so we can only hope that the film doesn’t center any prejudiced events to its two main leads.
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Moskau, Michael B. Jordan, Jayme Lawson, Omar Benson Miller, and Delroy Lindo
Director: Ryan Coogler
Release Date: 7th March 2025
April
Michael
Following the success of movies like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman”, it was inevitable. This is an in-depth portrayal of Michael Jackson and his journey to becoming The King of Pop. The film will explore different aspects of Michael’s life, which include his performances and tumultuous home life.
Starring: Juliano Krue Valdi, Colam Domingo, Miles Teller, Nia Long, Jayden Harville, Jamal R, Henderson, Jaylen Lyndon Hunter, Tre Horton, Judah Edwards, Rhyan Hill, Nathaniel Logan McIntyre
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Release Date: 18th April 2025 (USA)
A Minecraft Movie
Based on the popular game that rose to fame in the 2010s, the film follows four misfits who get sucked into a mysterious portal. The characters get sucked into a cubic reality and must use their wits to work their way through a magical quest and get back home.
Like all remakes in the 2020s, the Minecraft film has been met with negative feedback. Many criticize the idea of it being a poor attempt to make a video game into a live-action film, which could be met with disastrous results. Minecraft was always supposed to be a video game, and humans were never meant to be immersed in the world. Many view it similarly to the Jumanji movie and sequel.
Starring: Jason Momoa, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, Jack Black, Emma Myers, and Jennifer Coolidge
Director: Jared Hess and Jason Momoa
Release Date: 4th April 2025
May
Lilo & Stitch
Ohana means family. Grab your nostalgia and a bucket of popcorn to watch this live-action film in action! We get to see the original story of Lilo and Stich’s first-ever encounter.
While there has been some concern regarding authentic casting, many fans are excited about the release of the film. There have been many reservations about Stich’s live action design, however I think it’s nothing too out of the ordinary. There have also been concerns about the designs for Jumba, Pleakley, and the rest of the animated crew from the original movie.
We can only hope that they’ll bring this film to justice, even if it’s another remake. In my opinion, live-action Stich is just as adorable as ever!
Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Maia Kealoha, Sydney Agudong, Courtney B. Vance, Jolene Purdy, Kaput Dudoit, Chris Sanders, Tia Carrere, and Amy Hill
Director: Dean Fischer Camp
Release Date: 23rd May 2025
Thunderbolts
Aren’t heroes usually the protagonists of the story? Well, yes, but this this time around, the villains are the main characters of this movie. I love a villain redemption arc, and with “Thunderbolts”, we set out to follow this group of villains on a journey to save the world.
As usual, this Marvel movie is based on comics. Apparently, none of the original characters from the comics appear in the film, which is a main concern of MCU fans. Overall, there’s some excitement and of course, reservations about the upcoming film. Many hope that some of the plot from the comic carries over into the film.
Starring: Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Wyatt Russell, Olga Kurylenko, Hannah John-Kamen, and Lewis Pullman
Director: Jake Schrier
Release Date: 2nd May 2025
Karate Kid
Wax-on, Wax-off. In this fifth installment of the Karate Kid series, we meet Jackie Chan, and Ralph Macchio, again, with some additional newcomers to the popular series. Similar to the trilogy and the original remake, the plot will follow its previous films.
While Jackie Chan will make an appearance, this news has led fans to wonder whether or not Jaden Smith or any of the original cast from the remake will also make cameo appearances. Also, the film does not align its “canon” with the events of the television series, Cobra Kai, only the four films. Many fans are excited, while many also hope that this film sticks with karate, instead of kung-fu in the remake with Jaden Smith.
Starring: Jackie Chan, Ralph Macchio, Ben Wang, Joshua Jackson, Shaunette Renee Wilson, Sadie Stanley, Ming-Na Wen, Aramis Knight, Wyatt Olef, Danny McBride, and Jennifer-Lyn Christie.
Release Date: 30th May 2025 (USA)
June
How to Train Your Dragon
The animated film series gets a new live-action look, and like many recent live-action announcements, there is already plenty of controversy. There has been pushback with casting regarding age and white-washing of certain characters. There have also been concerns regarding the CGI of the dragons and the changes to the characters regarding story, mainly the characterization of Hiccup’s father, Stoick, and the Red Death character.
Of course, the director discussed the challenges of honoring the original film in live-action. I’m confident that the visuals and story of the original animated film will be brought to life beautifully. I personally can’t wait to see how cute the dragons look in live-action!
Starring: Mason Thomas, Nico Parker, Gerard Butler, Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, and Ruth Codd
Release Date: 13th June 2025
Conclusion
2025 is an exciting year for film. From animation to action, the films will give the audience a chance for some sweet escapism and a chance to relive their childhoods. Here’s to the rest of 2024 and a good film-packed 2025!
