The Best Scenes of 2025
2025 was full of really great films and really great films are usually made up of really great scenes. 2025 also had some solidly good films with some solidly good scenes. In this list, I’ll highlight my top 15 favorite scenes from 2025 films. I saw over 160 new films in 2025, so any scenes discussed will be from those films. I’m limiting each film to only one scene, but I’ll mention of any other scenes really stood out to me. Beware, there are some spoilers ahead.
I Lied to You (Sinners) - The absolutely stunner of a oner in Ryan Coogler’s vampire extravaganza, this scene comes about halfway through the film and showcases Sammie’s musical talent. With a live, one take performance from Miles Caton, the scene features a variety of dances, performances, and musical styles from the history of black music. The scene is when the lead vampire, Remmick, truly hones in on Sammie and we see the ‘magic’ of his musical talent. Another scene from the film that I considered putting on the list was the ending scene where Smoke kills all the KKK members.
Sevastopol (Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning) - You had to know that this film, seemingly Tom Cruise’s last go as Ethan Hunt, would feature some crazy Cruise stunt. This one may be less flashy than some of his others, but the whole sequence (~15 minutes) had me on the edge of my seat. It’s near silence as Hunt explores the inside of the sunken Sevastopol submarine, to retrieve a device needed to shut down the Entity. The film’s other big stunt was Hunt jumping between biplanes, and while that scene was both extremely impressive and thrilling, I left the film continually thinking about the sub sequence.
The Finale (Hamnet) - This film tragically follows William & Agnes Shakespeare as they lose their young son, and how they respectively navigate that loss. We see this more in Agnes, but get to see how it has affected Will through his writing of the play Hamlet. The film ends with Agnes watching the finale of the play and envisioning their son onstage, with him moving onto the next steps after death, and Agnes moving on in the next steps of her grief. The whole movie honestly really builds up to this scene and it fortunately delivers.
The Elevator (Thunderbolts*) - This is probably a crazy, random pull. I saw ‘Thunderbolts*’ thrice in theaters and I was genuinely cracking up during this scene every time. I think it’s the first real display of the chemistry between the ensemble, it has several hilarious moments, and we get to see some great banter between the characters involved. It’s also followed up really well with the limo chase sequence with Bucky which was also very cool.
The Legend of Sleepy Floyd (Freaky Tales) - This anthology film was one of the coolest films of 2025 and I’d recommend everyone go watch it. The peak of the film came in the final segment, titled above. It features a fictional account of former Golden State Warriors star Sleepy Floyd in which he goes to get vengeance on a group of Neo-Nazis who killed his girlfriend. He meditates and is able to use mind powers to kill some of them and goes Kill Bill on several others with a katana. And it’s just as cool as it sounds.
Buskers Forever (The Life of Chuck) - Another film broken up into segments, this film tells the story of Chuck, if you didn’t gather that from the title. The middle segment features Chuck in his late 30s, now an accountant, played by Tom Hiddleston. Chuck encounters a drumming street performer and spontaneously breaks into dance. The scene is an absolute blast, just loads of fun. Then as the film progresses, we learn about where Chuck’s former love for dance came from, it makes the scene not only fun, but also incredibly emotional.
The Causeway Chase or Bone Temple (28 Years Later) - I really don’t know which scene to choose from this film. The first option is the incredibly cool chase sequence in which Jamie & Spike attempt to cross the partially sunken causeway to get back to their home island. They are chased down by ‘Samson’ the gigantic alpha infected who sprints across the causeway after them. The whole sequence is really well done, quite frightening, and pretty awesome. The other choice is the incredibly emotional scene in which Spike climbs to the top of Dr. Kelson’s memento mori skull tower to add his mother’s skull to honor her. It’s super sad and equally as well done as the prior scene.
Lois & Clark Interview (Superman) - The dialogue in this scene is absolutely brilliant. It displays one of the most important parts, if not the most important part, of a Superman story, the chemistry between Lois & Clark. The banter, bickering, and flirting in this whole scene is perfect. Rachel Brosnahan gives what I think may be the best Lois Lane scene we’ve ever had. And David Corenswet? I’ve said before that what makes the perfect Superman performance is not only the ability to play both Superman and Clark Kent, but to also play Kal-El, who the character truly is that is really only scene by the Kents & Lois. Corenswet seamlessly glides between the three with his physicality, mannerisms, and manner of speech. The scene itself is nearly 12 minutes! That’s a truly absurd amount of time for just talking, especially in a superhero blockbuster, making up almost 10% of the film. Crazy.
Bob’s at a Payphone (One Battle After Another) - I may be crazy for not putting the final showdown on the road, because that was a stunning scene from PTA. But I think this scene is the peak comedic performance of Leonardo DiCaprio’s goated career. When Bob/Ghetto Pat is trying to coordinate with the rest of the French 75, the phone dialogue is brilliant and Bob’s inability to remember the pass code is both relatable and hilarious. And then once Benicio del Toro’s Sensei gets involved, it just gets even better.
Robert Enters Society (Train Dreams) - Similar to ‘Hamnet’ I feel like all of ‘Train Dreams’ was building up to a single scene. And it was this scene. We see Robert Grainier as a man removed from society, isolated throughout the film. But as the film starts to conclude, Robert visits modern society. He sees a television broadcast of John Glenn and concludes his visit by riding in a biplane, seeing everything from a whole new perspective. But the moment that really got me was when Robert looked himself in the mirror, for the first time in ages, and saw an old man looking back at him.
The Apologies (Left-Handed Girl) - This Taiwanese film was one of the best foreign language films I saw in 2025. The film is crucially built on the relationships between mother, Shu-Fen, her disengaged young adult daughter, I-Ann, and her curious 5-year old daughter, I-Jing. The sibling bond between I-Ann and I-Jing is on full display in this scene in which I-Ann escorts I-Jing around from store to store, returning things she had previously shoplifted and apologizing to the owners. The whole film is pretty subdued and quiet and this scene may sound as such, but it is just a really powerful, meaningful moment that will make you feel all the feelings.
For Good (Wicked: For Good) - I mean it’s literally in the title. It’s no secret to even the most loyal fans of ‘Wicked’ that the first part blows the second out of the water in terms of quality of its songs. ‘For Good’ tried to elevate this by introducing some original songs, and why all the songs are okay, they just don’t hit as much as the ones in the first film. The exception to that is ‘For Good.’ That song hits. It’s a tearjerker that was really well done in the film and was a great culmination of the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda. Because I knew you…
Welcome to Your Life (Marty Supreme) - While ‘Marty Supreme’ is really not best described as a movie about table tennis, it is obviously an integral part of the film. And the table tennis sequences are all really entertaining. At first I was tempted to put the semifinals match point between Marty & Bela in which Marty decides to have some fun for the audience, with both men doing some crazy trick shots. Then I was tempted to put the final exhibition match between Marty & Endo because it was just really well paced. But it has to be the true ending of the film, when Marty visits Rachel in the hospital and gets to see their baby for the first time. As he does, Marty begins to sob while Tears for Fears’ ‘Everybody Wants to Rule the World’ plays. It was a shockingly emotional part of an otherwise stressful or funny film, and brought some tears to my eyes.
Abraham & Isaac (Avatar: Fire and Ash) - The ‘Avatar’ franchise possesses a shockingly high amount of Biblical references. Most of those are allusions to a Christ-life figure, mainly through Kiri. But this film also features a scene incredibly reminiscent of Abraham & Isaac. After Neytiri rescues Jake and Spider from the RDA base, Jake and Neytiri discuss whether or not keeping Spider around will be a liability for the Na’vi. After some convincing, Jake agrees and takes Spider into the forest, planning to kill him for the greater good. He holds his knife to Spider and instead of pleading for his life Spider just asks Jake, who he sees as a father, if he still loves him. It’s so tragic and, again, surprisingly emotional for an epic sci-fi film.
Father Jud Prays (Wake Up Dead Man) - This film has the typical antics of a ‘Knives Out’ film, and right as the breakthrough is looming right in front of us, it’s interrupted. Jud received a phone call from Louise, someone he had previously called about a lead. During the call she asks Jud if he can pray for her, and at first, he’s incredibly irritated. But then he remembers why he became a priest in the first place and spends time praying and talking with Louise. The film is actually a really good depiction of religion, from the point of view of both people who agree and disagree with it. And this scene really carries the heart of the film and shows the true decency of Jud.
