7 of the most disappointing films of 2025
2025 is over, but it's not too late to complain about it. Let's take a look at some of the most disappointing movies of 2025.
Captain America: Brave New World (released February 14)
The latest Captain America movie premiered on Valentine's Day before fading into obscurity within the Marvel universe. This film marked Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) officially taking over the role of Captain America from Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), and it was a spectacular failure. Frankly, it wasn't terrible, but there was nothing particularly special about Brave New World either. From the lackluster action sequences to the convoluted plot, everything was average, forgettable, and mediocre.
Marvel recovered somewhat towards the end of the year with Thunderbolts* and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but the franchise is still in a precarious state. And now we know that the new Avengers movie will bring Steve Rogers back, further diminishing the importance of Wilson's Captain America role.
HIM (released September 19)
HIM wasn't directed by Jordan Peele, but he served as a producer, and the promotional campaign ensured you knew that. So, people might have expected a film on the scale of Get Out or Us, a clever movie that straddles the lines of horror, comedy, drama, and satire. And the idea sounded genuinely appealing: A promising young football player (Tyriq Withers) is invited to train at an isolated complex owned by a veteran former quarterback (Marlon Wayans), where he undergoes grueling, bizarre, and ultimately violent and horrifying training exercises.
It sounds like the perfect material for a Jordan Peele-directed film, but it's not. Instead, it's a rambling, confusing mess with many styles but very little substance. 2025 is a good year for horror films, but this isn't true for HIM.
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey - The Brilliant Journey We Fell in Love (released September 19th)
A Big Bold Beautiful Journey seemed to have many appealing elements: promising young director Kogonada, captivating stars Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, and a trailer promising an exciting blend of romance, comedy, and fantasy. But what we got was a lighthearted, superficial film, so serious that it was impossible to enjoy its wild storyline. Furthermore, despite Robbie and Farrell's talent, they lacked chemistry, which proved problematic for viewers trying to appreciate the film's content.
Anemone (released October 3rd)
Daniel Day-Lewis is one of the greatest film actors of all time. He played Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood and Bill the Butcher in Gangs of New York. Therefore, high expectations were raised when it was announced that he would return to acting after an eight-year hiatus with the film Anemone, where he plays a recluse reunited with his estranged brother (Sean Bean).
Lewis's performance was indeed excellent, but the film itself was a drawn-out, elaborate production with ambitious visuals that didn't really deliver anything worthwhile. Directed by Lewis's son, Ronan Day-Lewis, this was his directorial debut. Perhaps people were so familiar with the plot that they didn't realize how boring it was.
Tron: Ares - The Psychedelic Game (released October 10th)
The original 1982 Tron film astonished audiences with its vision of a completely computerized world. Tron: Legacy impressed in 2010 with its dramatically updated visuals and compelling cyberpunk storyline, along with a fantastic soundtrack by Daft Punk. Disney attempted a hat-trick with Tron: Ares, but it's a classic case of reviving a franchise without a good reason. Jared Leto's performance as the lead is unimpressive, the visuals are beautiful but lack originality, and the story seems to be searching for a meaning it never finds.
Furthermore, although Nine Inch Nails tried their best to match Legacy's music, they failed to do so, which is perhaps the most disappointing aspect.
Wicked: For Good (released November 21)
Good musicals are hard to find, so everyone was excited when the first Wicked film faithfully translated the energy of the classic play onto the big screen. But Wicked: For Good unfortunately proved disappointing.
Most of the film's weaknesses are also the weaknesses of the play. The second half lacks many good songs, the plot becomes overloaded, and the compelling characters spend too much time apart. But at least in the theater, you get to see the whole thing in one go. Wicked: For Good is the less interesting part of a two-part story, presented separately. Of course, that's a disappointment.
Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (and M3GAN 2.0) (released December 5th)
Sequels to popular horror films often lack appeal; even after all these years, the original installments in the Friday the 13th series, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm Street remain some of the best, to name a few. But 2025 has plenty of great horror films, like Sinners and Weapons, so people were hoping for the best for Five Nights at Freddy's 2, the sequel to the 2023 adaptation of the popular video game about a security guard who spends a night in a pizza parlor with a pack of killer animatronics.
But that didn't happen: The sequel reused themes from the first film but with less energy, creativity, and efficiency. The same thing happened with M3GAN 2.0, another unsuccessful horror sequel in 2025. Black Phone 2 was decent compared to other horror sequels, but the curse remained unbroken.
