16 Best Movie Performances Of 2025 (So Far)

2025 has proven to be a fantastic year for film fans, and many of the year's best films feature some all-time great performances from some of the best actors working today. From wild witches, robot girlfriends, stoner revolutionaries, printed humans, powerful superheroes, musicians with the power to pierce the veil, and one very good boy — there's a little something for everyone on this list. As we head into the final months of the year, performances leading up to awards season will dominate the conversation, meaning some of the most impressive performances of the year risk being left out of discussions. To combat that, the /Film Staff has come up with 16 of the best performances found in films released this year, which means that festival darlings that have yet to hit theaters are ineligible (sorry). If you've not yet seen a film mentioned on this list, may their performances motivate you to track it down and add it to your watch list.

We've seen countless horror movies where a character is driven to insanity by extreme conditions. In "28 Years Later," we're asked to ponder: what if the end of the world drives someone to sanity? That's the case with Ralph Fiennes' Dr. Ian Kelson, a physician who has carved out a corner of the post-apocalypse to study the infected and preserve the skeletal remains of the dead in an elaborate temple. And while he looks frightening at first, and Fiennes' casting suggests that we should be wary of him, the final meeting proves something remarkable: this man has chosen kindness above all else, even in the face of constant misery and destruction.

Kelson is so soft-spoken, so level-headed, and so deeply connected with his mission to honor all that is lost and to help those in need. Even his elaborate tower made out of skulls, a terrifying image at first, is revealed to be a profound testament to honoring those we love. He has chosen to cherish life even though he is surrounded by constant death, and has built a tribute that fits his mad times. 

Fiennes is famous for playing villains and playing them well. But he's also proven himself more than capable of portraying men of intense virtue. All of these tools come out for Kelso, a man who carries himself with the masculine, intense swagger of a madman but whose actual actions reflect a nearly extinct kindness and grace. It's a role specifically built for one actor's talents, and a character that sneaks in during the third act to define everything about the film surrounding him. Fiennes carries the thematic weight of an instant horror classic on his shoulders. (Jacob Hall)

Horror has a long history of offering great actresses the chance to truly shine. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in "Alien." Jodie Foster in "The Silence of the Lambs." The list goes on. That brings us to Oscar-nominee Sally Hawkins, who has been doing great work for decades in the genre, from "Godzilla" to "The Shape of Water." But in teaming up with A24 and the Philippou brothers ("Talk to Me"), she delivered what very well might be the most impressive performance of her career in "Bring Her Back."

Without diving into the twisted, nitty-gritty details for those who haven't seen it, the film centers on a brother and sister who uncover a terrifying ritual at the secluded home of their new foster mother. Horrifying s*** ensues. Hawkins is at the center of it all as the foster mom, Laura. Who is up to some truly menacing stuff. /Film's Chris Evangelista called "Bring Her Back" the "feel-bad horror movie of 2025." He's right, but Hawkins shines in the darkness.

Laura is a character with great depth and skeletons in her closet. It's a meaty part, but also a truly messed-up part that required the actor to go to some dark places. Getting a world-class actress like Hawkins to not only sign on but to fully commit to the role of a grieving mother who will stop at nothing to right the wrongs of the past is nothing shy of impressive. Harrowing, squirm-inducing, and absolutely staggering, this movie accomplishes its f****d up mission largely thanks to what Hawkins is doing from start to finish. An absolute masterclass (Ryan Scott).

Thanks to roles in projects like "Yellowjackets," "The Boogeyman," and "Heretic," Sophie Thatcher has proven to be one of the strongest new talents working in the horror genre. However, it's her portrayal of the synthetic companion Iris in "Companion" that currently serves as her career best performance. Stories about robots gaining sentience and turning against their owners are usually driven by concept rather than character, but Thatcher does the impossible with her ability to blend emotional depth and dedicated physicality — she makes the audience root for AI. A programmable submission bot one moment and a vengeance-driven killing machine the next, Thatcher effortlessly plays both ends of Iris' spectrum.

The overwhelming majority of dystopian robotic corruption or AI going rogue films always treat the machine as the true evil, but "Companion" rightfully understands that the true evil is found in humanity, because AI will always be a reflection of what it learns from us. With a strong grasp on micro-expressions and unspoken communication, Thatcher is working overtime to deliver a quiet intensity that keeps you hanging on to Iris' every move, even if there is something uncanny about the whole ordeal. As a computer, it's impossible for us to truly know what Iris is "thinking," and Thatcher somehow finds the sweet spot of keeping us engaged without ever indicating her next move. That mystery keeps us glued to her, eagerly awaiting her next move. (BJ Colangelo)

There are few things more fun to watch at the movies than an actor really letting loose while playing an evil character, and in Sean Byrne's wild 2025 survival horror flick "Dangerous Animals," Jai Courtney gives an unhinged villain performance for the ages. Courtney stars as Tucker, who runs a shark-viewing business, taking tourists out into the ocean off the coast of Australia and putting them down in a metal cage with sharks. The only problem is that he's also a serial killer, and he uses sharks as his weapon of choice, feeding his victims to the razor-mouthed fish by lowering them on a hook. There are points for originality, as far as serial killer weapons go.

Courtney is absolutely on fire, alternating between being truly terrifying, utterly pathetic, and (occasionally) a little charming. Tucker's a complex killer with simple ego-driven motivations (and a real hatred for women), but Courtney's all-in performance makes him so much more. Whether he's drunkenly dancing to "Evie (Part One)" in his bathrobe and briefs or turning the obnoxious kids' tune "Baby Shark" into nightmare fuel, Courtney is giving 150%, and it makes "Dangerous Animals" a real delight. Courtney has said before that he's "more than happy to play villains," and if he keeps playing them as well as he does in "Dangerous Animals," he's on his way to being a fictional bad guy all-timer. (Danielle Ryan)

Yes, you read that right. A Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever stands paw to toe with the best actors of 2025, and with good reason. Indy the dog isn't just one of the all-time best animal performers in a film; he's not only one of the best performers of 2025 (regardless of species), but he's also just a very good boy. As the titular character in "Good Boy," Indy is the heart and soul of his feature film debut, a dog who starts to experience creepy supernatural events and spooky things lurking in the shadows of his house while his owner is absolutely oblivious.

What makes Indy's performance so good is how much this dog can emote in a simple movement. His floppy ears and fixated eyes not only manage to sell the horrors of the film's script, but they also tell the audience everything they need to know about the unbreakable bond between Indy and his human. Because Indy is unaware he's in a movie, his every action expresses his raw, primal feelings. His constant head tilts of curiosity fill the mind with imagination, his whimpers devastate the soul, and his tail wagging shows immense joy. Indy may never speak a word, but he delivers an emotionally powerful performance. (Rafael Motamayor)

When a movie depends on themes of camaraderie and friendship as much as "The Long Walk" does, you can't get away with actors who have no chemistry. And when it comes to praising performances, they can't be praised in isolation. Great casting has a multiplicative effect, with the combined performances creating something greater than the sum of their parts.

This adaptation of an early Stephen King novel from director Francis Lawrence features a strong ensemble of doomed walkers, including Charlie Plummer as an abrasive, nihilistic loner and Ben Wang as the brashly confident contestant whose slow unraveling is agonizing to watch. But ultimately, "The Long Walk" is carried on the backs of leads Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. Hoffman plays Ray Garraty, our protagonist, and Jonsson is Peter McVries, the seemingly unflappable and indefatigable walker with whom Ray forms a close bond over the course of their deadly odyssey.

Both actors play a vital role in the audience's own journey. The knowledge that most of the characters are doomed creates a temptation to check out — to avoid getting emotionally invested in their fates. But the raw, exhausted desperation of Hoffman's performance draws us in, forcing us to feel each emotional gut-punch right alongside Ray. Then, Jonsson's stolid presence picks us up off the ground, dusts us off, calms us down, and carries us forward. Together, they are the Long Walk: the horror and the calm; the sprint and the marathon. (Hannah Shaw-Williams)

Though Robert Pattinson sparkled as emo vampire Edward Cullen in "The Twilight Saga," it was clear that his post-bloodsucker career would require a prolonged teardown of his signature role. Over the last 13 years, Pattinson has worked with studio maestros, indie darlings, and given us the most interesting Batman since Michael Keaton. He was great in these movies, but he's been building toward a virtuoso performance that would firmly establish him as one of the best actors of his generation. That moment arrived in Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi triumph "Mickey 17."

Pattinson's Mickey is an endearingly dopey dreamer who's forced to flee Earth when his failed business leaves him in debt to a murderous loan shark. In his haste to find off-World work on Niflheim, Mickey agrees to become an "expendable," which, due to the miracle of human printing, means he will be a resurrectable lab rat; when he dies from disease or asphyxiation, the techs will churn out a new Mickey who'll be used and abused until dead again. The Mickeys have different temperaments, which becomes a source of delightfully absurd conflict when a left-for-dead Mickey 17 sneaks back into the Niflheim base. Whereas 17 is a likable dork, the newly printed 18 is an aggro revolutionary who, because it's illegal to have two expendables alive at the same time, wants to kill 17 posthaste.

 Pattinson's command of his instrument allows him to cleanly differentiate between the two Mickeys, engage in a kinky threesome scenario with his girlfriend (Naomie Ackie), and present two warring senses of resistance. It's a heartfelt dual performance that might be the best of its kind since Jeremy Irons' twins in "Dead Ringers"). Pattinson is a full-fledged master of his craft. It's crazy to consider the best is yet to come. (Jeremy Smith)

Pamela Anderson's performance in Akiva Schaffer's delightfully stupid "The Naked Gun" reboot is incredible. Her character, Beth Davenport, embodies the classic femme fatale archetype from the great noir movies of yesteryear — mystery, elegance, and other quirks that wouldn't seem tonally out of place in a John Huston film. But this is still a "Naked Gun" movie, where silliness is the order of the day, and Anderson isn't afraid to cut loose when she has to.

Anderson does a great job of delivering the silly material with a straight face, which makes it even funnier. Even when the story throws her character into some wacky situations — like the scene where Beth performs an over-the-top scat jazz number — Anderson acts like it's just another day in Beth's life. She's also at the center of one of the film's best gags, which sees Beth storm out of a police station carrying a chair shortly after being told to take a seat.

It doesn't hurt that Anderson stars alongside Liam Neeson, who plays Lieutenant Frank Drebin Jr. The pair's comedic and romantic chemistry is infectious — so much so that they convinced everyone they were dating in real life after the film's release. That's quite impressive, especially when their characters' most romantic scenes involve killer snowmen and inappropriate (but actually innocent) shenanigans involving dogs. These scenes also allow Anderson to lean into campness with a little sprinkle of mush, adding more layers to her performance.

Between "The Naked Gun" and "The Last Showgirl," Anderson is enjoying a renaissance. After this performance, though, she deserves to play Beth for years to come, as we need more "Naked Gun" sequels after the success of this one (Kieran Fisher).

It's hard to think of a character type Leonardo DiCaprio hasn't played at some point or other over the course of his long and lauded career. He's been at different times the troubled young man, the heartthrob, the weary hardass, the imbecile, the clown. In Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another," he's largely the latter — a perpetually stoned aging revolutionary, but one willing to risk everything he has left for the sake of his daughter.

DiCaprio's Bob Ferguson character is positioned as the main character of the film, yet almost everyone else who gets major screentime feels more worthy of that title. He's the searcher, but the goofy one — Daniel Day-Lewis in "The Last of the Mohicans" by way of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. This "spotlight without spotlight" gives him plenty of opportunities for spectacular physical comedy, spot-on line-reads, and authenticity. Frankly, it's one of the best performances of his career. (Rick Stevenson)

At its core, Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" is about ensuring the survival of the next generation so that they're ready to carry on the good fight in their own way. The conflicts that once plagued French 75 revolutionary Perfidia (Teyana Taylor) have reared their ugly head, forcing her teenage daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) to become fully attuned to the ugly world she's inherited. Out of this comes a star-marking performance from Infiniti, who makes her big screen acting debut with one of the film's best — and most important — performances.

Infiniti establishes herself right out of the gate with such a controlled balance of grace, fear, and fury that makes it feel as if she's been doing this for years. The film's emotional resonance rests on her shoulders, and she's more than up to the task of leading such an epic production. Sean Penn is a huge presence as the menacing Col. Steven J. Lockjaw, but Infiniti more than holds her own with her scenes opposite the Academy Award-winning actor. The way she's able to expose the explosive antagonist's insecurities with such natural confidence is a sight to behold. It's one of many examples in which "One Battle After Another" belongs to Willa as she keeps her mother's rebellious spirit alive with every obstacle standing in her way. 

Cinematically and thematically, the future is in good hands. The revolution will not be televised, but Infiniti's rise among the ranks of our new crop of movie stars will tower on the world's biggest screens for years to come. (Quinn Bilodeau)

No single character or performance best exemplifies Paul Thomas Anderson's ability to vacillate between satire and seriousness more than Sean Penn's turn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw in "One Battle After Another." Penn's performance is so strong and so locked in that it only takes two words ("sweet thaaaang") for you to understand the tenor of Lockjaw's character. 

His herky-jerky walk is halfway between a twerk and a hip injury, and his facial tics betray his barely contained rage or lust. He attends to his vanity by licking a comb and setting his stringy hair, his chapped and pocked lips grotesquely wetting the grooming instrument. It's no wonder that the Christmas Adventurers, the secret white supremacist society that Lockjaw so desperately wishes to join, have him pegged as a reject almost immediately upon meeting him.

What's most astonishing about Penn's performance is that he's not only able to walk a line between comedy and terror, but also to insert the right amount of tragedy. Even when the man is being utterly reprehensible, he's hopelessly pathetic, too. It's what helps him stand out even in Anderson's impressive canon of just-barely-human monsters like Daniel Plainview and Mary Grady. By the finale of the film, Lockjaw doesn't just resemble Sterling Hayden from "Dr. Strangelove" or George C. Scott from "Firestarter," but Elmer J. Fudd. He's God's perfect loser, which is why he's destined to be one of the most indelible cinematic characters of all time. (Bill Bria)

Throughout his career, Michael Cera has often been one of those actors who plays pretty much the same character in every movie. Cera is often awkward and meek but charming and amusing too, which you can see in everything from "Juno" to "Superbad." But when you see Cera in Wes Anderson's globe-trotting comedy "The Phoenician Scheme," you'll forget about all that.

In "The Phoenician Scheme," which is basically Wes Anderson's version of an espionage movie, our story follows arms dealer and industrialist Anatole "Zsa-Zsa" Korda (Benicio del Toro) in the aftermath of surviving an assassination attempt. As Korda tries to protect his empire and establish his estranged daughter, Liesel (Mia Threapleton), to take over his operations, he must convince her to turn away from becoming a nun as outside forces attempt to infiltrate his empire and stop a risky deal from coming together that will cement his continued success.

How does Michael Cera tie into all this? He plays Bjørn, a Norwegian entomologist who has just become Korda's tutor/administrative assistant. Cera portrays Bjørn with a cartoonish Norwegian accent, coke-bottle glasses, a wavy coif, and barely a mustache, and it's one of the best performances he's ever given, unlike anything he's done before. What makes the performance even better is an additional wrinkle to the character that digs into spoiler territory, but just trust me when I say that it adds another dynamic layer to the performance that only enhances what's already there. (Ethan Anderton)

Who'd have thought before "Sinners" premiered that one of the hottest actors of 2025 is a kid few movie aficionados were even aware of before Ryan Coogler's "Sinners" came along? Coogler, for sure, but not very many others — after all, the movie is young musician Miles Caton's first film role.

To say that Caton made the most of the opportunity is an understatement. It takes a lot to stand out in a cast that includes folks like Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo, but the youngster's Sammie Moore, nevertheless emerges as a reliable scene-stealer ... and then he whips out that impossibly deep and soulful singing voice that drives some of the film's most amazing moments.

Worthy as his performance is, I don't think Caton will win an acting Oscar for "Sinners." It's just hard to see the Academy throwing a golden statue at a silver screen debut in a genre-defying vampire action horror musical thriller drama. What "Sinners" does confirm, however, is that the young performer already belongs in the award season discussion and that he has what it takes to bring home glory at some not-too-distant point in his career. It remains to be seen how Caton intends to follow up this impressive beginning, but if his next role is even a fraction as great as Sammie, he'll have an incredibly bright future ahead of him. (Pauli Poisuo)

Making a film about the invisible wounds left behind by sexual assault that's also incredibly funny is such a delicate tightrope, but Eva Victor walks across it with such confidence for a first-time filmmaker. "Sorry, Baby" is not only an impressive directorial debut for Victor but a phenomenal acting showcase that deserves to be recognized among the year's best. 

With the story being presented in a non-linear fashion, we come to learn about Agnes (Victor) as if we were their friend, Lydie (Naomi Ackie), popping in for a hangout session. Inflections in their body language, however, indicate a dormant pain that we're guests to. Once we learn how Agnes was physically taken advantage of by their literature professor (Louis Cancelmi), it's not unlike when bad memories pop up out of nowhere to remind us what we've been through.

Agnes doesn't seek vengeance so much as an understanding of why their assault happened and how the attacker could learn from it. Victor brings an extraordinary level of nuance to a character who's seen all of the ineffective ways people have approached them as a result of what happened. They cope by making humorous observations about the whole thing because it's all they can do in the company of quietly hostile doctors or useless (and inaccurate) solidarity. There's a natural sardonic wit within Victor's performance that made me burst out laughing multiple times, with one of the funniest being the aftermath of the cat adoption system at work. It's a tender, funny, and achingly real portrait of existence despite the bad thing. Quinn Bilodeau)

Christopher Reeve cannot be surpassed as Superman — but three silver screen Superman recasts later, we've finally gotten an actor who's come within striking distance of him. David Corenswet, in James Gunn's new "Superman," has reminded us why the Man of Steel is a hero worth looking up to.

Corenswet's Superman is not an uptight goody two-shoes or a distant paternalistic god. He's just an earnest guy with a good heart, stubbornly refusing to be cynical as the world itself is. If the memes are any indication, Corenswet's Superman may have done some real-life heroism by inspiring real men to follow his example of kindness. Superman's big speech about how his humanity and flaws are his greatest strength is corny on paper, sure. Corenswet lifts it up with the sincerity of his performance, both in that moment and the film in general; that is what Superman would say in that moment, wouldn't he? Corenswet's Superman turns the heart on his sleeve into inspiration, not embarrassment.

His performance also does a service to the actors around him. Corenswet shows cackling chemistry with both Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and his nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). The one criticism is that the movie could benefit from a tad more Clark Kent, but at least Corenswet remembers the two personas are supposed to act differently. (Devin Meenan)

Amy Madigan is so incredibly unrecognizable in Zach Cregger's excellent horror movie "Weapons" that, at first glance, I thought the woman behind the weird wig and garish, sloppy red lipstick was Kathryn Hunter, a woman who's made a name for herself with bizarre and audacious performances. With the utmost due respect to Hunter, nobody could have played "Aunt" Gladys Lily like Madigan. 

We don't properly meet Gladys until "Weapons" hits its third act, although we see her freaky clown face in nightmares thanks to bereaved parent Archer Graff (Josh Brolin), whose son is one of the 17 children who ran recklessly into the night and vanished — the event that kicks off the whole movie — and elementary school teacher Justine Gandy (Julia Garner), whose entire class disappeared save for one Alex Lily (outstanding newcomer Cary Christopher).

When we do meet Gladys, Madigan adopts a sickly-sweet voice and unsettling manner as her character interacts with school principal Marcus Miller (Benedict Wong), giving viewers a strange clue about her possibly advanced age when she claims that Alex's absent parents have "consumption." If you don't know Gladys' whole deal in "Weapons" yet, I don't want to be the one to ruin it for you ... but what I will say is that Madigan brings incredible and even heartbreaking nuance to the film's clear villain, especially in a standout scene where she seems briefly and inexplicably crushed that Alex wants her to leave town and never come back. Consider giving Madigan the Oscar, Academy voters. We're begging you. (Nina Starner)