The year’s already at the halfway point. To mark the occasion, we checked in with members of the Seattle Film Critics Society for their favorite films of the year (so far) as well as their most anticipated titles yet to come.
More than 60 films appeared on our members lists, but if we were assembling a Best Picture ballot for the first half of the year, there’s no contest as to what would be at the top of our lists. Ryan Coogler’s original IMAX blockbuster Sinners appeared on a supermajority of our critics lists. Other common favorites include marital spy caper Black Bag (Steven Soderbergh), long away zombie thriller 28 Years Later (Danny Boyle), the Marvel underdogs of Thunderbolts* (Jake Schreier), and comedic bad dad comedy quest The Phoenician Scheme (Wes Anderson).
In terms of the next half of the year, nearly 50 titles were mentioned, but the most “most anticipated” film is Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, which had a place on half of our critics wishlists. Close behind it in the anticipation index was James Gunn’s take on Superman and Zach Cregger’s shrouded in mystery horror epic Weapons. Other frequent mentions included Hamnet (Chloe Zhao), Eddington (Ari Aster), Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos), and Avatar: Fire and Ash (James Cameron). In total, 48 movies made it onto at least one critic’s list, so there’s a lot to look forward to in the remaining months of 2025.
Below, find each critic’s responses to our poll. See you at the movies!
Josh Bis (The SunBreak)
Favorites
- Pavements
- Sinners
- Black Bag
- 28 Years Later
- The Phoenician Scheme
Coming Attractions
- One Battle After Another
- Sentimental Value
- Bugonia
- Jay Kelly
- After the Hunt
Warren Cantrell
Favorites
- The Perfect Neighbor
- Friendship
- Sinners
- Predator: Killer of Killers
- Final Destination: Bloodlines
Coming Attractions
- Superman
- Eddington
- The Toxic Avenger
- Frankenstein
- Predator: Badlands
Joseph Curtis (YouTube)
Favorites
- Sinners
- 28 Years Later
- Thunderbolts*
- Friendship
- Warfare.
Coming Attractions
- Superman
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Weapons
- One Battle After Another
Kathy Fennessy (Seattle Film Blog)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)
- Blue Sun Palace
- Chain Reactions
- 28 Years Later
Coming Attractions
- Highest 2 Lowest
- One Battle After Another
- Die My Love
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
- Caught Stealing
Sara Michelle Fetters (MovieFreak)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Sorry, Baby
- Mickey 17
- Black Bag
- 28 Years Later
Coming Attractions
- Ella McCay
- Hamnet
- One Battle After Another
- Superman
- The Toxic Avenger
Sean Gilman (The Chinese Cinema)
Favorites
- Eephus
- Shifty
- Sinners
- Blazing Fists
- Broken Rage
Coming Attractions
- Ghost Killer
- Resurrection
- One Battle After Another
- The Mastermind
- Highest 2 Lowest
Linda Gwilym (Moviepie)
Favorites
- Between Goodbyes
- Sinners
- Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
- Color Book
- Raptures
Coming Attractions
- The History of Sound
- La Petite Dernière
- Spinal Tap II
- Tron: Ares
- The Roses
Chase Hutchinson (various)
Favorites
- April
- The Mastermind
- Train Dreams
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
- Resurrection
Coming Attractions
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Highest 2 Lowest
- One Battle After Another
- Keeper
- Weapons
Favorites
- Sinners
- Shifty
- Grand Theft Hamlet
- Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning
- The Phoenician Scheme
Coming Attractions
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Alpha
- Superman
Matt Oakes (Silver Screen Riot)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Lurker
- Andre is an Idiot
- The Life of Chuck
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Coming Attractions
- Bugonia
- One Battle After Another
- Eddington
- Weapons
- Mother Mary
Blake Peterson (425 Magazine)
Favorites
- Universal Language
- Misericordia
- The Shrouds
- Blue Sun Palace
- The Day the Earth Blew Up
Coming Attractions
- Die My Love
- One Battle After Another
- Weapons
- After the Hunt
- Train Dreams
Justin Moore (YouTube)
Favorites
- F1 ® The Movie
- Sinners
- Life of Chuck
- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Thunderbolts*
Coming Attractions
- Weapons
- Superman
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Eddington
- Bugonia
Marc Morin (The Two Oh Six)
Favorites
- Sinners
- My Love Will Make You Disappear
- Thunderbolts*
- Wick is Pain
- 40 Acres
Coming Attractions
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Superman
- Wicked: For Good
- Predator: Badlands
- Avatar: Fire and Ash
Steve Reeder (NWPB)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Waves
- BLKNWS: Terms & Conditions
- Baby Doe
- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Coming Attractions
- Bugonia
- Hamnet
- Nuremberg
- Downton Abbey: Grand Finale
- Americana
Erik Samdahl (FilmJabber)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Black Bag
- Companion
- Dangerous Animals
- Magazine Dreams
Coming Attractions
- Superman
- Eddington
- Weapons
- The Smashing Machine
- Bugonia
Rene Sanchez (Cine Sin Fronteras)
Favorites
- The Blue Trail
- It Was Just an Accident
- Resurrection
- Sentimental Value
- Sound of Falling
Coming Attractions
- After the Hunt
- Frankenstein
- Hamnet
- Train Dreams
- Twinless
Morgen Schuler (The SunBreak)
Favorites
- Harbin
- The New Year That Never Came
- The Wedding Banquet
- Portal To Hell
- DJ Ahmet
Coming Attractions
- Tron: Ares
- Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
- The Roses
- One Battle After Another
- The Running Man
Vaughn Swearingen (Step Printed)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Happyend
- Black Bag
- Cloud
- The Phoenician Scheme..
Coming Attractions
- One Battle After Another
- It Was Just An Accident
- Transcending Dimensions
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond
- Resurrection
Mike Ward (Should I See It)
Favorites
- Sinners
- Color Book
- Sorry, Baby
- Bob Trevino Likes It
- Black Bag
Coming Attractions
- Anemone
- Sentimental Value
- Hamnet
- A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
- It Was Just an Accident
Eric Zhu (The Insert)
Favorites
- Afternoons of Solitude
- The Shrouds
- The Periphery of the Base
- Reflection in a Dead Diamond
- Pepe
Coming Attractions
- The Mastermind
- Drunken Noodles
- Chocobar
- Sirât
- Henry Fonda for President