We kick off our review of 2025 with my least favourite films of the year, and for once, there was some competition for places.

Special mentions to the second part of ‘Wicked‘, some of the worst sex scenes in history in ‘The Shrouds‘ and the bizarre ‘Opus‘ which avoids the list only due to the fun it has with John Malkovich playing an ageing Italian popstar/cult leader (yep that’s right!), but they aren’t as bad as the following 5!

5. Flight Risk

‘Flight Risk‘ is a low budget thriller set on a tiny plane that doesn’t even manage to succeed as a fun B-movie. The script is thin, the dialogue is rough, and Mel Gibson’s direction is phoned in from someone capable of much better. Mark Wahlberg at least commits to playing the villain, but his performance is constantly undermined by one of the worst bald caps in recent memory. A forgettable movie from last January that I will likely never think of again.

Where to watch (or not watch 😉 ): Flight Risk

4. Maria

Pablo Larraín continues his run of 20th-century female biopics, but this dreamy psychodrama about Maria Callas is easily his weakest. It’s pretentious, boring, and weighed down by a clumsy hallucination framing device and dialogue that’s meant to sound profound but is often just cringe-worthy. Angelina Jolie disappoints in the lead, while the awkwardly blended singing sequences never work. Despite strong cinematography and a good score, this is a poor biopic that isn’t close to the quality of ‘Jackie‘ (which made my Top 20 in 2017) or even ‘Spencer‘.

Where to watch (or not watch 😉 ): Maria

3. Hot Milk

‘Hot Milk‘ is an intriguing mother-daughter drama about illness, resentment and dependency that never quite comes together. Rebecca Lenkiewicz’s directorial debut is artfully made, with a strong score and excellent performances, especially from Fiona Shaw, but the narrative is messy and hard to connect with. Emma Mackey’s character feels frustratingly underwritten, drifting without clear motivation and that’s before the infuriating, unearned ending that seals this as a misfire despite some initial promise.

Where to watch (or not watch 😉 ): Hot Milk

2. The Naked Gun

A reboot nobody was asking for that struggles to justify its own existence. Liam Neeson is fine as Frank Drebin Jr., but he plays the role too knowingly, missing the straight-faced sincerity that made Leslie Nielsen so effective. There are a few scattered laughs, but the film never captures the daft, relentless humour of the originals. Mercifully under 90 minutes, it’s a tired, fairly predictable reboot that delivers exactly what I expected – not very much!

Where to watch (or not watch 😉 ): The Naked Gun

1. Here

Robert Zemeckis hits a new low with this high-concept misfire that never works on any level. Set in a single location across centuries, the static-camera gimmick quickly becomes exhausting, with scattered stories that share little beyond geography. The film is relentlessly saccharine and emotionally manipulative, yet completely incapable of making you care, despite a strong cast (Tom Hanks!) and a big budget. Utter tosh.

Where to watch (or not watch 😉 ): Here

Narrowly avoiding this list: Wicked: For Good, The Life of Chuck, The Shrouds