Every year, us writers in Spartan Spin look forward to what big movies are slated to come out. The four of us are friends that enjoy writing down our thoughts for recent films we’ve seen. 2025 has given us exceptional quality in films throughout the year. Whether it’s considered Oscar bait or something that flew under the radar, we have felt very satisfied with the showing that Hollywood has had to offer. Some films showed success at the box office, while others were major disappointments. We are rating our favorite films of the year based on three categories: Acting, Plot, and Entertainment. Looking for some recent movie recommendations? We’ve got you covered.
One Battle After Another (reviewed by Austin Edwards):
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another is another spectacular addition to his filmography. While this is Thomas Anderson’s highest grossing film, it still won’t break even despite making $200 million worldwide. After my first viewing, I struggled to understand the overarching themes and didn’t know how to feel by the end. But once I rewatched it a second time, the themes of revolutionary ideologies and how a parent’s past mistakes can impact their child clicked in my brain. It made me really appreciate the lengths that Bob Ferguson (Leonardo Dicaprio) goes to save his child from being taken by Colonel Steve Lockjaw (Sean Penn). The acting in this film is top tier. In a very competitive year, Leonardo Dicaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Benicio Del Toro, Teyana Taylor, and Regina Hall are all in contention for an Oscar Award. Not often do we see this level of talent in a movie, so for that reason the acting gets a 10/10. The plot to this film can take a few viewings to really understand what’s happening. While it did take me until my second viewing of the film, I really felt that the deeper themes were executed well and kept me engaged in the film because of the heavy emotion behind it. The plot gets a 9/10. Overall, this film was one of the more creative and authentic movies I’ve seen. My Entertainment rating for One Battle After Another is 9.5/10. I highly recommend it to any movie lover. Whether it’s a complex story or not, it’ll forever be seen as a classic film made by an iconic director in Paul Thomas Anderson. You can find One Battle After Another on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Frankenstein (reviewed by Landon Anrig):
The movie “Frankenstein” directed by Guillermo del Toro is based on the classic novel from Mary Shelley in 1818. The movie is rated R, and it does its job at earning this. The movie features a lot of blood, as it also does include a fair amount of gore, so if you are sensitive toward these, do not consider watching this movie. Jacob Elordi does a great job of portraying the monster’s emotions throughout the film, as he is a part of the reason I am giving the movie a 8/10 on acting. The rest of the actors gave great delivery in their roles, but there wasn’t much more that impressed within the acting. Next, I was very impressed with the plot of the film. It starts off with a very confusing scene that is then followed by a flashback of two stories, the side of the crazy scientist Victor Frankenstein, and his monster creation. The opening scene of the movie almost feels like a cross between a flashforward and a flashback, as the majority of the movie follows the story of the two main characters. I found the monster’s story the most interesting, as he shows really impressive character development that the director did a great job with. Now, because of how this plot kept me engaged and interested, I am giving the plot a 9.5/10. Now, I did give both the acting and the plot high scores, but my final thoughts and mood on the movie were that it isn’t a crazy good movie. I believe that Frankenstein has no rewatchability as I think the main reason someone should watch this movie is the plot. Now, with this, the first watch I believe is entertaining and you would enjoy it. For entertainment, I’m gonna give a 7/10. With all these considered Frankenstein gets a 7/10 for final scores, because in my opinion this movie is a good one, not a great one and I think this is a good watch, but there are many other better movies out there. You can find Frankenstein on Netflix.
The Long Walk (reviewed by Beckett Selden):
Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk, is a film based on the Stephen King Novel obviously also named, The Long Walk. It takes place in a dystopian 1970’s setting where there is a grueling militarized, televised event that takes place every year. The film adaptation has 50 teenagers (novel has 100) who volunteer to walk until there is only 1 man standing. They must follow a small set of rules, the main one being; you get a warning if you fall below 3 mph, and after 3 warnings, you are killed. The winner of the event is promised an enormous cash prize and 1 wish that will be granted. The cast is full of smaller actors, and in my opinion this is the biggest project almost all of these actors have been a part of, aside from Mark Hamil who plays the general and is most famously known for playing Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise. The actors are relatively amateur and you can tell, if you don’t pick apart small acting issues, I don’t find too much of an issue, but if you pay attention to those they will stand out throughout the movie. For this reason I give the acting a 6/10. We owe the plot of the movie to the mind of Stephen King, a brilliant author. The concept of the contest, and the stakes the contest has adds so much suspense and angst. Along with the fact that this event is held by the military gives a scary sense of realism, and plants the seed that the government and military aren’t as good as we think. For these reasons, I give the plot a 9/10. I recommend this movie to watch, though I don’t see myself rewatching anytime soon. A great plot twist brings my Entertainment rating of The Long Walk to a 6.5/10. You can purchase or rent this film on Prime Video, Apple TV, or Youtube.
F1 (reviewed by Leo Drougas):
Joseph Kosinski’s F1: The Movie is a great movie to co-side with Kosinski’s other notable movie Top Gun: Maverick, giving the same vibe with the race scene making you feel like you’re actually in the car. The movie first starts out with Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) the main character, coming back into formula one racing after three decades. Hayes joins a losing team on the brink of closure owned by his old buddy (Javier Bardem) as their last hope/hail mary. On this team is Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), a young up and coming driver worried because if the team fails, his career will be over. The acting from both Brad Pitt and Damson Idris is great, really showing the two different obstacles they’re facing, eventually having to come together to overcome them. The other supporting actors also do a great job creating character drama outside of racing. And the movie has cameos of real top F1 drivers to engage you into the realistic part of F1. Because of all these factors, the acting gets a 8.5/10. The plot is a little cliche as a mentor/inspirational sport story but I didn’t mind that because of how well they execute it. I give the plot a 9/10. Lastly, the look and feel of this movie is fantastic. The run time of the movie is around 2 hours and 30 minutes but it doesn’t feel that way because of how good it is from the race scenes being so intense, keeping you on the edge of your seat and actually making you feel like you’re in the car. Also the great character drama and story in between the races kept the pace fast. Additionally the camera work with the cinematography and the great sound track the movie produced makes it very enjoyable for everyone. Watching it for the first time when it came out in the summer was an amazing experience and also the second time watching more recently, it was still amazing. I give entertainment a 9.5/10. You can stream this movie with an Apple TV subscription or buy it on Amazon Prime and Youtube.
