Summer movie club: 12 favourite films from 2025
Don’t know which flick to pick from the 15 streaming subscriptions you’ve signed up to? Or would you prefer to cool off in the cinema? InDaily picks 12 of the year’s best.
Overwhelmed by choice paralysis? Don’t know which flick to pick from the 15 streaming subscriptions you’ve signed up to? Or would you prefer to cool off in the cinema?
To help you out, here are 12 favourite films from 2025, both high and lowbrow, that will make for perfect viewing during the holidays – or any time, in fact.
Materialists
(Prime)
I am mostly recommending Materialists to vindicate anyone who felt shamed by the internet for liking this film when it came out.
Materialists’ biggest crime was its marketing, with polished press shots of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal spurring on rhetoric that the rom-com was back. If you want to be reminded of the glory days of the rom-com with a contemporary feel, I recommend 2023’s Rye Lane or even the 2022 clichéd-but-cute Wedding Season.
But Materialists is a romantic drama (emphasis on drama) with witty dialogue and, of course, a gorgeous cast.
Directed by Celine Song, it follows Lucy, a young New York City matchmaker played by Dakota Johnson. Lucy is made to choose between the perfect-on-paper, financially secure suitor Harry, played by Pedro Pascal, and her ex-boyfriend John, the lovably scruffy struggling actor played by Chris Evans.
Love triangle aside, the film strikes a solemn chord when Lucy is faced with the harsh truth that sending women out on matches with “perfect” men isn’t all romantic fantasy. The film balances the shade of “known risks” of sexual assault in the matchmaking industry with the light of height jokes. It’s a worthwhile watch, but definitely not a rom-com. – Helen Karakulak
KPop Demon Hunters
(Netflix)
If you’ve scrolled on social media at all this year, you’ve probably had an earful of the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack. The hype has been overwhelming, but it’s truly warranted.
If you’re a sceptic, I urge you to give up an hour and 39 minutes of your time. The story follows girl group Huntrix and boy band the Saja Boys as they duel it out to save or condemn human souls – pick your team.
It’s a fun look at the country’s culture and music, with plenty of praise for its authenticity. A highlight is the Saja Boys’ rendition of Soda Pop, complete with viral dance moves.
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Creator Maggie Kang took seven years to perfect the project and it was recently named TIME Magazine’s Breakthrough of the Year. The film’s storyline delivers viewers a beautiful message, wrapped up in pop songs you might find yourself adding to your playlist. –Zoe Rice
Nosterafu
(Netflix, Binge and Apple TV)
Any horror film that makes you jump out of your seat in the first five minutes has hit its mark. American director Robert Eggers’ ultra-creepy take on the vampire story – inspired by the 2022 silent film Nosferatu, which was based in turn on Bram Stoker’s Dracula – does that and more.
Lily-Rose Depp stars as Ellen, a young woman in a fictional German town who is both haunted and enraptured by her psychic connection to Nosferatu, with Bill Skarsgård perfectly cast as the sinister and mysterious nobleman Count Orlok. The action moves from Germany to Transylvania (of course) as Ellen’s realtor husband (Nicholas Hoult) embarks on a fool’s mission to the towering gothic castle owned by Orlok/Nosferatu, and events thereafter just get more and more disturbing.
Nosferatu is beautifully filmed, earning Oscar nods for cinematography, costuming, design and make-up. It certainly isn’t for the faint-hearted (the rats alone will give you nightmares), but it’s ideal holiday viewing for fans of slick, stylish contemporary horror. – Suzie Keen
Freakier Friday
(Disney Plus)
Freakier Friday is a joyful hit of nostalgia that instantly took me back to my younger days, particularly when I would often rent the original from Video Ezy on a Friday night.
From the beginning, it captures the same playful energy and heartfelt humour that made Freaky Friday so memorable, while still feeling fresh enough for a new generation. The film cleverly follows a similar storyline to the original body-swap chaos, but repurposes it in a way that reflects how relationships and responsibilities evolve with age.
I also love that they brought back the original actors – Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis – rather than opting for a full remake with new faces. Overall, it’s funny, comforting and surprisingly touching — the kind of film that makes you laugh, reminisce, and leave the lounge room with a smile. – Jasmine Disalvatore
Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery
(Netflix and cinemas)
Wake Up Dead Man is another killer entry in the Knives Out series, with a young priest trying to follow his moral compass after arriving in an unwelcoming new parish. A highlight is the cast of compelling characters – they are as fascinating as they are unhinged, and it’s satisfying to trawl through their problematic lives.
Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc is as entertaining and unpredictable as ever, stirring up trouble within the insular community while he investigates the mystery. He and the protagonist are an excellent pairing – challenging each other’s beliefs and pushing each other to be better people among the tangled web of terrible behaviour from the townsfolk.
If you enjoyed the other Knives Out movies, you should like this one. It hits the same high notes of entertainment and brings some extra emotion and self-reflection to the series. – James Taylor
Rental Family
(Cinemas)
Rental Family follows Brendan Fraser’s character, Phillip, a struggling American actor living in Tokyo who gets a call from his agent with an unusual job offer. Although he’s adorably baffled by the role, his life changes when he accepts it.
What follows is a chaotic but heart-warming, and occasionally heartbreaking, turn of events. Rental Family perfectly encapsulates the importance of all the kinds of relationships in our lives and how we impact the people we cross paths with every day, even if only in a small way.
As a huge Brendan Fraser fan, I jumped at the chance to see a preview screening of this movie. There are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, and the performances are phenomenal. – Chelsea McLaughlin
Frankenstein
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(Netflix)
This movie is one that will stay in your memory and is a visual feast with sets and stunning costumes that are out of this world, particularly the insect-themed dresses worn by Mia Goth (which should win best costume at the Oscars).
It’s a gripping story told with some changes to the original novel but somehow still works as an adaptation under Guillermo del Toro’s direction. And it features the sexiest Frankenstein’s monster to have been depicted thus far, thanks to the amazing Jacob Elordi, who is riveting in his characterisation of The Creature – try taking your eyes off him.
An enjoyable two-and-a-half-hour visual feast for gothic horror aficionados after a day at the beach. – Anna Mobley
Jimpa
(Cinemas, 2026)
Jimpa is a warm and emotional film about family, identity and the stories that shape who we become. It follows Hannah as she travels from Adelaide to Amsterdam with her teenage child, Frances, to reconnect with her lively and openly gay father – affectionately known as Jimpa.
Set in both Adelaide and Amsterdam, the film explores Jimpa’s charismatic way of living in contrast to that of his daughter and grandchild. Frances is drawn to Jimpa’s world and decides they want to stay with him for a year.
The film shows quiet moments of listening, sharing, and confrontation, and how each generation expresses love in different ways. Jimpa feels warm, funny and vulnerable, reminding us that families are never simple and that real connection often comes from difficult moments. – Em Grzeskowiak
The Naked Gun
(Apple TV)
While not my favourite flick of 2025 (that’d go to either One Battle After Another or the yet-to-exit-the-film-festival-circuit Sirat), The Naked Gun is my pick for a lazy afternoon summer movie.
I saw the reboot at the cinema with my father, notoriously an obnoxious laugher who’ll crack up at anything – and it felt like the eyes of everyone else were on us for the entire duration.
Starring Liam Neeson instead of Leslie Nielsen, the gag-a-second romp is never not hilarious. A true popcorn flick if there ever was one. Best seen in a delightfully air-conditioned living room with a fresh box of Cheezels. – David Simmons
Zootopia 2
(Cinemas)
Everyone’s favourite partners Hopps and Wilde are back for another suspense-filled adventure on the hunt for a mysterious snake that has stolen an important artefact.
The average viewing demographic is kids under five, but Zootopia 2 may still be the most fun film you watch all summer. It will put you through all the emotions and absolutely delivers with funny references – plus Shakira is back with an absolute banger. – Ella Wagner
One Battle After Another
(Apple TV, Google Play Movies & TV and Amazon Prime)
It’s a big call given his distinguished body of work, but I would venture to suggest that One Battle After Another is Paul Thomas Anderson’s best movie to date.
Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, One Battle After Another transforms the 1990s satire into a not-so-subtle reference to Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
The thriller film follows a group of left-wing militants, including protagonists Bob Fergusson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his one-time lover Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). Following a failed bank heist, Bob and his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), hide out in the wilderness, while Perfidia starts a new, mundane suburban life. However, antagonist Colonel Steven J Lockjaw – clearly based on a high-ranking ICE agent – makes it his mission to hunt down Bob, with some rather interesting motives.
Don’t be put off by the two-hour, 42-minute runtime, because this film never has a dull moment. It will have you on the edge of your seat. – Charlie Gilchrist
Kangaroo Island
(Apple TV, Amazon Video and Fetch TV)
Kangaroo Island is produced by husband-and-wife team Timothy David and Sally Gifford, using the picturesque island as a backdrop to this family drama, carried by Erik Thomson and Rebecca Breeds. My main criticism of the entire film is the cringey use of the word “Strewth” (really? Come on, guys…), but once I got past that, I was able to enjoy Timothy’s refreshing photographic storytelling and the film’s emotional highs and lows.
The plot seems to try to shotgun a wide gamut of emotional plotlines at the audience so that anyone will feel a pull on the heartstrings – whether you’ve gone through the loss of a parent, a breakup, rejection, or even a family feud over money – but it is all balanced by the brevity through some fun and heartwarming moments. – Ben Kelly
First published on CityMag. Read the original here
