6 Best Films of the First Half of 2025 According to Variety: Vampires, Spies and Tom Cruise

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The first half of 2025 has been absolutely packed. Major franchises made their comeback to screens, while fresh faces emerged through arthouse cinema.

Variety has wrapped up their mid-year roundup and picked the best films of the first half. I've selected six of the most striking works for you — ones that aren't just well-made, but stick with you long after the final credits roll.

"Black Bag" (dir. Steven Soderbergh)

If you've been missing elegant spy games — this film hits the bullseye.

George Woodhouse (Michael Fassbender), a British intelligence agent, discovers there's a traitor in their service. At stake is the secret "Severus" operation, and among the suspects... his own wife Catherine (Cate Blanchett). She's also an agent.
Actors Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender kiss against a blurred background
Still from "Black Bag"
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They've been together for years, know each other like no one else, but now George must decide who he trusts more — the woman he loves or his country.

"Bring Her Back" (dir. Danny and Michael Philippou)

The Australian brothers are back doing what they do best — scaring us on a visceral level.
A boy in orange shorts stands at the bottom of a swimming pool holding a cat
Still from "Bring Her Back"
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Teenager Andy and his younger stepsister Piper move in with a new foster mother after their father's death. The girl can barely see, and Andy feels he must protect her at all costs. There's something off about the house, and Laura's son's behavior grows increasingly disturbing. Gradually, Andy realizes: something's very wrong with this family.

"Sinners" (dir. Ryan Coogler)

We haven't seen anything like this in ages. It's drama, horror, musical odyssey, and mystical biopic about 1930s America all rolled into one. And at its core — it's a story about family, duty, and the price of fame.
A man smiles against a black background with a red gleam in his eyes
Still from "Sinners"
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Twin brothers (Michael B. Jordan) return to their Southern hometown after the war and a criminal past. They want to start fresh and open a music bar to give hope to others like them. At the opening, a gifted performer takes the stage — his blues cuts so deep it gets under your skin. And he's exactly what catches the attention of a strange stranger, who turns out to be a real vampire.

"28 Years Later" (dir. Danny Boyle)

Boyle picks up the camera again — and plunges us into hell.

The virus that turns people into zombies hasn't let up for nearly three decades. Britain is empty, fear has become the new normal.
A man and child in dark clothing run through the forest with bows and arrows in their hands
Still from "28 Years Later"
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At the center of the story — a little boy desperately searching for a doctor for his dying mother.

"Sorry, Baby" (dir. Eva Victor)

The best independent film of the year. About how memories can poison the present, and how hard it is to start living again.

Agnes is a university professor who's been living with past trauma for years. When a friend comes to visit, it seems like life might finally change. But the memories keep crashing back, wave after wave.
A girl in a blue jacket holds a kitten and looks at it
Frame from the film "Sorry, Baby"
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The film's director, Eva Victor, also stars in the lead role. This is her debut project.

"Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" (dir. Christopher McQuarrie)

The last chapter of Ethan Hunt's ( ) saga delivers the epic scale you'd expect from a finale.
Actor Tom Cruise in a brown jacket grips the wheels of a flying plane
Frame from the film "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning"
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This time, Ethan's not fighting a person but what a person created — artificial intelligence that's gone rogue. The stakes couldn't be higher: this AI can destroy nations, armies, humanity itself. Ethan assembles his old team for one last — and possibly fatal — mission.

If you missed anything from this list, now's the time to catch up. Because 2025 has already delivered some seriously strong cinema. And it looks like there's even more ahead. Earlier on zoomboola.com, we covered the five best films of the 21st century — according to New York Times readers. Do you agree with their picks?