As promised, it's now time to take a look at some of the movies this year that left us empty, frustrated, and contemplate how badly we wasted our time. Let's not dwell on them any longer than necessary, shall we?
#5
Safe House (2025)
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There are too many movies in existence that share the title of Safe House, and only one of them is actually any good; this ain't it! Everything about this film is depressingly lackluster, inexcusably lazy, and indifferent to its own incompetence. You know, like modern government!
The characters are one-dimensional, the direction is flat, the action scenes are repetitive, and the films' attempt to keep their own pulse going with little explosions every ten minutes is torture in itself! This is the equivalent of prompting an A.I. bot to make a movie that combines elements from Die Hard and Tom Clancy's work, but without anything that made those works memorable and appealing, like textured characters and sharp writing.
As I said in my review, this movie is nothing more than noise filler for when you're folding your laundry. Skip it entirely and put on anything else.
#4
Fountain of Youth
I like treasure hunt movies, I like John Krasinski and Natalie Portman, and I am always excited about new stories in this seemingly underutilized genre. Still, I absolutely loathe Guy Richie's Fountain of Youth. Never have I experienced a treasure-hunt movie that felt as dull, empty, and devoid of charisma as this two-hour waste of time. No one is likable, there are no emotionally resonating stakes, and the action scenes and story all suffer because of it!
Avoid this slog of a film and go watch any of the Indiana Jones movies or play one of the Uncharted games. They have charming charisma and characters you actually care about.
#3
The Last Rodeo
When it comes to concepts of faith and religion, I return to the words of George Carlin:
"Religion is like a lift in your shoe: if you need it, okay, just don't make me wear your shoes if I don't want them."
My issue with many "faith-based" movies is not so much what they decide to preach (although I do have issues with a lot of it, but that's a discussion for another time); it's their lack of understanding of basic filmmaking and storytelling that bothers me the most. The vast majority of films in this sub-genre are under the impression that if they mention their chosen deity enough times, throw in a few scenes with a sacred text, and have someone accept a religious icon of some sort, then that's enough to make a compelling film; it is not, and most critically thinking audiences are left feeling robbed of their time.
The Last Rodeo is no exception to this problem. It does the barest of minimal effort to pass as a film with what it thinks is a compelling story, so it can push a preachy concept mistaken for a satisfying character arc. Combined with amateur adolescent writing and unintentionally funny soap opera-style acting, you've got a recipe for disaster.
Angel Studios, don't quit your day job!
#2
Captain America: Brave New World
Sadly, Marvel Studios has been in a downward spiral post Avengers: Endgame, and nowhere is that more apparent than with this monstrosity of fan-service cameos, future movie build-ups, and insulting failures to recreate the magic of its predecessor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While I have enjoyed the Marvel roller coaster for a long time and still love many of the movies it has produced, this latest offering has officially solidified the feeling that the ride is finally over; any attempt to recreate the experience again will only feel like lazy nostalgia bait, which is precisely what Marvel appears to have resorted to as evedinced by their latest trailer for the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday.
The entire movie feels like it's on fast-forward, the villain's plans make no sense, the script spends more time building up plot elements and potential characters for future movies, and Anthony Mackie's talents are utterly wasted with no real development for his character or the weight of him becoming the new Captain America, which, again, has been unneccecarilly rendered mute by Avengers: Doomsday!
This may not be the first Marvel movie to make me feel as though my time was unnecessarily wasted, but it is the one that has proclaimed it the loudest. Captain America: Brave New World is a colossal disappointment and an unfortunate sign of Marvel Studios' future. Not even the once-reliable Russo Brothers can save this upcoming trainwreck, especially if their offering outside of Marvel Studios is any indication.
Speaking of...
#1
The Electric State
While Netflix may be where most of my favorite movies appeared this year, it is also the place that houses the absolute worst movie I have ever forced myself to sit through in 2025. The only word that best describes this dying star of a movie is insulting: it's insulting to our intelligence, insulting to the source material, and insulting to the very essence of Cinema!
Nothing in the film is compelling or emotionally resonant, yet it deludes itself into believing it is. Everyone is horribly miscast, especially Millie Bobby Brown, who does not yet possess the necessary range to take on a leading role, and, once again, Chris Pratt demonstrates his one-note persona that only works for his portrayal of Star Lord. Everything the film presents has been done before (and better), no longer compelling, or is the manifestation of what corporate suits mistakenly take for deeply philosophical.
If this movie were a person, it would be that one guy in your office who constantly tries to suck up to the boss, sacrificing his own identity in favor of what he thinks will carry favor and make the apathetic overlord of the company happy. If you want to see what it looks like to set three hundred million dollars on fire, look no further than Netflix's The Electric State!
And that concludes our wrap-up for 2025. Here's hoping that 2026 offers something truly special and worthy of our time.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am TheNorm; thank you all for reading.
Happy New Year!
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