deerstalker
https://blackgirlnerds.com/black-girl-nerds-picks-for-the-worst-films-of-2025/
There’s always a few bad apples in every bunch, and 2025 proved to be no exception. While this year delivered plenty of standout cinema, it also served up its fair share of misfires that left audiences and critics scratching their heads. And while we never underestimate the immense time, labor, and creative passion it takes to bring a film to life, intention doesn’t always translate into execution.
From streaming releases that were clearly advertisements for the streamers and mistook spectacle for substance to indie efforts that struggled to find their voice or justify their ambition, these films simply failed to connect on a creative or emotional level. Whether due to uneven storytelling, lackluster performances, questionable creative choices, or an inability to live up to their own potential, each title on this list missed the mark in ways that were hard to ignore.
Compiled from a select group of esteemed film critics, this list isn’t meant to tear down the craft but to honestly reflect the year’s most disappointing cinematic experiences. Even in a strong year for movies, not every release can be a winner and these are the films that, unfortunately, fell flat.
Jamie Broadnax’s Worst of 2025
Rabbit Trap
I screened this film at Sundance and walked out of the theater having no idea what this movie was about. To be fair, I came in with a blank slate not reading much about the summary of the film, I just saw Dev Patel was the lead and that was enough for me to get a ticket to the screening. But when I watched this haunting folk-horror film about a reclusive musician who retreats to the Welsh countryside to escape the noise of modern life, I didn’t expect this movie to be…all over the place. It’s part horror. Part Irish folktale. Here’s the thing, if you have dense knowledge of Irish folklore, you will likely appreciate and may even love this film. But if you’re more like me and know little to nothing about it, this film will leave you confused. There are weird plot holes like the fact that there’s this weird kid (Jade Croot) stalking this couple (played by Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen) and yet they feel trapped in their home, but never think to get into their vehicle and leave? It’s little things like that which made me scratch my head while watching this. This movie just may not be for me, but it’s one of the worst I’ve seen this year and I’m sticking to that.
Love Hurts
I want better for Ariana DeBose. This is an Oscar-winning actress that somehow has ended up in one trainwreck of a film after another soon after getting her gold statue. From Argyle, to Kraven: The Hunter and now Love Hurts she needs a win. What’s worse is this is the first leading role for Ke Huy Quan and I’m so sorry, but this was just awful. From the action sequences that look like they were AI-generated to the cheesy dialogue, it was just too much. I felt like this movie was trying too hard. Perhaps if it was more self-aware and campy (the way Roadhouse was) it would have been a better film. But the movie wasn’t trying to be campy. It was deadly serious with its dramatic moments and working overtime to deliver those humorless punchlines. This movie just didn’t do it for me. They could have kept this one in the drafts.
Holland
I saw this movie at SXSW and when I left the theater with my colleague we both looked at each other with a WTF look on our faces. Seriously, what did we just watch? Nicole Kidman stars as Nancy, a meticulous schoolteacher whose seemingly idyllic life with her husband (Matthew Macfadyen) begins to unravel when she suspects a dark secret lurking beneath their carefully curated routine. So I came in thinking okay maybe Twin Peaks meets Stepford Wives? Gael García Bernal plays Dave, Nancy’s co-worker, who uncovers some disturbing truths that challenge her sense of reality and safety. My biggest issue with this movie was its pacing. It’s really slow. And once the film finally gets to the point you really don’t care. The plot twist is weird, but it also feels random and doesn’t make much sense. It’s kind of tragic because this ensemble of actors and their talent are completely wasted in this movie.
War Of The Worlds
This is by far not only the worst movie of 2025. This is the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Ice Cube stars as Will Radford, a Department of Homeland Security surveillance and threat assessment expert who watches an extraterrestrial attack unfold through computer and phone screens. As mysterious machines attack Earth. This movie is basically an Amazon Prime ad. From the constant use of delivery drones, to the order placement page, to the actual Amazon delivery driver as a character in the film, Amazon Prime Video (the distributor of the movie) created an entire ad out of a feature film. That’s only the icing on the cake. Ice Cube gives a dreadful performance as Will Radford as he sits in his chair during the film and has to react to the dangers of what’s happening around him. Apparently this was filmed during covid so that’s why he’s sedentary. The problem is, Ice Cube has no range. So his reactions offer nothing emotionally to the story. There’s even one scene where he’s off camera and you can tell he’s literally reading from the script. It’s awful. The best thing about War Of The Worlds is it became a literal meme on social media and was universally panned by critics and fans alike.
Wayne Broadway’s Worst of 2025
The Monkey
In fairness to The Monkey and all other films on my “Worst Of” list, I had earlier made a commitment to myself that I wouldn’t watch clear-cut crap as much as I could help it. Meaning, things like Amazon’s meme-worthy The War of the Worlds remained off my radar, and I consider it an exercise in self love that I still refuse to view it. That said, the films that do make this list are bad for failing to live up to the potential I saw in them. I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed. Take, for example, Osgood Perkin’s The Monkey. Directed by the same mind behind the well-received Longlegs and an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey had all the makings of a potential horror classic. But, beyond the creative kills, there was no there there. The story is bland and forgettable, and the characters don’t have much to do besides die. In other films, like this year’s fantastic Final Destination entry, the latter might not be an issue. But this film is at its core a family drama, and the drama falls flat.
Jurassic World Rebirth
In short, life should stop finding a way. The mad scientists at Universal should learn the same lessons as those at InGen and BioSyn and leave the fossils of an epic past to rest in peace. Viewers of this latest iteration gained nothing—no deeper insight in the “Jurassic Park” world, no love for the new, paper-thin characters, no sense that anything was accomplished other than a bland highway robbery that netted the perpetrators nearly a billion dollars. The worst part is that our collective hope that maybe this time they’ll get it right got us into movie theater seats to watch a short film about a lost family and a discarded video game plot about mercenaries get mashed together for two hours and some change. I’m always happy to see Mahershala Ali working, and Scarlett Johansson does what she can with the materials given to her, but there is little these charismatic and talented actors can do to enliven this latest entry in a decaying franchise.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
For suspense fans that want to watch Chase Sui Wonders play a member of a friend group dissolving because of mutual mistrust amid a murder mystery, I suggest watching 2022’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” That movie has everything 2025’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” re-quel thinks it has: engaging characters, sharp dialogue, and a well-earned twist ending. Pity the poor folks like myself who were enticed by the excellent trailer that, at the very least, promised a return to form for the franchise. It’s also likely that a “return to form” doesn’t mean much for a franchise whose original film holds a paltry 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. But still, there was hope and unearned faith that something special might happen here. After all, “Final Destination Bloodlines” is arguably better than 90% of what came before it. But that hope was horribly misplaced. What audiences got was a script that seemed stitched together from last-minute rewrites and frantic responses to the whims of screening focus groups. The mid-credits scene teases a sequel. Let’s pray this film’s box office profits don’t come back to haunt us next summer.
Jeanine T. Abraham’s Worst of 2025
One Battle After Another
The press tour for One Battle After Another was a thing of beauty. Not one, but three spectacularly dynamic female actors, Teyana Taylor (Perfidia), Regina Hall (Deandra), and newcomer Chase Infiniti (Willa) were out in front promoting this film as an action film about Black revolutionaries. I was super pumped to see them light up the screen. The trailer featured Leonardo DiCaprio (Bob) and was epic. I was excited in the first scene where I saw Wood Harris (The Wire) up front and center as one of the revolutionaries. I was dialed in and ready to be sucked into a film that was about Black power. But unfortunately, One Battle After Another does not center the Black revolutionary movement. It’s a film about white men with fetishes for Black women, (there is actually a character named “Junglepussy” in this film), white men who will do anything to maintain white supremacy, and white men like Bob who shirk their responsibility to change the racist systems their forefathers left, leaving it to their mixed children to battle while they sit home on the couch and smoke weed and objectify Black women. It’s totally fine for a white male filmmaker to make a film from his perspective, but don’t place the Black women out in front of the press tour, social media marketing, and advertising, making the film seem as if it’s something it’s not. The thing is, One Battle After Another is technically a compelling film with interesting characters, it’s funny, and the action scenes are filmed in surprising and unique ways. Which makes it worse because they could have promoted the film to its intended audience, but they chose not to. I was expecting a Black female-led film, and I was inundated with toxic white male stories, the portrayal of revolutionaries from marginalized communities as snitches, cowards, and horrible mothers. I saw this film with a majority Black audience, and a bunch of people walked out. For leading me to think I was going to see a Black woman positive satire/action/comedy about revolution, and then showing me a satire about white supremacy and fetishizing Black women, One Battle After Another was one of my worst films of 2025.
Highest 2 Lowest
Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest leaves you wondering what ever happened to the brilliant young man who wrote and directed Do the Right Thing? Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic, High and Low, Lee sets the story in Brooklyn and makes the main character David King (Denzel Washington) a music industry mogul. Instead of giving tension, style, and a compelling story, this film served stale vibes, boring speeches, and the cinematic equivalent of someone shaking you by the shoulders, yelling, “DID YOU GET IT?” Every Spike Lee trademark is in Highest 2 Lowest, as he pulls out all the stops, desperately trying to be deep, but it all just falls short. Everyone is super intense, with no subtlety whatsoever, and the film is too long, tedious, and you can see what’s coming from a mile away. The age gap between Denzel Washington’s David King and Ilfenesh Hadera’s Pam King is distracting. Why are all of the love interests light-skinned? The character playing Denzel’s son even describes a girl he’s interested in as a light-skinned Zendaya. Most of the characters speak exclusively in declarations, slogans, and dramatic pauses. A$AP Rocky (a.k.a Rakim Mayers) is in two of my worst films of 2025, and his characters in both films are the same stereotype. There was music playing in the background in weird moments, which was distracting. You can pack talent like Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), NYC theater icon LaChanze (the only Dark skinned Black woman with lines in the film, who was, of course, a cop), and Wendell Pierce (The Wire), but even that level of talent can’t make a terrible script like this worth watching. Highest 2 Lowest was a total fail.
Straw
Watching Straw is like being trapped in a locked escape room, and the only key is suffering. Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson, Hustle and Flow) is a single mom/ grocery store worker on the worst day of her life. Straw doesn’t really build tension; it takes a shovel and dumps it on you every five minutes.This movie is a series of scenes in which people give melodramatic monologues, snot-cry, and yell and scream at one another over and over for an hour and forty-five minutes. Not one moment in this film felt authentic, writing or acting. From the wigs, makeup, and costume design to the set design and props, everything looked cheap and thrown together. Every single actor in Straw could lead a master class in acting for a Tyler Perry film. The holes in the plotlines are so big you could drive several trucks through them. I wonder, at what point in the history of American cinema will Black filmmakers step away from the lazy tactic of minstrelsy? Apparently, never because there’s an audience. If you enjoy trauma porn, hate subtle, realistic storytelling, loathe seeing Black people connected to joy, and support anything Tyler Perry puts on screen because he’s Black,Straw is the perfect film for you.
Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme was like a spaztic fever dream. Take a bunch of wealthy people, put them in a period costume film, and promote the movie like it’s already gotten an Oscar, and you have Marty Supreme, the most overrated film of 2025. Timothée Chalamet plays Table Tennis Champion Marty Supreme on his quest to make enough money to pay his way to an international table tennis competition in Japan. This film has a lot of non-actors in leading roles, and it shows. Kevin O’Leary plays Milton Rockwell, a wealthy businessman who likes to humiliate people. O’Leary has said he’s playing himself, and I can see that. He is as unfunny, rude, and tiresome in this film as he is on his TV show Shark Tank. Director Josh Safdie ignores the actual racial dynamics of the 1950s, gives Marty a Black best friend, Wally (Tyler, the Creator), and places them in unrealistic situations as vehicles for comedy that were not funny. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Kay Stone is dull as dishwater and has zero chemistry with Marty. Earlier this year, she proudly proclaimed that she refused to use an intimacy coordinator, and it shows. The scenes of intimacy between this lackluster couple are sophomoric, bland, boring, and unbelievable. The script isn’t surprising; it’s just all over the place. It’s disappointing because Chalamet is a talented actor but his work in this film feels labored. Instead of thinking I’m watching Marty, I am watching Timothée Chalamet act like someone from the 21st century wearing a 20th-century costume and running around New York City being annoying. The only interesting actor in this film is Odessa A’zion as Rebecca. The character is horribly written, clingy, codependent but even with what she was given A’zion has a spark that draws you in. Marty Supreme feels like a vanity project for multi millionaires to say, “Hey this acting stuff isn’t so hard! I’m rich enough to play myself!” Yet here’s the thing, we don’t have to say that the film is great cinema just because there are rich people in it.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Not wearing makeup and bad lighting do not make a killer performance. Rose Byrne is a fantastic actor, but watching her play Linda, the overwhelmed mother in this movie was like watching her perform a series of “I’m an annoying Karen mom” TikTok’s strung together. Linda is a working mother with a child who has a mysterious health problem. Her husband is always away working and Linda can’t handle her job as a therapist, and taking care of her child. Writer director Mary Bronstein’s script and direction made you hate Linda and made film feel disconnected. Like Nightbitch last year If I Had Legs I’d Kick You centers a woman with resources who can barely hold it together to raise one child. Both these women are unorganized and have so much support but are overwhelmed and the audience is supposed to have empathy for these frankly really bad mothers because they can’t handle motherhood. The film is supposed to be a comedy but it’s not funny. This is unfortunately another film with a bunch of famous celebrities from comedy and hip hop lending their images to an indie film that seems as if it’s just a rich persons therapy project. Every single actor in this film is over the top, it’s not at all funny and the ending was lackluster.
Chalice Williams’ Worst Films of 2025
The Man in My Basement
I truthfully couldn’t have been more disappointed in a film than I was about The Man in My Basement because I sat down with some level of expectations. Willem Dafoe doesn’t miss, as he is one of the most talented and versatile actors ever to work in the industry. This film was, for lack of better word, pointless, as it built towards an abysmal conclusion. Right when you think you know where they are going with the plot, they say “sike” and leave you hanging. There were so many elements they could have tapped into for the overall “plot twist”, but even though they built them up, they never went toward any of them. There were several scenes that felt cringe and didn’t contribute to anything, such as Dafoe’s character going full frontal (what was the reason?!”), and Corey Hawkins’ having a moment with himself with a mask on (again, what was the reason?). Overall, I expected something deep with the way this film was set up, and got absolutely let down at every turn.
At the end of the day, lists like these are never about rooting for failure, but about holding the medium we love to a higher standard. Holland, One Battle After Another (which also appeared on our Best of List), and The Monkey each arrived with intriguing premises and creative promise, yet ultimately fell short of delivering the impact audiences and critics hoped for. Whether weighed down by muddled storytelling, uneven execution, or unrealized potential, these films serve as reminders that even the most anticipated projects can miss the mark. As always, we celebrate the risks filmmakers take, but we also recognize when those risks don’t pay off. Here’s hoping the lessons learned from these missteps lead to stronger, more compelling stories in the years to come.
The post Black Girl Nerds’ Picks for the Worst Films of 2025 appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
There’s always a few bad apples in every bunch, and 2025 proved to be no exception. While this year delivered plenty of standout cinema, it also served up its fair share of misfires that left audiences and critics scratching their heads. And while we never underestimate the immense time, labor, and creative passion it takes to bring a film to life, intention doesn’t always translate into execution.
From streaming releases that were clearly advertisements for the streamers and mistook spectacle for substance to indie efforts that struggled to find their voice or justify their ambition, these films simply failed to connect on a creative or emotional level. Whether due to uneven storytelling, lackluster performances, questionable creative choices, or an inability to live up to their own potential, each title on this list missed the mark in ways that were hard to ignore.
Compiled from a select group of esteemed film critics, this list isn’t meant to tear down the craft but to honestly reflect the year’s most disappointing cinematic experiences. Even in a strong year for movies, not every release can be a winner and these are the films that, unfortunately, fell flat.
Jamie Broadnax’s Worst of 2025
Rabbit Trap
I screened this film at Sundance and walked out of the theater having no idea what this movie was about. To be fair, I came in with a blank slate not reading much about the summary of the film, I just saw Dev Patel was the lead and that was enough for me to get a ticket to the screening. But when I watched this haunting folk-horror film about a reclusive musician who retreats to the Welsh countryside to escape the noise of modern life, I didn’t expect this movie to be…all over the place. It’s part horror. Part Irish folktale. Here’s the thing, if you have dense knowledge of Irish folklore, you will likely appreciate and may even love this film. But if you’re more like me and know little to nothing about it, this film will leave you confused. There are weird plot holes like the fact that there’s this weird kid (Jade Croot) stalking this couple (played by Dev Patel and Rosy McEwen) and yet they feel trapped in their home, but never think to get into their vehicle and leave? It’s little things like that which made me scratch my head while watching this. This movie just may not be for me, but it’s one of the worst I’ve seen this year and I’m sticking to that.
Love Hurts
I want better for Ariana DeBose. This is an Oscar-winning actress that somehow has ended up in one trainwreck of a film after another soon after getting her gold statue. From Argyle, to Kraven: The Hunter and now Love Hurts she needs a win. What’s worse is this is the first leading role for Ke Huy Quan and I’m so sorry, but this was just awful. From the action sequences that look like they were AI-generated to the cheesy dialogue, it was just too much. I felt like this movie was trying too hard. Perhaps if it was more self-aware and campy (the way Roadhouse was) it would have been a better film. But the movie wasn’t trying to be campy. It was deadly serious with its dramatic moments and working overtime to deliver those humorless punchlines. This movie just didn’t do it for me. They could have kept this one in the drafts.
Holland
I saw this movie at SXSW and when I left the theater with my colleague we both looked at each other with a WTF look on our faces. Seriously, what did we just watch? Nicole Kidman stars as Nancy, a meticulous schoolteacher whose seemingly idyllic life with her husband (Matthew Macfadyen) begins to unravel when she suspects a dark secret lurking beneath their carefully curated routine. So I came in thinking okay maybe Twin Peaks meets Stepford Wives? Gael García Bernal plays Dave, Nancy’s co-worker, who uncovers some disturbing truths that challenge her sense of reality and safety. My biggest issue with this movie was its pacing. It’s really slow. And once the film finally gets to the point you really don’t care. The plot twist is weird, but it also feels random and doesn’t make much sense. It’s kind of tragic because this ensemble of actors and their talent are completely wasted in this movie.
War Of The Worlds
This is by far not only the worst movie of 2025. This is the worst movie I’ve ever seen. Ice Cube stars as Will Radford, a Department of Homeland Security surveillance and threat assessment expert who watches an extraterrestrial attack unfold through computer and phone screens. As mysterious machines attack Earth. This movie is basically an Amazon Prime ad. From the constant use of delivery drones, to the order placement page, to the actual Amazon delivery driver as a character in the film, Amazon Prime Video (the distributor of the movie) created an entire ad out of a feature film. That’s only the icing on the cake. Ice Cube gives a dreadful performance as Will Radford as he sits in his chair during the film and has to react to the dangers of what’s happening around him. Apparently this was filmed during covid so that’s why he’s sedentary. The problem is, Ice Cube has no range. So his reactions offer nothing emotionally to the story. There’s even one scene where he’s off camera and you can tell he’s literally reading from the script. It’s awful. The best thing about War Of The Worlds is it became a literal meme on social media and was universally panned by critics and fans alike.
Wayne Broadway’s Worst of 2025
The Monkey
In fairness to The Monkey and all other films on my “Worst Of” list, I had earlier made a commitment to myself that I wouldn’t watch clear-cut crap as much as I could help it. Meaning, things like Amazon’s meme-worthy The War of the Worlds remained off my radar, and I consider it an exercise in self love that I still refuse to view it. That said, the films that do make this list are bad for failing to live up to the potential I saw in them. I’m not mad; I’m just disappointed. Take, for example, Osgood Perkin’s The Monkey. Directed by the same mind behind the well-received Longlegs and an adaptation of Stephen King’s short story, The Monkey had all the makings of a potential horror classic. But, beyond the creative kills, there was no there there. The story is bland and forgettable, and the characters don’t have much to do besides die. In other films, like this year’s fantastic Final Destination entry, the latter might not be an issue. But this film is at its core a family drama, and the drama falls flat.
Jurassic World Rebirth
In short, life should stop finding a way. The mad scientists at Universal should learn the same lessons as those at InGen and BioSyn and leave the fossils of an epic past to rest in peace. Viewers of this latest iteration gained nothing—no deeper insight in the “Jurassic Park” world, no love for the new, paper-thin characters, no sense that anything was accomplished other than a bland highway robbery that netted the perpetrators nearly a billion dollars. The worst part is that our collective hope that maybe this time they’ll get it right got us into movie theater seats to watch a short film about a lost family and a discarded video game plot about mercenaries get mashed together for two hours and some change. I’m always happy to see Mahershala Ali working, and Scarlett Johansson does what she can with the materials given to her, but there is little these charismatic and talented actors can do to enliven this latest entry in a decaying franchise.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
For suspense fans that want to watch Chase Sui Wonders play a member of a friend group dissolving because of mutual mistrust amid a murder mystery, I suggest watching 2022’s “Bodies Bodies Bodies.” That movie has everything 2025’s “I Know What You Did Last Summer” re-quel thinks it has: engaging characters, sharp dialogue, and a well-earned twist ending. Pity the poor folks like myself who were enticed by the excellent trailer that, at the very least, promised a return to form for the franchise. It’s also likely that a “return to form” doesn’t mean much for a franchise whose original film holds a paltry 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. But still, there was hope and unearned faith that something special might happen here. After all, “Final Destination Bloodlines” is arguably better than 90% of what came before it. But that hope was horribly misplaced. What audiences got was a script that seemed stitched together from last-minute rewrites and frantic responses to the whims of screening focus groups. The mid-credits scene teases a sequel. Let’s pray this film’s box office profits don’t come back to haunt us next summer.
Jeanine T. Abraham’s Worst of 2025
One Battle After Another
The press tour for One Battle After Another was a thing of beauty. Not one, but three spectacularly dynamic female actors, Teyana Taylor (Perfidia), Regina Hall (Deandra), and newcomer Chase Infiniti (Willa) were out in front promoting this film as an action film about Black revolutionaries. I was super pumped to see them light up the screen. The trailer featured Leonardo DiCaprio (Bob) and was epic. I was excited in the first scene where I saw Wood Harris (The Wire) up front and center as one of the revolutionaries. I was dialed in and ready to be sucked into a film that was about Black power. But unfortunately, One Battle After Another does not center the Black revolutionary movement. It’s a film about white men with fetishes for Black women, (there is actually a character named “Junglepussy” in this film), white men who will do anything to maintain white supremacy, and white men like Bob who shirk their responsibility to change the racist systems their forefathers left, leaving it to their mixed children to battle while they sit home on the couch and smoke weed and objectify Black women. It’s totally fine for a white male filmmaker to make a film from his perspective, but don’t place the Black women out in front of the press tour, social media marketing, and advertising, making the film seem as if it’s something it’s not. The thing is, One Battle After Another is technically a compelling film with interesting characters, it’s funny, and the action scenes are filmed in surprising and unique ways. Which makes it worse because they could have promoted the film to its intended audience, but they chose not to. I was expecting a Black female-led film, and I was inundated with toxic white male stories, the portrayal of revolutionaries from marginalized communities as snitches, cowards, and horrible mothers. I saw this film with a majority Black audience, and a bunch of people walked out. For leading me to think I was going to see a Black woman positive satire/action/comedy about revolution, and then showing me a satire about white supremacy and fetishizing Black women, One Battle After Another was one of my worst films of 2025.
Highest 2 Lowest
Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest leaves you wondering what ever happened to the brilliant young man who wrote and directed Do the Right Thing? Based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 classic, High and Low, Lee sets the story in Brooklyn and makes the main character David King (Denzel Washington) a music industry mogul. Instead of giving tension, style, and a compelling story, this film served stale vibes, boring speeches, and the cinematic equivalent of someone shaking you by the shoulders, yelling, “DID YOU GET IT?” Every Spike Lee trademark is in Highest 2 Lowest, as he pulls out all the stops, desperately trying to be deep, but it all just falls short. Everyone is super intense, with no subtlety whatsoever, and the film is too long, tedious, and you can see what’s coming from a mile away. The age gap between Denzel Washington’s David King and Ilfenesh Hadera’s Pam King is distracting. Why are all of the love interests light-skinned? The character playing Denzel’s son even describes a girl he’s interested in as a light-skinned Zendaya. Most of the characters speak exclusively in declarations, slogans, and dramatic pauses. A$AP Rocky (a.k.a Rakim Mayers) is in two of my worst films of 2025, and his characters in both films are the same stereotype. There was music playing in the background in weird moments, which was distracting. You can pack talent like Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), NYC theater icon LaChanze (the only Dark skinned Black woman with lines in the film, who was, of course, a cop), and Wendell Pierce (The Wire), but even that level of talent can’t make a terrible script like this worth watching. Highest 2 Lowest was a total fail.
Straw
Watching Straw is like being trapped in a locked escape room, and the only key is suffering. Janiyah Wiltkinson (Taraji P. Henson, Hustle and Flow) is a single mom/ grocery store worker on the worst day of her life. Straw doesn’t really build tension; it takes a shovel and dumps it on you every five minutes.This movie is a series of scenes in which people give melodramatic monologues, snot-cry, and yell and scream at one another over and over for an hour and forty-five minutes. Not one moment in this film felt authentic, writing or acting. From the wigs, makeup, and costume design to the set design and props, everything looked cheap and thrown together. Every single actor in Straw could lead a master class in acting for a Tyler Perry film. The holes in the plotlines are so big you could drive several trucks through them. I wonder, at what point in the history of American cinema will Black filmmakers step away from the lazy tactic of minstrelsy? Apparently, never because there’s an audience. If you enjoy trauma porn, hate subtle, realistic storytelling, loathe seeing Black people connected to joy, and support anything Tyler Perry puts on screen because he’s Black,Straw is the perfect film for you.
Marty Supreme
Marty Supreme was like a spaztic fever dream. Take a bunch of wealthy people, put them in a period costume film, and promote the movie like it’s already gotten an Oscar, and you have Marty Supreme, the most overrated film of 2025. Timothée Chalamet plays Table Tennis Champion Marty Supreme on his quest to make enough money to pay his way to an international table tennis competition in Japan. This film has a lot of non-actors in leading roles, and it shows. Kevin O’Leary plays Milton Rockwell, a wealthy businessman who likes to humiliate people. O’Leary has said he’s playing himself, and I can see that. He is as unfunny, rude, and tiresome in this film as he is on his TV show Shark Tank. Director Josh Safdie ignores the actual racial dynamics of the 1950s, gives Marty a Black best friend, Wally (Tyler, the Creator), and places them in unrealistic situations as vehicles for comedy that were not funny. Gwyneth Paltrow’s Kay Stone is dull as dishwater and has zero chemistry with Marty. Earlier this year, she proudly proclaimed that she refused to use an intimacy coordinator, and it shows. The scenes of intimacy between this lackluster couple are sophomoric, bland, boring, and unbelievable. The script isn’t surprising; it’s just all over the place. It’s disappointing because Chalamet is a talented actor but his work in this film feels labored. Instead of thinking I’m watching Marty, I am watching Timothée Chalamet act like someone from the 21st century wearing a 20th-century costume and running around New York City being annoying. The only interesting actor in this film is Odessa A’zion as Rebecca. The character is horribly written, clingy, codependent but even with what she was given A’zion has a spark that draws you in. Marty Supreme feels like a vanity project for multi millionaires to say, “Hey this acting stuff isn’t so hard! I’m rich enough to play myself!” Yet here’s the thing, we don’t have to say that the film is great cinema just because there are rich people in it.
If I Had Legs I’d Kick You
Not wearing makeup and bad lighting do not make a killer performance. Rose Byrne is a fantastic actor, but watching her play Linda, the overwhelmed mother in this movie was like watching her perform a series of “I’m an annoying Karen mom” TikTok’s strung together. Linda is a working mother with a child who has a mysterious health problem. Her husband is always away working and Linda can’t handle her job as a therapist, and taking care of her child. Writer director Mary Bronstein’s script and direction made you hate Linda and made film feel disconnected. Like Nightbitch last year If I Had Legs I’d Kick You centers a woman with resources who can barely hold it together to raise one child. Both these women are unorganized and have so much support but are overwhelmed and the audience is supposed to have empathy for these frankly really bad mothers because they can’t handle motherhood. The film is supposed to be a comedy but it’s not funny. This is unfortunately another film with a bunch of famous celebrities from comedy and hip hop lending their images to an indie film that seems as if it’s just a rich persons therapy project. Every single actor in this film is over the top, it’s not at all funny and the ending was lackluster.
Chalice Williams’ Worst Films of 2025
The Man in My Basement
I truthfully couldn’t have been more disappointed in a film than I was about The Man in My Basement because I sat down with some level of expectations. Willem Dafoe doesn’t miss, as he is one of the most talented and versatile actors ever to work in the industry. This film was, for lack of better word, pointless, as it built towards an abysmal conclusion. Right when you think you know where they are going with the plot, they say “sike” and leave you hanging. There were so many elements they could have tapped into for the overall “plot twist”, but even though they built them up, they never went toward any of them. There were several scenes that felt cringe and didn’t contribute to anything, such as Dafoe’s character going full frontal (what was the reason?!”), and Corey Hawkins’ having a moment with himself with a mask on (again, what was the reason?). Overall, I expected something deep with the way this film was set up, and got absolutely let down at every turn.
At the end of the day, lists like these are never about rooting for failure, but about holding the medium we love to a higher standard. Holland, One Battle After Another (which also appeared on our Best of List), and The Monkey each arrived with intriguing premises and creative promise, yet ultimately fell short of delivering the impact audiences and critics hoped for. Whether weighed down by muddled storytelling, uneven execution, or unrealized potential, these films serve as reminders that even the most anticipated projects can miss the mark. As always, we celebrate the risks filmmakers take, but we also recognize when those risks don’t pay off. Here’s hoping the lessons learned from these missteps lead to stronger, more compelling stories in the years to come.
The post Black Girl Nerds’ Picks for the Worst Films of 2025 appeared first on Black Girl Nerds.
Dating someone you’ve never met can feel like a gamble, especially when you don’t share mutual friends or have any way to vet them beyond an app profile. It gets even more stressful when you don’t really know what they look like, and they have no online presence.
For one Philadelphia woman, it put her in a dilemma. In a recent TikTok video, she asked viewers whether it was worth going on a date with a man she matched with on Hinge, even though she couldn’t find a single clear photo of him anywhere online.
If you’re lucky, you get to witness a piece of media that either entertains, redefines, or consumes you. For me, Ghost of Tsushima did all three. After liberating both Tsushima and Iki island by sending the Mongol invaders to the afterlife, I then went into the afterlife to kill them as oni for days on end in Ghost of Tsushima: Legends. This game literally got me, my friends, and loved ones through the pandemic. After we beat survival mode with all seven modifiers on. It felt like we had truly done all there was to do in the game. There’s a bitter sweetness when you beat a video game you love because there’s this feeling of “Well, now what?”. Five years later, Sucker Punch finally gave us the answer to that question with the sequel to Ghost of Tsushima with Ghost of Yōtei.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ghost of Yōtei: Kintsukuroi Woman
Ghost of Yōtei tells the story of Atsu. Along with her brother Jubei, they are the children of Kengo, the Blacksmith and Yone, the musician. Atsu’s life is changed when the Yōtei Six murder her family. Now, sixteen years later, she returns to Ezo to 86 Order 66 kill the Yōtei Six. Now, if you think Ghost of Yōtei seems like a cut and dry story of revenge, then you not seeing the big picture. Remember what Samurai Jack’s daddy told him after cutting down them bandits? “The decisions you make and the actions that follow are a reflection of who you are. You cannot hide from yourself.” Atsu’s story isn’t about revenge; it’s a question. When you’ve lost everything…when everyone was taken from you, what choices will you choose to make?
Atsu is not a carbon copy of Jin Sakai. She’s witty like Jin but far more sarcastic, cynical, and hardened. Her heart pumps no fear whatsoever. She’s dead serious about her hunt for the Yōtei Six but we get a range of playful, trollish, understanding and even softer sides come out with Atsu during certain side missions. Just as Daisuke Tsuji did with Jin, Erika Ishii brought Atsu to life in a variety of ways. Her being a woman protagonist gives us a unique experience in her travels. Her gender allows her to be even stealthier than Jin and hide in plain sight thanks to gender norms. Now, although they are vastly different people, Atsu’s journey is slightly similar to Jin Sakai’s. The Yōtei Six aren’t foreign invaders like the Mongols but they are still invaders. In a way, what makes them worse is that they are subjugating their own people as well the Ainu (the indigenous people). In Ghost of Tsushima, Jin saw bandits trying to capitalize off the chaos caused by the Mongol invasion. Some even working with the enemy. Jin had to band the land of Tsushima together to fight off a common enemy. In Ghost of Yōtei, the Yōtei Six already won. Their law of the land is get down or lay down, permanently.
The people here are fearful. Almost everyone is looking out for themselves. The very first person I encountered was Taro, a child scavenging corpses to make a living. That’s life in Ezo. This beautiful land doesn’t have an underbelly like Tsushima did which Jin discovered. In Ezo, it’s grosse point blank in your face. Seeing all this, Atsu is still choosing to roll up against the Yōtei Six on her lonely. She ain’t doing this for the people either. Be clear, she isn’t samurai, which means fuck all that honor shit, we don’t do that round here. Atsu’s a mercenary. She was at the Battle of Sekigahara. The largest battle in Japan’s history to this day. Over 160k soldiers fighting, and ya girl was on the losing side and still made it out alive. Her come up different. Atsu gotta crowdfund for this get back. She gotta kickstarter to kick the Yōtei Six’s shit in. She got a heart, but she also got a wallet that needs to be filled to get this murder off the ground.
Making of an Onryō
Atsu and Jin’s rebirth into apparitions are also similar but vastly different as well. Jin was rescued from death by Yuna, who later tells an audience of onlookers after seeing Jin fight, that he is a vengeful spirit back from the dead to run out the Mongols. Those onlookers were told a tale to explain what they saw. Atsu’s transformation didn’t need an explanation; it was seen. There were witnesses that saw for their own eyes her rebirth into this world as an onryō. Jin let go of who he and his way of life in order was to become the ghost that his people needed, whereas Atsu is on foot in and one foot out with her reputation. She downplays it at times but is also willing to use it to her advantage. However, an onryō isn’t something Atsu wants to adopt or set out become. Yet, the choices she makes prove otherwise.
The beautiful thing about Atsu’s journey is her rediscovering her humanity. This time around the side missions are reflections of what Atsu is going through. Bounties whose endings represent what could be if she mowing down members of the Yōtei Six. The indigenous Ainu people’s way of life away from violence. How peaceful they are, the way they are connected to nature. Atsu allows herself to wonder how different things would have been if she ran away to them instead of mainland Japan. How Huci, an Ainu elder was such a kindred spirit for Atsu. Both strong, independent, and defiant. Whenever they talked it almost felt like talking into a mirror. Huci, even when being threatened never wavered. She was able to bring peace to others and take them in because she recognized how dire things are for people in Ezo. Like Atsu, she didn’t open up to people easily but it’s Atsu, who she finally confesses to that she knows her age has caught up with her, but she doesn’t want to feel as if that means she isn’t useful anymore.
The time with Huci and the Ainu people made me feel as if here Atsu was able to finally have a place to be at peace. They are people who had stories, culture, and an entire history of their own, were welcoming to Atsu. Now, I’m always down for a story about get back. Revenge is my shit. However, when wearing the Ainu clothing, it truly made me feel that perhaps there was something outside of taking down the Yōtei Six. There in lied the struggle with playing Ghost of Yōtei. I began to want more for Atsu, while at the same time not wanting these Yōtei Six to be allowed to walk around breathing. That struggle is one we saw come to ahead when we start to gain friends: Atsu’ forgiveness of Oyuki, then finding out that her brother, Jubei, is alive, and not only that…he has a daughter named Kiku, making Atsu an aunt.
Seeing Atsu have the auntie energy overtake her was both hilarious and heartwarming. Jubei recognizes that Kiku is a younger version of Atsu. Mischievous, eager to prove herself, and very clever. I loved seeing the heartache Atsu had when Kiku followed her and Oyuki in order to catch the Spider. Kiku went to unlock a door from the other side, even as Atsu was telling her not, and it is the most worried we heard Atsu. When Kiku returns saying she could do more, Atsu asks her, “what are the names on my sash crossed out in?” “Blood.”, Kiku answered. Atsu let her know shit bout to get real. Many men, (many, many, many, many men) goin die tonight, and if she want to be treated like an adult then she has to show that she can listen. We get a stern Atsu that Kiku obeys. Yet, as soon as she’s gone, Atsu asks Oyuki if she was too hard on her. Atsu made peace with the fact that going after the Yōtei Six meant that she could very well die. That decision is easier when you believe you are alone. However, seeing Kiku, Jubei, and Oyuki, Huci, and all these other people that have become part of her pack, it makes Atsu struggle with if her life is worth being wagered now that she not as alone as she once thought.
Bit by bit, we see Atsu regaining her humanity until the Spider makes a mockery of the night her family was killed. We then see Atsu find a broken mask restored through the art of kintsukuroi. Atsu confronts the Spider and his men as the onryo. Kiku witnessed the confrontation and saw how true to her word her aunt was. It’s here that Atsu has inadvertently show her niece the other side of her. Soon after, Oyuki, Kiku, Jubei, and Atsu share a beautiful day together. It is here where the choices of what Atsu could become is laid out before her. The choices she can make, and the actions that’ll follow.
Is it over now — do you know how
Pickup the pieces and go home
My favorite thing about the ending is that Sucker Punch didn’t play it safe. Actions have consequences. Atsu isn’t wrong in wanting her get back. The Yōtei Six had to be stopped eventually, especially Saito. What I love is that in the end, she is able to know when it’s all been said and done. My heart was in the Anaconda Vice as Atsu told the wolf that had her back since she got back to Ezo: My hunt is over now. So often it’s said that revenge won’t fill the hurt left by a wrong doing. Maybe that’s true, but a reckoning definitely will. We see that with Atsu as she now becomes a guardian to Kiku, this remaining piece of Jubei.
Atsu got the chance to choose humanity, redemption, and a life. Something her predecessor Jin Sakai didn’t have as an option. True to Yuna’s words, “The ghost belongs to everyone.” Jin gave up everything to become a tale of inspiration that would influence Japan through hushed whispers. In Atsu’s case, she spun the block and didn’t become a mercenary in need of another war or a vengeful spirit. She chose to do as her brother told her. As her mother and father would have wanted. To fight for the living, not as an onryo but as herself. Jin became a ghost, Atsu became human.
For now.
Epilogue
Ghost of Yōtei had an almost impossible task of setting itself outside of Ghost of Tsushima’s shadow. Ghost of Tsushima had a whole pandemic for people to discover its greatness. The Game of the Year snub only heightened Ghost of Tsushima as a hit and cult classic for not getting the credit it deserved. For Ghost of Yōtei, it’s like a younger sister being compared to an older brother. Will you reach the same heights they did? There was so much focus on Atsu being a woman. It’s “woke.” (As if there weren’t queer stories and dope women in GOT. Also, as future hall of fame content creator Chris Dlln said, “I don’t know what that means. I’m Black. I don’t use that version of the word.”)
Ghost of Yōtei has all these different little fires that Ghost of Tsushima didn’t have because of a choice to tell a different story and be inclusive. For me, this game is a masterpiece. Jin’s journey had me crying. Atsu’s journey had my heart wrenched. Let me tell you this. I’m bias as all fuck. This is my favorite franchise. This series can’t do any wrong. Folks talking bout a lot of PlayStation games been focusing on revenge stories. So. The. Fuck. What? I’m all the way here for it cause sometimes Mongol invaders, Yōtei Six Members, mother fuckers gotta die. I don’t give a fuck what anybody says because at the end of the day, Atsu ain’t let Jin down.
How that sound? Here the crown mask, pass it to you like nothin’, Ghost!
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The post ‘Ghost of Yōtei’: “It’s Not Revenge She’s After, It’s a Reckoning” appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.
The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has officially named Sinners the Best Film of 2025, solidifying Ryan Coogler’s latest cinematic triumph as the most celebrated title of the year. The gripping drama dominated the organization’s annual awards, earning multiple wins across major categories and reaffirming its cultural and artistic impact.
Directed by Coogler, Sinners led the pack with accolades including Best Director, Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Supporting Actor for Delroy Lindo, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Ensemble Performance. The announcement was made by BFCC co-president Mike Sargent following the group’s year-end voting process, which honors excellence in theatrical motion pictures.
Each year, the BFCC recognizes outstanding achievements in Black cinema across 13 competitive categories, including acting, screenwriting, animation, documentary, foreign language film, and ensemble work. In addition to competitive awards, the organization also presents signature honors spotlighting industry pioneers, rising talent, and special achievements that may have flown under the mainstream radar.
“In a year where the very idea of cultural memory is under pressure, Black cinema once again reminded us why storytelling matters,” said Sargent in a statement. “The artists we are championing and films like Sinners in particular affirm that our stories are not only relevant, but essential.”
BFCC co-president Wilson Morales echoed those sentiments, emphasizing the resilience and creative power on display throughout the year. “What we saw this year is a community of filmmakers refusing to shrink in the face of political headwinds or industry gatekeeping,” Morales shared. “From Ryan Coogler’s vision to the range of performances recognized by BFCC, these films demonstrate that Black stories are not a trend or a niche; they are a vital part of the cinematic conversation.”
The Complete List of BFCC 2025 Award Winners
- Best Film: Sinners
- Best Director: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan – Sinners
- Best Actress: Tessa Thompson – Hedda
- Best Supporting Actor: Delroy Lindo – Sinners
- Best Supporting Actress: Teyana Taylor – One Battle After Another
- Best Original Screenplay: Sinners
- Best Adapted Screenplay: One Battle After Another
- Best Cinematography: Sinners
- Best Documentary Feature: The Perfect Neighbor
- Best Animated Feature: K-Pop Demon Hunters
- Best Foreign Language Film: It Was Just an Accident
- Best Ensemble Performance: Sinners
BFCC Signature Awards
Pioneer Award – Ryan Coogler
This year’s BFCC Pioneer Award honors Ryan Coogler, whose body of work continues to redefine ambition, authorship, and scale in contemporary Black cinema. With Sinners, Coogler delivers a film that is both culturally grounded and formally daring. As BFCC member Harrison Martin (FLIXFROG) noted, “Coogler continues to prove himself as one of the most influential directors of our time.” His ability to merge spectacle with social consciousness embodies the spirit of this prestigious honor.
Rising Star / Best Newcomer – Chase Infiniti
The BFCC Rising Star Award goes to Chase Infiniti for her breakout performance in One Battle After Another. Holding her own opposite an ensemble of seasoned performers, Infiniti announces herself as a formidable new presence, bringing emotional intelligence, restraint, and depth to her feature-film debut.
Special Mention – 40 Acres
BFCC’s Special Mention recognizes 40 Acres, a Canadian post-apocalyptic thriller directed by R.T. Thorne. A bold blend of genre filmmaking and social commentary, the film highlights an exciting new voice in North American cinema and serves as a reminder that some of the most innovative storytelling exists just beyond the mainstream spotlight.
Black Film Critics Circle: Top Ten Films of 2025
- Sinners
- One Battle After Another
- Marty Supreme
- Hamnet
- No Other Choice
- Black Bag
- The Secret Agent
- Weapons
- Train Dreams
- Highest 2 Lowest
With Sinners leading the charge, the BFCC’s 2025 selections reflect a year where Black filmmakers and performers not only pushed boundaries, but asserted their stories as essential contributions to cinema’s past, present, and future.
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