Variety's film critics Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge have compiled their picks for the year's most disappointing films, highlighting cinematic missteps from blockbusters to indies. The list, published on December 22, 2025, critiques everything from convoluted horror sequels to pretentious dramas. It underscores the value in discussing flawed movies as lessons in what to avoid.
Variety's annual roundup of the worst movies of 2025 offers a candid look at films that fell short, compiled by chief critics Owen Gleiberman and Peter Debruge. Gleiberman leads with 'Eden,' Ron Howard's historical drama set on the Galápagos Islands in 1929, starring Jude Law as a surly physician rejecting society. He describes it as a 'chaotic, dyspeptic mess' blending surrealism and sitcom elements, better titled 'Endless Meandering Hellscape.'
His second pick, 'Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,' worsens the franchise's slapdash adaptation of the popular video game, lacking blood, scares, or tension amid convoluted backstory about haunted animatronics. Gleiberman notes its commercial success despite the flaws, foreshadowing a third installment. Other entries include Mona Fastvold's 'The Testament of Ann Lee,' a 137-minute musical starring Amanda Seyfried as the Shaker founder, deemed 'stultifying' and plodding; Trey Edward Shults' 'Hurry Up Tomorrow,' a pretentious drama with The Weeknd as a moping pop star; and 'Anemone,' Ronan Day-Lewis' directorial debut featuring his father Daniel Day-Lewis in a sodden family tale touching on IRA themes.
Debruge's top disappointment is Mike Flanagan's 'The Life of Chuck,' based on a Stephen King novella and an audience favorite at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival, but criticized for contrived aphorisms and heavy-handed scoring with Tom Hiddleston in the lead. He pans the Russo brothers' 'The Electric State' for diluting Simon Stålenhag's visuals with preposterous plotting and annoying characters like Chris Pratt's wisecracker. Further critiques target Timur Bekmambetov's screenlife 'War of the Worlds' with Ice Cube, Duke Johnson's existential 'The Actor' starring André Holland, and Steven Soderbergh's ghost-POV horror 'Presence,' called a 'dull and clunky' yawn.
A dishonorable mention goes to Disney's live-action 'Snow White,' faulted for sucking wonder out of the classic with CG dwarfs and bland casting of Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot. The critics argue that spotlighting these films serves as a 'litany of cinematic sins to be avoided,' emphasizing their importance in film discourse.
