Category: Superhero

• Top 30 Films of 2025: A Year Defined by Risk, Reckoning, and Reinvention

  

  A personal ranking of the 30 films that defined my 2025 — shaped by risk-taking, reinvention, and moral reckoning. From intimate character studies to bold genre experiments, these are the films that lingered, challenged expectations, and revealed where cinema felt most alive this year.

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  January 22, 2026

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Action, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Franchise Revivals, Horror, Independent Film, Movie Analysis, Psychological Drama, Romantic Comedy, Sci-Fi, Superhero, Thriller, Women Directors

  2025, 2025 Films, 2025 Movies, 28 Years Later, A24, Alex Garland, Alex Russell, Alfie Williams, Amanda Seyfried, Amazon MGM Studios, Archie Madekwe, Ari Aster, Óliver Laxe, Bi Gan, Brady Corbet, Bring Her Back, Bugonia, Carson Lund, Charlie Polinger, Chase Infiniti, Chloé Zhao, Clint Bentley, Cooper Hoffman, Daniel Craig, Danny Boyle, Danny Phillippou, David Jonsson, Die My Love, Dylan O’Brien, Eddington, Eephus, Emma Stone, Eva Victor, film, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, films, Focus Features, Francis Lawrence, Frankenstein (2025), Guillermo del Toro, Hamnet, Hedda, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Imogen Poots, Independent Film Company, It Was Just an Accident, Jacob Elordi, Jafar Panahi, James Sweeney, Jennifer Lawrence, Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Joachim Trier, Joaquin Phoenix, Joel Edgerton, Josh O’Connor, Josh Safdie, Kaouther Ben Hania, Kleber Mendonça Filho, Kristen Stewart, Lee Byung-hun, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lurker (2025), Lynne Ramsay, Marty Supreme, Mary Bronstein, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Phillippou, Mona Fastvold, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, movies, MUBI, Music Box Films, Neon, Netflix, New Movie Releases 2025, Nia DaCosta, No Other Choice, One Battle After Another, Oscar Isaac, Park Chan-wook, Paul Mescal, Paul Thomas Anderson, Pedro Pascal, Ralph Fiennes, Renate Reinsve, Resurrection, Rhian Johnson, Roadside Attractions, Robert Pattinson, Rose Byrne, Ryan Coogler, Sally Hawkins, Searchlight Pictures, Sentimental Value, Sinners, Sirāt, Sony Pictures Releasing, Sorry Baby, Stellan Skarsgård, Teyana Taylor, Théodore Pellerin, The Chronology of Water, The Long Walk, The Plague, The Secret Agent, The Testament of Ann Lee, The Voice of Hind Rajab, Thessa Thompson, Timothée Chalamet, Train Dreams, Twinless, Wagner Moura, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Warner Bros. Pictures, Weapons, Yorgos Lanthimos, Zach Cregger

• The Age of Outrage: Cancel Culture, Social Media, and Cinema’s Search for Accountability

  

  This year alone has brought an assortment of films reflecting the political and social climates of both the world at large and the United States in particular. While the deeper analysis of that collective will be tabled for now, one thing has become clear: the relevancy of films capturing the essence—or at least the proximity—of…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  October 7, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, A24 Movies, Comedy, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Horror, Independent Film, Movie Analysis, Psychological Drama, Romantic Comedy, Superhero, Thriller

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, A24, A24 Movies, After The Hunt, Alex Russell, Andrew Garfield, Archie Madekwe, Ari Aster, Ayo Edibiri, Cancel Culture, Celebrity Culture in Film, David Corenswet, Denzel Washington, Eddington, Eddington 2025, Film Analysis, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Heart Eyes Killer, Heart Eyes Movie Review, Highest 2 Lowest (2025), Independent Film, Indie Directors, Indie Film, Indie Films, James Gunn, Jeffrey Wright, Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Ruben, Julia Roberts, Luca Guadagnino, Lurker (2025), Lurker Review, Mason Gooding, Movie Analysis, Movie Recap, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, Movie Themes, Movie Thoughts, MUBI, New Movie Releases 2025, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Holt, Pedro Pascal, Rachel Brosnahan, Relationship Movies, Social Issues in Film, Social Media, Spike Lee, Superman 2025, Théodore Pellerin

• Fantastic Four: First Steps – Marvel’s Retro Reboot That Actually Works

  

  Release Date: U.S. release July 25, 2025; world premiere July 21, 2025 Runtime: 115 minutes (114 min 29 sec) Rating: PG‑13 (for sci‑fi action violence and thematic elements) Production Companies: Marvel Studios & 20th Century Studios; distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Producer(s): Kevin Feige (producer); executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, Tim Lewis; co‑producer Mitch Bell…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 25, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, Action, Drama, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Superhero, Uncategorized

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, Fantastic Four First Steps Review, Fantastic Four: First Steps, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Galactus MCU, Julia Garner Silver Surfer, Marvel 2025, Marvel Movie 2025, Marvel Studios, Matt Shakman, MCU Phase Five, MCU Phase Six, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Movie Reviews, Movie Thoughts, New Movie Releases 2025, Pedro Pascal, Post Credit Scenes MCU, Retro Futurism Marvel, Robots in Movies, Stan Lee

• James Gunn’s Superman (2025): A Hopeful Reboot Rooted in Immigration, Morality, and Heart

  

  Release Date: Premiere July 7, 2025; US wide release July 11, 2025 Runtime: 129 min (2h 9m) Rating: PG-13 (sequences of sci-fi violence, brief strong language, and thematic elements) Production Companies: DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company Producers: James Gunn & Peter Safran Cinematography: Henry Braham Music: John Murphy & David Fleming Superman (2025) Director: James Gunn…

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  July 11, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, Action, DC Films, Entertainment, Film Reviews, Movie Analysis, Superhero

  2025 Movies, David Corenswet, DC Films, DCU Reboot, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, James Gunn, Justice Gang, Lois Lane, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, New Movie Releases 2025, Nicholas Hoult, Superman 2025

• Marvel’s Thunderbolts* Breathes New Life Into Phase Five – Spoiler-Free Review

  

  Thunderbolts, releasing on May 2, 2025, is a darker, more grounded MCU film featuring a diverse team of antiheroes navigating complex emotional themes. Directed by Jake Schreier, and starring Florence Pugh, it balances action with character depth, hinting at fresh directions for Marvel while concluding Phase Five satisfactorily.

  Rolando Illanes Jr.

  May 2, 2025

  2025 Movie Reviews, Action, Drama, Film Reviews, Superhero, Thriller

  2025 Films, 2025 Movies, Bucky Barnes, David Harbour, Film Criticism, Film Critique, Film Recommendations, Film Review, Film Reviews, Florence Pugh, Ghost MCU, Indie Directors, Jake Schreier, John Walker, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lewis Pullman, Marvel 2025, Marvel Studios, MCU Phase Five, Movie Recommendations, Movie Review, Spoiler-Free, Superhero Movies, Taskmaster, Thunderbolts, Weekend Releases