Ranking the Exciting New Releases of October 2025

With October at an end, it is time for me to share my thoughts and ranking of the October new releases that I saw. October was a bit more of a full month than September, as I was able to see 7 new movies as compared to the 2 from September. This month had a few surprisingly good films as well as a few disappointing films. There also weren't any huge movies that came out. The biggest one was probably Tron: Ares. But sometimes some of the best films of the year aren't the huge blockbusters. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 7 new October releases that I saw.

7. The Woman in Cabin 10

The Woman in Cabin 10 is a new mystery thriller from Netflix starring Kiera Knightley. The movie follows reporter Lo as she is invited to cover a luxury cruise. However, the cruise soon goes awry when she believes she spots a passenger going overboard. I thought the first half of this movie was pretty well done. It starts as a typical whodunnit, but then goes in the direction of paranoia and a more classic thriller when nobody believes that Lo saw someone go overboard. The movie makes it seem like she is going crazy as she becomes more and more unsettled while trying to uncover the truth. For that portion, the movie was very interesting, and I was invested in the outcome. However, the movie loses a bit of steam in the second half when we finally learn what is going on. The answers were not super satisfying, and there is a good chunk where Lo is trapped in a room instead of being able to uncover the truth. In the end, the first half of this movie was pretty interesting, but the second half loses quite a bit of steam for me and doesn't quite land things right.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

6. Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere is the big musical biopic of the month. The movie tells the story of Bruce Springsteen as he goes through the process of writing the album Nebraska. I am not a huge Bruce Springsteen fan, but I do enjoy a good music biopic. Unfortunately, this is one of the weaker biopics out there. I thought Jeremy Allen White was good as Bruce Springsteen. It was fun to see him get some movie fame. I just didn't think the story was very interesting. A portion of the movie talks about Springsteen's struggle with depression, which would be a very interesting topic, but it just isn't conveyed very well. It shows his issues a little bit, but does nothing with it or shows how it is affecting his life. He doesn't really face any sort of adversity with it, nor does it really impact many of his relationships. I also didn't like how they made up a character to be Springsteen's love interest. It made the character feel inconsequential to the story and could have easily been taken out. The movie also fails to capitalize on his journey as a performer. We start the movie with him already famous, so he really has nowhere to go. Overall, the movie has an interesting person played by a great actor, but it doesn't do anything worthwhile with any of the major aspects of his life.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

5. Tron: Ares

Tron: Legacy is the newest film in the Tron franchise. Much like the other Tron films, it is visually impressive. What makes this film stand out is that it does something different with the plot. Instead of a real person being sent to the grid, this movie has a program come to the real world. This makes for a refreshing take on the Tron story as we get to see the programs cope with aspects of the real world that aren't present in the grid, like rain. This also lends to some cool action sequences in the real world such as the Lightcycle chase that is chopping cars in half. This movie has the most straightforward story of the Tron films, as it is just about these two companies trying to get a code that can permanently bring programs to the real world. However, the characters and writing in this movie are just so bland. The Jared Leto/Ares character is so poorly written and boring, and all of the corporate characters are so forgettable. Overall, while the movie does something new in the Tron franchise, it is still just as forgettable from a plot and character standpoint.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

4. The Smashing Machine

The Smashing Machine is The Rock's attempt to get into more dramatic acting. There are a lot of great elements to this movie. It was nice to see Dwayne Johnson challenge himself with a new type of character rather than just an exaggerated version of himself. This is a very character driven story where you get really invested in Mark's well being and want him to improve as a person. I like how it shows different aspects of his struggle from his first loss to his substance abuse issues. I thought Dwayne Johnson gave a good performance. I don't think he's going to get any Oscar nominations, but he still gave some great range, especially during his scene after his first loss, or when he is fighting with his girlfriend. I thought Emily Blunt gave the best performance in the film as she plays a slightly manipulative but also slightly supportive girlfriend to Mark. The main issue with this film is that it didn't really have a strong through line or building point. There was nothing the movie was really working towards, and it just felt like it was hopping around different aspects of his life. I thought the substance abuse aspect was the most interesting part, but that was resolved halfway through the film. Overall, this was a good enough sports drama with some strong performances, but it lacked a clear direction to make it become a great film.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

3. Bugonia

Bugonia is the newest film from Yorgos Lanthimos, the director of The Favourite and Poor Things. Bugonia follows conspiracy theorists Teddy and Don as they kidnap the CEO of a major company, convinced that she is an alien who intends to destroy the planet. I thought this movie was a pretty effective cat-and-mouse thriller. The way the movie shows Michelle and Teddy attempting to reason with each other is very interesting, as Michelle quickly learns that she can't use her usual business training to persuade Teddy. The movie delivers some very tense moments from simple things, such as a spaghetti dinner, and effectively builds to an intense mental showdown at the end of the film. The movie also has some solid twists in it that deliver some great payoffs. I thought both Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone gave great performances as they entangle in this cat-and-mouse game with each other. While it is very effective with what it is going for, it isn't a movie that I am going to find myself rewatching or really talking about. I don't have anything wrong with it, but it just doesn't resonate with me like films higher up do. Overall, this is a great thriller with some interesting ideas. It is probably the best of Yorgos Lanthimos' films that I have seen.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

2. Good Fortune

Good Fortune was a bit of a surprise hit for me. The movie follows Gabriel the Angel (Keanu Reeves) as he attempts to help a lost soul appreciate their life as it is. When I saw the trailers, I was expecting this movie to be somewhat dumb and not very good, but it actually turned out to be very funny and had a good heart to it. The three main actors, Aziz Ansari, Seth Rogan, and Keanu Reeves, are all really funny. They all have this great chemistry together. Keanu Reeves is really funny as he plays this naive angel who fails at trying to get Arj to stop wishing his life was better. The movie also has a solid message about not giving up on life when it is hard and how it may not be a perfect life, you can always work to try and make things better. I appreciate how this movie doesn't try to go big with the humor. It uses the everyday humor of life to make things funny, as well as seeing a rich guy having to live as someone with no money. I don't have too much to criticize here; the film is just a nice little B comedy that delivers a feel-good story.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

1. Black Phone 2

Black Phone 2 is another surprise hit for me and is my favorite movie of the month. While not as good as the original, I thought that this movie was a great follow-up to the ideas of the first film. I like how the movie expands the setting and gives a little bit of backstory to the grabber. I also like the whole dream aspect of the film, which gives the movie a bit of Nightmare on Elm Street vibes. The Grabber also gets a bit of a Freddy Krueger treatment as he appears in people's dreams. I thought the way the film visualized dreams was very cool, with the use of 16mm film. It brings a unique aesthetic to help differentiate between dreams and real life. I appreciated how the film shifted the focus more on Gwen and explores her dream visions more while also still giving Finny some moments and shows how the events of the previous film impacted him. In the end, I thought this was a very good horror thriller and created a solid next step in The Black Phone series.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-