Top December 2025 New Releases Ranked and Reviewed

With December at an end, it is time to share my thoughts and ranking on the new December releases that I saw. I managed to see five new movies this month. There was a lot of varying quality this month, so it was kind of an interesting way to close out the year. There were a lot of different types of movies this month, from big blockbusters to whodunits to horror; there was a little bit of everything. With all of that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the six new releases that I saw.

5. Five Nights at Freddy's 2

Five Nights at Freddy's 2 was quite a step back from the first film. The first film had a sense of creepiness and tension, set in an abandoned building. This movie doesn't have that, as a lot of the film just takes place in the town. We don't even get to see any of the animatronics until over halfway through the movie. The movie just takes way too long to get going, and while there are some good scenes, there isn't enough fun horror stuff to make up for everything else. The movie also felt like a bit of an in-between film, more concerned with setting up a third film than telling a standalone movie. There is a character that is shown at the beginning and then doesn't appear again until the final five minutes, and then the villain of the movie gets kind of forgotten about at the end of the film. The film also just abruptly ends with no sort of conclusion. It just feels like a filler story to make way for a better third film. Overall, while this movie had a few good moments, the bad far outweighs the good and makes for a far less fun movie than the first film.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

4. Anaconda

Anaconda ended up being a lot funnier than I was expecting. When the movie is about these four friends trying to make a movie in the jungle, it is pretty clever and funny. Those moments are full of meta humor and making jokes. I also like how the characters are seemingly aware that they are in an Anaconda film. Jack Black and Paul Rudd are both hilarious and have the right energy for a movie like this. The movie also has a fun cameo in the third act that is fun for fans of the original. However, when the movie decides to be a random adventure movie about gold diggers, it is not very good. That aspect just feels out of place and shoehorned into the film for no reason. I also felt that while Jack Black and Paul Rudd were great, they kind of overpowered the rest of the cast. Steve Zahn has a few funny moments, but he and the Claire character feel largely unused. In the end, while some aspects of the movie were really funny, there were others that just didn’t work. The movie is about these four friends, the quality you would expect from an Anaconda film.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. The Housemaid

The Housemaid is the newest film from Paul Feig. I thought that this movie was a very effective thriller, very much in the vein of A Simple Favor. Right from the start, you can feel that something is not right in this house and family, and the intrigue of that, as well as the erratic behavior of Nina, keeps you engaged until the end. The movie also does a great job of building the chemistry between Millie and Andrew through the first half of the film, making the second half all the more effective. The movie pulls a lot of inspiration from Gone Girl and A Simple Favor, both of which I also enjoyed. I also thought that the way information was revealed was very well done, with much of it framing your thinking in a certain way that makes the finale all the more interesting. The biggest issue I had was that I thought the second half had lost quite a bit of steam after the main reveal happened. I thought that things were kind of rushed and didn’t leave very much time fr our characters to establish themselves with this new setup. I think the second half needed to be maybe 15 minutes longer with what was going on with Mille. Overall, I thought that this was a very interesting thriller, and while it loses some steam in the second half, it is still very engaging from beginning to end.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

2. Avatar: Fire and Ash

In contrast with FNAF2, Avatar: Fire and Ash is about at the same level as the previous two films. As with the other Avatar films, the visual effects are amazing. If you watch this in IMAX and 3D, it feels like you are actually looking into a window of Pandora. It is refreshing to see such good CGI. The movie also does a great job of continuing to build out the world. We get introduced to two new tribes with the Wind Traders and the Ash People. The action is top-notch as well. James Cameron knows how to build out a movie that leads to a huge climax. The movie also delivers some good family and emotional moments as the Sully family copes with the death of one of their kids in the previous movie. The movie also does a great job of utilizing its run time. It doesn't feel too long, as it provides a lot of content that would otherwise be too much for a single movie, but since the movie is 3 hours long, it works. Of course, these Avatar movies are also super derivative, and this one is no exception. The same elements are being used over and over again in these films, but when your movies keep making over 2 million dollars, you don't change what is working. In the end, while the movie is pretty derivative, it still makes for an amazing theatrical experience and proves that James Cameron still knows what he is doing.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

1. Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery

Wake Up Dead Man is the newest film from Rian Johnson and the best movie I saw this month. This was just another great whodunit mystery. This movie does the gutsy move of commenting on religion and politics, and the corruption within each of them. We get to see the dynamic between a catholic priest and an agnostic, which makes for some very interesting debates and conversations. The movie does a great job of timing its reveal of information. You get more and more information as the movie goes on until the big reveal at the end of the movie. As with the other films in the series, this movie features a lot of unique characters played by famous actors such as Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin, Glen Close, and Mila Kunis. The movie also does a great job of blending different genres, like mystery and comedy, with a sprinkle of horror/thriller, too. Overall, this was another great Benoit Blanc mystery that proves the Knives Out franchise is a top-tier mystery franchise.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-