Top May 2025 Movies I Watched Ranked from Best to Worst

With May at an end, it is time to share my thoughts and ranking of the new releases that I saw. This month had some of my most anticipated movies of the year, with both Thunderbolts and Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning releasing this month. However, the structure when movies came out was really weird this month. I saw a couple on May 1st and 2nd and then didn't see a new movie until May 15th, with the next "big" not coming out until May 23rd. May is normally a strong movie month, so it was weird to have the middle be a bit slow. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the seven new releases that I saw.

7. Fountain of Youth

Fountain of Youth was the newest film from Guy Ritchie and unfortunately was the worst movie I saw this month. The movie stars John Krasinski and Natalie Portman as estranged siblings who are on the hunt for the Fountain of Youth. This movie doesn't have anything truly terrible about it. It is just extremely dull with nothing to make it stand out. It feels like the less exciting parts of Indiana Jones and National Treasure were used to make this movie. There weren't any fun action sequences. I didn't think John Krasinski and Natalie Portman had much fun banter together. It just felt like a blah kind of movie. This seems to be the case with a lot of Apple-produced movies. They look slick and well-made with a big-name cast but then end up being extremely generic and empty. On paper, it has all the right ingredients to be great but instead of going for unique, they go for the most broad appeal that they can which ends up being completely forgettable.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

6. Another Simple Favor

Another Simple Favor is the worst film I saw this month, which is a shame since I enjoyed the first film, but it is still entirely watchable. Another Simple Favor is a sequel to 2018's A Simple Favor and continues the story of Stephanie as she is drawn into an overseas from the recently been released from prison, Emily. Just like the first film, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively have good chemistry together. Both also have a good amount of charm that keeps the movie entertaining. There were also a fair number of funny moments, with the truth serum scene being a standout. However, what keeps this movie down is that it just loses the essence of what makes the original film great. The original film is a more grounded suburban mom thriller, which is what gave it its charm, while this movie turns into a globetrotting whodunnit at a mob wedding, which just feels so out of place considering where it all started. Overall, while Another Simple Favor is watchable, it loses what made the original film great.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

5. Karate Kid: Legends

Karate Kid: Legends was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Superficially, it is a pretty entertaining movie. You can get a lot of what you want out of a Karate Kid movie. However, when you get down to the actual meat of the movie, it is not very good. For the positives, there is this fun novelty of seeing Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchino together on-screen training a new student. The big end fight was also pretty entertaining. The movie is also a bit faster-paced than the others in the franchise as well as quite a bit funnier. However, the whole inciting incident to get Li to join the tournament is a bit ridiculous. The movie starts as a rehash of the original Karate Kid but then jumps into this plot about a boxer pizza guy learning karate that is hidden from the trailer then jumps back into Karate Kid rehash. These two plots are not compatible and feel very weird put together in this movie. The trailer also makes it seem like Daniel LaRusso is a major part of the movie when in reality he is only in it for like 15 minutes. If you are going to get the whole marketing around the return of Daniel LaRusso, you should probably have him in the movie for more than 15 minutes. In the end, while on a surface level, the movie is quite entertaining, the actual plot structure is a bit too messy.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. Lilo and Stitch

Lilo and Stitch is the second Disney live-action remake of the year. For the positives, when this movie focuses on the relationship between Lilo, Nani, and Stitch. It does a very good job. I like how this movie fleshes out Nani's character a bit as we see how the loss of her parents affected her as well. We see her struggle with having to provide for her sister while trying to maintain the relationship. When the relationship is featured, there are a lot of sweet and emotional moments that happen. I think the movie made a wise call making the movie more grounded and focused on the family aspect of the film. What holds this movie back for me is pretty much everything else. The side characters are seriously lacking with both David and Cobra Bubbles getting their roles split between two characters. However, I didn't care for the direction they went with Jumba. Instead of giving him a bit of redemption at the end when he helps rescue Lilo, the movie instead opts for him to go full evil scientist wanting to use Stitch to take over the federation. This ruins him as a character for me. Overall, while the movie has some very sweet moments at its core, there are a lot of other choices that didn't work for me.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Fight or Flight

Fight or Flight was a bit of a fun surprise this month. Fight or Flight follows mercenary Lucas Reyes as he is hired to track down a target on an airplane while also protecting them from assassins trying to kill them both. This movie is a bit of a mix between Bullet Train and John Wick, with the tone and pacing of Bullet Train and the action style of John Wick. This movie was a fun mid-budget action movie. The movie balances a lighter tone with some gory action sequences while managing not to come across as too goofy. The movie is essentially Bullet Train but on an airplane and without any of the A-list actors. I also thought the movie had a few decent little twists and managed to use some misdirection in a pretty effective way. Josh Hartnett is also pretty fun in the lead role and has enough energy and charisma to lead a movie like this. You will have to suspend a little bit of disbelief as some of the logic throughout the film doesn't make a ton of sense. I also thought the final moments of the film were a bit odd. It didn't properly end the story, instead opting to set up a sequel. In the end, this was a fun action movie that I hope we get more like.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

2. Thunderbolts*

Thunderbolts is a return to form for the MCU. This is the first MCU movie since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 to have a strong story. The movie is also about loneliness and regret, as well as dealing with loss. Because of this, Thunderbolts is a bit more serious than previous MCU projects, but still maintains the same broad appeal tone that it always has. I like all the characters that were in this movie. Yelena and Red Guardian are both scene stealers, but everyone else, John Walker, Ghost, and Bucky, each get their moments. I like how the movie has all of the characters go through a bit of an arc, moving on through their past choices and learning that they don't need to be alone anymore. I also felt that this movie had a more thought-out story that actually ties into the greater MCU instead of having a microwaved script and then trying to fix it in post-production. This movie felt like it had a lot of care and attention put into it. I do wish the movie could have been a bit longer. I think an extra 20 minutes would have given more time to have fun with these characters. Overall, this is a great MCU film that brings the franchise back to the golden days and hopefully is an indication of where the franchise is heading next.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

1. Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning was my most anticipated movie of the year and ended up being my favorite movie of the month. This movie does a great job of being a satisfying and emotional finale to the Mission: Impossible franchise. The movie connects to not just the previous film but also connects to the original film and Mission Impossible 3. The Final Reckoning also does a decent job of subverting expectations, every time you expect something to go one way, it goes in a completely different direction. I also like how the movie grows Benji's character. He has come a long way from when he was introduced in Mission Impossible 3. As with all of the other films, this movie has some insane stunt sequences with lots of practical effects. It is obvious that Tom Cruise is hanging from the plane instead of just using CGI. Because of this, the stunts are very edge of your seat with lots of action and intensity. It is just amazing that Tom Cruise can do this at 60 years old. In the end, this is a great supposed closer to the franchise and continues to set the Mission Impossible franchise at a very high bar.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-