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The most underrated movies of 2025 are streaming now
These overlooked 2025 releases didn’t make the Oscars cut, but they’re still well worth your time.
Before declaring awards season officially over, I’d like to take a quick victory lap: I went 21/24 in my Oscars predictions, narrowly besting my Globe counterpart Odie Henderson by one point and winning our Boston Globe Media office pool. (He’ll probably retake the prediction crown next year, so I have to celebrate while I can!)
That bit of bragging aside, I’d also like to call attention to some of the more underrated movies of the year before closing the book on 2025. These are films that didn’t make my top 10 list, weren’t nominated for any Oscars, but are absolutely still worth watching.
The most underrated movies of 2025
“The Naked Gun”: I’ve written about it before, but I’ll say it again: With a fully committed Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson, plus a script absolutely stuffed to the gills with jokes, “The Naked Gun” was the funniest movie of 2025. (Paramount+)
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“The Ballad of Wallis Island”: This charming comedy-drama from across the pond stars Tim Key (“The Paper”) as an eccentric two-time lottery winner (imagine the odds!) who uses his windfall to reunite his favorite folk duo (Tom Basden, Carey Mulligan) years after a personal and professional breakup. (Prime Video)
“28 Years Later”: Danny Boyle’s long-awaited sequel to “28 Days Later” deepens and complicates the zombie-filled world, with newcomer Alfie Williams playing a 12-year-old going through the ceremonial rite of his first zombie hunt alongside his father (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). The film starts as an examination of Brexit and isolation’s impact on the male psyche, but it grows into something more tender and profound, as Alfie searches for a way to help his dementia-addled mother (Jodie Comer). As a bonus, the fast-arriving sequel, 2026’s “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple,” is also excellent. (Netflix)
Play or Skip:
Have a show you can’t stop watching? Email me about it at [email protected], and your recommendation may appear in a future edition of The Queue.
Press play on these movies and shows:
- “The Martian” (2015): If you’re a fan of “The Martian,” I just reviewed “Project Hail Mary,” another adaptation of author Andy Weir’s sci-fi novels about an astronaut stranded far from Earth. The two films have their differences, but there’s a lot of shared DNA, in particular the way Matt Damon’s Mark Watney and Ryan Gosling’s Ryland Grace self-record wry video logs for no one (except us, the audience). (Available to rent)
- “Lone Wolf McQuaid” (1983): Chuck Norris, who died Thursday at age 86, was a prolific action star for decades before the internet turned his general badassery into a meme. The star of “Walker, Texas Ranger” had real martial arts bonafides, facing off against Bruce Lee in “The Way of the Dragon,” earning numerous championships, and even inventing his own karate style. The exemplar of his many Westerns was this 1983 title, in which Norris plays (surprise!) a Texas Ranger who hunts down drug traffickers and kidnappers. (Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Prime Video)
- “Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat” (2026): I’m a sucker for hidden camera comedy, whether it’s “The Eric Andre Show,” “The Rehearsal,” or the first season of “Jury Duty,” in which juror Ronald Gladden was the only real person in a trial where the judge, jurors, lawyers, and bailiffs were all professional actors. The second season takes place at a company retreat, where a temp worker named Anthony Norman helping with the event is the only real person. Just like Season 1, the improvisers are hilarious, but the heart of the show is Anthony. (Prime Video)
But go ahead and skip this one:
- “Imperfect Women” (2026): The title says it all. To elaborate slightly, the “best friends” at the center of this show (Kerry Washington, Elisabeth Moss) who must solve the murder of their other best friend have the chemistry of workplace acquaintances at best. We’ve seen this show before, but better. (Apple TV)
End Credits
That’s a wrap on this edition of The Queue. If you’re a fan, please consider recommending this newsletter to your friends.
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Until next time, good stream hunting, everyone!
— Kevin
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