An explosive (both literal and metaphorical) action sequence is genuinely a delight to watch, as it can be as expansive as flames crashing across the screen or more intimate, like a duel between two people as the sun rises. This gives action scenes an incredible range, and in 2025, we were given some unique spectacles.
For me, the best action scenes excel in every element, whether they be live action, special effects, digital effects, or animation, each brings a unique joy to the genre. It is also the category that looks at some departments people don’t often fully understand, like stunt coordination or second-unit direction.
2025 was the year that action dominated both the big and small screen, so much so it was hard to get this category down to a shortlist, given how many good examples we got. However, power through I must, and here we go with the rich and varied world of action.
Our Highly Commended Films in 2025 are: 28 Years Later, The Accountant 2, Companion, F1, Fight or Flight & Weapons
Our Highly Commended TV in 2025 are: Andor, The Last of Us, Murderbot, Peacemaker & Reacher
So, without further ado, these are the moments of action that awed us in 2025 as we dive into the best action movies of 2025. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers ahead.
Sometimes all you need is the sheer charisma of your leading characters and a determination to kick butt … an exploding plane doesn’t hurt either. It was fun, silly, and perfectly fit the vibe they were going for.
How do you make a PG Predator film work? By making it one of the best action films of the year and making all your bad guys have non-red blood to get around the censors. It should not have worked, but it was also one of the most fun action films I watched all year.
If I was to describe the action in The Running Man, I would call it slick. It is a film that perfectly fits its lead actor in a way that few other people could do. I was also yelling from my small soap box for someone to give Katy O’Brian the lead in an action film already.
Few people do John Wick-style as good as the Finns. Bloody, fascinating, and a riot, and that is even before we get to the train. In a year when Hollywood seemed comfortable making stereotypical Russians the villains again, Sisu goes “hold my beer”.
This is our gritty entry for the year. No fun japes in between fist swings, but a methodical tactical thriller where every bullet impact has weight. It also has a tactical mindset that you rarely see pulled off well in modern action films.
Best Action Film of 2025: Warfare
Directed by – Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland
Stunt Coordination by – Giedrius Nagys
Military Advisors – Tim Chappell & Brian Philpot
It was such a solid year for action in 2025, but I’m not sure an action film in the last year has hit me quite the same way that Warfare did. It was the sort of film that understood that sometimes the wait for that first bullet is just as important as the impact. Warfare understood the world it was in because it had people there to bring a level of authenticity you rarely see.
Warfare was explosive, confronting, emotionally effective, and one of the most tactical action films that I have seen in an age.
What are your favourite action moments of films from 2025 that made you go WOW? Let us know which film you would have chosen as your number one in the comments below.
By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Bluesky at @Tldrmovrev, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.
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Credits – All images used were created by the respective studio and artists of each film
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