Well, we have looked at Action, then Emotion and swung wildly across the spectrum to Fun, and now we are completing that series by looking at Tension. Tension is one of the most challenging facets of filmmaking because it requires the script, direction, acting, and editing to all work in tandem to evoke the perfect pace. If just one part of that group misses, then an essential part of the film falls apart.
In 2025, we continued to see some excellent use of tension to build mystery, to be the harbinger of the coming dread, or even to tick the clock of inevitability.
Our Highly Commended Films in 2025 are: 28 Years Later, Drop, The Long Walk, The Lost Bus, Nosferatu & Sinners
Our Highly Commended TV in 2025 are: Andor, The Diplomat, Paradise & Silo
So, without further ado, these moments of tension kept us on the edge of our seats in 2025. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers ahead.
This is a film where you get to see a bunch of trained professionals have almost the worst possible day imaginable. Nothing quite ups the tension like a nuclear missile flying through the air, tracking to slaughter millions. Is it the harbinger of something more? Is it Russia? Is it North Korea? Does it matter? Can you stop the doom of a planet? Or is this the only outcome?
When a group of spies come around for dinner, and then a gun is dropped on the table, you know something is about to go down. But who can you trust when everyone lies for a profession? Can you trust your wife? Can you trust your husband? Is this going to end in blood?
This is a film where you are never quite sure when the bullets will start flying, but you know that they will, and it will be brutal. It is a film that understands power and the pressure it can bear down on you. Where one choice can have profound ramifications, and characters are making those choices all the time.
Human beings are naturally primed to take notice of a countdown, and that can absolutely be weaponised against us at times. While there is an evident tension in the first episode, as you know, something bad is about to go down. What sets this show apart is how it builds on the underlying tension of the world it has created, building this wave of uncertainty wherever it goes.
Each second a bullet is not firing is a second you are on the edge of your seat, because you are waiting for that penny to drop.
It is hard to discuss the tense aspects of this film without getting into profound spoilers because it is baked into the very essence of the film. There is blame, fear, anger, and grief being thrown around everywhere, and you know something gruesome is coming. Just don’t fall asleep when someone is after your hair.
The Best Use of Tension in the Television or Film 2025 is: One Battle After Another
Directed by – Paul Thomas Anderson
Written by – Paul Thomas Anderson
Based on – Vineland by Thomas Pynchon
Hi, we’re One Battle After Another, and we would like to have you on the edge of your seat just because of a hilly road.
You know, I was almost tempted to leave it at that, because I have never felt so far on the edge of my seat watching those hills rise and fall, one after another, wondering when things were going to fall apart. However, there are tense moments throughout the film. The lead up to the first detention centre raid, the great escape when someone is captured, those first moments when a cover is blown, and trying to remember a code from another lifetime ago.
One Battle After Another is a wild film in many respects; it is also a film that makes the most of every moment to keep you wondering what will happen next.
What are your favourite tense moments from 2025 that made you sit on the edge of your chair? Let us know what 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 studios and artist of each film
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