Film critic Alan Ng shares his top 10 worst movies of 2025, explaining the reasons behind their failures. From misguided sequels and political biases to poor writing and unconvincing plots, Ng critiques films like Megan 2.0, Heads of State, Captain America: Brave New World, Predator: Badlands, and Tron: Aries, highlighting common themes of missed potential and lack of balance.
In a recent Film Threat livecast, film critic Alan Ng shared his list of the worst movies of 2025. He openly admitted to some political bias in his selections but emphasized that many of these films simply failed to meet expectations. Below is a detailed breakdown of his top 10 worst movies of the year, along with his insights on why these films disappointed.
Alan Ng began by acknowledging the abundance of bad movies in 2025 and the challenge of narrowing down his list. He also noted the value of having multiple opinions, as he and his co-hosts fill in each other's gaps.
Ng highlighted a recurring theme among these films: they should have been better. Many had potential but ultimately fell short.
Ng criticized "Megan 2.0" for violating the fundamental principle of a sequel. Instead of building on what made the original film successful—the killer robot toy that was a ruthless antagonist—the sequel turned Megan into a good character. This shift from villain to hero disappointed fans who loved the original's premise.
He also mentioned that Jason Blum, a producer, publicly apologized on Twitter for the sequel, acknowledging its shortcomings.
Described as a badly written movie, "Heads of State" made Ng's list primarily as a nod to John Cena's long career in wrestling and entertainment. Despite Cena's acclaimed heel run in wrestling, the film itself was a failure.
This political movie attempted to be balanced but failed due to its writing. Ng felt the film portrayed the MAGA crowd through a stereotypical lens, making the character played by Joaquin Phoenix irredeemable and boring. The film reflected the deep political divisions of the time but lacked nuance.
A sex comedy that missed the mark, "Doing It" had a promising premise but lacked essential elements such as effective humor and boldness. Ng pointed out that the film avoided crossing any lines, which made it bland. He also critiqued Lily Singh's comedic style in the film as relying on odd remarks that fall flat.
Ng criticized this Marvel installment for its approach to defeating the villain through empathy, which he considered the worst example of this trope. The film attempted to address perceived faults of the original Captain America by passing the mantle to Sam, but the resolution felt unearned and overly earnest.
This entry in the Predator franchise disappointed Ng by deviating from the original theme of an average or above-average human battling a superior alien hunter. Instead, it focused on unnecessary backstory and family drama, which Ng felt was unwelcome. He expressed hope that the franchise would not continue down this path.
An award-nominated film, "House of Dynamite" failed for Ng because it required viewers to buy into an implausible plot: nuclear missiles are launched at Chicago, but no one knows who fired them. This disbelief undermined the film's tension and decision-making scenes.
Ng also criticized the portrayal of the military as overly emotional, particularly the female characters, which he felt was unrealistic for a crisis scenario.
Ng described this film as essentially an Antifa recruitment movie, expressing that it alienates viewers who do not share its political perspective. He referenced Paul Thomas Anderson's praise of the film's women at the Critics Choice Awards as indicative of the film's ideological stance.
Ng compared this film unfavorably to its predecessors, noting that while the visuals were impressive, the story lacked substance. Jared Leto's character was criticized for having unclear motivations and for the film making sudden political statements.
Ng lamented that the film strayed from the original's compelling father-son dynamic and instead focused on action sequences without meaningful narrative.
Alan Ng's list of the worst movies of 2025 highlights a year filled with films that failed to live up to their potential due to poor writing, misguided themes, political bias, and unconvincing plots. His critiques serve as a reminder of the importance of strong storytelling, character development, and balance in filmmaking.
Ng's candid discussion encourages viewers to approach films critically and recognize when movies miss the mark despite promising premises or popular franchises.
