Ah, the fun one that no-one reads – presumably for fear of spoilers, which is absolutely fair. Speaking of which, I had the opposite problem to that of my characters countdown this year: too many scenes to choose from, so I had to cut some good ones. I’d shout out the cut ones up here as honourable-honourable mentions, but then I’d be putting spoilers before the spoiler warning, and we can’t have that.
Quality action films provide the bulk of the movie moments that will stick with me from 2025, despite – perhaps because of – the fact that the memorable scenes from those action films aren’t necessarily all about the action. In fact they’re quite often about family (found or unavoidable), clashing ages or ideologies, and they are almost always enhanced by music choices. Or, you know, really well-filmed stunts.
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VR BEST OF 2025 DISCLAIMER
This list represents my opinion only. I am not asserting any kind of superiority or self-importance by presenting it as I have. My opinion is not fact. Nobody ever agrees with me 100%. Respectful disagreement is most welcome.
MASSIVE SPOILERS FOLLOW.
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10. Line Dance – The Accountant 2
The overwhelming strength of this unlikely and uneven pulp action sequel is the comedic chemistry between leads Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal, and I firmly believe the plot is worse off for the restraint shown towards their brotherly relationship. And sure, there’s a pretty good sequence of the two trying to talk about deep stuff on a couple of deck chairs, but the one where the two essentially forget the plot and just drink, banter, attempt to dance, and eventually fight a smarmy barfly is heartwarming Hollywood gold. I can’t prove it, but I have a sneaking suspicion the scene was written and added late in production, once the crew realised how good Affleck and Bernthal played off each other on screen.
9. The Guardian and the Widow – Thunderbolts*
Say what you will about the MCU, but the ability of its marketing department to hide big elements of its movies/shows has been famous for a while now. Thunderbolts* concealed the superpowered individual most important to its plot, the permanent death of a returning character, and its “real” title (though the latter move is probably less successful) from every piece of pre-release hype, and yet had no issue going ham on footage of the film’s most emotionally affecting sequence – yet it still works. As New York (once again) threatens to crumble around them, Yelena Belova and her fake spy dad Alexei Shostakov have an impassioned heart-to-heart so well-acted by Florence Pugh and David Harbour that it overshadows the literal shadow entity wreaking havoc around them. It brought me to tears, and almost makes the mishandled Black Widow movie better in retrospect.
8. All-In Flamethrowers – Ballerina
Ballerina is so anxious to let you know that it comes from the John Wick cinematic universe that its full title is technically From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, and yet it is so heavily invested in the lore of that world that it takes an age to properly contribute its own worthwhile addition to the mythos: its very own iconic gimmick-driven action scene. The shootout in the picturesque mountainside bar is a great warm-up, but then things get truly silly; if Keanu Reeves has already dazzled audiences on screen with a dragon’s breath shotgun, why not just commit and give Ana de Armas an actual flamethrower? And then why not give a bunch of the mooks she has to fight flamethrowers as well? Cue absurd action movie magic.
7. Birth – Fantastic Four: First Steps
There’s no doubt the in-media-res approach of Fantastic Four: First Steps gives the script the freedom to tackle some messier topics and meatier character beats than if the film directly portrayed yet another superhero origin story. But the direction and cinematography have very little interest in exploring the messy elements of giving birth: nope, they are all about reflecting the full force of its philosophical and existential grandeur. The birth of Franklin Richards takes place inside a zero-gravity spaceship as the titular Fantastic Four attempt to escape the gravitational pull of a neutron star, which bathes the aftermath in an otherworldly glow as that Michael Giacchino score swells. The dramatic slowing of every movement as Sue Storm quite literally nearly fades away from the exertion makes for one of the most striking cinematic moments of the year.
6. Reversal – Weapons
As an outpouring of catharsis so satisfying that it changes the genre of the movie it inhabits, the final action beat of Weapons should be studied. Well after the shocking final reveal settles the mystery element of the story, the life-siphoning, human-missile-directing social oddball Aunt Gladys is at last bested by the one child she needed to spare from her full-body control witchcraft master plan. With a single “Oh, no”, Amy Madigan flips her performance from dark, menacing, unmoving room-domination to pathetic comic arm-flailing as she runs through backyards in quick-pan wide shots masterfully employed by director Zach Cregger to make proceedings as disarmingly hilarious as possible. The armada of formerly-subservient children all yelling in unison helps turn the movie into a black comedy, and when they eventually catch her – oh, boy. It’s definitely a gnarly way to dispatch your villain.
5. Submarine – MI: The Final Reckoning
Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning is one of the most imbalanced, frustrating, and therefore fascinating-to-discuss films of the year. But from the end of its heavily strained first act, once it has its wobbly ducks in a row, it is full-steam-ahead with the classic MI action thrills. For almost two hours after that point the screen is lit up with masterful tension, and I regularly forgot to breathe, but one extended sequence provided more stress than any other: the dive into the abandoned, rather rickety submarine teased all the way back at the beginning of the last film in the franchise. Chris McQuarrie and Tom Cruise put on the show they know better than anyone else in the business, using the full IMAX frame and virtually zero dialogue to remind every single viewer that no one should ever want to try this at home.
4. On the Record – Superman
The obvious pick for a standout scene from James Gunn’s Superman is probably the “bubble brawl” that shows off Mr Terrific’s casual combat ability, dancing around with his capable T-spheres as the camera rotates to show the sweeping carnage while Noah & The Whale’s carefree 5 Years Time plays over the top. But Gunn has nailed that exact flavour of scene so many times by now that it almost comes off as old-hat; the one that had me hanging on every word and camera cut is actually the interview that was so heavily featured in pre-release trailers. The entire sequence, from door open to door close, is exceptionally well-written and blocked, with nuanced performances to match from Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet. The ideological war of words is engaging, but what the scene also achieves is showcasing the different pages Clark and Lois are on in their still-fragile relationship. Theatre-worthy stuff.
3. What Time Is It? – One Battle After Another
It’s often amusing the lengths a screenwriter will go just to get an actor on a phone call in a contemporary-set movie, such is the potential for very human drama or – in this case – comedy. Despite some surprisingly good dedicated comedies releasing in 2025, this is the hardest I laughed at a movie scene all year; Leo DiCaprio is somehow still just such an underrated comedic performer even all these years after The Wolf of Wall Street. One Battle After Another teases the idea that our washed eyes-in character Bob may not have the sharp brain he once did, then drops an extremely time-sensitive moment on him where he must remember a coded phrase to reconnect with his former revolutionary associates and find his daughter. The way his patience splinters like a twig is just the right side of hilarious, especially as Benicio Del Toro ad libs casually in the room like he’s never been stressed about a thing in his life.
2. Knock Down, Drag Out – The Count of Monte Cristo
The co-writers of Martin Bourboulon’s action-packed Three Musketeers duology, which featured on all three of my movie lists last year, returned to the French swashbuckling realm to direct The Count of Monte Cristo. And that means despite all the moral questions, thrilling revenge machinations, and source story changes I was waiting with bated breath to see how – if at all – the film would handle a potential sword fight between the Count and his most personal rival Fernand de Morcerf. I was not disappointed. The fight does happen, but it is not flashy or showy – it doesn’t even have an audience. It may start inside the Count’s ostentatious mansion, but before long it is quite literally out in the mud, shot with unspectacular close angles and performed with a mixture of empty rage and resignation to emphasise the sheer, ugly futility of revenge. It is, quite simply, fantastic.
1. A Generational Dance Floor – Sinners
Yeah, I’m not original on this one, but if you witnessed this sequence in IMAX you probably wouldn’t be either. If an appreciation for music is any part of your personality, the visual apex of Ryan Coogler’s Sinners is guaranteed to make you feel things. Right before the existential vampire threat descends on the party that the whole plot has been foreshadowing, screen newcomer Miles Caton begins to showcase his incredible blues voice and before long, the camera is off and flying around the room. The thin line between narrative and allegory is obliterated as music performers of multiple generations, regions and styles appear between the regular extended cast and extras, astonishing in both their sheer number and in how Ludwig Göransson somehow makes the disparate sounds just about work together. It’s a breathtaking virtual one-shot that celebrates a timeless part of human culture.
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Honourable Mentions
–Toad Trip – Friendship
Incredibly one of two comedic scenes involving toad venom I watched in 2025 (the other at the climax of schlocky airborne action thriller Fight or Flight), Friendship‘s genius anti-climactic drug trip is one of those rare experiences where utter confusion and likely silence gives way to maniacal cackling, and then the punchline gets funnier every time you think of it – if Tim Robinson’s unique schtick fits your sense of humour of course.
–The Snowman Montage – The Naked Gun
There are just so many rapid-fire jokes in Akiva Schaffer’s rebooted Naked Gun that it would be a pointless exercise to single out one proper scene – except for one elongated bit featuring some devious puppetry, an insane escalation of stakes, and a distinct old-school Lonely island sketch vibe.
–Bathhouse Brawl – K-Pop Demon Hunters
It’s easy to forget given how quickly the plot advances and how many of its greater concerns lie elsewhere, but K-Pop Demon Hunters is occasionally a mad fun action movie, and there’s only one sequence that focuses entirely on slick fight choreography / wild animation effects.
–Shotgun and Shovel – Bugonia
Following a long focus on dialogue accompanied by an enjoyably over-the-top score, the tension driving Bugonia finally detonates in the space of two back-to-back shots as two character pairs become two characters. From there the stakes only escalate, and we are off to the races.
–No Good Deed – Wicked: For Good
It’s a fabulous song performed with immense power; it just doesn’t hold a candle to anything from the last film.
Vagrant Rant 