This may be the first year in which I had already watched almost all of the Best Picture nominees before they were announced, I only had Marty Supreme left to catch up on. 

While of course any lineup of best picture nominees won’t align with my personal choices entirely, I think that largely, this is a pretty good lineup. Each of the films are very different from each other, and as much as I don’t put much stock into it, it’s probably one of the only Best Picture lineups that doesn’t have a conventional ‘Oscar bait’ movie. I’ll give my thoughts on each movie and briefly talk about its Oscar chances. 

Note that I’m ranking these movies based on how much I like them, and not based on which one ‘deserves’ to win most or which one is most ‘Best Picture material’.

10. F1

F1 is the reason why I had to specifically mention that this year ‘largely’ had a good lineup of Best Picture nominees, instead of just saying that the whole lineup is great. I’m not going to entirely hate on a movie that I really enjoyed, though it is certainly on a different level from the other nominees. As expected, F1 has a rather cliched racing story and that isn’t inherently bad, considering that I loved director Joseph Kosinski’s Top Gun: Maverick. That was equally familiar, straightforward and sentimental, but its emotional depth made things click into place and work, and F1 sorely lacked that. While the cast is really great, especially Damson Idris and Javier Bardem, the lead performance from a miscast Brad Pitt was an incredibly weak link which genuinely sank the movie quite a fair bit. The racing is at least as thrilling and exciting as it needed to be, with Kosinski bringing his slick style and direction from Maverick, and the movie was certainly strong on a technical front. I’m fully aware that even though I haven’t watched Formula 1 myself, it stretches believability and it is pretty easy to tell that it’s not accurate to real life. I do like F1 in spite of its flaws and there are certainly worse movies to be nominated in this category in recent years, but I’m still not a fan of its inclusion here. My theory is that many people at the Academy didn’t want to nominate another Avatar film, so settled on nominating a different successful 2025 blockbuster instead. There are definitely worse movies from last year that could’ve snuck in, but in such a great lineup, F1 felt disappointing and out of place here. 

I can make the measured and educated guess that F1 is not winning Best Picture. It has been nominated in some of the more technical categories with Film Editing, Sound and Visual Effects and has a fair shot at those, but is also up against competitive films like One Battle After Another and Sinners so it may struggle to get a single win come Oscar night.

9. Train Dreams

I went into Train Dreams with no expectations, and ended up being really surprised by it. The intimate, grounded and meditative character study about a woodcutter and his life definitely moved at its own steady pace, but I was drawn into its atmosphere and story, and I can’t say that I was bored during it. It’s a melancholic film about sadness and loneliness yet was also peaceful. Clint Bentley’s stellar direction played a big part in that, particularly with the gorgeous cinematography, and the shots of the landscapes, forests and nature especially made it such a beautiful film to watch. Finally, the performances are all fantastic, led by a fittingly understated and career best Joel Edgerton. My biggest problem with the film is easily the narration, while it fits the meditative (almost Terrence Malick) vibe, at other times it takes away from the movie. I tolerated it, but I still found the narration to be unnecessary and the film would’ve been better without it. On the whole though, I really liked Train Dreams and it is worth checking out if you haven’t seen it, though it’s not for everyone.  

While Train Dreams has been present at a lot of film awards, it’s very unlikely to be winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The other categories it’s been nominated in are also very competitive, though it would be a very deserving win if it was awarded Best Cinematography.

8. Frankenstein

Guillermo del Toro has finally made his own take on Frankenstein. He’s covered similar territory before and I’d argue better films like The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley. Frankenstein isn’t one of his best, but I still really liked it and I bought into his very empathetic and human take on the story. I really love gothic romanticism and del Toro certainly delivered on that, especially stylistically. The cinematography is largely beautiful (if inconsistent at times), and I really liked the gorgeous gothic production designs and costumes. The 2.5 hour runtime is definitely felt and it could’ve been tighter in the first half, even though I was invested from beginning to end. The cast is solid with Mia Goth, Christoph Waltz, and I even liked Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, divisive as his performance was. However, Jacob Elrodi was key to the movie working as well as it did. His portrayal of The Creature is phenomenal and well realised; a tender and captivating performance with a real layer of humanity paired with excellent makeup and prosthetics. It’s no coincidence that the highlight of the film was the second half of the movie, in which The Creature was the main focus. Online, I’ve noticed that for many, Frankenstein ranks towards the bottom of lists ranking the nominees, and I can’t say that I don’t understand why. In spite of some issues I have, I still think it’s a great movie and I am glad to see it among the other nominees. 

Frankenstein is unlikely to win Best Picture as it’s not one of the few frontrunners in this category. However, it does have a shot in some of the technical categories like Production Design, Costume Design and Makeup and Hairstyling. Best Supporting Actor is pretty competitive, but I could see Jacob Elrodi potentially winning there.

7. The Secret Agent

One of the most pleasant surprise inclusions in these nominations, and it’s more than deserving. A slow burn character driven historical political thriller, The Secret Agent is engaging across its 2 hours and 40 minute runtime, as it gradually reveals its plot and maintains an underlying tension throughout. It’s greatly directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho with stellar cinematography and editing, and the acting is amazing from the whole cast, especially Wagner Moura in one of the year’s best performances. I was only expecting an acting nomination for Moura, so I’m really glad to see The Secret Agent make a much bigger splash at the Oscars.

As great as it is, I’m not really expecting The Secret Agent to receive Best Picture. However, it does have solid shots at Best Actor (Wagner Moura) and Best International Film Feature.

6. Bugonia

Bugonia has been making the rounds at some film awards this awards season, but I was still a little surprised it made its way into the Best Picture nominees. I’m not complaining though, as I really liked it. A thriller about a kidnapping of a CEO by conspiracy theorists, it’s very satirical (if blatant with its commentary) about paranoia and really the human condition in general. It’s a somewhat restrained movie by Yorgos Lanthimos standards, but Bugonia still feels like one of his films, balancing the dark humour and offbeat sensibilities with all the dread and hopelessness. Despite the absurdity, it plays things close to the chest for much of the film, before ramping things up for its unhinged third act. Lanthimos’s distinct direction style works well here, with striking cinematography and an unsettling vibe, helped by the Jerskin Fendrix score which ranges from eerie and tension to loud and operatic. Finally, the performances are amazing from Emma Stone, Aidan Delbis, and especially Jesse Plemons, the latter of whom was the stand out for me. Bugonia is a very bleak and depressing movie that won’t work for everyone, but for me, it ranks among my favourite films from 2025.

Bugonia is very unlikely to win Best Picture, and I’m also confident at this time that it won’t win in its other categories for Best Actress (Emma Stone), Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. 

5. One Battle After Another

Now I’m starting to get to the frontrunners in the Best Picture nominees. Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest was one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year and it is certainly an impressive film. It’s nearly 3 hours long and keeps things moving with constant energy and a good pace. It’s quite entertaining, engaging, politically charged, and even funny at times. The direction was immaculate with fantastic cinematography, and some particularly thrilling sequences. The cast were also a highlight; Leonardo DiCaprio gave some of his best work here with an earnest performance with perfect comedic timing, Sean Penn makes for a simultaneously menacing and pathetic villain, Chase Infiniti was stellar, Benicio del Toro was a scene stealer, and Teyana Taylor and Regina Hall delivered memorable acting in the small screentime that they had. While I do place it among my favourites of 2025, I can’t help but feel that I don’t love it nearly as much as most other people do, and there were things that held it back for me. I was unsure with the first act (mainly with the pacing), and it was really the second act that fully got me on board. Also I just found that I wasn’t nearly as emotionally invested as I wanted to be, as entertained as I was by the movie. So of the frontrunners, it’s not one of my favourites but is nonetheless a great movie and it’s not surprising that it’s been nominated in so many categories at the Academy Awards. 

One Battle After Another is one of the Best Picture frontrunners. While it is competing closely with a couple of other films, by a thin margin, I think it is the main frontrunner in this category. It also has a decent shot in many of the other categories, including Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography.

4. Hamnet

Hamnet is the second frontrunner on this list, and it’s very deserving of its acclaim. It starts off slow and deliberate and takes a while to get to the central tragedy, but the build up pays off in an incredibly massive way with its portrait of grief, and was a movie that I found compelling. The misery and sorrow might’ve been too much for some people, but it personally worked for me, as did the affecting and effective third act. The direction from Chloe Zhao is top notch, the visuals were particularly beautiful. The acting was the stand out aspect however, with Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal and Jacobi Jupe being amazing in their roles. Buckley and Mescal’s performances felt so raw and human, while Jupe’s sincere acting drove home the devastation of the second half of the film. Evidently, it seems that Hamnet wasn’t for everyone, but I’m glad to see it receiving a lot of recognition from the Academy. 

As mentioned above, Hamnet is one of the frontrunners for Best Picture, and while I’m not convinced that it has a better chance than One Battle After Another, it still has a good chance of winning. The same goes for Best Director, it is a frontrunner for Best Actress (Jessie Buckley), and has decent shots in other categories like Director, Production Design, and Costume Design. 

3. Sentimental Value

Sentimental Value has been one of my favourite films of 2025 ever since I first saw it, and I’m glad to see that it’s now a Best Picture nominee. It’s a complex human, intimate, emotionally honest and personal story of generational trauma and dysfunctional families under the stellar direction of Joaquim Trier. The performances were excellent from everyone, with Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard, Inga Ibsdaoter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning delivering some of the best acting from 2025. Sentimental Value is one of the year’s best, and was very deserving of all its nominations.

While it has better chances than some of the other nominees on this list, Sentimental Value isn’t quite a Best Picture frontrunner. However, I do think it does have good shots at Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress (Inga Ibsdaoter Lilleaas) and Best International Feature Film. 

2. Marty Supreme

Marty Supreme was the last of the Best Picture nominees that I needed to watch and it easily ranks among the very best. This 2.5 hour long character drama is exhilarating from beginning to end, with the frenetic energy and pacing keeping things constantly moving with barely a moment to breathe and not a single dull moment. It’s sharply written, well constructed and funny and with plenty of twists and turns throughout. It’s phenomenally directed with dynamic camerawork, great production design with a gritty aesthetic, and energetic editing. It also benefits from an ensemble of stellar performances led by a career Best Timothee Chalamet, who is so excellently charismatic and magnetic and compelling as protagonist Marty Mouser that he’s compelling to watch. Mary Supreme is one of my biggest favourites of 2025.

Marty Supreme is one of the big awards contenders at the Oscars and has a good shot at many of the categories including Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet. However I wouldn’t say that it’s quite a frontrunner for Best Picture. 

1. Sinners

Sinners made history as the most nominated film at the Oscars and it is absolutely well deserved. It’s a wonderful mash up of so many elements with westerns, horror, vampires, music, crime thrillers, along with being an original take on the vampire, and a celebration of black culture history. The slow burn approach and gradual build up in its first half really pays off in such a great way, and makes for an entertaining and engaging epic folk tale. Ryan Coogler’s direction is phenomenal; Sinners is visually stunning with some spectacular sequences, and the music was outstanding and a character in its own right, with Ludwig Göransson’s score being particularly amazing. There is also a stellar cast with Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Jack O’Connell, and especially Delroy Lindo and Miles Caton. All of them deliver phenomenal performances, with Jordan, Mosaku and Lindo deservedly receiving nominations. I would be happy with most of these Best Picture nominees winning, however if we are just talking about my personal favourite, it would have to be Sinners.

Sinners is the third and final frontrunner of the Best Picture nominees I had left to cover in this ranking. It is competing with One Battle After Another and Hamnet, with the former especially being very competitive. However I wouldn’t count Sinners out entirely, especially with it being competitive in multiple categories including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Original Score.

How would you rank these 10 Best Picture nominees?