The 2025 Oscar movies (and snubs) that are actually worth watching

The Oscar nominations are out, and most of the nominees are already watchable online. But where to begin? Good news, friends. I’ve got you.

As Polygon’s curation editor, I am paid to have correct opinions have spent much of the year keeping up with the year’s best fresh movies, which prepared me for this task: recommending the best of them to you, dear reader.

First, an crucial caveat. These are my opinions, and I’ve heard those famously vary. I’ve divided this into 3 categories: the nominees you absolutely should watch, the nominees you should consider, and the snubs you gotta watch.

And another thing to rapidly acknowledge: Yes, Emilia Pérez was nominated for a whopping 13 Oscars, 1 shy of the record. Watch I Saw the tv Glow instead.

Without further ado, here are the 2025 Oscar nominees worth your time.

The 2025 Oscar nominees you should watch

These are, in my view, the best of the best of this year’s crop of Oscar nominees. They are in order of how much I liked them, with my favourite at the top.

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay

Director RaMell Ross’ communicative feature debut, adapted from Colson Whitehead’s novel, is simply a masterful depiction of an abusive improvement school in 1960s Florida, shot almost entirely from a first-person point of view. This 1 besides counts as a bit of a snub: As happy as I am that Nickel Boys was awarded nominations in 2 of the large categories, Ross being ignored for Best manager and DoP Jomo Fray being left out of the Best Cinematography race are absolutely shocking — it’s 1 of the very best-looking movies this year.

Where to watch: Max
Nominated for: Best Makeup and Hairstyling

One of a group of excellent movies about self-discovery and self-actualization in 2024, A Different Man follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), a struggling actor with a facial disfigurement who undergoes a extremist experimental treatment that shockingly changes his face to something more acceptable to dominant culture. Stan received a Best Actor nomination for his performance in The Apprentice, but A Different Man is the movie (and performance) of his you truly request to make time for this awards season.

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best Visual Effects

I know, I know, I’m surprised, too. But the “Robbie Williams, but he’s a chimp” movie is legitimately 1 of my very favorites of the year. I have no peculiar fondness for or connection to Williams or his music, but manager Michael Gracey (The top Showman) one more time shows he’s 1 of the best musical directors working today. In both of his projects, he’s taken stories about flawed men I don’t care much about and turned them into any of the most vibrant and breathtaking studio movies made this century. There’s no 1 doing it like him, and the gimmick truly works — the Best Visual Effects nomination is more than deserved.

Where to watch: Hulu
Nominated for: Best Supporting Actor (Kieran Culkin), Best first Screenplay

In Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore effort as a feature director, 2 judaic cousins (Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin) go on a tour of Poland together to visit the birthplace of their late grandmother. The performances are terrific — Culkin in peculiar steals the show with his complicated portrayal of a charming but troubled young man — and the movie effectively communicates the pair’s relation from childhood without always actually showing it.

The 2025 Oscar nominees worth considering

These are movies I was either mixed on, didn’t like (but another people whose taste I respect did), or haven’t seen yet (but have heard large things about). They are ordered alphabetically.

Where to watch: For digital rental or acquisition on Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best actor (Mikey Madison), Best Supporting Actor (Yura Borisov), Best first Screenplay, Best movie Editing

Sean Baker’s (Tangerine, The Florida Project) dramedy about the abrupt matrimony between a sex individual (Mikey Madison) and the boy of a Russian oligarch (Mark Eidelstein) won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, and is hoping to repeat with a large Oscar win. It didn’t full work for me, but I love that Baker is bringing back the screwball comedy, and the central performances aid carry movie.

Where to watch: In theaters
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Adrien Brody), Best Supporting Actor (Guy Pearce), Best Supporting actor (Felicity Jones), Best first Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best movie Editing, Best first Score

The first feature movie shot on VistaVision in 63 years, manager Brady Corbet’s (Vox Lux) epic tale follows an architect (Adrien Brody) who moves to the United States after surviving the Holocaust and attempts to rebuild his life. Personally, I found it ambitious but uneven, although there is simply a lot to respect about the scope of the task — especially on the comparatively modest budget and time frame the movie was made on.

Where to watch: Peacock, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actor (Ralph Fiennes), Best Supporting actor (Isabella Rossellini), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best movie Editing, Best first Score

A compelling Vatican-set political drama from returning Best image nominee Edward Berger (All Quiet on the Western Front) with an all-star cast, if “sassy Cardinals duke it out to decide the next Pope” sounds up your alley, you should absolutely watch this one.

Where to watch: Netflix, Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects

Like the first movie in the series, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two is simply a large and bold blockbuster adaptation of 1 of the most influential discipline fiction books always written. The method categories are very well earned, especially the production plan and cinematography, and while I’m not rather as advanced on them as any of my colleagues, the Dune movies are 2 of the most well-executed blockbusters to come out of Hollywood this decade.

Where to watch: For digital rental or acquisition on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best global Feature Film, Best Animated Feature Film

Here’s 1 I haven’t seen but have heard large things about: a dialogue-free animated movie from Latvia made on the open-source software Blender, following a cat and a fewer another animals attempting to last a flood. It was 1 of Polygon’s very favourite animated movies of the year.

Where to watch: For digital rental or acquisition on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Few emerging filmmakers in Hollywood over the past fewer decades have had as clear of an thought of what they want to do as Robert Eggers (The Witch). A dedicated formalist who prioritizes historical accuracy to the extreme, Nosferatu is the latest horror period part from Eggers, utilizing candle lighting to make an eerie atmosphere — the method nominations here are besides very, very deserved. Next up in Eggers’ journey through history: a 13th-century werewolf movie.

Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat

Where to watch: Kino movie Collection, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Documentary Feature Film

Here’s another 1 I haven’t seen, but hope to before the Oscars ceremony. I’ll let Noel Murray explain, from his round-up of the year’s best docs:

This essay-film takes a striking approach to the Cold War, rapidly cutting together archival tv clips and text from old books and newspapers to make a kind of cinematic collage. The resulting image covers 3 intertwining themes: the conflict for control of the United Nations between American- and Soviet-aligned leaders, the rising popularity of jazz music around the world, and the decolonization movement in Africa. Gradually a communicative emerges about how the U.S. relied on its cultural exports to aid spread democracy publicly, while privately the abroad policy wonks worked to keep resource-rich African nations under European control — and all while the socialist bloc utilized American racism as a propaganda tool. Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat manager Johan Grimonprez doesn’t make any of these points explicitly, but alternatively lets the audience stew in a swirl of images and sounds, immersing them in a politically complicated era.

Where to watch: Mubi, or for digital rental/purchase on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best actor (Demi Moore), Best first Screenplay, Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Coralie Fargeat’s (Revenge) gonzo body horror movie follows an aging actor (Demi Moore) who takes advantage of an experimental but dangerous cosmetic drug in hopes of revitalizing her career. I far preferred Fargeat’s erstwhile feature, but there’s no denying the movie has a compelling visual approach that has become instantly recognizable in pop culture, and an excellent leading performance from Moore.

Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl

Where to watch: Netflix
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature

Another in the “I haven’t watched this, but hope to” category, I’ve heard the latest installment in the Wallace & Gromit series is absolutely delightful. All hail Feathers McGraw, unstoppable penguin crime king.

Where to watch: For digital rental or acquisition on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Picture, Best actor (Cynthia Erivo), Best Supporting actor (Ariana Grande), Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best movie Editing, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, Best first Score

This is the most “you know whether or not you request to see this” movie of any of the Oscar nominees this year. In fact, I bet if you wanted to, you already have. Regardless, there is plenty to like about Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the phase musical, peculiarly the leading performances and the staging of any of the more intricate musical numbers. It didn’t full land for me, but I’m not a Wicked person. Sorry! But if you are, you should definitely watch this adaptation.

Where to watch: Peacock, or for digital rental or acquisition on Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango
Nominated for: Best Animated Feature Film, Best Sound, Best first Score

We complete our trio of “animated movies Pete has heard are large but hasn’t seen” with The chaotic Robot. The movie follows a shipwrecked robot (Lupita Nyong’o) who redefines herself and builds fresh relationships with the animals she meets on her fresh island home. I’ve heard Nyong’o’s voice acting performance in peculiar is fantastic.

The 2025 Oscar snubs worth watching

These are any of my favourite movies from the year that didn’t get a single nomination, along with the nominations I think they deserved. I’ll besides note that the biggest snub may be Nickel Boys not getting a motion in the Best manager and Best Cinematography categories, but any of these come close — neither my favourite acting performance of the year (Marianne Jean-Baptiste in Hard Truths) nor my favourite documentary of the year (Dahomey) were acknowledged in those categories. all single 1 of these is very much worth your time.

Where to watch: In theaters
Should have been nominated for: Best actor (Marianne Jean-Baptiste)

Where to watch: Mubi, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Documentary Feature Film

Where to watch: Prime Video, MGM Plus, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best movie Editing, Best Sound, Best first Score

Where to watch: Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Justice Smith), Best first Screenplay, Best Sound, Best first Score

Where to watch: For digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Cinematography

Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

Where to watch: Prime Video, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Visual Effects

Where to watch: Netflix, Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Production Design, Best Visual Effects

Where to watch: Fandor, free with a library card on Hoopla, free with ads on Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Prime Video
Should have been nominated for: Best Picture, Best movie Editing, Best Visual Effects

Where to watch: Max, or for digital rental/purchase on Apple TV, Fandango
Should have been nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director, Best first Screenplay