The best new films in May 2025

THUNDERBOLTS*

Fri 2 May

Marvel’s misfit squad is here to run, jump and punch in the name of slightly questionable morality. Thunderbolts throws together some of the MCU’s more controversial characters and asks: what if the Avengers had even worse HR? Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan and co. try to save the world while barely tolerating each other- relatable. With sky-high stunts (one literally off the world’s second-tallest building), it’s Marvel’s answer to The Suicide Squad, but with slightly fewer jokes and more contracts.

FINAL DESTINATION: BLOODLINES

Fri 16 May

Death, that sneaky goth, is back- and she’s brought the whole family tree. In the sixth installment of the creatively murderous franchise, the original curse is traced back through generations. It’s safe to say that all bad luck is hereditary. Expect new heights of “oh God, I’ll never go near a [insert innocuous object] again” terror. Death still can’t be beaten, but you’ll definitely be guessing how she’ll win. Elevator buttons? Eye cream? Solar panels? The possibilities are… lethal.

GOOD ONE

Fri 16 May

A sharp, slow-burn indie about a stand-up comic and her intern on a cabin weekend where the punchlines get progressively less funny and the silences get louder. If you like your cringe comedy dipped in existential dread and served with a side of emotional truth, Good One is your ticket. No one dies, but a few egos do. It’s part The Trip, part My Dinner with Andre, part “how do you politely ghost your mentor?”

HURRY UP TOMORROW

Fri 16 May

From the minds of Trey Edwards Shults and The Weekend (now credited as Abel Tesfaye), this is either a musical, a fever dream, or a prophetic warning about the music’s soul-eating machinery. With Jenna Ortega, along for the ride, expect anxiety- inducing visuals, woozy synths and a plot that might only fully make sense on your third viewing- or during a lucid dream. Think Black Swan meets Boogie Nights, but with better eyeliner.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE- THE FINAL RECKONING (PART 1)

Weds 21 May

Tom Cruise’s knees may be crumbling, but his commitment to sprinting like the world’s most determined commuter remains unshaken. Ethan Hunt returns for The Final Reckoning, a two-part finale where the stakes are so high they legally can’t go any higher. Expect motorcycle base-jumps, impossible masks, and a plot that will take at least three YouTube explainers to understand. If this is really the end, Cruise is going out the only way he knows how: defying physics, ageing and common sense.

LILO AND STITCH

Fri 23 May

Disney continues its campaign to turn all your childhood favourites into real-life Instagram filters with this live-action remake of Lilo and Stitch. The age-old tale of a lonely girl and her chaotic alien bestie gets a glossy reboot. Nothing says “ohana” like photorealistic CGI fur. Expect surfing, Elvis and emotional depth beneath a billion pixels. Whether it will melt hearts or fry circuits remains unseen, but if anyone can hug the weird out of us, it’s Stitch.

KARATE KID: LEGENDS

Fri 30 May

Wax on, legacy off. Legends returns to the dojo with a new generation of underdogs kicking, blocking and soul-searching their way to martial arts greatness. Mr. Miyagi’s teachings echo across decade s- somewhere between effective self-defence advice and child labour. Will this reboot/sequel/reunion/relaunch strike a balance, or is it another kick in the nostalgic glands? One thing’s certain: there will be montages. Possibly involving sandbags, blindfolds, or at least one impossibly wise bonsai tree.

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