20 Most Disappointing Movies of 2025

Alpha is the third film from French director Julia Ducournau, following her acclaimed horror debut Raw and Palme d'Or-winning second film Titane, and takes place in a world where an AIDS-like disease slowly turns the bodies of those infected to marble.

Considering the aforementioned plaudits, it was just assumed that Alpha was guaranteed to be another winning fusion of mind-bending body horror, rich thematics, and sharp character work from the filmmaker.

But sadly this one's a bit of a mess, for though the central performances are solid - especially Tahar Rahim - and it boasts some memorable visuals, the overall execution is ultimately quite lacking.

As an AIDS allegory it's all very obvious and unremarkable, and the pacing throughout is positively sluggish, ensuring its 128-minute runtime feels at least 20 or 30 minutes too much.

Alpha has been basically sent out to die since its underwhelming premieres at Cannes, skipping most major festivals and getting a low-key international release, while U.S. distributor Neon plans to quietly dump it this coming March.

Given Ducournau's enormous talent, though, there's a good chance she rebounds with whatever her next project is.