20 Most Disappointing Movies of 2025

A House of Dynamite is another offering from a revered filmmaker which many just assumed would be a serious player in this year's awards circuit, but Kathryn Bigelow's adrenalised new thriller fell off a cliff within days of bowing on Netflix.

Though Bigelow's film has been lauded for its taut first act and the solid performances from its ensemble cast, its issues primarily lie in its repetitive structure and an ending that's unsatisfying by design.

Bigelow opts to show the mad scramble to intercept a ballistic missile fired at Chicago from three different U.S. perspectives, yet the excessive overlap between these perspectives ultimately feels redundant at the expense of the overall suspense.

Then there's the fact that Bigelow's finale - or rather, non-finale - crucially refuses to show the outcome of the central scenario, ensuring the film concludes on an intentionally ambiguous note that left many deeply unsatisfied.

Again, the technical and acting craft can't be argued with, but as an urgent slice of gut-wrenching storytelling, it makes a few fundamental scripting missteps which undermine its own good work elsewhere.