May 2025 Movie Reviews: Black Bag, Warfare, The Ballad of Wallis Island
In this roundup of 2025 films, it’s time to review three very different movies. If you’re looking for a spy thriller, a realistic war story, or a British comedy, you might be able to find a film that interests you amongst this trio of titles.
Black Bag (2025)
Focus Features, 94 minutes
Black Bag is a totally fine, yet mainly forgettable spy thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film follows a husband and wife who are both British Intelligence officers (AKA spies). At the start of the movie, the male half of the pair, named George, is tasked with tracking down which of five suspects (all of whom are operatives in the company) has leaked super secretive and dangerous software. As you might suspect, his wife is one of the suspects.
Black Bag has a setup that makes the movie seem like it’ll be more fun than it actually is. In fact, this is more of a talkie sort of film that’s heavy on dialogue and tries to be more serious/realistic. As a result, it doesn’t really fit together so well – we’ve got a fun setup for a fast-paced thriller, but the resulting film isn’t as much trying to be fun as it’s trying to be good.
The saving grace of the film is Michael Fassbender who plays George. Fassbender is just really cool in this movie. He’s always got a cool air about him in all of his roles, but he feels particularly suave here and he definitely nails the role of super elite spy.
Cate Blanchett plays his wife, and while she doesn’t match his performance, I also felt like the script didn’t give her quite as much to work with character-wise. This is one of those movies that could’ve been way better if a little more time went into creating it.
Still, if you’re in the mood for a short movie where you spend the runtime trying to figure out what’s going on and then have it explained to you at the end, Black Bag is the film for you. It’s an acceptable way to fill some time that’s also nothing to really write home about. I watched the film a couple days ago and have already almost forgotten about it.
Grade: 6.5/10
Warfare (2025)
A24, 95 minutes
Warfare is a true account of an experience that co-writer/co-director Ray Mendoza had as a Navy SEAL in 2006 during the Iraq War. Alex Garland, who’s film Civil War was phenomenal, is the other co-writer/co-director on the film, and though it’s not nearly on the level of a masterpiece like Civil War, Warfare is still a worthwhile film.
The movie is more of a snapshot of what a real-life battle experience is like than it is your typical wartime film. There’s not much of a story here. The reasoning behind why the platoon has taken a position inside the house where we spend the bulk of the runtime, along with any backstory for the characters, isn’t delved into. It’s clear that Mendoza and Garland were concentrating on simply showing what it was like during this one particular incident.
We focus on a group of SEALs who’ve taken position inside a house and quickly realize that enemy combatants are surrounding them and are about to attack. From there, we concentrate on what happens to the men as they battle from within the home.
Warfare is a well-crafted film that feels extremely realistic. It’s brutal and an edge-of-your-seat sort of film, though it’s definitely not a fun movie in any way – it’s a gripping, harsh look at what it was like for this platoon. I don’t know if I found Warfare particularly enjoyable, but that doesn’t prevent it from still being a quality film overall.
Grade: 7/10
The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)
Focus Features, 100 minutes
If you’re in the mood for a well-made and original comedy drama look no further than The Ballad of Wallis Island. It’s not a great title for a movie that’s actually above average.
The film centers around a rich yet awkward man, the titular Wallis, who hires the two members of a now dissolved folk band to preform for him at his island home. The two former bandmates are also an ex-couple, further complicating matters.
The film’s humor is decidedly British, so if you’re not a fan of that sort of sarcasm, tongue-in-cheek, puns-centered brand of comedy, this is not a movie you’ll enjoy. I’ve also seen the movie described as a romance, but I would say that categorization would be misclassifying the movie, which I’d describe as solely an offbeat British comedy with some drama mixed in.
The Ballad of Wallis Island was written by Tim Key and Tom Basden, who also star in the movie’s lead roles. Both deliver good performances, particularly Basden as one half of the former folk duo who’s become a more of a music sell-out in recent years.
Overall, as a fan of British comedies, I enjoyed The Ballad of Wallis Island. It’s not anything revolutionary in terms of its story or message, yet it’s still a pleasant way to spend just over an hour and a half.
Grade: 7.5/10