By George & Josh Bate
July 2 marks the halfway point of 2026, meaning it is the perfect time to look back at the year’s first six months and identify the very best cinema has had to offer so far.
Here are the 10 Best Movies of 2026 So Far, as chosen by the editors of The HoloFiles. The selections are presented in alphabetical order.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
Darker, more violent, and more disturbing, yet somehow much funnier, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple follows the superb 28 Years Later with another heart-pounding trip to a United Kingdom plagued by the Rage virus. Nia DaCosta steps into the director’s chair with confidence, seamlessly emulating Danny Boyle’s signature, gritty filmmaking style while adding her own flavor of directing to the mix.
Like many of the best zombie movies and shows, her film, written by returning screenwriter Alex Garland, relegates the undead to the background by positioning human characters as the real antagonists to fear. The antagonists in question – the Jimmys – bring a level of brutality and cruelty few films dare to touch, rendering The Bone Temple the most disturbing and frightening installment of the franchise. Leading the psychopathic pack of killers is Jack O’Connell, whose transformative, menacing, and deeply unsettling performance is destined to turn Sir Lord Jimmy Crystal into a horror movie icon.
Ralph Fiennes, meanwhile, serves as the warm and gentle antithetical fold to O’Connell’s character, with Dr. Kelson playing a more substantial role in this outing. The narrative surrounding Fiennes’ character fascinatingly expands our understanding of the infected and takes the franchise in an unpredictable direction.
This all culminates in a showstopper of a finale that, while lacking the emotional heft of the preceding film’s final act, makes for a rousing spectacle that deftly blends horror and humor. If that wasn’t enough, The Bone Temple caps off with a tantalizing tease for Part 3 that will make the wait for its release agonizing. Seven months ago, Danny Boyle and Alex Garland revived a dormant horror franchise with one of the year’s best films. Now, Nia DaCosta joins the fold and creates one of the best horror sequels of the century.
Read our full review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple here.
The Furious
The Furious taps into the sensibilities of classic Hong Kong martial arts movies of old while delivering 113 minutes of some of the most inventive, elaborate, brutal, and simply stunning action choreography ever put to screen. While awkward dialogue and overdubbing distract at times, Kenji Tanigaki’s film overwhelmingly succeeds with a relentless stream of fight sequences that let the sophisticated choreography speak for itself.
Tanigaki strikes a careful tonal balance with the action, ensuring that it retains its playfulness and style while remaining brutal and, for the most part, grounded. The action gives way to numerous crowd-pleasing moments that evoke the applause that arrives while watching superhero epics like Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Furious is not only one of the best action movies in recent years – it’s one of the best action movies of the century.
Read our full review of The Furious here.
I Love Boosters
I Love Boosters is an absorbing, endlessly creative, and fiercely original cinematic event. Boots Riley follows up Sorry to Bother With You with a film unafraid to go bizarre with all manner of crazy ideas and visuals, while remarkably never becoming too heightened as to lose audience investment in its characters or story. An increasingly bizarre story that integrates teleportation, stop-motion animation, a demon, and all kinds of other wild concepts renders Riley’s sophomore effort a film unlike any you’ve seen before, albeit one that becomes a tad unwieldy at times.
Keke Palmer leads an impressive ensemble that features LaKeith Stanfield in a standout role as a character worthy of his own spin-off. Palmer’s protagonist may undergo an underdeveloped character arc, but the film overcomes this shortcoming by converging on a conclusion that serves as a rousing call to action. In doing so, Riley crafts something bigger and more important than your average movie. Not only does he deftly elevate an Adult Swim-coded Robin Hood story to incredibly (and commendably) unusual heights, Riley manages to couple unabashed entertainment value with a poignant message we all need to take to heart.
Read our full review of I Love Boosters here.
I Swear
I Swear offers an eye-opening and powerful viewing experience that informs about the nuances of Tourette’s and stirs emotions in a manner few films ever do. The film from writer/director Kirk Jones masterfully navigates the tone of a difficult story, expertly managing to depict the challenges of Tourette’s without sugarcoating while being full of heart and humor in a way that does not undercut the seriousness of the subject matter.
Richard Aramayo superbly embodies the role of a man plagued by a condition that forces him to say the most inappropriate things at the most inappropriate times. Imbuing the film with incredible warmth and empathy, the BAFTA Award winning actor excels in avoiding the kind of over-indulgence or showiness that characterize other actors’ portrayals of physical and neurological conditions. For as emotionally moving as the film is, it also succeeds in educating the audience about Tourette’s in a manner that never feels heavy-handed or preachy.
In turn, I Swear is as touching as it is informative, a film that offers everything you could ever want from a movie and, by the time the credits roll, leaving you a more empathic and informed person.
Read our full review of I Swear here.
Is God Is
While Is God Is follows a relatively simple revenge narrative, its striking visual style and inventive filmmaking elevate it into something far more distinctive. The film employs several unconventional techniques, including having the twin sisters communicate telepathically through text displayed on the screen. This stylistic choice injects energy into their conversations while simultaneously emphasizing the intimate connection they share. The flashback sequences are equally memorable, presented in a desaturated, near black-and-white color palette that clearly separates them from the present-day storyline. Beyond serving as a visual marker of the past, this aesthetic draws attention to unsettling details of the father’s appearance—most notably his unnaturally bright white teeth—which heighten his menacing presence and reinforce the film’s gritty tone.
By the time the final moments of Is God Is come, it’s clear that Harris’ movie is about so much more than just revenge. Beneath the violence that the sisters inflict upon those who stand in their way and the stylized presentation is a story about pain, identity, and the complicated ways trauma can bind people together. This makes Is God Is a haunting, visually striking film that lingers long after the credits roll.
Read our full review of Is God Is here.
Power Ballad
Once and Sing Street director John Carney creates another beautiful, heartwarming, and hilarious musical drama with Power Ballad, an original movie that champions advocating for yourself even when others don’t believe you and don’t believe in you. Paul Rudd delivers his best ever performance by coupling his trademark comedic line delivery and facial expressions with a more nuanced dramatic turn. Nick Jonas, meanwhile, admirably takes on the role of an antagonist and excels with the material provided to him, although the film squanders opportunities to understand his admittedly fascinating character in greater depth.
The music from Carney and Gary Clark serves as a character unto itself, such is the prominent role it plays in the film, and is backed by a story that justifies the repetitive inclusion of Rick’s stole song by ultimately having us see it with completely different eyes come the end of the film. Consistent with Carney’s previous work, Power Ballad makes for delightful viewing and tugs on the heartstrings in a number of ways, namely through Rick’s bromance with Sandy (played by a standout Peter McDonald) and the endearing love he shows toward his daughter and wife. A rare misstep, however, sees the film fail to pay off its a central story in a satisying manner and wrap up with a few unanswered questions and without the warm, fuzzy feeling that characterized the proceeding film. Regardless though, Power Ballad is destined to delight audiences with its heart and humor, both of which the ever-reliable Carney delivers in spades in one of 2026’s best films to date.
Read our full review of Power Ballad here.
Pressure
Pressure champions an unsung hero of World War II in a film with the intensity of a nail-biting thriller, emotion of a rousing character drama, and relevance of a breaking news story. Anthony Maras’ film captures a palpable sense of urgency as a tight edit, sharp script, and exhilarating score from Volker Bertelmann imbue every scene with an almost unbearable intensity. The myriad of character dynamics that spawn from this intensity fascinate and interestingly evolve, while the film explores the importance of maintaining rationality when faced with extraordinary pressure and courage to stand by your convictions, themes that are just as relevant now as they were in 1944.
Brendan Fraser impresses with an unexpectedly vulnerable and complex portrayal of Dwight D. Eisenhower, while Andrew Scott delivers his best performance to date and awards-worthy turn as the initially dislikable, yet ultimately empathic and deeply human James Stagg. The final act sees the emotions hit hard and fast, a testament to how Maras and co-screenwriter David Haig are able to tug at the heartstrings despite telling a story most moviegoers will already know the ultimate conclusion of heading in. An epilogue that beautifully wraps up Stagg’s arc will challenge even the most steadfast of moviegoers to not tear up and concludes a film that is the best World War II movie since Dunkirk and one of 2026’s best movies.
Read our full review of Pressure here.
Project Hail Mary
Photo credit: Jonathan Olley © 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Project Hail Mary is an extraordinary cinematic achievement – the kind of movie that makes you grateful you’re alive at a point in history in which movies are made. Bolstering exquisite cinematography from Greig Fraser, a moving score by Daniel Pemberton, and assured directing from Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the new Amazon MGM Studios release is a visual, auditory, and technical marvel. The film deftly strikes a light-hearted tone that never undercuts the high-stakes of the story, much like The Martian (also based on an Andy Weir novel).
Leading man Ryan Gosling operates seamlessly within this tone and particularly excels in scenes that couple levity with dramatic weight. After making its way through a somewhat disjointed and exposition-heavy first act, Project Hail Mary embraces its single greatest element – its undeniable heart. The friendship between Gosling’s Ryland Grace and the alien Rocky proves exceedingly heartwarming and had us tearing up on numerous occasions. While flashbacks that detail the origins of Grace’s mission add little to the film, they do not derail what is otherwise a beautiful, heartwarming, and expertly crafted modern sci-fi epic destined to be one of 2026’s greatest movies come the end of the year.
Read our full review of Project Hail Mary here.
The Sheep Detectives
The Sheep Detectives blends classic Agatha Christie whodunnits with Babe, embodying the intrigue of the former and the heart of the latter. The film from Minions director Kyle Balda and Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin quickly earns audience investment and interest with a prologue that engenders genuine care for the victim, played by a Hugh Jackman that exudes calm and warmth. The ensuing murder mystery embraces all the conventions of detective novels, from a cozy setting to discovery of clues to a colorful collective of personalities that comprise the suspects, and has a level of sophistication one might not expect from a family movie called The Sheep Detectives.
Also unexpected is the film’s poignant observations on the human condition, which come from positioning naive and endearing sheep as the protagonists. In addition to serving as a beautiful meditation on grief and memory, the film delights with a varied sense of humor that spans physical gags all the way to existential jokes about the sheep’s unusual ideas of God. Backed by a sizable group of human and sheep characters, the movie excels in fleshing out each and every player, especially Julia Louise-Dreyfus’ Lily. Eventually, the story converges on a conclusion that perfectly wraps up its central mystery and emotional throughlines. A genuinely heartwarming finale is destined to bring tears to your eyes and caps off a film that is one of the best of the year to date.
Read our full review of The Sheep Detectives here.
Toy Story 5
Toy Story 5 finds the beloved Pixar franchise overcome the lackluster Toy Story 4 and Lightyear with an installment that perfectly and beautifully captures the spirit of the original three movies, in particular Toy Story 3. Director and co-writer Andrew Stanton’s film is sweet, clever, funny, heartwarming, and delivers everything you could possibly want from a Toy Story movie. The clever ‘toys vs. tech’ premise affords tons of opportunities for great jokes in what amounts to arguably the funniest Toy Story movie in the original. The premise also lays the foundation for an emotionally stirring exploration of abandonment, growing up, and finding meaning in the time we spend with others.
Firmly and unreservedly Jessie’s movie and anchored by a phenomenal voice performance from Joan Cusack, the film’s narrative becomes a bit wayward with the inclusion of a less interesting subplot involving an army of high-tech Buzz Lightyear units but thankfully finds its footing again in a touching conclusion that left us in a puddle of tears. Toy Story 5 tells a simultaneously timely and timeless story in exceedingly funny and heartfelt fashion, culminating in one of the best movies of the year so far.
Read our full review of Toy Story 5 here.