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Plugged In Movie Awards: Best Movies for Teens (2025)

Today, we continue to unveil our nominations for the 2025 Plugged In Movie Awards, this time with Best Movies for Teens.

As we look at the teen category, we try to pick films that are still relatively family-friendly—in fact, all our nominees this year are rated PG—but perhaps just a little too gritty for younger kiddos. The themes tend to be heavier, the language perhaps a bit coarser, the plot more mature. And there’s usually some sort of fight or battle that just may be too intense for a 3-year-old.

We also try to identify movies that you and your teenager will enjoy, movies with inspirational messages and entertaining plotlines. But please don’t take our nomination as a blanket endorsement. We still encourage you to read our reviews in full to determine what’s right for you and your family.

We’ll be selecting a winner out of these nominees on The Plugged In Show Feb. 27. But we want to hear what you think, too. Vote for your own pick on Facebook, Instagram and this very blog. You can even write in a vote if you wish we’d included another film.

Voting concludes on Feb. 25, and we’ll announce your winners (and recap our own) right here on Plugged In’s blog Feb. 28.

And now, the nominations … (Summaries are written by Paul Asay, Bob Hoose, Emily Tsiao and Kennedy Unthank.)

Flow (PG)

Most cats believe the world revolves around them. But the cat in Flow has more evidence than most. Everywhere the cat walks, he finds statues of … cats. Cats sitting. Cats standing. Cats playing. There’s even a giant feline that seems to look over the surrounding environs with a godlike aura of control. But then a flood hits: One by one, the carvings sink beneath the waters. Our protagonist finds a safe place atop a giant statue for a time, but even that soon begins to vanish. Then, just in time, the cat sees a boat float by. He braves the water, climbs aboard and finds … another creature. As the boat welcomes more and more passengers, the cat discovers—first to his annoyance, then to his joy—that the world doesn’t revolve around him after all. Flow is one of the year’s most beautiful, and most ambitious, movies. It features plenty of animals that act, mostly, like animals. It doesn’t contain a single spoken word. Yet its bestial stars communicate powerfully and poignantly. And the film delves deeply into themes revolving around community, kindness and sacrifice. While appropriate for kids, we put this film in the teen category because it’s older audiences who will likely appreciate the film’s deeper messages. This movie makes you think, laugh and maybe even cry—all without saying a word.

The Long Game (PG)

It all starts when a golf ball crashes through J.B. Peña’s car window. When J.B. learns that the shot was made intentionally, well, he knows he should be mad. But as an avid golfer himself, he can’t help but be impressed. That’s why he offers the Hispanic boy who made the shot, along with four of his friends, spots on the newly formed San Felipe High School golf team. But golf balls in sand traps aren’t all they’ll need to worry about: It’s the 1950s, and not everyone in Texas is willing to compete against a team of Hispanic students. But if they play their best, they may just spark conversations that will lead to positive change. In a genre often overstuffed with inspiring true stories, The Long Game manages to stay compelling. And while four uses of the s-word and a mix of other profanities make for less-than-ideal golfing conditions, The Long Game still comes out above average … or should I say under par?

Transformers One (PG)

Anyone who knows Transformers lore will recognize the names Optimus Prime and Megatron. They’re incredibly powerful living robots from the planet Cybertron who have been locked in a constant struggle of robotic right and wrong. But about a billion years before these bots landed on Earth, they were nothing more than lowly robo-workers—and the best of friends. Oh, but there were hidden things of power waiting to be discovered … things that would change a pair of best buds and transform Cybertron completely. Unlike many of the live-action Transformers movies, this animated origin story is packed with personality and a solid plot. (Along with big bots and ‘splosions, of course.) Other than a touch of coarse language, there’s not too much here that will keep young humans from enjoying their time on the planet of Cybertron. Transformers One is a fun, fast-paced and lightly funny action film that families and, yes, even Transformer fanboys, can enjoy.

Ultraman: Rising (PG)

The year 2024 wasn’t a very good one for family-friendly Marvel movies. But maybe that’s because Disney execs knew they couldn’t compete with Ultraman: Rising. You see, Ultraman is the superhero name for Kenji “Ken” Sato, a Japanese baseball player by day and a giant who fights kaiju (oversized destructive animals) by night. That is, of course, until he realizes that one such kaiju is a mother, and she’s left her egg behind. When that egg hatches, the baby monster imprints on Ken. Now, Ken will have to learn not only how to fight the kaiju but how to raise one of them. Ultraman: Rising showcases the beauty—and difficulty—of parenting, and it comes with many positive messages about how raising a child can change a father and mother for the better. Because it’s a superhero film, some animated violence does take center stage, and there are roughly 20 misuses of God’s name, leaving a kaiju-sized claw mark against it. But for those who can endure those punches, Ultraman: Rising tells a sweet story that’ll resonate with teens and parents alike.

Young Woman and the Sea (PG)

Trudy Ederle knew even before her feet first hit the water that she wanted to swim. Unfortunately, taking that first dive wasn’t easy. Trudy had survived having the measles as a child, permanently damaging her hearing. Swimming—or really any prolonged exposure to water—could further irritate her ears and cause her to go completely deaf. In addition, girls in 1914 weren’t traditionally taught to swim. But Trudy did learn to swim, and as it turned out, she was fast—faster even than some men. She was invited to compete in the 1924 Paris Olympics on the first-ever female swim team for the United States. And when it was done, she took on an even greater challenge: She decided to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. Young Woman and the Sea delivers an inspiring tale of courage and perseverance. A couple of profanities are used. Folks perhaps drink too frequently. And a man’s bare rear briefly makes an appearance (though he’s also promptly arrested for public indecency). But what really sets this film apart is the sense of camaraderie you get just by watching it. You laugh, you cry (happy tears), and you find yourself rooting for Trudy alongside her family and the people listening to her oceanic trek on the radio worldwide.

Emily Tsiao

Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.

15 Responses

  1. Transformers One easily has my vote. It was probably my favorite movie of 2024. Great visuals, great performances, great story, and a few allegorical elements that various members of my family picked up on (i.e. the scene where Orion Pax becomes Optimus Prime reminded me of putting the old self to death and the rising of the new man in baptism).

    1. Beautiful movie, aesthetically and morally. Easily one of my favorite films of the year. The plot reminded me of a sort of civil-rights allegory, with a veritable Martin Luther King, Jr. versus a Malcolm X as they argue for how to achieve better labor standards for the other robots. I’m hoping “Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” makes the “Best Movies for Adults” list, because while I wouldn’t put it on the same level as Dune Part Two (my Best Picture for the year ahead of Inside Out 2), it exceeded my expectations much more than anything else I recalled seeing last year.

    1. So Sonic the hedgehog is probably getting snubbed, 🙁 ? This was a pretty small selection for teens this year. I haven’t seen Flow but the other ones did not attract my attention at all

    2. That’s probably making the “Best Movies for Adults” list since one of the Plugged In writers repeatedly hinted at this in the comments on the “Best Movies for Kids” post.

  2. I didn’t see a single one of these and don’t really want to. Frankly my pick would be Beetlejuice Beetlejuice with Godzilla x Kong The New Empire and Kingdom of the planet of the apes coming in second and third place.

  3. I’d place Terrifier 3 at the top of this list personally. Most engaging story with an absolutely powerhouse silent-performance from David Howard Thornton. It’s spiritual themes of good triumphing over evil felt refreshingly spiritually affirmative for a horror film, and the incredibly creative special effects do a good job of highlighting the importance of teamwork and collaboration, working within budgetary constraints, and the working potential for pursuing passions related to arts and crafts. It’s also a Christmas movie! What’s not to love about that? Terrifier 3 will be a regular Christmas watch in my household.

  4. Gosh I feel bad, neither of my teens expressed any interest in these films. If I HAD to bet on one, I’d go with Transformers One. I liked the idea of The Long Game but I feel like we just copy and pasted Mighty Ducks, Little Giants, and (dare I say) Cool Runnings into a golf movie. Nice job, but kinda thin in production.

    1. I’m not surprised your teenagers had no interest in any of these films. This list has nothing on here that would realistically appeal to anyone over the age of 15. If PluggedIn is basing their choices on what is universally friendly for ages 13-19, that’s a massive gap in maturity that will alienate everyone on that list except for the 13 year olds.

      1. Teens were probably more interested in stuff like Deadpool and Wolverine, Godzilla x Kong, Ghostbusters, Mean Girls, Joker 2, Venom 3, most of the years horror movies, etc etc. But I don’t think Pluggedin is necessarily thinking of what would most appeal to teens, but what were the best movies that they think are “appropriate” or “good for” teens. The sad truth is that many of the movies teens are most interested in are the movies the writers of this website, and the teens parents, don’t actually think they should see.

  5. Transformers One has my vote! It’s in my top three favorite films of the year!

    (Also, did Sonic get snubbed again this year? That sucks.)

    1. Me too! Twisters was great! I was emotionally invested in the leads and on the edge of my seat the whole time.

  6. I vote for Young Woman and the Sea, though I believe the actual best was not nominated: White Bird.

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