Film classics: Batman Begins, Heat & more - 5 classics celebrating an anniversary in 2025

It is always fun looking ahead when it comes to films; asking what’s coming out this year, or what directors are returning to our screens after a long absence.

On the other hand, it can certainly be just as fun to look back in time to celebrate previous years’ classics that maybe we had forgotten about.

So, with 2025 and 2026 looking to be huge years for the industry, Film News Blitz’s Joe Matthews takes a look back at five films celebrating big anniversaries this year.

10 years - Sicario (2015)

First, we cast our minds back just 10 years to Denis Villeneuve’s gritty action thriller Sicario; a brutal reflection on the war on drugs in the US and Mexico.

It follows Emily Blunt’s Kate Macer as she is dragged into the fight against the cartel on the US border by Josh Brolin’s Matt Graver and Benicio del Toro's Alejandro Gillick. 

Macer is uncertain of what her involvement entails, and the ending revelation is sure to shock you if you haven’t undertaken a recent rewatch, or somehow still have not seen this young classic.

Anyone who has seen it will tell you that a border crossing has never been so fear-inducing and action-packed, even in the midst of never-ending traffic.

20 years - Batman Begins (2005)

The first in the blockbuster Christopher Nolan trilogy starring Christian Bale set a high bar for vigilante movies, and this depiction of the titular Batman introduced some of the most famous performances of a generation to our screens.

The story of how a reclusive businessman became a masked vigilante is too ridiculous to make feel realistic but somehow Nolan managed it, and with The Batman being released in 2022, it reminds us to go back a few decades and rewatch this set of classics.

25 years - Gladiator (2000)

Another film that reset the standards of modern filmmaking is this Ridley Scott masterpiece set in 180 AD Rome that follows the story of Maximus, a former Roman general seeking revenge for the betrayal set upon him.

With countless gut-wrenching and iconic lines threaded throughout, such as “What we do in life echoes in eternity”, and of course, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED”, Gladiator racked up a stupendous five Academy Awards, along with four BAFTAs and a BAFTA audience award to go with it.

If the lines, cinematography and performances weren’t memorable enough, the Gladiator soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is one of the best-selling movie soundtracks of all time.

Have you seen the 2024 sequel?

30 years - Heat (1995)

It is Al Pacino versus Robert de Niro at their very best, and for 170 minutes you will find yourself utterly glued to the screen courtesy of Director Michael Mann.

Heat’s portrayal of cops chasing after high-flying criminals is so visceral you shouldn’t need to be told that many of the gunfights were shot in real-time and that many of the cast, such as Val Kilmer, paid special attention to strive towards being firearms experts.

A scene where Kilmer’s character, Chrish Shiherlis, runs out of rounds and quickly changes magazines is performed to such a high level that it was used by the US Marines to demonstrate a correct magazine change.

If that isn't impressive I don't know what is.

50 years - One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

This Miloš Forman adaptation of the Ken Kesey classic novel is often revered as one of the greatest films of all time.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest follows the story of Jack Nicholson’s McMurphy, a criminal who faked insanity to avoid prison, as he leads the fight against the terrifying Nurse Ratched, who rules the ward with an iron fist.

It swept up at the Academy Awards in 1976, claiming five Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay, cementing itself in the film history books.

50 years on, its timeless filming techniques and performances are still recognised as some of the greatest of an age to little rebuttal. 

So, there you have it - whilst 2025 has already offered up some entertaining watches, sometimes all you need to do is rewind to remember the classics of the industry.

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