Some of the best sports movies of 2024/2025 are streaming right now or are likely to be available to stream soon. From MMA and karate to basketball, football, and F1, these movies may cover different sports, but they all offer insights into the athletes who compete in them and their challenges and triumphs.Â
The Smashing Machine
This movie is a biographical sports movie that takes you into the world of MMA legend Mark Kerr. The gritty story is directed by Benny Safdie and explores how brutal the early world of mixed martial arts can be. Dwayne Johnson leaves behind his typical action hero-type role for his portrayal of Mark Kerr. He not only shows the physicality of the sport in its early days but also the psychological strain that comes with pioneering. His performance gives a raw and emotional insight into fame, identity, and addiction.Â
Watching movies like this can give viewers such insight into MMA that they want to learn more and even bet on it. Online sports betting on MMA is popular in many U.S. states.
Rez Ball
This Native American high school basketball drama was co-written by Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo and director Sydney Freeland. The producer is LeBron James. It follows a predictable ‘underdog’ sports story formula, but the cultural setting is authentic, and the story is heartfelt. The very real struggles of addiction and suicide add depth to the narrative.
The cast delivers strong performances from some new Native American actors who are actual basketball players. Kauchani Bratt, as the lead character, Jimmy Holiday, gives a great performance. Themes such as resilience and unity are seen through the eyes of the Navajo Nation. The movie has a sincere tone, and the performances and cultural authenticity make it worth watching.
Karate Kid: Legends
This new movie in the Karate Kid franchise has you rooting for the underdog once again. Li Fong (Ben Wang), a Kung Fu prodigy, and his mother go to New York, where he starts attending a new school. He begins a friendship with a classmate and her father, but soon attracts some unwanted attention from a local karate champion. This sets him on a journey to enter the ultimate karate competition.
Le Fong has the help of Mr. Han (Jackie Chan) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio). These legacy icons have some great chemistry in the movie. The story arc may be predictable, but the training sequences and mentor team-ups are familiar and satisfying. It’s a fun reboot that honors the past while offering seeds of something new.
Him
Him, produced by Jordan Peele, deviates from the feel-good formula that defines many sports movies. It’s a mixture of sports, thriller, and horror. Cameron Cade (Tyriq Withers) is a generational college quarterback. He is being touted as the heir apparent to Isaiah White (Marlon Wayans).
A young athlete’s journey takes a dark turn after he begins training at Isaiah’s secluded desert compound, a place where the boundaries between ambition and obsession blur, and every choice carries a cost. This movie is audacious, and the premise could be intriguing. However, many viewers felt that it failed in execution, especially in the second half.
F1: The Movie
Brad Pitt plays Sonny Hayes, an aging F1 driver who comes out of retirement. It is directed by Joseph Kosinski and the team responsible for Top Gun: Maverick. An F1 movie review refers to this movie as cheesy and melodramatic, but gives it credit for the authenticity of the F1 sequences. Seeing real-world F1 footage of racing sequences is thrilling, and viewers feel every pit stop and corner. Lewis Hamilton was a mentor on the set during the movie.
The storytelling in the movie is less inspiring. Hayes was the golden boy of F1 but had a near-fatal crash 30 years before. He returns to mentor a rookie hothead and rising star (Damson Idris). The story travels around the world, capturing every Grand Prix of the season. Sonny predictably proves to be a tactical and inspiring mentor to Joshua Pearce and helps him succeed.