2024 came and went, and boy, did I watch a fair amount of movies.
Though, I definitely felt like I leaned more into show-watching in 2024 compared to years' past; and of the movies I did see, I only saw nine of these theatrically. In a year saturated by soulless big IP remakes, sequels and live action abominations (which I largely avoided), maybe I was a bit discouraged from film watching.
All in all, my watchlist only contained one movie I absolutely hated, a bunch of middling stuff, and a top four of all-time classics that I know will stick with me forever. So a win is a win!
I overall enjoyed 2024's contributions to cinema and am looking forward to rounding out my watch-list before Oscar season with stuff I haven't yet gotten around to. I undoubtedly watch far more films than I could ever discuss on here (these are just considering the 2024 releases that I watched during that calendar year*), so please go follow me on Letterboxd so you can see what else I’ve been watching.
See below for my rankings from worst to best.
*I saw It’s What’s Inside and A Real Pain in the last two-ish weeks, but this is my list so I’m counting ‘em anyway. It’s only January.
26)Joker: Folie a Deux - Not hyperbolic to say this was one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Offers no meaningful follow-up to the poignant themes from the first one, tries to do a courtroom drama and jukebox musical while being embarrassed about both at once (with awful singing from Phoenix to boot), and feels weirdly cheap since it takes place in like two locations and has zero action. Who wanted this?
25) Civil War - For months, I was morbidly excited for fiction that touched on a hypothetical American Neo-Civil War, given... *gestures broadly* but was left extremely disappointed by how it basically had nothing to say in the slightest. Not only that, it was a total snooze-fest, just repetitive scene after scene of scrambling to capture photos in shootouts rather than touching on literally anything else to showcase what the country would look like for the average person in this scenario.
24) Bob Marley: One Love - Okay, I did watch this way back in July, but I'm shocked by how I remember basically nothing at all from this one. I do appreciate a music biopic that offers a vignette into a significant yet smaller moment in an artist's life rather than being a mad-dash Wikipedia article put to screen, and Ben-Adir's performance is pretty solid, I suppose. But this movie never feels like it wants to be more than a very by-the-books drama, which is a shame given its larger-than-life main character and his cultural impact.
23) Nightbitch - I feel bad for ranking this one so low. As a childless man in his early/mid 20s, I truly think I just wasn't the target demographic for this one which is good and fine. I kinda like "genre-less" movies like this. I was expecting a horror-comedy but appreciate how the "were-dog" elements are so restrained because they're largely metaphorical rather than meant to be taken literally.
22) Deadpool & Wolverine - Felt like the movie equivalent of being a kid and eating dessert for dinner and then jumping on the bed. It sounds awesome at first but gets pretty over-indulgent and obnoxious pretty fast. Representative of how I dislike the MCU using the multiverse for corny shenanigans and empty callbacks rather than intelligent, interconnected storytelling like Phases 1-3.
21) Beetlejuice Beetlejuice - I liked this probably more than I should have (credit to Keaton's performance, and Burton's atmosphere and humor) given how overstuffed this plot was. Really don't think we needed two (three? Does Beetlejuice count?) villains.
20) Trap - If you're going to make a stupid movie, make it as confidently as M Night does. Parts of this movie feel so heightened and cheesy (the dialogue comes to mind) that it makes the incredulous parts (his escape methods, the fact that the concert is happening midday) easier to turn your brain off and just buy. Casting his own daughter as the co-lead also turned out... fine, given how her atrocious acting in the third act is balanced perfectly by how good her fictional popstar persona's music is in the first act.
19) Jackpot! - If I had a nickel for every time John Cena played a person-for-hire in a 2024 direct-to-streaming comedy movie, I'd have two nickels. Not nearly as good or memorable as the one I'll be listing above, but a perfectly cromulent movie to watch on an airplane or something.
18) Furiosa - Another one I have to rank low-ish just because I don't remember all too much. Certainly doesn't have the one-of-a-kind kinetic action and atmosphere of Fury Road, but doesn't feel so inferior. An overall unnecessary movie.
17) Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Another movie that feels largely unnecessary, and I think it's because I'm disappointed by the worldbuilding. I wish a movie that took place this far in the future from the last trilogy had a bit more differences to offer beyond literally one single monkey remembering Caesar as a messiah-like figure.
16) It's What's Inside - I appreciate this movie for existing, offering airtight acting and inventive directing from a group of relative unknowns. It's just a shame that this is one of those movies you have to see a few times to really appreciate because of the premise and how confusing following everything can be, because I don't feel inclined to revisit it with how unsatisfying the ending is.
15) Hit Man - I only saw Glen Powell in one movie this year, and somehow it was not Twisters. This was a perfectly serviceable rom-com where the leads have great chemistry and I enjoyed the somewhat more sardonic sense of humor to balance out the cheesiness, but the story was not anything that’ll change your life.
14) Inside Out 2 - Doesn't reach the emotional highs of the first movie but is an overall solid follow up. Nice to see more of Riley in the real world and the depiction of Anxiety was particularly moving.
13) The Idea of You - Basically a Wattpad fanfiction come to life, but feels surprisingly mature and earnest about non-traditional relationships and what it would be like to date a celebrity. I have no issues with this one.
12 & 11/unranked) Music by John Williams & Beatles '64 - Feels unfair to rank documentaries critically the same way I would for a narrative film, so I'll just shout out my two favorite docs from 2024 as a way to separate the bad to decent films below from the good to great films above. Both were excellent pieces of content about some of my favorite artists of all time. (Did you know John Williams wrote the Olympics theme?!)
10) The Substance - Now here the good stuff begins. What else is there to say about this movie's incredible direction, sound design and performances? A bit too heavy-handed for my taste (this is the least subtle movie you will ever see) but offers surprisingly moving themes that I think most can relate to on some level.
9) Alien: Romulus - Remember when I complained about the unambitious worldbuilding in Apes? This is exactly the type of film I want to exist to flesh out the worlds of these big-budget franchises. Just a solid vignette into one adventure in the Alien-verse, though definitely more action than horror (the ending is so hilariously over-the-top).
8) Ricky Stanicky - I feel crazy for raving about this movie when most thought it was just fine (or haven't seen it at all). Far and away Cena's best acting performance that I've seen (I haven't seen Peacemaker, okay?) and I'm always a sucker for a hilarious buddy comedy movie in the vein of those mid-2000s/2010s ones like the Hangover or We're the Millers. Bring movies like this back to theaters, damn it!
7) The Fall Guy - Another streaming comedy I had zero expectations for but absolutely loved. Gosling and Blunt are oozing chemistry throughout and this movie balances action and comedy perfectly while actually excelling at both.
6) Wicked - Rock-solid adaptation of a beloved musical that fires on all cylinders except maybe the weirdly flat lighting that doesn't do the gorgeous sets, costumes and choreography enough justice.
5) A Complete Unknown - Exactly what I said about music biopics shining when they focus on a smaller story or theme rather than recapping a person's entire life. Chalamet does a great Dylan (both the voice and mannerisms as well as Dylan's aloof and mysterious persona) and it's a great instance of a music biopic where I think the main draw is the character work in lieu of the big music montage moments (although Like A Rolling Stone to cap it off was just perfect).
4) The Wild Robot - My top three begins here with movies that truly don't have a flaw. This one brought me to absolute tears (ask my girlfriend) with its poignant depiction of found family and the brutality of nature that doesn't hold back for a "kids movie." It's also part of that Spiderverse/Puss in Boots renaissance in 3D animation, some of the best I've ever seen and really wish I could have seen this one in IMAX.
3) A Real Pain - Another one I highly anticipated, both because I'm a huge fan of Kieran Culkin and figured the exploration of Jewish-American identity would interest me because, well, I am Jewish. It not only exceeded all my expectations but was completely subversive. I love that the trip doesn't necessarily change either of them through some magical, cathartic moment but the ending isn't bleak and hopeless, either. A brutally beautiful slice of life movie.
2) Challengers - One of the best directed movies I've ever seen. Feels like a singular creative vision with heart-racing moments from front to back without feeling exhausting or melodramatic. Movies like this are a great reminder that original stories are always out there and all you need to be a bona-fide hit is rock-solid storytelling, not a major IP.
1) Dune: Part Two - I've only grown to love the first Dune more and more as time went on, and this delivers more of the same in all the right ways. It simultaneously feels both like a complete culmination of an epic story and the promising first chapter in what could be a very long and successful big-screen franchise. This is probably how people felt after seeing Star Wars in the 70s/80s. Really, really special stuff.
I’m looking forward to talking more movies on this blog! Let me know below what sort of topics you’d like to see me discuss or maybe another ranking idea (I’m thinking I might do my top 10 animated movies next). In the meantime, go follow me on Letterboxd so you can see what else I’ve been watching.
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