Standout Films of 2024

Courtesy The Hollywood Reporter

Before I get into the list of films that stood out to me personally in 2024, here are a few other highlights from the year. 

The highest-grossing films this year were dominated by Disney, which saw a big comeback after a string of financial failures in recent memory. Marvel Studios had only one release this year as a result: the hard-R Deadpool & Wolverine, which brought Ryan Reynolds’ Merc With the Mouth and Hugh Jackman’s claw-fisted X-Man to the forefront. I considered this the year’s most bonkers movie. (That is, until I saw Coralie Fargeat’s brilliantly-made but insane Cannes-winning body-horror tale The Substance.) 

There was also the animation department’s crowd-pleasing follow-up Moana 2 (originally slated as a Disney+ streaming series), Illumination’s own animated sequel Despicable Me 4 (with plenty more Minion madness and family dynamics, and then some), and Jon M. Chu’s first-half of an ambitious, two-part screen adaptation of Stephen Schwartz’s stage musical (and Gregory McGuire’s novel) Wicked. 

Kevin Costner delivered a passion project about the history of the American landscape, Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1. Released at the end of June, this was to be the first of four planned films, with a second chapter originally slated for later in August. But the first installment’s poor box-office returns put that film on the back burner for the time being. 

Another decades-in-the-making project came from Francis Ford Coppola in the form of Megalopolis, which met with a polarizing response from critics and audiences. Todd Phillips’ comic book sequel Joker: Folie à Deux ties with Coppola’s as the year’s most divisive theatrical release. 

We also got the return of Tim Burton to his macabre fantasy roots with the afterlife world of the ever-popular “ghost with the most,” in the long-awaited sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. This box-office hit (released in early September) brought Michael Keaton back to one of his most iconic roles. Ditto franchise veterans Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara, while introducing actors Jenna Ortega, Justin Thoreaux, Monica Belluchi, and Willem Dafoe into this universe. While benefiting from full-scale set pieces and practical effects like stop-motion animation—a seamless transition from the original 1988 horror-comedy—this sequel nevertheless felt stitched together and spiritually misguided. Yes, it’s a movie. But still . . . 

Another sequel that was released (which I admittedly didn’t have high expectations for) was Lee Isaac Chung’s follow-up to the 1996 weather disaster classic Twister (here titled, Twisters). While the large-scale and spectacular visual effects arguably don’t hold a candle to the groundbreaking work done on the original movie, what makes this legacy sequel work are the actors and character dynamics (led by Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, and Anthony Ramos). It’s worth a look. (Michael Sarnoski’s prequel A Quiet Place: Day One also proved to be a welcome addition to an exceptional horror franchise from recent years.) 

Then there was Ridley Scott’s better-than-expected but bloody legacy follow-up Gladiator II, which brilliantly recreated Ancient Rome and the central spectacles, with committed performances (especially Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal) and a narrative and pacing that, in many ways, elevated it above its predecessor and makes the themes and ideas of that 2000 original film as relevant, if not more so. 

Meanwhile, there were a few tentpoles and original IPs that went under the radar. One standout entry was the animé-inspired The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, produced by the filmmakers of the original LOTR trilogy, and directed by Kenji Kamiyama. It was a fresh take on the work of J.R.R. Tolkien and a thoroughly engaging story from its opening frame. Like Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, it shares similarities in terms of ancient stories, including those that are remembered and those that have been forgotten. 

John Krasinski’s IF was an original family-oriented story about a girl who has the ability to see “imaginary friends.” If not for some excessively mild language issues, I’d rate this film higher. IF is otherwise a convincing blend of live action and animation, as well as fantasy and reality, with influences from Hayao Miyazaki and 1980s adventure flicks. It’s also fun listening to A-list stars like Steve Carell, George Clooney, Sam Rockwell, and Richard Jenkins as CGI cartoons. 

Based on Richard McGuire’s graphic novel of the same name, Here reunited director Robert Zemeckis with several team members from Forrest Gump, including actors Tom Hanks and Robin Wright. The film was a daring, experimental project that kept the camera stationary throughout a narrative that spanned lifetimes and generations. To be sure, the effect feels artificial. But the concept, technical innovation, and creative, graphic-novel editing style are fascinating.  

And I have to give a shoutout to what I believe was this year’s best faith-based film: the true story Unsung Hero. Kudos to Lionsgate, Kingdom Story Company, and Christian band For King + Country for making and championing films like this, especially for audiences that don’t go to the movies that often. 

Other notable mentions include Ramell Ross’s adaptation of Colton Whitehead’s harrowing non-fiction novel Nickel Boys, Jesse Eisenberg’s quirky and raw dramedy A Real Pain, and nonagenarian actress June Squibb’s lead turn in Josh Margolin’s subversive action-comedy Thelma. (As of this writing, I have yet to see films like Payal Kapadia’s Cannes-winning Indian drama All We Imagine As Light and Gints Zilbalodis’s Oscar-winning Latvian animated feature Flow.) 

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The standout films of 2024 for me are as follows. 

10. A Different Man / Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Aaron Schimberg’s dark dramedy is a thought-provoking and challenging piece about a man with facial abnormalities who undergoes a medical experiment that removes those elements. Sebastian Stan gives one of the year’s best performances as a man who struggles with identity and self-acceptance, especially when he meets a man with the same condition (a scene-stealing and charismatic Adam Pearson). The lines between performance art and reality are very blurred here. 

George Miller expands the world of Mad Max by focusing on the backstory of Charlize Theron’s breakout character from Fury Road (played here by a fierce Anya Taylor-Joy). Chris Hemsworth has never been more sinister (or sick) than as the villainous Lord Dementus, and the worldbuilding has never been more dangerous than presented here. A different kind of Mad Max story that takes a more novelistic approach. 

9. White Bird 

Marc Forster's adaptation of R.J. Palacio's graphic novel of the same name (and spin-off of her coming-of-age novel Wonder) was long overdue in theatres, having been postponed for release for two years. We're glad they finally did release it, because it's a profound, powerful, lovely, and worthwhile story. It's a film that shines as a beacon of hope and endurance during a time of great loss and tragedy, and the kind of story that is needed today, perhaps more than ever. 

8. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

The long-running franchise about humanoid primates in a post-apocalyptic world is given a fresh continuation with a story set 300 years after the events of the last installment (2017’s War for the Planet of the Apes). Directed by VFX pro Wes Ball, Kingdom highlights generational gaps, cultural clashes, and the importance of stories passed down from one generation to the next. It’s an incredible (and visual) achievement. 

7. Juror #2 

Clint Eastwood’s severely underrated courtroom drama is a thoroughly engrossing and challenging piece about the justice system and moral ambiguity. It also features layered performances from Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette. WB made a mistake giving this a limited theatrical release. It's a compelling piece worth a look. 

6. I’m Still Here

An international release that arguably gained stateside traction since receiving accolades at the Golden Globes earlier this year, Walter Salles's true story of the Paiva family in 1970s Rio de Janiero is a profound and extraordinary achievement. Fernanda Torres gives a courageous performance as the family matriarch who searches and fights for proof of her husband's arrest and disappearance during a time of political and militaristic totalitarianism, all while leading her family with strength, endurance, and love. A heartbreaking and bittersweet drama I can recommend. 

5. A Complete Unknown  

James Mangold's immersive and transcendent biopic about folk-rock singer-musician Bob Dylan is skillfully directed and brilliantly acted. Interpreted through a playlist of select songs from Dylan's discography, the film is guided by transformative performances, including Timothee Chalamat (as the enigmatic folk-singer), Edward Norton (as Pete Seeger), Monica Barbaro (as Joan Baez), and Boyd Holbrook (as Johnny Cash), and Scoot McNairy (as Woody Guthrie). It also shares an aspect with Wicked, in terms of live singing recorded on set. Remarkable. 

4. The Fall Guy

Apart from animated films, I rarely mention comedies on my yearly lists. But no movie in 2024 made me laugh more than David Leitch’s skilled, action-packed, and rom-com-filled dedication to the stunt community. Ryan Gosling shows, once again, how much range he has when he’s funny.

3. Sing Sing

Based on the true story of the theatre program at the titular maximum security prison, and featuring a cast of real-life inmates from that program (not to mention screen veterans Colmon Domingo and Paul Raci), Greg Kwedar's raw and moving drama reminds us what it means to be human. Its narrative is, in equal measures, radiant and ethereal, bittersweet and redemptive, vulnerable and engaging. I'd rank this as the best film of 2024, if not for my top two choices. 

2. The Wild Robot

Expanding what they did on the 2022 feature films The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, DreamWorks Animation reached a new milestone with Chris Sanders' adaptation of Peter Brown's beloved children's novel of the same name. Creating a lush, painterly environment with CGI characters puts a new spin on the clash of nature and technology, as well as complacency and compassion. It isn't afraid to show the raw side of nature as well. At its heart, the film is a moving and tear-jerking story about a service robot who crash-lands on a remote island and becomes the unexpected surrogate mother of an orphaned baby gosling. Many people are already calling this the studio's best film to date. Only time will tell. (I know, because I'm working on it as a side project.) 

1. Inside Out 2 

2024 was an emotional and hard year for me. With that in mind, this second installment in Pixar's award-winning franchise about inner emotions was therapeutic, incredibly creative, funny, and heartfelt. The Wild Robot arguably had the year's best animation. But in terms of story and personal resonance, Riley's inner feelings with new additions like Anxiety) fired on all cylinders.