It’s that time again. Another year drawn to a close, another Top 20 list looking back at the greatest films said year had to offer. Unlike most ranked film lists, however, these do not represent the picks of our writers, but the aggregate rankings of ALL Flickchart users during 2024.
As more of our users see and rank more films, the list shifts and evolves. And, as such, this document is best thought of as a snapshot of a moment in time. Get out there and get ranking, and you can influence how it looks in the future.
But, for the moment, here are the Best Films of 2024, as the list stands RIGHT NOW.
- Directed by Lee Isaac Chung
- Global Rank: #7,839
Hollywood gave us plenty of reasons to flock back to the theaters this year. If, like me, you’re a nostalgia-loving elder millennial, Twisters was one of those reasons. If you’re not, Twisters still should have been one of those reasons. The tornadoes were back, and they were bigger and badder than ever! Director Lee Isaac Chung paid homage to the original 1996 film without relying on it entirely to keep viewers invested. The story got the updates it needed to fit into the world 28 years after its predecessor, but we still had a quirky band of misfits, two rival gangs of storm chasers, flying farm animals, the destruction of a movie theater, and two charismatic leads (Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell) that you couldn’t help but hope would see past their differences and wrangle that final tornado together. Did I mention there were tornadoes? Lots of them! And one was on fire! – Lindsey Stinson
- Directed by Rose Glass
- Global Rank: #7,608
Rose Glass announced herself with the taut and efficient horror film Saint Maud in 2021, but Love Lies Bleeding confirms her staying power and the adaptability of her vision to a larger cast and more famous collection of stars. This sapphic noir set in the American southwest during the bodybuilding boom of the late 1980s makes excellent use of familiar faces like Kristen Stewart, Dave Franco, Jena Malone and a particularly reptilian Ed Harris. But it also introduces a face that will likely be familiar to us in the future: Katy O’Brian, who blows into town and sets in motion a series of twisty events that will be fatal to some of those listed above.
The score of period-appropriate electronic music would make this movie memorable enough. Glass, though, also has a form of magical realism in store that links this to her previous film, giving us a grand finale we won’t soon forget. The writer-director intermingles genre elements, smart plotting, and an overall playful tone to give us a truly enduring artifact from the cinema of 2024, and one that speaks to the gay and lesbian audience as an added bonus. – Derek Armstrong
- Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
- Global Rank: #7,478
I don’t know where the fascination comes from, but I love vampire movies and need at least one good one per year. Robert Eggers may have delivered us a wonderful Christmas gift with his Nosferatu remake, but I got my fix back in April with Abigail. Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett return to the cast-of-quirky-characters-stuck-in-an-ornately-furnished-mansion milieu with which they made their names back in 2019 with Ready or Not, and they manage to up the viscera factor and deliver another fun, freaky survive-the-night thriller. Along with their Scream star Melissa Barrera, the cast includes top-notch turns from genre darlings Kathryn Newton, Dan Stevens, and the great, unsung Kevin Durand, as well as little Alisha Weir, who brings a scary amount of gravitas to the titular preteen ballerina vampire. Abigail is a bloody blast, from start to its didn’t-see-that-coming finish. – Tom Kapr
- Directed by Robert Eggers
- Global Rank: #6,488
Robert Eggers was probably the only person in the second decade of the 21st century thinking, “Man, what the world needs is a Nosferatu remake.” Thank the gothic cinema gods for the vision they bestowed upon one of filmmaking’s greatest folklorists.
None of the narrative beats will surprise anyone familiar with the Dracula storyline. Newlywed Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is sent deep into the Carpathian Mountains to the castle of Count Orlok (a monstrous and intimidating Bill Skarsgård) to arrange the sale of a castle for the undead lord to reawaken his dark romance with Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), the young Hutter’s wife. Eggers breathes a new, cold, passionate, and dark life into an oft-told story. In arguably his most accessible film, Nosferatu is a tragic gothic romance told with a stunning old-world beauty that interweaves color, black and white, and an ethereal editing style that ushers the viewer deep into the film’s nightmarish dream. Depp stuns as the possessed Ellen, whose soul is being tormented by the awful licentious desire of the Count, while Bill Skarsgård transforms yet again – he’s a modern-day man of a thousand faces – into the most abhorrent incarnation of the aristocratic Romanian bloodsucker. The psycho-sexual hold and root of Orlok’s grip and demand for his lover is heightened in Eggers’ adaptation more than any since Francis Ford Coppola’s lush, technicolor rendition. Nosferatu crafts a more intensely personal tale that pulls viewers into a rich, filthy realm of love, desire, and loss. – Mike Seaman
- Directed by Tim Burton
- Global Rank: #6,440
I’m happy to report the juice is loose, again. 2024 felt like the year of the sequel, and the one I’d been waiting more than 35 years for was Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. It’s almost as though this delay was director Tim Burton killing time until Jenna Ortega had established herself as an actor; there is no better choice to play the third-generation Deetz. Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, Danny DeVito and BOB also felt like natural additions to Winter River and the afterlife. Most importantly, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton and the Sandworms each slipped back into their roles flawlessly. Although this film doesn’t seem to have the same dark edge as its predecessor, it more than makes up for it in gross-out effects and ghastly comedic gags. Praise must be given to the makeup and costuming teams, who made sure every corpse in that afterlife had a unique tale to tell. With the new character additions and some old plot points to wrap up, there were a lot of storylines to cover, and I had fun on the journey. I have to say, it left me wanting even more Beetlejuice. – Lindsey
- Directed by Edward Berger
- Global Rank: #5,669
Rare is the film that wrestles with faith seriously in modern Hollywood. Conclave does just that. While the premise of the politics of a papal conclave could set up a skewering of the Catholic Church, director Edward Berger shows he is not interested in taking potshots. Instead, his powerful and immaculate drama explores what it is to be a believer in an age of skepticism and cynicism, and the place faith has in the modern world. Ralph Fiennes shines in the lead role of the Cardinal Secretary in charge of the conclave. His weary approach to the role allows the innate humanity of the story to come forth. He wrestles with this doubts about faith even as the ebbs and flows of the conclave bring hope or confirm suspicions about the motivations of potential candidates for the papacy. One of his shining scenes is a homily early on, where one of the film’s thematic overtones is established.
Berger’s direction is also a big part of the formula. He has such a keen sense of sound and pacing, using well-timed edits and sounds to convey a sense of claustrophobia and drama. You feel your pulse pound as doors are slammed and carefully polished shoes echo across the expansive chambers of the Vatican, conveying an ominous feeling. He utilizes his talented cast of vibrant personalities, including Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini, to fill out the thematic approach of the film and the various statements on faith and the practicalities of belief.
It is a delight to have a film that considers these questions seriously and with the gravity that they deserve. In doing so, Conclave offers some thoughts on the power of grace and the place of the church in today’s society, whether one buys into the controversial ending or not. – Connor Ryan Adamson
- Directed by Oz Perkins
- Global Rank: #5,646
How to describe Longlegs…?
Longlegs is perpetual uncanny valley. Longlegs is Tommy Wiseau dialogue run through five or six rounds of Google Translate. Longlegs is filming every other scene and presenting the finished product as if it were the whole.
Longlegs is none of these things literally, but for being a pretty linear story, it’s one of the most incomprehensible things I’ve seen, and that works in its favor. It feels upsetting in a primal way, tapping into subconscious nightmare and bypassing the logic center entirely. If you try to keep that logic center engaged, you’re going to be endlessly frustrated by how impossible it is to hold the story together. But on the other hand, if you allow yourself to be carried along by the reason-defying vibes, this is a great time, alternately hilarious and terrifying with each bizarre moment. – Hannah Keefer
- Directed by Wes Ball
- Global Rank: #5,532
Generations after the reign of Caesar (Andy Serkis in the previous Apes trilogy), Kingdom follows a young Ape named Noa (Owen Teague), who finds the other members of his clan murdered or abducted by a rival clan. Setting out to try and rescue those of his fellows that were taken, Noa joins forces with an orangutan named Raka (Peter Macon), who teaches him about the long-lost ways of Caesar, and a human scavenger (Freya Allen). Their journey will take them to the coastal citadel of Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), who seeks control of human technology and preaches a bastardized version of the original Caesar’s teachings.
Noa lacks the gravitas of Caesar, but that’s part of creating a younger hero to carry this long-running franchise forward. Durand (who also features on this list in Abigail) is the standout among the cast with his villainous Proximus. The fact that director Wes Ball (The Maze Runner) proves adept with action scenes and creating a visually lush world bodes well, as he is currently tapped to bring a live-action The Legend of Zelda to the big screen for Nintendo.
This, of course, means he won’t be shepherding the next Apes film. But, he’s crafted a decent setup, and time will tell, as this universe expands and its titles grow more unwieldy, where one of science fiction’s most venerable franchises will take us in the future. – Nigel Druitt
- Directed by Sean Baker
- Global Rank: #5,478
This is the classic tale of the young sex worker from Brooklyn who meets a prince of Russian royalty; everything is as wild as you could expect, and yet it surprises you anyway. In many ways, it’s Uncut Gems meets Zola, but it continually evolves. Don’t let the explicit nature of the first act deter you from an impactful and charming film that will subvert your early assumptions.
Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn) is a dopamine demon who represents the good life of the Russian upper class, a blissfully ignorant buffoon who experiences stress as a detour between his partying benders. Ani (Mikey Madison) is brilliant in balancing her desire to be a respected, high-class woman with her tough Brooklyn veneer hardened by the sex worker lifestyle. Once Igor (Yura Borisov) is introduced and you see his character develop, it elevates the film once again and takes you on a new journey, dancing between fantasy and the coldness of reality.
As funny and tense as this film is, its real voice dwells in the tragedy of exploitation and lower-class plight. You will find yourself empathizing with deeply-connected characters trying their best to serve in their own jobs and lifestyle while also being discarded on a whim. You can’t stop yourself from laughing while also being shocked and ultimately moved at the emotions that lie deep under the core. Sean Baker delivers another film filled with great performances, and a tight script that deserves all the praise it’s been receiving. – Aaron Empsall
- Directed by Chris Sanders
- Global Rank: #4,206
We’re living in a remarkable moment when high-quality animated kids’ fare is doubling as therapy for parents, and it’s making for some great family screentime sessions. On the small screen we’ve got Bluey, the gift from Australia that keeps on giving, and now writer/director Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon) has given us a new big-screen masterpiece to cherish and check back in on as we go through the phases of family life. In the first part of The Wild Robot, which is best seen on the biggest screen and heard with the loudest speakers, a robot designed for domestic help tries to figure out what to do on an island totally bereft of domesticity. The robot is hilariously robotic, the animals are thrillingly animalistic, and the island itself is gloriously, sometimes frighteningly wild. This portion of the movie has some laugh-out-loud lines and gags, but it could function as a silent movie, like a more visceral version of the first half of WALL-E. After this opening romp, The Wild Robot turns into to child-rearing drama that’s dialogue-heavy but emotionally acute and affecting. My kids stayed tuned-in as we watched it in theaters, but this section was pitched straight to the parents, and I felt every poignant twist. Lupita Nyong’o’s titular robot does the heavy lifting, expressing a rainbow of parenting emotions within computerized parameters, but Pedro Pascal’s fox Fink makes a great foil. The final part of The Wild Robot becomes, unexpectedly, something of a religious metaphor, with both the robot and the animals making leaps that require some major disbelief-suspending. It really is too much, like every animal hijinks movie smashed into one and wrapped up in the most ambitious of messages. But by this point in the movie, my well-honed cynicism had been short-circuited by an incredible journey that was as beautiful to look at as it was to feel. The kids and I left the theater primed for the rewatches that are any good family movie’s right. – David Conrad
- Directed by David Leitch
- Global Rank: #4,131
From the outside, it might seem like The Fall Guy is a movie all about crashing cars, fight scenes, and really cool stunts. That isn’t a bad thing with David Leitch at the helm; as a stuntman himself, he knows how to give us entertaining action sequences. (See: Bullet Train, Deadpool 2, Atomic Blonde.) However, this film has so much more to it than stunts. It is a love letter to filmmaking that puts action, laughs, and romance in one wonderful package.
Ryan Gosling (Barbie) and Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer) were two of the stars of “Barbenheimer” last year, and I’m glad to see them in the Top 20 again, this time together. Gosling and Blunt and their characters, Colt Seavers and Judy Moreno, are intensely likable, and you want to root for them. I call this film my favorite romance of 2024, but I’m also ready to sign all the petitions to get a stunts category at the Academy Awards. – Lindsey
- Directed by Fede Alvarez
- Global Rank: #4,124
I’m not going to lie: there is a literal ton of fan service going on in this movie, as the callbacks to the previous films in this 45-year-old franchise run rampant, and, a couple of times, they’re clunky.
But most of the time, this adds to the charm. The rest of the time, director Fede Alvarez is putting on a masterclass in sustained tension and horror. He ups the ick factor and is fully determined to have his audience squirming in their seats. Helping to sell it all are Cailee Spaeny’s plucky, Ripley-esque heroine, and David Jonsson’s token synthetic lifeform. Jonsson in particular is so good that his performance easily stands alongside those of Ian Holm, Lance Henriksen, and Michael Fassbender as some of the best in the entire Alien franchise.
While the venerable sci-fi/horror franchise is set to move to the small screen this year with Hulu’s Alien: Earth, word is that Alvarez, Spaeny, and Jonsson will return for a Romulus sequel. Whether or not you agree (as I do) that Romulus is the best Alien film since 1986, this should be good news for fans. Hopefully next time Alvarez allows more room for the movie to stand on its own creepy-crawly legs. – Nigel
- Directed by Alex Garland
- Global Rank: #3,901
War comes to America. It’s a simple premise – one so simple that people got angry with this film upon its release this past April. Voices from all sides criticized the movie for not taking a political stance, for not showing us why the war was being fought or telling us who were the good guys and who were the bad. But politics was never the point. The point was to show us, the audience, with an unflinching eye, what it would be like when war comes to America.
There have been many war films over the decades, and we are almost desensitized to their images. But they never feel close to home. We’ve seen filmic war in the desert of the Middle East and the jungles of Vietnam, and period pieces of wars from before any of us were born. But Civil War shows us a war in our own backyards, featuring people we know, in cities we recognize and maybe have even been to. It shows us protagonists with cellphones and tablets, driving the same cars we do down frighteningly familiar highways. Civil War brought cinematic war to modern America, and it is frightening.
Writer-director Alex Garland focuses on the small details of how life changes when war begins. He takes the time to show us multiple aspects of the way the country changes, and not just for those actively fighting. We see those who try and ignore the war and live life as normal, those who try to use the war to serve their own desires, those who passionately fight for their side, and those who just want to survive the mayhem. And, finally, we see how anticlimactic it can feel when the war comes to an end.
With a stellar cast led by Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura and Cailee Spaeny – plus incredible cinematography by DP Rob Hardy which gives a sense of the grandeur and beauty of our country, but also the situation it is in – Civil War leaves you in a state of Shock and Awe. – Brad Brist
- Directed by Jon M. Chu
- Global Rank: #3,756
Musical theater fans like myself have spent the last two decades being teased with the promise of a Wicked film. Now that it’s finally here (or, well, at least Part One is), I’m delighted to say that Jon M. Chu pulls it off. The film captures everything that makes the stage show so special, but avoids ever feeling static or stagey, the way especially faithful adaptations sometimes do.
So much of this comes down to some incredible acting and singing performances from Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda. The two embody their characters perfectly and play off each other so well. Their unique personalities are initially played against each other for comedy, but they transition perfectly into the more dramatic second half as their friendship grows into something beautiful and powerful.
The Ozdust Ballroom sequence makes me cry every time I see it on stage, and it was just as affecting – if not more so – on film. Add to all this the joyful choreography, the thoughtful dialogue, the effortless charm of Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, and it becomes one of the decade’s best movie musicals. Fingers crossed they stick the landing with Part Two in 2025, but this first half is a delight, whether you’re a fan of the original or coming to this story for the very first time. – Hannah
- Directed by Coralie Fargeat
- Global Rank: #3,375
No 2024 comeback may have been more unexpected or more ferocious than the one we got from Demi Moore in The Substance. Director Coralie Fargeat took what might have been an ordinary body horror movie – an ordinary body horror movie where two differently aged bodies share the same mind, with grotesquely squishy results – and got from Moore a performance that put it over the top into must-see moviedom. Playing an actress just old enough to be put out to pasture by an industry that does that with disturbing frequency, Moore gives us a woman desperate to hang on to her former glory in Elizabeth Sparkle – so desperate that she’s willing to inject herself with a mysterious chemical that comes with the most basic of authoritarian block letter instructions, and no guarantees of any particular outcome, especially if those instructions are not followed.
At least the short-term outcome is good, as part of her organic material resurfaces in the form of Sue (Margaret Qualley), a twentysomething who utterly captivates that industry that just kicked Elizabeth to the curb. Personifying that male-driven gaze is Dennis Quaid in an outlandish studio exec role which encapsulates that this body horror is truly a satire, and a funny one at that.
But this is Moore’s movie, and she tosses out all vanity in giving us her best performance in two decades. Add in Fargeat’s excellent eye for stylish delivery and some decent thematic ambition, and you have a movie that got people talking… not to mention wincing in delighted agony. – Derek
- Directed by Luca Guadagnino
- Global Rank: #3,123
Luca Guadagnino continues to serve up potent and sensual cinema with Challengers. Channeling Zendaya’s celebrity, her character serves as an object of competition between two top-tier tennis players in the form of Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. Guadagnino’s pulsating sense of pace and strong command of visuals, both in shot compositions and recurring motifs, make Challengers a rich film for the senses. It is a film that channels the power of obsession and asks the audience to consider what greatness is and what is worth sacrificing to reach it. The trio of lead performances are lovely, and the film’s powerful ending brings a welcome sense of optimism despite the somewhat dour thrill ride preceding it. The Italian filmmaker continues to establish himself as one of the best voices in cinema today. – Connor
- Directed by Kelsey Mann
- Global Rank: #2,770
“Pardon our dust. Puberty is messy.” Trouble for Riley Anderson, as a demolition team smashes their way through Headquarters, thrusting our protagonist into the unexpected complexities of teenagehood. Joy and the gang, the emotions we grew to love in the first film, are introduced to new residents: Envy, Embarrassment, Ennui and their leader, Anxiety, who wins the alpha struggle with Joy over the controls, causing Riley’s sense of self to shift. Prior to Anxiety’s arrival, one of the crucial components of Riley’s New World as she enters adolescence is the development of a belief system. Riley’s initial belief that “I’m a good person” is a statement quite on-brand when Joy is the chief navigator of emotions. However, concerns about wanting to fit in with a new hockey team begin to subvert this belief after Anxiety’s coup d’etat, and “I am a good person” devolves into a mantra devastating to hear coming from a child: “I’m not good enough.” While the gang of new emotions navigate the ins and outs of Riley’s life as a thirteen-year-old, Joy’s goal is to reset Riley’s sense of self before Anxiety dismantles thirteen years’ worth of Joy’s hard work.
Anxiety is well-intentioned. She is neither malicious, nor is she the Heavy. In fact, the film doesn’t have a “Heavy” at all. It would be easy to turn Anxiety into a villain, and lesser storytellers might have done so. All of Anxiety’s tasks are meant to support Riley and help her along. And perhaps this is what psychologists mean when they talk about Healthy Anxiety. Anxiety itself is not the enemy of our wellbeing. Rather, it’s the steady build of “What If?” scenarios, with Anxiety unchecked by other emotions, that leads Riley to a full-blown panic attack. This is the emotional height of the film, where Joy has no access to the controls, and can only gently plead with Anxiety. And it is frightening: for Joy, for Riley, and for the viewer who might be reminded of their own struggles with anxiety. This scene of Riley suffering a panic attack is a strong reminder that there is an endless line of Rileys, and it’s a difficult reminder for any viewer with a soft spot in their heart for kids.
This is a significant part of the power of Inside Out 2: we know that emotional difficulties are part of growing up. Welcome to the Big Leagues, kid, where adulthood ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. For this viewer, experiencing the hurt for that kid on screen was crushing, especially considering there will very likely be more such attacks to come for Riley. You just want to reach through the screen and tell her it will all be okay, that it isn’t all bad, and that when things are working as they should, Joy and Anxiety can coexist manageably at the controls. We’d been rooting for Joy to win fully, but that desire is misguided and, frankly, unrealistic. Had the story landed there, it would have done a disservice to the discussion on how humans truly operate. To the filmmakers’ credit, Joy doesn’t win the entire control console in Headquarters; she wins a portion sufficient to counter the voices inside of Riley that tell her she’s not good enough. The creators of Inside Out 2 beautifully nail the dismount, and that is a win indeed. – Jason Luna
- Directed by Shawn Levy
- Global Rank: #1,924
- Directed by George Miller
- Global Rank: #1,836
Inescapably, Furiosa falls into the Prequel Trap. That trap of knowing exactly where this story is going, and how this character will end up. Did that contribute to its disappointing showing at the box office? Had it just been too long since Mad Max: Fury Road, which was released a full decade ago as of 2025? Could it have helped if George Miller made this story first?
There aren’t really any answers to those questions. All I know is, those who didn’t see Furiosa on the big screen REALLY missed out. Because Miller hasn’t lost a step in the last decade. The scope of this film is simply bigger than that of Fury Road, the world-building more expansive. Anya Taylor-Joy, rapidly becoming one of the biggest film stars of her generation, capably picks up the mantle of Charlize Theron’s breakout character, and runs with it through every gauntlet Miller throws down. From complex scenes opposite this film’s breakout character, Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke), or Chris Hemsworth’s memorable villain, the ridiculous Dementus, to off-the-wall action sequences that rival anything laid down in Fury Road…and that was arguably the greatest action film released this century.
Miller has proven that he doesn’t need Mad Max himself to make one of these films work. How will he further expand his world in the future? Hopefully we won’t have to wait another decade to find out. – Nigel
- Directed by Denis Villeneuve
- Global Rank: #537
Denis Villeneuve and the House of Atreides returned in 2024, continuing the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his ascendancy among the Fremen. On paper, Dune is a proto-Roman space opera chronicling the melodramatic affairs between entitled colonial royalists. However, under the eye of Villeneuve, a master of atmosphere, the sands of Arrakis become mesmerizing and the mystical fever dream of Paul’s rise entrances its viewers. A rich and overstuffed world feels perfectly orchestrated, beginning slowly as the space opens the young Atreides to visions of realities accessible only to him. The audience is pushed and pulled between the unwavering belief of Javier Bardem’s Stilgar, Chani’s (a strong and vulnerable Zendaya) resilience, and the unnerving transformation of Rebecca Ferguson’s mother Atreides. All the while the sociopathic political machinations of the bloodthirsty House of Harkonnen are ably embodied by Austin Butler’s ruthless Feyd-Rautha and the perverse Baron (Stellan Skarsgård).
Dune‘s greatest success is in Villeneuve’s exceptional method of building a stunning depth of emotion while steadily pushing forward a massive narrative. By the climax, I was torn in my sympathies and perspectives, but prepared to ride any sandworm to whatever fate might befall Muad’Dib. – Mike
Here are the rest of the Top 40 Films of 2024, as currently ranked by Flickchart’s users:
21. Heretic (directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods)
22. A Quiet Place: Day One (directed by Michael Sarnoski)
23. I Saw the TV Glow (directed by Jane Schoenbrun)
24. Rebel Ridge (directed by Jeremy Saulnier)
25. Gladiator II (directed by Ridley Scott)
26. Transformers One (directed by Josh Cooley)
27. MaXXXine (directed by Ti West)
28. Monkey Man (directed by Dev Patel)
29. My Old Ass (directed by Megan Park)
30. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (directed by Gil Kenan)
31. The First Omen (directed by Arkasha Stevenson)
32. Kinds of Kindness (directed by Yorgos Lanthimos)
33. Saturday Night (directed by Jason Reitman)
34. Juror #2 (directed by Clint Eastwood)
35. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (directed by Guy Ritchie)
36. Lisa Frankenstein (directed by Zelda Williams)
37. Smile 2 (directed by Parker Finn)
38. Trap (directed by M. Night Shyamalan)
39. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (directed by Adam Wingard)
40. The Beekeeper (directed by David Ayer)
These are some films from 2024 that did not make the Top 20 (at least, not yet), but which our writers think are most definitely worth your time.
Over the years, different films have wrestled with the ways evangelical Christianity has frequently traumatized and stigmatized LGBT+ youth, and those cinematic explorations of the trauma often portray those young people’s experiences in a direct, unflinching manner.
What Ganymede brings to the discussion is a presentation of that trauma using elements of horror and thriller to illustrate the conflict within high school wrestler Lee Fletcher (Jordan Doww), who has been convinced that he is the monster he has begun to see and experience. The film makes it clear, however, that Lee is not really a monster and that his feelings for his gay classmate, Kyle Culper (Pablo Castelblanco), are not an aberration. And, contrary to what the adults say, Kyle is not a demon-possessed “Ganymede” who is seeking to lure vulnerable souls down the broad highway to Hell. Rather, Lee’s judgmental parents and the angry, homophobic pastor to whom they send their son for counseling are the real horrors. David Koechner’s portrayal of a pastor who seeks to electroshock the gay out of Lee is truly horrifying, as he makes the spiritual leader one of the most disturbing cinematic villains of recent memory.
All of this leads to a memorable cinematic scene which reveals that love can indeed overcome hate, though it might have to fight like Hell to conquer the monsters we’ve allowed to grow in our hearts and lives. – Charles Franklyn Beach
The title makes it sound like this could be some disposable gross-out comedy, and it’s certainly an odd one when taken out of context. But there is so much more to My Old Ass than just a good laugh, once you look a little closer. #context.
On her 18th birthday, mere days before she anxiously prepares to leave her family farm and make her own way in the world, Elliott (Maisy Stella) heads out to the woods with her two best friends to get high on mushrooms. The resulting trip puts her face-to-face with her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza), the specifics of which the film doesn’t even attempt to explain, nor does it need to.
I wouldn’t dare spoil more of the plot. But what you get out of My Old Ass might depend a lot on which age group you’re in. #context. Do you identify with 18-year-old Elliott, itching to make a break from the slow, small-town life that’s been holding her back? Do you understand how the older Elliott feels, remembering who she was on the cusp of adulthood, and wishing to spare her younger self some unforeseen pain in the future? Or maybe you grasp the perspective of Elliott’s mom (Maria Dizzia), watching her child yearn to break free of the nest, and wanting to hold on just a little bit longer.
Maisy Stella, carrying the entire film on her young shoulders, proves she is more than up to the task, but Aubrey Plaza, in the more supporting role, is a revelation. There is a piece of acting from her in her final scene in this movie that is frankly remarkable, tying the whole film together in a way that absolutely broke this particular viewer, in the best way.
If you haven’t yet, you really should take a good look at My Old Ass. What you see may surprise you. #context. – Nigel
The best film of the year sadly hasn’t made its way into the Top 20, but certainly deserves to do so. Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg delivered us a real treat in the form of A Real Pain. Following two Jewish cousins who venture to Poland to participate in a Holocaust tour after the passing of their grandmother, a Polish native, the film wrestles with heavy questions regarding the legacy of the Jewish diaspora and how to handle the weight of family legacy. Lest one think this film is as somber as Schindler’s List, rest assured, Eisenberg has no interest in two hours of sorrow. The film is wonderfully funny and wry, using humor to cut deeper into these questions, and to entertain, to boot.
The film is as much about family dynamics and legacy in a smaller sense as it is about Jewish heritage. Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are marvelous in the lead roles. They portray characters of two very different personalities, and seeing them play off of each other is wonderful. Culkin’s energy is manic and driven and emphatic. Eisenberg is reserved, neurotic, and staid. Through him, the film explores questions of how we deal with loss and navigate our way in a hurting world.
A Real Pain is simply the most human film of the year. It causes belly laughs. It causes streams of tears. It helps a wider world see how modern Poland is bearing the burden of its pain and weight. It is a welcome reminder of the universality of our human experience and how we need to stand shoulder to shoulder despite our differences. I can think of no greater purpose for cinema than that. – Connor
The opening ten minutes of this movie are so masterfully filmed, that it was enough to leave this viewer seething at the injustice, fully sympathetic to our protagonist, Terry Richmond (Aaron Pierre), and full of vile hatred for his antagonists. It was a welcome (and long-overdue) return to form for director Jeremy Saulnier, who, after the sustained tension of 2013’s Blue Ruin and the propulsive horror of 2015’s Green Room, had left me somewhat cold with the more glacial pacing of 2018’s Hold the Dark.
What follows that great introduction to Rebel Ridge is something a little more than “just” a solid revenge thriller, as Richmond takes a more clinical approach to systematically dismantling his enemies than just running in with guns blazing. (Make no mistake, though; guns will blaze.) And if there’s any justice, it’s the kind of star-making turn that will really put Aaron Pierre on the map. – Nigel
It’s been an American institution for nearly half a century and has become one of the most standard things in the entertainment industry, so it may be difficult to remember that Saturday Night Live was once brand new, unstructured, radical, blazingly counter-culture, and unlike anything network TV had ever seen before. It may also be shocking to realize how close it came to never making it to air. Jason Reitman takes us inside perhaps the most chaotic 90 minutes of pre-production in television history, letting the events of that night in 1975 unfold nearly in real time. Gabriel LaBelle, as Lorne Michaels, the new kid in town that everyone in power wants to see fail, leads an ensemble cast that includes stellar standout performances from Rachel Sennott as Rosie Shuster, Lamorne Morris as Garret Morris, and Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase. Even more impressive, however, are Matt Wood and Ella Hunt, who appear to be channeling the spirits of the gone-too-soon John Belushi and Gilda Radner – Tom
Did YOUR favorite film of 2024 make the list? Tell us about it in the comments! And don’t forget to go rank the Best Films of 2024 and help shape how this list looks in the future!
