Looking back on 2024, it’s been a bit of a mixed bag. There have been a couple of outstanding movies, and some really fun blockbusters, but nothing that will make this year one of the greatest movie years of all time. Part of that has to do with the fact that there were less movies released in 2024, due to the effects of last year’s writers’ and actors’ strikes. But there were still plenty of movies I loved, from big blockbusters like Twisters and Deadpool & Wolverine to smaller stories like Snack Shack and Thelma.
And there are a handful of 2024 releases that aren’t on my list because they simply haven’t been released in the state of Alabama yet (please let me see The Brutalist and Nickel Boys, please).
While Wicked is maybe the movie I’ve held space for more than any other this year, it didn’t quite make my top 10. But of the 83 movies released in 2024 that I have seen, these are the 10 that rose to the top and represent the wide range of unique and memorable stories we got this year.
- Dune: Part 2
The best word to describe Dune: Part 2 is overwhelming. It builds on the exceptional worldbuilding from the first film and opens up the world of Arrakis to a monumental scale – it’s big, it’s loud, it’s intense, it’s breathtaking. Director Denis Villeneuve has built a visual universe with an internal logic on a scale I haven’t seen since the Lord of the Rings trilogy. So many of the scenes in the film have already become legendary, from the Harkonnen introduction in Giedi Prime to Paul riding Shai Hulud for the first time.
On top of the visuals, the cast delivers some out of this world performances. Timothee Chalamet gives two of the best performances this year (shoutout A Complete Unknown), transforming from stoic prince Paul into the powerful, intimidating Muad’Dib in Dune: Part 2. Zendaya acts as the heart and conscience of the movie, communicating so much with only her eyes, while Austin Butler gets to let his freak flag fly as Feyd-Rautha and really commits to his performance.
Overall, Dune: Part 2 is a theatrical experience I’ll never forget. It’s one of those movies that made me feel like I was vibrating in my seat the entire runtime. I went back to the theater a week later because I had to experience it again as soon as I could. For me, Dune: Part 2 is easily the best movie of the year.
- Challengers
Challengers is easily one of the most fun moviegoing experiences I had in 2024. There’s a constant electricity throughout the film that keeps your heart racing. The movie tells the story of three young tennis stars and follows the ebb and flow of their careers mixed in with their complicated, intermingling relationships. It fulfills one of the simplest and most foundational joys of film – it lets hot people be hot and do hot people things.
Zendaya is an undeniable star, and she owns the center of this story and every scene she’s in. Meanwhile Josh O’Conner and Mike Faist exude charm and sex appeal in very different and compelling ways.
We can’t talk about Challengers without talking about the score. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross created a propulsive and thrilling electronic soundtrack that makes every scene come alive. The final scene is heart pounding, making you feel like you’re watching a real sporting event and ready to jump out of your seat just from the thrill of the game.
- Anora
Anora is a movie that keeps you on your toes. It effortlessly balances tonal shifts as it tells the story of Ani, a sex worker from New York and the fickle nature of success, luck and power.
The film follows Ani’s whirlwind relationship with the son of a Russian oligarch, hopping from the tone of a screwball comedy to a mystery thriller and finally a family drama. Mikey Madison plays Ani and delivers a powerful performance where you can clearly see the vulnerability under her tough exterior as she falls deeper into a world that’s over her head.
One of the most surprising aspects of the movie was how director Sean Baker uses a side character, played by Yura Borisov, to observe Ani and show the audience how capable she can be. Their scenes together are easily some of the best moments in the film.
The less you know about Anora going in, the better. Just buckle in and enjoy the wild ride.
- Sing Sing
Art has a transformative power – a great movie, book, or painting can change your life, make you see the world in a new way, or empathize with a person or culture you don’t know. This thesis is at the core of Sing Sing, which tells the story of a group of inmates who put on plays as part of a prison arts program. Through their art, they find meaning, connection, healing, and humanity in inhumane circumstances.
Perhaps the most stunning aspect of this film is that most of the characters are formerly incarcerated individuals playing versions of themselves, not traditional actors. This choice brings a level of authenticity and emotion to the story that overflows with empathy. And Coleman Domingo delivers a lead performance that is both heartbreaking and hopeful.
So while the characters within the movie learn to understand the transformative power of art, so does the audience by watching stories about incarcerated people and learning to see their humanity.
- The Wild Robot
I cried approximately four times during The Wild Robot. This is truly one of the most beautiful movies of the year, both in its visuals and its storytelling. It’s directed by Chris Sanders, who previously co-directed the first How to Train Your Dragon and Lilo & Stitch, so he definitely knows his way around emotional and captivating animated stories.
In this film, a robot designed to help humans crash lands on an island populated only by animals. As the robot, named Roz, adapts to her new surroundings, she connects with a baby gosling and assigns herself the task of helping him grow up. It turns into a beautiful exploration of parenthood – motherhood in particular – and a story of acceptance, of learning to work together with others and treating them with respect and kindness, especially those that may think differently from us.
- Didi
I love a good coming-of-age story. One of the many weird parts about growing up is that now there are film directors out there around my age that are making these kinds of movies about the time period when I was growing up. Didi is a beautiful coming-of-age story about a young Taiwanese American teen growing up in the late 2000s. The character is a few years younger than I was at the time, but the movie packs in so many specific aspects of those years that I started getting war flashbacks (shoutout to anyone who had to use AOL Instant Messenger).
The movie also does a great job at showing how quickly the internet changed our lives during the late 2000s, from AOL to YouTube, and how being online became so central to maintaining friendships and relationships for teenagers. It’s a time I can remember so vividly and still marvel at how strange it really was.
Plus, it’s another great mom movie. The relationship between the main character and his mother is the true heart of the film.
- The Substance
The Substance is probably the most shocking movie I saw this year. Not going to lie – it’s gross. Like, really gross. But underneath all the gross and shocking body horror elements, The Substance actually has some, well, substance. It tells the story of an aging celebrity who discovers an organization that gives her a mysterious substance that allows her to, let’s say, rediscover her youth.
Snagging Demi Moore to play the lead role brings a whole meta aspect to the film from her history, position, and narrative in Hollywood throughout her career. And she is magnificent, holding nothing back and committing to what the film requires. Margaret Qualley plays the other side of Demi’s coin, and the balance between the two becomes a sight to behold.
The Substance goes to some extremes in the end, but it does present an interesting conversation on how our modern society treats women as they age, especially those in the public eye, and the lengths many will go to in order to try and slow down their natural aging as long as they can. But seriously, my jaw was on the floor from the sheer audacity of the climax of this film.
- Conclave
If I were to tell you that one of the most captivating thrillers of the year features dozens of Catholic cardinals sitting and talking in rooms trying to elect a new pope, you probably wouldn’t believe me. But Conclave is just that. The story proceeds with the church’s conservative and progressive factions fighting for influence among the cardinals, trying to gain support for their preferred candidates. But an outsider threatens to turn the whole process upside down.
In a lot of ways, it’s not a complicated story, but it’s filled with twists and turns that keep you on the edge of your seat without any action sequences (spoiler, there is one explosion). The cast is bursting with “that guy!” actors (and Isabella Rossilini) that clearly had a great time chewing the scenery. Conclave is ultimately one of the most crowd-pleasing movies of the year.
- A Real Pain
Grief is a complex emotion and we all experience it differently. One movie this year explores how new grief can compound with older grievances and, in some instances, bring healing by allowing ourselves to really feel. And no, I’m not talking about Inside Out 2.
In A Real Pain, cousins Benji and David go on a tour through Poland to find connection to the homeland of their grandmother who recently died. The film expertly balances both comedic and dramatic moments, and Kiernan Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg deliver two excellent performances that draw you into their relationship and the grief they share.
It’s a story about learning to communicate and say what you really need to say, to allow yourself to feel your emotions and not bottle them up, how to work through complicated family dynamics, and coming to terms with trauma.
- Nosferatu
Writer/Director Robert Eggers has quickly become one of the most exciting directors of historical horror, thriller and action movies. Nosferatu, a remake or reimagining of the 1922 silent film, is his latest entry in this genre. It’s gorgeously designed, lit and shot, creating the creepiest vibe throughout the movie. Bill Skarsgard delivers another wildly unique and upsetting performance as the titular vampire, adding to his resume of weirdos in prosthetics (see Pennywise).
Lily-Rose Depp is the real star of this movie with a truly shocking physical performance that asks her to become more and more erratic and extreme as the story progresses. Willem Defoe rolls in to bring some levity to the dark story and Nicholas Hoult gets to bear the brunt of the terrified reaction shots, which he does so well.
This version of Nosferatu is a story of obsession, desire and fear. It’s wonderfully made and the perfect amount of unnerving.
So those are my 10 favorite movies of 2024. There are plenty of other films that really left a mark on me that didn’t crack the top 10 and I’m excited to share recommendations. Here’s to another great year at the movies in 2025!
Movies with Mitchell 