My Favorite Films of 2024
2024 was an odd year for film for me. Many of my most anticipated films got pushed to 2025 because of the writer's strike and some of the films I was really hyped for didn't quite live up to my expectations. Films like Alex Garland's Civil War, Denis Villeneuve's Dune 2, and Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 were good, but not great for me. In addition, I found that a lot of smaller films didn't make it into theaters near me, so there are quite a few films that will probably end up on my favorites for 2024 but that I haven't seen yet.
1. Alien Romulus
If you were to tell me when the year began that Alien: Romulus would be my favorite film of the year, I would have laughed in your face. The Alien franchise has ranged from average to unwatchable for more than a decade now, but Romulus was easily the best theater experience I had all year.
Director Fede Alvarez brings the franchise back to its roots which is survival horror. I didn't hate Prometheus and Alien Covenant as much as some people, but those films sometimes got bogged down with the lore of the Alien universe instead of just making a good movie.
Alvarez previously directed Don't Breathe a film that was filled with suspenseful scenes from start to finish. There are a few scenes in Alien: Romulus that were just so well-paced and suspenseful. I literally found myself holding my breath.
Alien: Romulus doesn't try to reinvent the wheel and I appreciate that. The film also feels like a natural sequel to the original without winking too much to its iconic predecessor.
I thought up-and-coming actress Cailee Spaeny did a fantastic job here. She's had a big year starring in Civil War, a film I was lukewarm on, but her performance was easily the standout. She also played Priscilla Presley in Priscilla.
I'm not sure where the franchise will go from here, but as long as Alavarez is steering the ship, I'm on board.
2. A Complete Unknown
I was ready to release my favorite films of 2024 list this week. I had everything in order with all the write-ups and then I realized I was seeing A Complete Unknown on Friday, so I waited to post it and I'm glad I did because there's no way any best of 2024 list would be complete without this film included.
I'm just going to say it, Timothée Chalamet's performance as Bob Dylan is the best performance of the year. It should earn him an Academy Award. Not for one second did I see Chalamet in this film. I saw a young Bob Dylan. It might just be the best performance of Chalamet's career and he has solidified himself as one of the best actors working today.
The rest of the cast is superb as well. Monica Barbaro who broke out in Top Gun: Maverick is outstanding as Joan Baez. It was also great to see Edward Norton again. I feel like we don't see him as much anymore.
A Complete Unknown is directed by James Mangold, who directed last year's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Mangold directed one of the greatest musical biopics of all time in Walk the Line, so he's clearly more comfortable with films like this.
I thought the film did a great job of depicting how music helped define a very difficult time in our country. Time will tell where A Complete Unknown ranks among other films like it, but at least for this year, it's one of the very best films of the year.
3. Twisters
When I first heard they were making a sequel to Twister almost 30 years after the original, my initial reaction was, "We don't need that." I was wrong! We needed that!
Twisters was by far the most fun I had at the cinema this year. Hollywood often makes the mistake with sequels of just filling it with references and cameos to scratch that nostalgia itch for fans of the original.
Twisters doesn't fall into that trap. There are very subtle hints that are appreciated, but it doesn't overwhelm the film.
Twisters is carried by two of best young actors Hollywood has to offer right now in Glen Powell, fresh off his star-making performance in Top Gun: Maverick and Daisy Edgar-Jones, who was great in Where the Crawdads Sing, the vastly underrated Fresh, and the TV show Normal People.
Twisters is one of those films that can be watched over and over again. I'm not sure where they can go with it from here, but I will be looking forward to it. My only issue with the film is how could they not kiss!?
4. The Fall Guy
Guys. What happened? If you're reading this and didn't go see The Fall Guy in theaters then I kind of have a bone to pick with you. There are so many people who complain about superhero films and sequels and then we get something like The Fall Guy and nobody goes to see it.
What's even more head-scratching is the fact that it stars Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, two bonafide A-List actors.
Well, it's your loss because The Fall Guy was just fantastic. It was funny, it had action, it had romance. Everything you could ask for in a Blockbuster film.
What makes the film really work is the off-the-charts chemistry between Gosling and Blunt. I'm sure we won't get a sequel because nobody went to see it, but I really hope we get to see these two actors work together again.
Next time you want to complain about Hollywood making the same movies over and over again, remember this review.
5. The Bikeriders
The Bikeriders features the best ensemble performance of the year for me. Austin Butler, who transformed himself to play Elvis, Jodie Comer, who was robbed of an Oscar for her performance in The Last Duel and Tom Hardy, who is straight-up amazing in everything do a fantastic job here.
The film came out too early and didn't get enough eyeballs on it to get a lot of accolades, and that's too bad.
The Bikeriders is directed by Jeff Nichols (Mud, Take Shelter, Midnight Special, Loving), who hasn't made a bad film yet. In Bikeriders, Nichols takes great care and chronicles the transformation of a motorcycle club to a motorcycle gang and the violence that ended up coming with it.
The Bikeriders is the kind of film that is unfortunately going extinct, at least when it comes to a theatrical release and that's a real shame.
6. Strange Darling
I walked into the theater and sat down to watch Strange Darling literally knowing nothing about the film and I feel like that's the best way to go into this one.
The fact that Strange Darling is one of my favorite films of the year is pretty impressive considering I was immediately put off by the opening title card that states, "A JT MOLLNER FILM". Stop. Nobody knows who you are. You're not Quentin Tarantino.
The guy does have talent though. I will give him that. With Strange Darling, Mollner crafts an intricate cat-and-mouse film that is expertly shot. The film jumps around to tell the story, but unlike most films that deploy that technique, it's not a gimmick. It serves the story and elevates it to another level.
Fair warning, Strange Darling isn't for everyone, but just in case you're interested in checking it out, I'm going to stop there because you should go into it like I did, completely blind. I'm excited to see what Mollner does next.
7. Longlegs
I'm not even sure what to say about this one. You kind of have to see it for yourself. A film like Longlegs will get put into the Horror category like so many similar films seem to, but it's more of a thriller for me.
Is it scary? You bet your bottom dollar, but it's much more of a mystery thriller than anything else.
I didn't have any interest in Longlegs at first. The film is directed by Osgood Perkins (son of Anthony Perkins who played Norman Bates in Psycho) who directed The Blackcoat's Daughter, a film I absolutely hated.
Nick Cage, and I hope you're sitting down for this, gives a bazaar performance, but he's fabulous. Some directors would have overused Cage here, which could have tanked the film, but Perkins stays his hand and uses him sparingly, which makes Cage's character that much more creepy.
The standout for me is Maika Monroe, who is considered a scream queen after her performance in It Follows, one of the best horror films of all time. Monroe was also fantastic in the criminally underseen The Guest.
When it comes to serial killer films, Longlegs is just a small step below films like Memories of Murder, Seven, The Silence of the Lambs, and Zodiac. I'm not sure there's a better compliment I could give it.
8. A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place 1 and 2 are two of my favorite films of the last 10 years. I was understandably apprehensive when I learned that John Krasinski was stepping away from the director's chair for the prequel, although he did stay on as a writer.
Audiences got what they were expecting from A Quiet Place: Day One. Tons and tons of creepy aliens. As you would expect from A Quiet Place film, there are numerous intense scenes where I didn't even dare to eat my popcorn.
Lupita Nyong'o takes over as the main character for Emily Blunt and she's excellent here as a woman who has grown cynical after her cancer diagnosis. The choice to give the main character a terminal illness in a film where she's trying to survive was a bold choice that really worked for me.
If you like the previous installments, there's no reason you won't like this one. A Quiet Place: Day One also features the best ending scene of the year. Just perfection.
9. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Another film that bombed at the box office and I just don't understand. Mad Max: Fury Road is one of the greatest action films of all time and did amazing at the box office. You would think people would have flocked to see the prequel, but it just didn't happen.
At the age of 79 and almost 45 years after making the original Mad Max, director George Miller hasn't lost a step. In fact, I could argue that he has gotten better.
With Furiosa, he expands the wacky world of Mad Max even more and I just had a blast with it.
10. Rebel Ridge
Director Jeremy Saulnier burst on the scene with Blue Ruin and then topped that film with Green Room, a film that achieved commercial success. He then directed Hold the Dark for Netflix, which wasn't received well, and then dropped out of directing season two of True Detective. He then kind of disappeared after that.
Saulnier emerged this year to direct Rebel Ridge, a film that feels a lot like the first Rambo film. Aaron Pierre plays Terry, a former Marine who attempts to bail his cousin out of jail and finds himself stuck in a small town harassed by local law enforcement. As things escalate, he uncovers a web of corruption.
One of the best parts of the film is that Terry specializes in hand-to-hand combat, so I don't think he fires a bullet in the entire film. He tries very hard to inflict as little damage as possible on people.
Honestly, if you watch, you're going to wish that wasn't the case.
11. Nosferatu
The original Nosferatu came out in 1922 and is considered one of the first horror films ever made. The filmmakers couldn't get the rights to Dracula, so they went ahead and made the film anyway and just gave the character a different name.
Essentially, it's a retelling of the Dracula story. The 2024 version is directed by Robert Eggers, one of the hottest directors working today. I loved his first film The Witch and his follow-up The Lighthouse, but despite a fantastic theater experience, I didn't enjoy The Northman.
If you're not into horror films, Nosferatu is probably not for you. There's a thick layer of dread that hangs over the entire film from start to finish. Eggers does a fantastic job of building up the reveal of the titular character. At first, we see him only in shadows, which in many ways is even scarier than when he's actually shown.
If you are a fan of horror but prefer your horror films to be more along the lines of mainstream films like Terrifier or Saw, then chances are Nosferatu is also not for you. The film is slow-paced and dialogue-heavy at times.
That being said, the set design, costumes, photography, and overall aesthetic are some of the very best 2024 has to offer.