Top 10 movies of 2024

Welcome to the official wrap-up of 2024. This website has been rolling along since October of 2023 and I’ve been enjoying sharing my thoughts and lists about movies with everyone kind enough to stop here and read them. So, to kick off 2025, I want to share a list of my top movies from 2024. Then I would love to hear your favorite movies of the year as well. Remember, many things make a movie great for each person. Sometimes, it’s great because of the cast or the direction. Sometimes it’s great because it looks beautiful and is shot using state-of-the-art cameras and equipment. For me, but remember that I am mindless after all, sometimes a movie is great because you get to see characters you have loved for years, get a big screen return, and take your heart to a special place. So, keeping that in mind and without further delay, here are my top ten movies of the year 2024:

10. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – I went back and forth with putting this in my top ten. Both Gladiator 2 and Alien: Romulus would have both been good replacements for this, but this goes back to what I was saying above. I have been a big fan of Beetlejuice for such a long time that I was super excited to see these characters on the big screen again after such a long time. The film itself wasn’t exactly what I hoped for after all this time, but it was still funny and had a lot more of Michael Keaton’s titular character than its predecessor did. Tim Burton still knows how to make an entertaining movie.

9. Civil War – This is the big 2024 surprise on the list for me. Not only was this the first time I had seen Kirsten Dunst in a while (and she did an amazing job), but the story itself seemed like a plausible outcome of sorts for an America that has been divided by political beliefs for a bit. Also, kudos to the other cast and their take on the affairs of wartime journalists. But the highlight was the style of shooting that the filmmakers chose. I really enjoyed the camera work and some of the up-close intense shots of war.

8. Fall Guy  – I mean who doesn’t love going to the theater and having a blast for 2 hours and 6 minutes? I went into this with low expectations but was pleasantly surprised at every turn. Not only is the on-screen chemistry between Gosling and Blunt fun to watch, but the stunts and action were great. Knowing that it was directed by a former stuntman (David Leitch) made it even better. This had everything you would want in a film, love, action, hidden plots, chase scenes, and even a tripped-out drug scene from Gosling himself. Oh… and queue the rise of Aaron Taylor-Johnson as an official action star.

7. Carry-On – Here is another surprise number on my list. I really didn’t know a whole lot about this until I watched it. All I knew was that it had Jason Bateman in it and that’s enough for me. I would watch that man sell paint. With the heavy “Die Hard” vibes this new Christmas classic will be watched in my household every year around the Holidays. I did feel like the ending fell a bit flat… maybe a little anti-climactic, but overall, it wasn’t enough to ruin the good that lay before me.

6. Inside Out 2 – It doesn’t seem to matter how long the folks at Pixar wait to make a sequel, when they do, it’s a massive success. This one is no different as part 2 takes place a couple of years after part 1 and went on to become the highest-grossing animated film of all time, not just 2024. A big factor in its success is the return of almost the entire cast of characters (Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and my personal favorite Anger). This along with the newly added Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment made this one of the most “must-watch” films of the year.

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes – As a casual fan of this franchise, I re-watched the reboot films again to prepare for this one. I was glad to see that even though this takes place generations after the events of the previous films, they still keep the stories in line. Obviously, Ceasar is no longer around, but he is talked about constantly and many of the apes even try to emulate what he was like. The fact that there are still humans around is also intriguing to me and leads me to have theories on where they plan to take this series moving forward. At some point, I may go back and catch up on the old “Planet of the Apes” movies I may have missed, but in the meantime, this was a good holdover for me.

4. Dune: Part 2 – This film clearly falls into the category of a beautiful movie. I absolutely loved all of the cinematography and completely jaw-dropping shots from start to finish. This was definitely one of my favorite in-theater experiences of 2024. Having an all-star cast and a great story doesn’t hurt either, but what the director (Denis Villeneuve) was able to pull off is stunning. The breathtaking camera work is the constant here, but the cast working together and the fluid motion of the story made this feel like a much shorter movie than the 2-hour 35-minute runtime would suggest. In some universes, this is a first-place film.

3. Saturday Night – Casting, casting, casting. Jason Reitman and company put on a clinic on how to cast in this phenomenal film that covers the last 90 minutes before the first episode of Saturday Night Live aired live back in 1975. There is a lot going on with multiple side stories, overlapping main plots, and a cast of newbies that no one knew, but somehow it gets pulled all together nicely (the same way the cast comes together) by the end. Along the way, you get pulled into Lorne Michaels trials and tribulations as he has to schmooze the network executives, make sure the stage doesn’t fall apart, and keep his sanity, along with trying to keep the young cast ready to put on a show. Somehow it worked for them then… and it works for this movie as well.

2. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – Go ahead and let me have it. I know this movie wasn’t well received when it was released back in March but ask any Ghostbusters fan and they will disagree with all the naysayers. I also happen to disagree with most of the critics on this one and I think it’s a shame that this has such a low rating on both IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Not only do they continue the Spengler family storyline that was started in “Ghostbusters: Afterlife”, but they also add more to the story of the original Ghostbusters and where their life is now. I managed to squeeze in multiple viewings this year and that’s not always an easy task. One thing is for certain, this is an entertaining continuation of the franchise and one that I nearly put on the top of my 2024 list.

1. Deadpool and Wolverine – Nearly because this little movie happened. Shawn Levy pulled out an absolute gem right when Marvel Studios needed him the most. Getting Jackman to come back as Wolverine would have been great enough, but teaming him up with Reynolds’ Deadpool was a gold mine of a decision (literally and financially)! The two characters play off each other as well as their real-life counterparts do and there are enough Easter eggs and cameos to make any Marvel fan pass out with excitement. Kudos all around to everyone involved in this from the bottom to the top. The love that went into this film shines through in almost every aspect and has a clear place in my heart as well as my number-one spot for 2024.

Before I leave you, I would like to throw out some honorable mentions of other movies that I enjoyed watching last year but didn’t quite make the cut for the top ten. I already mentioned Gladiator II and Alien: Romulus, which were both solid additions to their respective franchises. A Quiet Place, Day One was probably my favorite horror movie of the year while Red One made me laugh and have a great time with my kids. Finally, I have to mention Rebel Ridge on Netflix. This was a sleeper hit for me and probably one of Don Johnson’s best performances of his career.

Now on to you. What were your favorite films of 2024? Do you have a top ten… or five that you want to share? Please do so in the comments section below and I will be back next week for a whole new movie review. Happy New Year everyone!!!