I see a lot of movies in theaters every year. Last year, I was pretty pleased with my total of 79 trips to my local multiplex but for 2024, I set myself the goal of hitting triple-digits. Over the past 12 months, I’ve seen 105 movies in theaters, and that number will rise even higher before the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve.
Seeing more than 100 movies in theaters in a calendar year has given me a pretty good overall gauge of 2024 in film. I saw all the major blockbusters from “Deadpool & Wolverine” to “Wicked” as well as smaller indie releases and a couple of foreign flicks, too. I also endured some of the year’s low points on the silver screen, including “Madame Web” and the “Borderlands” movie.
Like any self-respecting movie buff, I keep a ranked list of everything I see in theaters each year (and there were some tough movies to place in 2024). Below you’ll find the 10 movies that had me eager to book a second screening and the 10 that had me tempted to walk out early. These are the best and worst movies of 2024 from somebody who saw a whole lot of them. And if you need more recommendations check out the top 3 Netflix movies right now.
My 10 favorite movies of 2024
Honorable mentions
Before diving into my 10 favorite movies of 2024, I wanted to give a quick nod to some honorable mentions that just failed to make the cut. “Longlegs” is a slow-burn thriller capable of sending a chill down your spine. Mikey Madison blew me away in the eponymous role of "Anora" (give her the Osca now!). Netflix's "His Three Daughters" is a tender drama that deserves far more attention and is anchored by three fantastic women. “A Different Man” features one of the best performances of the entire year from Adam Pearson, and Sebastian Stan is also phenomenal to boot. And I had a total blast watching “Wicked” and wanted to singalong far more often than I’d care to admit — yes I’ll be rewatching it in cinemas over the holiday season with family.
10. ‘Kinds of Kindness’
If you’d told me at the start of the year that “Kinds of Kindness” would make my best of 2024 list, I’d have been pretty surprised. That’s not because of the talent involved; I’ve enjoyed much of Yorgos Lanthimos’ work and the cast is stacked (Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley, yes please). Rather, I approached this black comedy with skepticism because it’s an anthology movie comprised of three separate short stories.
I typically struggle with anthology movies as I find the shift between narratives halts any momentum, and if even one of the chapters fails to connect with you that’s potentially as much as a third of the flick written off. However, “Kinds of Kindness” is a rare exception. Each of its three warped tales worked for me, and even just picking a favorite would be tough. Plus, it helps that “Kinds of Kindness” is somewhat tonally similar to Lanthimos’ 2017 flick “The Killing of a Scared Deer” which is my favorite entry in the Greek director's filmography.
Watch now on Hulu
9. ‘Conclave’
“Conclave” is a 2024 movie that I know I’m going to be recommending nonstop for years to come. The secretive process for picking a new pope might not sound like the ideal framework for a compelling mystery thriller, but it proves to be fertile ground for intrigue and strong character development. The Edward Berger movie follows a well-respected Cardinal (Ralph Fiennes) as he uncovers a web of secrets while overseeing the election of the next pope.
Fiennes is phenomenal in the lead role, playing a conflicted man of faith who is torn between duty, faith, and ambition, and the supporting cast around him is equally strong. Big kudos to Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Sergio Castellitto. Based on the best-selling Robert Harris novel of the same name, “Conclave” crackles with compelling dialogue, but it’s the tense atmosphere that sucked me in. I can't wait to rewatch this thriller over the holidays.
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8. ‘Sing Sing’
When the credits rolled on “Sing Sing”, I didn’t know whether to burst into tears of joy or stand up and applaud Colman Domingo for his awards-caliber performance. This is a prison drama with a real heart. Rather than being about gang violence or an audacious escape attempt like so much of the genre, it’s a soulful flick about a group of prisoners that find solace in a theater group that allows them to become somebody else entirely for just a moment.
The emotions are so raw in this movie that while writing this blurb I threw on the trailer to refresh my memory, and got literal chills all over again. Domingo is breathtaking in the lead role of Divine G, a wrongly convicted prisoner who operates as the group leader. But he’s matched by Clarence "Divine Eye" Maclin playing a fictionalized version of himself who is a newcomer to the group. If you need a spiritual boost then “Sing Sing” will deliver in spades.
7. ‘Juror No. 2’
If I were to rank the movies on this list based purely on entertainment factor, then “Juror No. 2” would compete for the top spot. The latest (and reportedly last) film from cinema legend Clint Eastwood, it’s a legal thriller that lacks filmmaking panache but packs an engaging premise that is well-delivered thanks to solid script work. If you need a movie that will have you absorbed from start to finish, you don’t need to look any further.
Nicholas Hoult plays a recovering alcoholic, now family man, who is selected for the jury of a high-profile murder case. Things take an uncomfortable turn when he realizes he might be responsible (inadvertently) for the crime rather than the man on trial. Toni Collette adds steely determination as the prosecutor, and J.K. Simmons is having a blast as a fellow juror. “Juror No. 2” is the sort of intelligent adult-targeting drama we don’t see as much in the theatrical space these days, but I really wish we did.
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6. ‘Hit Man’
I suspect the vast majority of people watched “Hit Man” on their televisions when it landed on Netflix over the summer, so I consider myself supremely fortunate to have seen this crime-comedy on the big screen because Glen Powell is a movie star with a capital M and films like this belong in the theater. Directed by Richard Linklater, and co-written by Linklater and Powell, it’s a movie with a little bit of everything. There’s comedy, drama, thrills and a healthy dash of romance.
Powell plays a fake contract killer working as part of a police sting operation who must adopt the hitman persona for real when he gets romantically involved with a woman in need (Adria Arjona). The chemistry between Arjona and Powell is practically off the chart, and I also love that “Hit Man” is perfectly OK with being very silly at points. The montage of Powell dressing up as various types of assassins is a scene I often rewatch when I need a quick laugh.
Watch now on Netflix
5. ‘The Substance’
I find talking about “The Substance” sort of tricky. That’s not because it’s bad. Its high placement on this list should speak to how highly I recommend it. Instead, “The Substance” is tough to talk about because it’s one of those movies that I think is best experienced when you know as little as possible before watching. I caught the dark thriller as part of a “Mystery Screening” event at my local theater, and seeing it with practically zero prior awareness only elevated its impact.
Of course, I’m aware that for many people, movie-watching time is in short supply, so if you really need to know a little more before committing, it’s a warped fable that follows a washed-up Hollywood star (played by a never-been-better Demi Moore) who takes a mysterious substance that promises to transform her into a younger, better version of herself (an also never-better Margaret Qualley), so long as she follows the rules. Spoiler: She does not.
Watch now on Mubi
4. ‘Late Night with the Devil’
The found footage format wore out its welcome in the horror genre pretty fast in the mid-2000s following the success of “Paranormal Activity,” and frankly, I always found the presentation style more limiting than immersive. However, “Late Night with the Devil” proved to me, that when used correctly, found footage can add a whole new layer of fear. This supernatural chiller is presented as an episode of a late-night talk show and things get nightmarish at a breakneck speed.
David Dastmalchian plays Jack Delroy, a Johnny Carson type, who hosts “Night Owls”. To boost the rating for the struggling chat show the charismatic presenter invites a supposed possessed girl onto the set, and well, let’s just say that things go south. The building sense of dread is almost palatable in “Late Night with the Devil,” and Dastmalchian is excellent in the lead role. There’s also more occurring behind the scenes here than you might expect, and I enjoyed the movie’s willingness to give us a peak beyond the cameras.
Watch now on Hulu
3. ‘Alien: Romulus’
First, I must clarify that I’m extremely biased toward “Alien: Romulus." The “Alien” franchise is my favorite in all of cinema, so even the bad “Alien” movies (yes, I’m talking about you, “Alien Covenant”) are still pretty good in my books. But even when trying to look beyond my fandom, I still think “Alien: Romulus” is a legacy sequel done right. I watched this one four times in theaters, and have seen it twice more on streaming, and I’m already planning my next rewatch. That’s a sign that “Alien: Romulus” understands the franchise.
Even as a superfan, I can acknowledge director Fede Álvarez overindulgence in fanservice (and the inclusion of a deepfake Ian Holm was unwise), but I can forgive a few corny callbacks when practically everything else is awesome. Newcomers Caille Spaeny and David Jonsson prove to be capable of carrying the weight of this iconic franchise, and finally, the Xenomorph has been made scary again. Plus, the production design is immaculate (I adore the nods to Alien: Isolation), and the ambitious finale takes a big swing and lands.
Watch now on Hulu
2. ‘Challengers’
Sappy romantic drama “We Live in Time” recently proved that a nonlinear narrative can do more harm than good, but “Challengers” is an example of the structure being used to great effect. This sports drama set in the world of professional tennis has no right to be this compelling. And a large part of the reason it grips you right from the very first serve is that its layers are slowly peeled away as we zip about the timeline learning more about the core trio.
And what a central trio. Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist have enough chemistry that it’s advisable to wear safety goggles while watching. Though prepare for them to steam up quite a bit as director Luca Guadagnino’s trademark raw sexual energy can be felt in almost every frame of “Challengers." Credit to the Italian filmmaker too for some widely inventive shots, most prominently a final act rally where the camera becomes the tennis ball pinging over the net. The fact that “Challengers” is being ignored this awards season is a true outrage.
Watch now on Prime Video
1. ‘Dune Part Two’
I’m not going to win any points for originality for selecting “Dune Part Two” as my favorite movie of 2024, but sometimes the frontrunner deserves its place at the top of the pack. A great testament to just how riveting I found this sci-fi epic is that I first saw it at a midnight screening, mere hours before catching an overseas flight, and having worked all day beforehand. My eyelids felt heavy before the trailers had finished, but moments later, I was wide awake. Denis Villeneuve’s sequel demanded my attention from the first, truly stunning, moment, and my exhaustion was a nonfactor for the next two and a half hours.
“Dune Part Two” is one of those rare movies that gets so much right it’s sort of hard to know where to begin (especially when you’re trying to offer a concise write-up). The cast list is truly stacked, and everybody brings their A-game (big shouts to Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson and Austin Butler), but what really captivated me throughout this second chapter of Villeneuve’s “Dune” saga is the massive scale. Recently, Hollywood blockbusters feel increasingly small in scope — often due to an over-reliance on CGI that makes everything feel glossy and fake — but “Dune Part Two” doesn’t have that problem. It really does feel like being transported to a new world and then swept up in an enthralling tale stuffed with drama, excitement, adventure and high-stakes revelations.
Watch now on Max
10 worst movies of 2024
Dishonorable mentions
There were plenty of awful movies in 2024 as well. Before listing the worst of the worst, here are some dishonorable mentions that should also be avoided. “Terrfier 3” wasn’t for me...at all (I explained why here). “Tarot” was an utterly forgettable teen horror that I'm struggling to remember anything about. “Red One” was an overbudgeted blockbuster lacking heart. “Drive-Away Dolls” was too inconsistent for its own good. And “Uglies”... well I didn’t actually see this one in theaters, I watched it on Netflix, but it’s so bad, I felt compelled to warn you to avoid it at all costs. Only a technicality keeps it from my worst list.
10. ‘The Crow'
Remaking "The Crow" seemed like an ill-fated idea from the very start. The '90s cult classic is very much a product of its era, and with lead actor Brandon Lee tragically losing his life on set after an accident involving a prop gun, it's taken on a macabre mythical status with many fans. But unsurprisingly that didn't stop the Hollywood machine, and after years in development purgatory, in August this new spin on "The Crow" took flight, and quickly flamed out.
Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twig play the lead roles of doomed lovers, and there's just one problem: They have zero on-screen chemistry. This is a major issue when the entire movie hangs on Eric Draven's (Skarsgård) quest for revenge in the wake of a grim tragedy. It also takes a ludicrously long time for Draven to earn the eponymous moniker and become a vengeful anti-hero. A gleefully violent action sequence within an opera house offers a brief reprieve from the somber tone, but it's not enough to save this completely pointless remake.
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9. ‘Imaginary’
It’s hard to take a horror movie seriously when the antagonist is a stuffed bear named Chauncey. Of course, “Imaginary” could have gone the horror-comedy route in a similar vein to the classic “Child’s Play” franchise or more modern efforts like “M3GAN” but instead this frustratingly bland supernatural horror plays things bizarrely safe. The spooks never moving beyond jump scares is another missed opportunity. Frankly, I've seen more frightful kid’s movies.
“Imaginary” follows a woman named Jessica (DeWanda Wise) who moves back to her childhood home with her new husband (Tom Payne) and stepdaughters. Once there an imaginary friend from her youth resurfaces, and you can probably predict where things go next. While there is nothing egregiously bad about this Jeff Wadlow-helmed time-waster “Imaginary”’s biggest crime is that it’s so forgettable it barely registers just hours later.
Watch now on Starz
8. ‘The Watchers’
Ishana Night Shyamalan, daughter of M. Night Shyamalan (who serves as a producer on this movie), clearly took some filmmaking lessons from dear old dad. The only problem is that “The Watchers” packs all the worst traits of Shyamalan’s divisive school of directing. Namely, the entire movie is constructed around a predictable twist that I suspect most viewers will figure out within the first third of the movie’s 100-minute runtime.
With the shock of the movie’s narrative wrinkle removed, “The Watcher” has practically nothing else to offer viewers. The somber tone doesn’t add to the atmosphere, it just makes the whole thing feel monotonous, and a very wooden performance from Dakota Fanning doesn’t help matters either. I don’t want to bash a first-time director too much, but I hope that if Ishana Night Shyamalan steps behind the camera again she will seek to break beyond her father’s shadow because frankly, M. Night’s record is so spotty it makes for poor inspiration.
Watch now on Max
7. ‘Borderlands’
A calamitous box office bomb, and an unwelcome throwback to the era of awful video game adaptation, “Borderlands” was the internet’s punching bag for much of the summer movie season. Heck, here at Tom’s Guide we got in a few jabs ourselves, with staff writer Martin Shore giving it a one-star review and labeling it a “mess”. But you know what, I don’t think it’s as unwatchable as its reputation would suggest. I even wrote an op-ed offering a very lukewarm rebuttal to the claims it was one of the worst movies ever made.
I do think it’s a bad movie (it’s made No. 7 on my worst-of-the-year list after all), but I found a few flecks of fun in this zany action-comedy. However, the flaws are apparent, and several of them verge on fatal. The biggest is that pretty much the entire cast is wrong for their roles — Kevin Hart as gruff soldier Roland is a choice — also the sanitized PG-13 tone doesn’t fit the Borderland universe, and the narrative is flimsy at best. Franky, there are very few reasons to watch this poor action flick, but worst movie of all time material? Not for me.
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6. ‘Night Swim’
“Night Swim” is a horror movie about a haunted swimming pool that proceeds to have zero fun with such a ludicrously stupid idea. This should have been a tongue-in-cheek horror that constantly pokes fun at its own ridiculousness, but writer/director Bryce McGuire opts for a more straight-laced approach instead. This decision results in a stilled horror movie that lacks scares, tension, atmosphere, or pretty much anything to keep audiences interested.
You’re probably thinking that escaping a haunting swimming pool would be fairly straightforward (you just get out of the pool…), but “Night Swim” goes to farcical lengths to keep its cast bobbing around the murky waters for a painstakingly dull 98 minutes. Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon are much better than the material they are presented with here, and even almost a year later (this one hit theaters in January 2024), I still cannot get over the movie’s refusal to have fun with the idea of an evil backyard pool.
Watch now on Prime Video
5. ‘Madame Web’
“Madame Web” is another big-budget bomb that took a serious beating on social media. And while it wasn’t the worst effort that Sony’s interconnected comic book universe had to offer this year (we’ll get to that shortly), it was still pretty darn horrendous. I’d go as far as to say it makes “Moribious” look pretty good in comparison. However, it feels unfair to lay all the blame at the feet of director S. J. Clarkson as “Madame Web” displays all the hallmarks of intense studio interference.
The entire movie borders on incoherent with scenes that appear to have been chopped up in the editing room and some of the worst ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) I’ve ever seen in a Hollywood blockbuster. Things aren’t helped by Dakota Johnson’s ill-fitting performance as lead Cassandra Webb. Her deadpan delivery clashes with the rest of the cast, and stands in stark contrast to villain Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim) whose performance borders on pantomime-levels of subtly. But at least we got some funny memes from this one.
Watch now on Netflix
4. ‘Venom: The Last Dance’
I have never cared for the “Venom” movies so I approached “The Last Dance” with virtually no expectations, and still came away feeling like it had failed to reach them. Billed as the final installment in the franchise (for now at least), “Venom: The Last Dance” is less a fond farewell and more an unwelcome reminder that the comic book movie genre has fallen off a cliff quality-wise in the last four years. At least Sony has iced its cinematic universe now, so there's a silver lining.
If you like messy CGI effects, a generic narrative that revolves around hunting for a meaningless McGuffin, and dialogue so excruciatingly painful that I actually winced numerous times, then perhaps you’ll have some fun with “Venom: The Last Dance”, but otherwise skip this one. Even a very committed Tom Hardy can’t save this superhero stinker. In fact, Hardy’s overeager performance only adds to the sheer awfulness and you'll wish he'd tone it down. A truly miserable trilogy closer.
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3. ‘Argylle’
All the movies listed above are bad, but at least most of them have the good sense to conclude within less than two hours, but not “Argylle”. This spy-flavored action-comedy clocks in 140 minutes long, and it feels every single second of its bloated runtime. To be frank, this movie was always facing an uphill battle to win my affection. I never connected with Matthew Vaughn’s “Kingsman” franchise, and “Argylle” is the same shtick but worst in every department. The reasonably likable characters and well-crafted action are gone, but the cheesy comedy, poor narrative construction and oversaturated color pallet have been retained and expanded.
I also feel it’s important to call out how misleading the movie’s marketing was. Henry Cavill was placed front of center (with popstar Dua Lipa also often showcased alongside him), but both barely feature, the real stars are Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell. Both are fine but lacking charm. Even a supporting cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Bryan Cranston and Catherine O’Hara can’t save this messy blockbuster that reportedly cost $200 million and grossed less than half.
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2. ‘Afraid’
I suppose there’s something ironic about “Afraid”. This cautionary tale about the dangers of AI feels very much like it could have been written by a computer program instead of a human being. Playing out like the worst episode of “Black Mirror” ever made (which is really saying something as Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi anthology has dropped a couple of clankers of its own), “Afraid” is pretty much only good for a few laughs at the movie’s expense as it muddles its way through cliche social commentary that is on the nose it feels almost intentionally bad.
At least “Afraid” runs a mere 84 minutes (including credits), but even this saving grace isn’t enough to save the movie from earning a deserved spot on this list. John Cho and Katherine Waterson labor through some awful material with dialogue that had me clutching my face in second-hand embarrassment (one character actually uses the word “woke” at one point...). The only thing scary about “Afraid” is that I wasted a whole evening watching it in my local cinema.
Watch now on Netflix
1. ‘Megalopolis’
When it comes to movies, I have one very strict rule: I finish once I’ve started. I have only walked out of a movie before the credits rolled once (and on that occasion it wasn’t because of the movie’s quality), but “Megalopolis” seriously tested my resolve. Sitting through this incomprehensibly awful slop, I couldn’t help but imagine all the better things I could be doing with my time, and the exit door looked extremely appealing. Out of a sense of stubbornness, and feeling that I couldn’t fairly rank this movie as the worst of the year without seeing it through to the end, I stuck around. And frankly, I probably should have just walked out sooner.
“Megalopolis” is a complete and utter mess. Apparently, there’s a plotline about an architect named Cesar (Adam Driver) trying to create a perfect society named Megalopolis but that’s news to me because the movie I watched presented me with indecipherable nonsense. The cast is universally terrible — bar Aubrey Plaza who is seemingly aware she’s in hot garbage and plays to the cheap seats — and the self-satisfied message feels tacky and frankly condescending. It’s the movie equivalent of that time Gal Gadot and her celebrity pals sang “Imagine." Francis Ford Coppola is a masterful director, but what was he thinking here?
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