It’s fair to say the 2020s have been a difficult decade for cinema. We may only be four years in, but between the pandemic, strikes, studio shake-ups, mismanagement and miscalculations, ever-changing viewing habits, reduced theatrical windows, cancelled movies, crap movies, over hyped movies, and the rise and wobble of streaming services, the film industry is a bit all over the place.
The yearly release schedule is constantly in flux; movies that once seemed sure-fire hits either struggle at the box office or divide fan opinion; and we are seeing fewer and fewer bankable stars. There is also the pressing problem of a barrage of mediocre movies cropping up too frequently on subscription platforms, giving the impression films aren’t as good as they used to be.
But for the record, there are plenty of great movies every year, audiences simply need to seek them out. I know it might not always seem that way, but I promise you, they are there and I’ll highlight plenty in due course.
Now that said, audiences have had to look a little harder in 2024. At times, this past year hasn’t been the greatest.
Things started off well, but thanks to last year’s strikes the offerings became a bit sparse during the back-half of the year. However, 2024 still delivered a lot of new movies, some were enjoyable, while others were thoroughly entertaining.
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January to April
As is always customary, the year began with a mix of movies that were either completely new for 2024, or were new to the UK for 2024 (i.e. they were stragglers that may have been released in other parts of the world in 2023).
The first big movie to arrive (and a movie that also made it into my Top Ten of the year) was Society of the Snow – the Spanish-language drama which told the real-life story of the Andes flight disaster. Released on Netflix in January, the film detailed the events surrounding Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed into the Andes Mountains on October 13th 1972.
Depicting the terrifying crash in all its brutal realism, Society of the Snow highlighted the full horror of the incident. It exposed the seemingly hopeless nature of the disaster, and brought audiences as close as possible to the harsh reality the survivors faced.
Describing the movie, I said: “…whether you’re familiar with this story or not, I urge you to watch Society of the Snow. This is a compelling take on the disaster, which is gripping from start to finish.”
Joining Society of the Snow at the top of the year was the enjoyable but frankly nonsense Jason Statham actioner, The Beekeeper; the delightful and surprisingly entertaining musical-comedy, Mean Girls; and the not-amazing-but-perfectly-acceptable animated romp, Migration. Other notable films included Poor Things, The Color Purple, Good Grief, and Maboroshi.
And then, just as January came to an end, Netflix served up another treat in the form of the music documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop. Directed by Bao Nguyen, the docu-film showcased a wealth of archive material from the 1980s, featuring some of the greatest singers of all-time, and charted the events surrounding the recording of music milestone, ‘We Are the World’.
Part nostalgia ride, part window into a unique moment in time (never to be repeated), The Greatest Night in Pop is another one of my picks of the year. The docu-film crams in so much priceless footage from the ‘80s, featuring the likes of Michael Jackson, Lionel Ritchie, Cyndi Lauper, and Stevie Wonder, that it is a pure joy from start to finish.
Moving into February, and the second month of the year saw the arrival of films including Orion and the Dark, Kill Me If You Dare, Players, Lisa Frankenstein, and Night Swim. Meanwhile, The Dune saga continued with Dune: Part II; the Nicholas Winton story was explored in One Life; and Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell got together in the rom-com, Anyone But You.
February also saw the UK release of the excellent biographical sports drama, The Iron Claw. Released in the US in December 2023, but making its way to the UK in 2024, The Iron Claw told the story of real-life professional wrestler, Kevin Von Erich, and featured a cast which included Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Lily James.
And yep, you guessed it, The Iron Claw is another top pick for me. The film is an impactful and emotive piece, with great performances and a compelling story, and if you didn’t catch it earlier in the year, be sure to seek it out.
Slipping into March and April and new films included Spaceman, Ricky Stanicky, Damsel, Imaginary, Late Night with the Devil, Next Goal Wins, Música, and Scoop. Meanwhile, Road House received a remake; Dev Patel kicked ass in Monkey Man; and religious horror became all the rage in Immaculate as well as the similarly themed The First Omen.
The Ghostbusters strapped on their proton packs for ‘iffy’ results in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal headlined the emotional All of Us Strangers; and Kirsten Dunst starred in dystopian thriller, Civil War. Written and directed by Alex Garland, the movie followed a team of journalists as they travelled across the US in the midst of a country-dividing conflict.
Other films on offer during this period included big budget monster flick, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; romantic fantasy, The Greatest Hits; and sci-fi sequel, Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver. Then there was Abigail, The Beautiful Game, Bob Marley: One Love, and the excellent Olivia Colman/Jessie Buckley comedy-drama, Wicked Little Letters.
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May to August
Into the summer season now, and there were new entries for some big franchises between May and August, including the enjoyable Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; the fun Bad Boys: Ride or Die; the tip-top A Quiet Place: Day One; the surprisingly good Twisters; the likeable Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F; the strong Inside Out 2; the wickedly dark MaXXXine; and the ‘yeah, it’s fine’ Alien: Romulus. Meanwhile, Jim Davis’ lasagne-lovin’ cat took to the big screen in the animated children’s film, The Garfield Movie; Channing Tatum and Scarlet Johansson teamed up in the likeable Fly Me to the Moon; and Pop-Tarts (yes, Pop Tarts!) became the focus of Unfrosted.
Director George Miller also took the opportunity to return to his old stomping ground with his fifth entry in the Mad Max series, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Set before the events of 2015’s Fury Road, the film focused on the titular Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) and her dealings with the warlord, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth).
Reviewing the movie earlier in the year I described Furiosa as “an accomplished picture with a lot to like.” I also said: “The film features some great performances, superb stunts, and it keeps up that all-important Mad Max tradition: It’s not shit.”
Other critics agreed, and the film got many great write-ups. However, this didn’t encourage audiences to pop out and see the film, and sadly Furiosa struggled at the box office, becoming a notable and unfortunate casualty of the year.
Another one of the more enjoyable films of the blockbuster season was The Fall Guy. Based on the ‘80s TV show of the same name, the movie starred Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt and followed the story of a stuntman who gets caught up in an adventure-mystery.
Directed by David Leitch, The Fall Guy received positive reviews from critics, including four stars (out of five) from me. Unfortunately, as with Furiosa, audiences didn’t show up to support The Fall Guy and it also underperformed at the box office.
However, audiences did show up to support another fun summer blockbuster – the Marvel Studios movie, Deadpool & Wolverine. Starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, Deadpool & Wolverine was one of the big success stories of 2024, taking over $1.3 billion worldwide during its theatrical run.
Sure, it was somewhat disposable stuff, but it was enjoyable, with Reynolds and Jackman on fine form and plenty of in-jokes and cameos for long-time Marvel fans. Reynolds and Jackman also embarked on a pretty sizeable marketing push, which saw them popping up all over the world, and many of their social media posts were a heap of fun during the summer.
As with last year’s Barbie, Deadpool & Wolverine also brought people out of the house and into cinemas for solo showings, family outings, and group gatherings. This made Deadpool & Wolverine more than just another superhero movie, it became a feel-good event.
Due to the film’s success, Deadpool & Wolverine hung around in cinemas for some time too – a rarity these days. Even once it made the jump to Disney+ for home viewing, audiences could still (just about) catch Deadpool & Wolverine on the big screen, giving the film even more prominence as one of the more sizeable hits of the year.
Outside of Deadpool & Wolverine, other movies released during the summer included Boy Kills World, Thelma the Unicorn, My Oni Girl, Sting, The Bikeriders, Longlegs, In a Violent Nature, Cuckoo, and the much-derided, but passable kids’ film, Harold and the Purple Crayon. Meanwhile, J.Lo appeared in sci-fi action movie, Atlas; Josh Hartnett impressed in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap; and Zendaya demonstrated excellent ball control in the sizzling tennis picture, Challengers.
In addition to the above, a number of docu-films were also doing the rounds including Jim Henson: Idea Man, Remembering Gene Wilder, I Am: Celine Dion, and Black Barbie.
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September to December
Moving into the final four months of the year, and with September essentially kicking off the spooky season, horror and dark thrillers became the order of the month. Key pictures included The Deliverance, Speak No Evil, Blink Twice, Strange Darling, and the long-awaited Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
The horror then continued in October with Hold Your Breath, Salem’s Lot, The Substance, Mr Crocket, Terrifier 3, Daddy’s Head, Outside, Smile 2, and the superb Heretic.
Starring Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher, and Hugh Grant, Heretic followed the story of two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Paxton and Sister Barnes, who find themselves in a dire situation when they arrive at the home of Mr. Reed. The seemingly ordinary man is not quite who he appears to be, and this is something the Sisters discover once they step inside his home.
Other movies doing the rounds during this period included It’s What’s Inside, Transformers One, Woman of the Hour, Venom: The Last Dance, and Don’t Move. Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga also teamed up for the not necessary, but not-as-bad as some would have you believe, comic book sequel, Joker: Folie à Deux.
Meanwhile docu-films included Will & Harper, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, and Music by John Williams.
As the year began to wind down, a steady stream of blockbusters were launched at the big screen to send the year out with a bang. November and December saw Juror #2, Paddington in Peru, Gladiator II, Moana 2, Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Mufasa: The Lion King, while streaming got Spellbound, Joy, Doc of Chucky, and the wonderful, Out of My Mind.
And then there was the highly anticipated Wicked: Part I, the first in a two-part adaptation of the stage show of the same name. Featuring excellent performances from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, Wicked: Part I proved to be a great, late addition to the year and a mega-hit for a musical.
The film grossed over $164 million during its opening weekend alone, becoming the first musical to achieve this feat. The positive response to the movie from you, I, and everyone in between, will also mean Wicked: Part I will have legs over the festive period and as we slip into 2025 there will be a lot of excitement and buzz for Part II (which has recently been re-titled, Wicked: For Good).
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Best and worst films of the year
As with every year, 2024 served up some excellent films, and some not-so excellent films. I’ll get to my Top Ten in a moment, but let’s get the dross out of the way first.
This year’s stinkers included the misjudged spy-comedy Argylle; the much derided but frankly just boring Spider-Man spin-off, Madame Web; and the truly dire Netflix film, Uglies. Meanwhile, Woody Woodpecker went to camp in the rubbish (but appropriately titled) Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp; Liam Hemsworth and Laura Dern sent audiences to sleep in the snooze-inducing Lonely Planet; and The Strangers series received an unnecessary reboot in The Strangers: Chapter 1 – the first entry in a new trilogy nobody asked for.
Other lacklustre, mishandled, or simply poor films included the muddled IF; the generic Borderlands; the awful Crow reboot; the rubbish Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2; the half-cooked Time Cut; the patchy Baghead; the pointless Apartment 7A; the weak Tarot; the tiresome AfrAId; and the cash-strapped Hellboy: The Crooked Man. And then there was the dire Kraven the Hunter, as well as the terrible Christmas movie, Red One, which cost $250 million to produce and was not worth a single dime.
Boasting a cast including Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, and Lucy Liu, Red One was a complete turkey. If you missed it on the big screen, count yourself lucky, and do yourself a favour and avoid it now it is available on streaming.
As for the worst film of the year, that went to the utterly abysmal Megalopolis. Having been in development for decades, and costing over $120 million to make, Megalopolis was both a waste of time and a waste of money, and played out like an incomprehensible vanity project that simply shouldn’t have been given the time of day.
I’ve seen some utter drivel over the years, but this one took the biscuit. Megalopolis was by far one of the worst films in recent times, and no one came out of it looking good.
So, yeah, some trash could be found in 2024, but there was also some nuggets of gold, as well as some very enjoyable pictures too. For those who are seeking out some of the better offerings, here is my Top Ten of 2024:
- 10) Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
- 09) The Zone of Interest
- 08) Deadpool & Wolverine
- 07) Wicked: Part I
- 06) Society of the Snow
- 05) All of Us Strangers
- 04) Heretic
- 03) The Greatest Night in Pop
- 02) The Iron Claw
- 01) The Wild Robot
Taking the top spot on my list is the animated movie, The Wild Robot. Released in September, this brilliant picture, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Peter Brown, followed the story of a service robot who unexpectedly became the adoptive mother of a gosling.
As you can imagine, this odd pairing provided the big screen with a captivating tale of parenthood. It was delightful and emotive, as well as just ruddy marvellous, and if you’ve let The Wild Robot slip you by so far, rectify this situation at your earliest convenience.
In my review of The Wild Robot, I referred to the movie as “easily one of the best animated films of 2024, and arguably one of the best films of the year.” I said: “I can’t express enough just how beautiful, heartfelt, and gosh darn special this picture is.”
And for those interested, films that sat just outside my Top Ten include Paddington in Peru, Woman of the Hour, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Wicked Little Letters, Challengers, The Fall Guy, Abigail, Immaculate, Fly Me to the Moon, Civil War, and Out of My Mind. If you’re looking for something to watch over the festive season, I’d recommended seeking out these titles, as well as all the movies in my Top Ten.
I’d also suggest you look out for Blink Twice, Speak No Evil, and Mean Girls, and toss Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes into the mix too. And be sure to find room for Music by John Williams (it’s streaming on Disney+), as it is perfect viewing for a lazy Boxing Day afternoon with a glass of wine and half a cheese board.
Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, many movies reached anniversary milestones this year including The Parallax View and The Towering Inferno (50th anniversary); The Terminator and A Nightmare on Elm Street (40th anniversary); The Mask and Speed (30th anniversary); and Star Wars: Episode One – The Phantom Menace (25th anniversary); while The Blair Witch Project, The Hitcher, and Single White Female got swanky new physical media releases. So, if you feel like revisiting an old favourite, maybe you can raise a glass and squeeze one or two of these in before the fireworks go off on New Year’s Eve.
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That was the year that was
So, when all is said and done, was 2024 a good year, a bad year, or something in between? Well, for me 2024 was OK and had the usual fair share of highs and lows, but the impact of the 2023 strikes was certainly felt.
The year started off strong with all the Oscar contenders popping up left, right, and centre, but as time went on there was a few dips in the release schedule. The summer season in particular seemed less than spectacular, despite offering up a selection of good films.
Although there were a number of enjoyable pictures, summer 2024 came and went without the usual fanfare or excitement. Movies opened, they closed, and few seemed particularly impactful.
There was also a great deal of mediocrity in 2024, in large part thanks to streaming services, including Netflix. While Netflix did serve up some top tier stuff, including The Greatest Night in Pop and Society of the Snow, two films in my Top Ten, it also delivered too much mid-level dross.
The constant conveyor belt of bland offerings got exhausting and Netflix really needs to up its game. And this goes for other streaming services too.
Too many streamers delivered subpar offerings, while at the same time increased subscription fees, clamped down on password sharing, and crammed adverts into movies! As a result, many of the services became less attractive than they once were, and while they may still offer value for money, the offering is getting less appealing as time goes on.
And this leads me onto an important point, or rather a bit of advice for those finding themselves fed up of seeing dull films on Netflix etc: Switch things up! Please, switch things up.
If you regularly subscribe to a couple of streaming services, that’s how you get your movies but you’re getting a bit bored, consider alternating to other services at regular intervals. Go on, try it for 2025.
None of the streaming services have fixed-term contracts which lock you in for a year (yet), so you should subscribe and cancel as you see fit. Don’t pay for multiple streamers every month, just stick with one at a time, but move around, and save some cash!
Subscribe to Netflix one month, Disney+ another, then move onto NOW on month three, etc. Along the way, take advantage of free trials or taster promotions to try out Apple TV+, Shudder, and Paramount+, or whatever takes your fancy.
Then with the money you’ve saved, use it to rent a couple of the latest releases – you know, like we used to do back in the video shop days. Don’t wait for something to pop-up on Netflix (not everything does) or Disney+ (not everything appears there either), expand your viewing experience instead.
Pick things you really want to see, or titles that have been recommended to you. Rent them and make a night of it (pizza is always a great accompaniment).
We all used to nip to Blockbuster or HMV to choose what WE wanted to watch, but in recent years something has gone wrong and now we let the streamers show us what THEY want us to see. This isn’t working for me, and I doubt it’s working for you.
Don’t just watch what the streaming services and algorithms are sending your way. Be less passive and more active in your viewing habits, and thank yourself for it later.
I also recommend you find a film critic you trust, and let them keep you up to date with the latest releases so you know what is out. It can be an A-lister from one of them fancy-fancy publications, or it can be an old hack like me from some tin-pot corner of the interweb; but find someone you can stomach and see what they have to say.
You don’t have to agree with our opinions all the time, in fact feel free to disagree where necessary, but let us help you find stuff to watch. Remember, a film critic’s job isn’t just to tell you what’s hot and what’s not, it is also to make you aware of what’s on offer so you can pick and choose as you please.
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Until next time
And with that, it’s time to sign off for 2024. Thanks for joining me for another round-up of the year’s films, I do hope you’re still awake/alive.
Thank you also for dropping by at various points throughout 2024 to read this year’s reviews. Your company is most welcome and is always valued.
Blogging is a precarious pursuit at present, thanks to various Google updates causing significant engagement issues and a downfall in traffic, so any support is greatly appreciated. A click here or a share there is always regarded as valuable support.
Also be sure to support the films you like. This way you are more likely to see more of what you want and less of what you don’t.
Anyway, enjoy the festivities – you deserve a break and maybe a glass of holiday cheer. Oh, and let’s do this all again in 2025, where you can expect to see new movie reviews for films including…
…Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Captain America: Brave New World, Karate Kid: Legends, The Running Man, Zootopia 2, The Bride!, Snow White, Predator: Badlands, Freakier Friday, Michael, Tron: Ares, Avatar: Fire and Ash, The Black Phone 2, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, The Conjuring: Last Rites, and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. Plus, Tom Cruise will return for (the newly retitled) Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning; Marvel unveils Thunderbolts*; DC reboots the Superman movies with… er… Superman; and there will be more magic and music in the concluding instalment in the Wicked saga, with the highly anticipated release of Wicked: For Good.
Oh, and if all that wasn’t enough, there’s A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Elio, 28 Years Later, M3GAN 2.0, Jurassic World Rebirth, Saw XI, Mortal Kombat 2, and much, much more. So, yeah, plenty of films to look out for.
Anyway, until next time, have a great end to this year, and a marvellous start to the new one,
Alex
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Thank you for taking the time to read this review on It’s A Stampede!. For more reviews, check out the recommended reads below.
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