Top 10 Favorite Movies of 2024
2024's movie season has come to a close with some true bangers releasing throughout the year! Horror movies in particular had an amazing year of creative releases as superhero films took a bit of a hiatus after dominating most years in recent times. Of course, I have not seen every film that released in the year of 2024 but I saw all of the biggest ones that stuck out to me that I wanted to see and with that I currently feel comfortable making this list of my personal top 10 favorite movies of 2024. Not everyone has to agree with my ranking, and I'm not saying that these movies are definitively the best and most well made movies of the year; however, these are my personal favorites that I was impressed with and had a great time watching last year!
Honorable Mention: Frogman
I started the year off with a found footage movie about a cryptid I'd only recently learned of! Frogman was a great modern entry into the found footage genre, and really made the most of its take on the Frogman legend! I had an absolute blast watching this movie, seeing Frogman, and losing it when he busted out his wand! While it did not make the top 10 I still had to mention it honorably.10. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The Planet of the Apes franchise made its return, though it had high expectations after the masterpiece that was War for the Planet of the Apes. Kingdom was a great film to start off a new trilogy, with the astounding CGI these films are lauded for, a unique cast of simian characters, and a compelling spread of world building in the post-War world!9. Furiosa
The last time we got a Mad Max film was in a year that we saw Dawn of the Planet of the Apes released, so seeing the two franchises released in the same year again was a cosmic coincidence. Furiosa was another adrenaline filled bumper car race that does not surpass Fury Road but comes close. Chris Hemsworth gives a splendid performance as Dementus, with Anya Taylor Joy stealing the show as a younger Furiosa whose life plays out in a whirlwind of oil and madness befitting a true Mad Max film entry.8. Speak No Evil
Evidently a remake of a film that only released in the last couple of years, Speak no Evil with James McAvoy was easily the most tense movie I saw this year as the strangling uncertainty of what was going to happen next and when the needle was going to drop had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation and anxiety. Then when things really took off the movie maintained its energy and uncomfortable atmosphere, with McAvoy in particular giving an unbelievable performance.7. Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey 2
While the first Blood and Honey film was fun but objectively bad, I found myself extremely surprised by Blood and Honey 2! It was an amazingly entertaining film (Pooh's beartrap scene will forever live rent free in my head) with Owl and Tigger joining the cast to much fanfare. Not only was it endless fun, but was actually not half bad with a story and character work with true effort put into it! The Poohniverse's truly kicked off with this film, and now, "it's Poohing time."6. Trap
Another extremely tense movie that came out was Trap, a great Shyamalan film that kept me enthralled with its unique premise and constant twists and turns. It was so interesting seeing all the ways that the main character kept avoiding capture and talking his way out of situations, but at the same time so frustrating seeing them not be able to catch him again and again! Then when they actually left the concert I had no idea which direction the movie was taking at that point, and a movie that keeps me guessing is few and far between these days.5. Late Night with the Devil
Early on in the year we got Late Night with the Devil, another found footage style movie done in the style of a talk show broadcast. This is one that had me creeped out and uncomfortable trying to fall asleep that night, with truly great scenes of horror and creepy imagery. Not to mention this movie is chocked with talent and memorable characters, namely Dastmalchian's principle character that truly proves that the actor needs higher caliber roles with the talent he displayed here. The last broadcast of Night Owls with Jack Delroy is not to be missed!4. In a Violent Nature
The reign of horror films this year also included In A Violent Nature, an extremely unique and captivating slasher film filmed from the third person perspective of an 80s slasher villain! With a cold, vacuum sealed atmosphere and a litany of brutal kills befitting slasher films, I loved seeing the flip side of the 80s slasher films where we're always wondering what the slow moving, speechless killer is doing when they aren't on screen and this movie nailed it in such an authentic fashion.3. Infested
Taking the third spot on this list is a French film that I saw in my local Alamo theater that is easily the greatest spider horror film I've ever seen. It is every shudder, scare, and discomfort with spiders imagined in full as the creepy crawlers take over an apartment complex. It feels all to real, claustrophobic, and shiver inducing seeing the spiders in this film as they stalk the characters. The soundtrack of the movie is an intense and very catchy one, with some great characters developed throughout, and again...the spiders were completely and utterly too real, even when they were growing exponentially.2. The Wild Robot
I went into The Wild Robot expecting it to be a fun, cute, and expectedly heart warming animated film but what I was not prepared for was the absolutely tears this movie drenched up with its emotional plot about family and fitting in. I absolutely and endlessly love this movie and the principle character of Roz, and seeing the journey she went on and the family she acquired along the way, with multiple scenes throughout the movie welling my eyes with how touching and sweet things played out. The animation won't go unmentioned either as it is stunning to look at, and it wasn't until after the movie that I found out it was based on a book series which I immediately sought out! If ever there was an animated film to serve as evidence that Pixar is no longer the top dog of animated films anymore, it is this one.1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3
I thought it was impossible. I walked out of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 thinking that the Sonic movies had peaked with that one and its perfection, and that the Sonic films could not get better, and then Sonic the Hedgehog 3 released and oh my. I've seen this movie multiple times in theater and it got better each time. This movie is unequivocally everything when it comes to the Sonic franchise, and the most fun and entertaining movie I saw this year. Shadow is an edgy menace that dominates whenever he is one screen, and his final battle with Sonic is beyond epic, not to mention his iconic backstory which hit especially hard in the heart this time around. Jim Carrey's Robotnik, both of them, was the undisputed scene stealer. Ivo and Gerald's chemistry is perfect and I honestly will say that at this point I believe Carrey has made Robotnik into the greatest role of his career. The loooong post credit scene for the fourth film blew me away as well, though it will be difficult to top the literal perfection that this film achieved. However, I said the same thing about Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and with that, the third film taught me to Live and Learn.
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