There were a good number of films released in 2024 and in this list I go over the top ten picks from the year.

This list was somewhat more difficult to put together than I anticipated, likely due to the fact that this year was somewhat a dud in terms on film. Therefore the list is a comparative one – just because a film ended up in the top 10 does not necessarily mean I believe it to be fantastic. It was just better than some of the other options we had.

Honestly, I would put the Interstellar re-release in first place if I could – but I don’t think that really counts….

That said, I did quite enjoy a good number of the films we got this year.

Let’s get into it!

10. Cabrini

While this film was in many ways very disappointing, it still made the list due to the story which it tells. The main issue I had was that film as a whole was longer than it needed to be and rather poorly paced. Some parts went on way too long and other moments were glossed over. But I was glad to see this story brought to the big screen, even if I very much wished that it had been much better made.

9. War of the Rohirrim

This new installment in what is potentially the most popular and iconic fantasy movie franchise proved itself to be a major and frustrating disappointment, proving yet again that sequels and franchise films are not the way to go. The only parts of this that were any good at all was the voice acting (for the most part) and the music – but the animation and story were terrible. The film as a whole was pretty terrible and definitely does not hold even the spark of a candle to the works of Tolkien, or even the films by Peter Jackson.

8. Gladiator II

This was not a terrible movie in and of itself – although the plot got a bit convoluted at times – it certainly had some good moments and definitely did exceed the expectations I had for it (which, to be fair, were extremely low.) But Gladiator II, did not succeed as a sequel to the original. It could have been a decent enough film if Gladiator had not existed – but as it is, it merely pales in comparison.

7. Deadpool & Wolverine

Deadpool and Wolverine was not bad. It was a good Marvel movie. Like the two Deadpool movies before it, the action was carried out very well, and the humor was actually funny – for the most part. But the plot suffered tremendously at the hands of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And yet, despite this movie assuming you have seen all the other content which Marvel has released in the past 30 years, it still felt like the majority of this movie’s runtime was consumed by exposition.

6. Dune: Part Two

My problem with the Dune movies is not that they failed as adaptations – I don’t know if they did, and I don’t really care. The issue I have is with the storytelling. I’m fine with watching a long film but its length must be necessary and I must be invested enough in the story to sit through that. That was not the case with Dune. Now, the cinematography was quite good and the score by Hans Zimmer was, as per usual, fantastic. But good cinematography and a powerful score do not in and of themselves make a film great.

5. Bonhoeffer

This film, with a small budget and a relatively unknown cast of actors, tells a remarkable true story – set during Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. While this project came across as a bit more “preachy” than it needed to be Bonhoeffer was really quite well done in other aspects, especially in the music and cinematography. And the character of Bonhoeffer is interesting enough that you are inclined to continue watching, despite the film’s flaws.

4. Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1

This is the first installment in a passion project by Kevin Costner. The following chapters were supposed to be released over the course of 2024 and 2025, but unfortunately the project was postponed and it is currently looking likely that the rest will not be releasing in theaters, but will instead go directly to streaming. Regardless, I found this first chapter to be well made. It follows the stories of several settlers in the Midwest before and during the American Civil War. I look forward to seeing the following chapters if and when they are released.

3. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

This film, based up recently declassified documents of the British War Department, is quite well done – although not Guy Ritchie’s finest work. The dialogue was one of the weakest parts of this film, but the cinematography and editing work was on point for most of the film, particularly for the montage sequences towards the end.

2. The Fall Guy

I was honestly very surprised by this film. Sure, it wasn’t a fantastic cinematic skeptical, but it was a fun comedy action movie that didn’t try to be anything it wasn’t and was therefore quite enjoyable. It was kind of silly, but managed to not be boring – and again, given the slate of films we had this year, it was easy to be impressed by something rather decent.

1. Civil War

I thought the story of this film was very good and well written, although the setting of the film was a bit too vague. It was gripping. It was at times very intense. It wasn’t as predictable as current films often are. It kept my attention all the way through, while also not being non-stop action, and actually having the pace quite slowed down at moments. Overall, I found this film to be quite interesting, and one of the best new films I’ve seen in a while. I would recommend watching it if you have the chance.

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With that being said, these were my top 10 choices from 2024.