Flickreel’s Best Movies of 2024

2024 has come and gone. If you think the year flew by, keep in mind that we’re now halfway through the 2020s! Like the rest of the decade, 2024 was a mixed bag for cinema, but the following films are not only the best of the year. They’re among the best of the decade thus far.

10. Challengers

Challengers is one of the most fascinating sports movies to come out this century. To simply describe this as a sports movie would do it a disservice, however. Tennis provides the narrative’s driving force, but the film plays more like a game of chess with the internal battles proving even more gripping than the physical ones.

9. The Brutalist

Of the two epics released in 2024 about an architect striving to complete their masterpiece (the other being Megalopolis), The Brutalist is by far the superior effort. It’s also one of the best modern films about the American Dream. Director Brady Corbet understands that the American Dream isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. It can be deceiving, stripping you of your identity. The better life you attempt to construct can easily become another prison. Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce all seem Oscar-bound.

8. A Real Pain

Watching A Real Pain, I was reminded of Alexander Payne’s Sideways. Thematically, the two might not share much in common. While characters in both films can be seen drinking wine, A Real Pain doesn’t relish in Pinot noir. It won’t hurt Merlot sales either. The leads may fall under the middle-aged umbrella, but Sideways’ protagonists have more than a few years on A Real Pain’s duo. As far as buddy pictures go, though, Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin share the type of chemistry we haven’t seen since Paul Giamatti and Thomas Haden Church twenty years ago.

7. The Substance

Body horror and the beauty industry may seem like an odd combination. Considering the extreme measures people take to meet unrealistic standards, the two aren’t as far apart as one might assume. The Substance has the biting satire of Death Becomes Her mixed with the disgusting imagery of David Cronenberg’s The Fly. Coralie Fargeat’s film stands on its own as an instant horror classic, however. That’s not to say it’ll be for everyone. Even those who think they’ve seen everything might be unprepared for how hard The Substance goes. As the experience comes full circle, though, genre fans will be oozing with admiration for Fargeat’s bonkers yet brutally honest vision.

6. Wicked

Fans have spent nearly two decades imagining what a Wicked movie might look like. When a silver screen adaption was officially announced, the filmmakers threw more than a few curveballs, most notably the decision to split the source material into two parts. Jon M. Chu’s film manages to wash away any preconceived notions from the opening musical number. When Ariana Grande arrives in Munchkinland via bubble, we don’t see a pop star. We see Galinda/Glinda. When Cynthia Erivo shows up at Shiz University, we don’t see an actress in green makeup. We see Elphaba. As the camera soars through Oz, we don’t see special effects. We’re taken over the rainbow. Even if it’s not exactly how you envisioned it, Wicked is everything you wanted and more (despite only being half the story).

5. Conclave

Being an election year, 2024 was bound to bring us a few politically charged dramas. In an unlikely twist, the most intense political thriller of the year isn’t about politicians, but priests. Conclave could just as easily be called Congress. The characters in Edward Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris’ novel find themselves at a crucial turning point. One path leads forward. The other risks to undo years of progress. This critical election sparks backstabbing, coverups, and lies that traverse a morally gray area the Ten Commandments didn’t define especially well. Such deceit is in the name of the greater good, although every member of the conclave has a different definition.

4. Emilia Pérez

Some might argue that Emilia Pérez would’ve worked better as a straightforward drama, to which I must disagree. Nothing about the film’s plot is straightforward. One could easily see this story in a soap opera. In fact, writer/director Jacques Audiard initially conceived Emilia Pérez as an opera libretto. While the project could’ve thrived on stage, cinema brings a grit that few other mediums can capture. Emilia Pérez still maintains its operatic roots, resulting in one of the most unique viewing experiences you’ll ever have.

3. Dune: Part Two

Part One might’ve been omitted from the title, but Denis Villeneuve’s first Dune picture was only the beginning. With Part Two, he summons the sandworm and hooks us in for a spectacular ride. Villeneuve has made a follow-up that’s every bit as visually invigorating as its predecessor. It’s in the narrative where Part Two exceeds Part One, taking us to deeper, more complex places.

2. Anora

Anora is hysterical, chaotic, and unpredictable. The most unexpected turn of all? The film has real heart, taking a character who seems shallow on the surface and making our hearts break for her by the end. It’s a testament to Sean Baker’s capabilities as a storyteller, but Mikey Madison‘s magnetic performance is the film’s life force. Tonally, Anora couldn’t be more different than Pretty Woman. Just as that film turned Julia Roberts into an overnight sensation, though, Madison deserves the same star-studded treatment.

1. The Wild Robot

Chris Sanders has a knack for taking stories that sound familiar on paper (Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon, The Croods), turning in something profound and revolutionary. The Wild Robot may be his masterpiece, as well as a high point for DreamWorks. The animation finds a natural middle ground between hand-drawn artistry and cutting-edge computer effects, tying into the central theme of unity. Kris Bowers’ musical score is equally harmonious, immersing us in this environment. At its core is a timeless story we can learn from now more than ever. If different species of animals can band together as a tribe and a robot can develop empathy, perhaps humans can do the same.

Honorable Mentions (In Alphabetical Order): Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Bikeriders, Chicken For Linda!, Civil War, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, Flow, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, A Different Man, Heretic, His Three Daughters, I’m Still Here, Inside Out 2, Love Lies Bleeding, Memoir of a Snail, Nosferatu, Saturday Night, Sing Sing, The Seed of the Sacred Fig, Superman/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story.