What a year it’s been. Throughout all the change and turmoil, however, there have always been movies to fall back on. I saw a total of 80 new films this year, and 50 of those were on the big screen. There were certainly some lowlights, but I think 2024 was a great year for cinema.
I’ve outlined what films made me want to come back for a second viewing, and others that nearly had me walking out of the cinema. There were so many that didn’t quite make the cut for best of the year. Anora stuck out for its incredible performance by Mikey Madison as the titular character. Another was Drive Away Dolls which somehow went under a lot of people’s radars but I loved it for its humour and bonkers storyline.
There were of course movies that I did not get the chance to see, but these films are the ones that really stayed with me throughout the year, and that I will definitely be returning to again. Keep reading for the five films that I think hit a bum note…
Challengers
The culture around tennis is one that has been explored in movies increasingly in the last few years, with films such as King Richard and Battle Of The Sexes hitting the big screen within the last decade. But none have captured its steamy sensual side quite like Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers.
It follows Tashi, a tennis player turned coach, who propels her husband Art to great success as a tennis champion. To jolt him out of a losing streak, she signs him up to a tournament only to find out he is head-to-head with Patrick - her ex-boyfriend and Art’s former best friend. This is sneaky, but another honourable mention goes to Guadagnino’s latest film Queer starring Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey. If you like the tension of Challengers, you will enjoy the complicated relationships in this surreal drama too.
Conclave
![CONCLAVE - Official Trailer 2 [HD] - Only In Theaters October 25 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/t915aZmyEBg/maxresdefault.jpg)
Conclave is good old fashioned storytelling done brilliantly. Based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris, the film follows Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes) who must oversee the conclave – the assembly of all the cardinals of the Catholic church to elect the new pope. Thus begins an election of tension and intrigue which is just as tumultuous as the US election.
There are so many excellent performances in this film, but Fiennes’ portrayal of the conflicted yet restrained dean stands out. Having questioned his belief in the Church before, this ordeal puts his faith to the ultimate test. The film consists of plenty of twists and turns along the way, keeping the intrigue going until the very last frame.
Dune: Part Two
It is rare that the sequel is better than the first, but Denis Villeneuve’s second entry in the canon blew me away. This is already a film we use to test home cinema systems purely for its incredible sense of scale and soundtrack. After Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet) unites with Zendaya’s Chani, he seeks revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family.
The sci-fi setting is engaging and well thought-out, especially the gigantic sandworms that live under the desert and can be summoned by pounding rhythmically on the sand’s surface. It really does feel like you are in another world, and I’m optimistic about the next installation of the franchise.
Inside Out 2
This highly awaited sequel to the Disney animated film was worth the almost-10-year wait. For the uninitiated, Inside Out personifies the emotions in our heads, from Sadness to Joy. The first film saw young Riley struggle. Inside Out 2 follows her as a teenager, and now her mind is a lot more crowded. Anxiety (voiced excellently by Maya Hawke) takes control of Riley’s mind as she tries to navigate adolescence.
Despite the talking emotions, this is an all too familiar story for many. Growing up is a pain, and the film really captures the extremities of just being a teenager. It’s one of the few times I have seen anxiety portrayed well, and it does it with a beautiful animation style and unique new emotions.
Wicked
As a musical theatre fan, I’ve seen the original musical of Wicked twice in the theatre, and have got most of the songs downloaded. It tells the story of Elphaba, a green-skinned young woman who reluctantly joins students at Shizz University. It is here she meets blonde-haired Glinda, and they slowly turn from enemies to best friends. Rumours of a movie adaptation had been in the air for years, so when the trailer was finally released I could finally get my hopes up.
Luckily, I was not disappointed. Cynthia Erivo is perfectly suited to the role of Elphaba and Ariana Grande shows off her acting chops as Glinda. You can feel the love that every single person in the cast and crew has for the source material. Be warned, you will have all the songs stuck in your head on repeat for the next 20 business days after watching.
The 5 worst films of 2024
I believe no film is completely without merit, but these ones do come close. There was one film that I did actually walk out of this year, that being Kinds Of Kindness. However, that was more due to my squeamish nature than the quality of the movie.
The following films are what I consider to be, in no particular order, the five worst pieces of cinema to come out of 2024.
Borderlands
Some films are so bad they end up being enjoyable, but I can’t say this was the case for Borderlands. It is adapted from a video game – a trend that doesn’t have the best track record (The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the first to spring to mind). Despite that, I was willing to give it a try.
When a bounty hunter returns to her home planet Pandora, she forms an alliance with a team of misfits. There’s some excellent talent going to waste here. Cate Blanchett and Jamie Lee Curtis somehow found their way into this, but even they cannot lift up the tedious script and uninspired visuals. Despite it trying to be funny, I can honestly say it didn’t even produce a chuckle from anyone in the cinema with me.
Madame Web
This shoddy Spider-Man spin-off tells the origin story of Cassie Webb, a paramedic who discovers she has clairvoyant powers after getting involved in an accident. Dakota Johnson plays the titular character but her performance lacks any sort of enthusiasm, more closely resembling a tired newsreader parroting lines from an autocue than an epic superhero.
CGI and special effects have come such a long way in the last 20 years, but you would think this film was made at the same time as the 2004 movie Catwoman starring Halle Berry. While the filmmakers try to connect the characters to the wider Spider-verse with a brief inclusion of Uncle Ben, it just seems like a way to create any sort of intrigue for future movies. Still, it was in some ways entertaining and the internet definitely had a laugh with the trailer.
Megalopolis
There were high hopes for Megalopolis as it comes from Francis Ford Coppola, known for directing The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. I’m trying to think of a comprehensive way to describe the plot, but even the movie itself couldn’t do that. The official line is: “A genius artist with the power to stop time fights an arch-conservative mayor to save the dying modern world and inspire hope; told as a Roman Epic.” The reality is a muddled nonsense that was a 2 hour 20 minute slog to sit through.
As I had no idea what was going on due to an incomprehensible script, I had no choice but to focus on the acting. I’m usually an Adam Driver superfan but his performance was uneven and distracting. Aubrey Plaza is wasted too, but she does at least seem aware that the film is bad.
Joker: Folie À Deux
We all remember the splash that Todd Phillips’ first Joker film made when it came out in 2019. It flipped the usual depiction of the DC villain on its head, explaining how he became so twisted in the first place. Unfortunately the sequel, Joker: Folie À Deux, did not follow in its predecessor’s big footsteps.
It begins with Arthur Fleck in prison, mistreated and downtrodden by the guards. When he meets Lady Gaga’s Lee Quinzel, the pair form an odd alliance and relationship. Oh, and it’s a musical for some reason. Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur certainly tries his best to replicate his performance in the first film, but the shoddy writing and even more disappointing ending left me with a sour taste in my mouth.
Back To Black
![BACK TO BLACK - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters May 17 - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/rYzIOBwyhIU/maxresdefault.jpg)
This decision may well ruffle a few feathers. Back To Black is a biopic about the legendary singer Amy Winehouse, focusing on her difficult relationship with Blake Fiender-Civil and the music she produced around that time. It seemed an odd decision considering a more than sufficient documentary, Amy, had been produced about her life in 2015.
Marisa Abella does her best to portray Winehouse, but the script fails to capture even a modicum of this brilliant artist's talent. It seems such a waste to focus on her relationship instead of her music, and the writers chose to completely skim over the release of two of her albums. There is a fresh wave of musical biopics coming out very soon, including Better Man where Robbie Williams is portrayed as a CGI chimp. At least that seems more creatively inspired than Back To Black’s dull and vapid portrait of Winehouse.
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