My Favorite Films of 2024
Another year of movies has graced our lives. Some have been good, some have been bad. I’m here to rank the ones I’ve seen and liked. So, here are my top 5 movies I’ve seen.
5: Inside Out 2
Inside Out was a great movie, and nowadays when any movie has a relatively good reception they have to make it a franchise. So along came Inside Out 2, which just so happens to also be great. I wouldn’t say it tops the original, but it defies sequelitis. I had doubts going into it, as adolescence is… well, it’s a thing that can be hard to address well. This movie addresses it well. Obviously the movie about emotions effectively tackles the emotions of adolescence. A lot of people talk up the movie for portraying a panic attack well, and I agree, though I’m more impressed with the movie not indulging itself with romance. I can’t imagine the discipline it had to take for the writers to not put in a romantic interest or follow any such subplots. I think the movie is better off for it, as it tells a compelling story involving several platonic relationships. The movie is by Pixar, so you can go ahead and guess whether its animation is good or not. The soundtrack is good, though I didn’t find anything that stuck out as something I’d put in a Spotify playlist.
4: The Remarkable Life of Ibelin
I’ve played and continue to play World of Warcraft, so this movie piqued my interest. All I can say is it drew tears to my eyes for roughly over half of its runtime. The documentary follows the real and virtual life of Mats “Ibelin” Steen. The story, his life, is as the title says, remarkable. The soundtrack was also good. It definitely isn’t something that only speaks to gamers. It quite poignantly demonstrates how something not understood by all can have very real value.
3: The Wild Robot
I think I’d go out on a limb and say The Wild Robot has better animation than Inside Out 2. I also felt more entertained and emotionally impacted by this film compared to Inside Out 2. I only compare these because they’re both animated. Some may think it’s relatively the same as The Iron Giant, and while it’s similar it does well in distinguishing itself as a worthwhile story. The soundtrack has a fairly catchy motif and is all around good.
2: Haikyuu!! The Movie: The Dumpster Battle
This is a movie that nears the top of my list primarily for its sheer entertainment value. It’s not a masterpiece, and I’m aware cutting some key pieces of the story to fit into a movie left some things to be desired by others, but for me I got just about all I wanted from this movie. It closes out the rivalry between Karasuno and Nekoma in a very satisfying way. The animation is solid, and the music is solid. Do I think it’s “better” than either The Wild Robot or Inside Out 2? Not necessarily. But I definitely liked it better. In case it needs to be said, this is a movie you’d want to see after watching the show through.
1: Dune: Part Two
There it is, the movie with epic sci-fi stuff. In terms of consistent entertainment, Haikyuu!! had more of it. But this reached similar levels of entertainment with maybe higher peaks. This movie also stands out with having a feeling of being a solid theater experience. I mean, as an example, being in the theater and watching and hearing Paul ride a big worm across sand was just cool. The story and pacing feel more engaging than the first movie, and it hits its emotional beats nicely. I use the two words interchangeably, but every now and then I distinguish a film from a movie as I think the former holds higher regard (maybe). I think this movie is a film. I’m hesitant to call it a masterpiece, but it is nearing there if not at that level.
To close out this list, I have some honorable mentions: Longlegs and Wicked (Part One). There apparently were some real stinkers this year like Madame Web, Borderlands, and Megalopolis, however I didn’t see any of them… so no dishonorable mentions this year!
