The Best Movies of 2024: From The Substance to Deadpool & Wolverine!

With 2024 in the books, the time has come to deliver our annual ten best-of-the-year list. So, how did 2024 stack up in the end? Fairly weakly, I’d say, with the year a bit of a casualty of the dual WGA/SAG strikes, which compromised the supply chain of movies opening in theaters – for evidence of that, one need only look at how modest of a selection of movies are open this holiday season. Yet, there were still plenty of good films, so let’s dig into the best movies of 2024.

First, a few honourable mentions. While it didn’t make the Academy Award shortlist for documentary features, I thought Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story was one of the best big-screen biographies in some time, with it painting an honest, nuanced portrayal of the former Superman’s legacy. I also really enjoyed the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man, which replaced the singer with a CGI chimpanzee – to brilliant effect, and Jeff Nichols’s The Bikeriders, even if it wasn’t quite the masterpiece I feel it could have been. Finally, Longlegs was without a doubt the scariest film of the year, while George Miller’s Furiosa, despite being one of the year’s biggest flops, was a damn good addition to the franchise that should have done better at the box office and with fans.

Now, here’s the top 10 best movies of 2024:

10. Deadpool & Wolverine:

While superhero movies have seemed to be on their way out, Marvel made a solid comeback by embracing an R-rating and giving us a superhero team-up for the ages. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s chemistry gave the film some much-needed heart, and the cameos were the icing on the cake – and it could be argued that Wesley Snipes’s re-emergence as Blade might be the comeback of the year. Give him his own movie! 2025 is shaping up to be an important year for Marvel, with Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts, and Fantastic Four all due in theaters. Hopefully, they’ve learned the lesson taught by Deadpool & Wolverine that, above all, the element of fun (which was forgotten by movies like Eternals) is the most important thing.

9. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice:

Believe it or not, many people thought this movie would tank, with WB initially wanting it to be an HBO Max original. Instead, it became one of the year’s biggest hits and one of the best movies of 2024, with Michael Keaton again showing us he still had what it takes to play the Ghost with the Most. It was also Tim Burton’s best movie in years, and hopefully revitalizes his career, with him seemingly having a solid thing going with new muse Jenna Ortega. Like Deadpool & Wolverine – this was just a whole lot of fun. Hopefully, Burton and Keaton cave and give us a third movie. Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice?

8. Civil War:

A24’s biggest movie was one that sparked a lot of debate this spring, and given the doom and gloom of the news cycle, it seemed ripped from the headlines, even if the idea of an alliance between California and Texas seemed a tad fanciful. Kirsten Dunst delivers the performance of her career in Alex Garland’s film, but it can’t be denied the movie is all but stolen by Jesse Plemons in one unforgettable scene. It just goes to show you there are no small parts. 

7. Conclave:

Who would have thought a movie about a bunch of priests arguing in rooms could be so damn exciting – and, yes, one of the best movies of 2024. Sporting the year’s best cast, Edward Berger’s Vatican drama (based on the Robert Harris novel) is a nail-biter, with Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow delivering explosive performances. It just goes to show you that if you make interesting adult fare, they will support it in theatres, with it one of the biggest indie hits of the year. If you haven’t seen this one yet, it’s out on Peacock and PVOD, and is well worth a watch.

6. A Complete Unknown:

This Bob Dylan biopic wisely narrows the focus to a pivotal four-year period in the singer’s career, from his discovery through his eventual decision to go “electric.” It almost feels like a companion piece to director James Mangold’s Walk the Line, with Timothee Chalamet delivering a magnificent performance as Dylan and Edward Norton being terrific as Pete Seeger. Hopefully people check it out over the holiday season.

5. Dune: Part II:

This was a good year for Timothee Chalamet, with hits like Wonka, Dune 2, and A Complete Unknown. Dune: Part II is a superb continuation of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the Frank Herbert classic, and in terms of spectacle, no other film this year holds a candle to it. Co-star Josh Brolin was so enamoured with it that he swears he’ll quit Hollywood if Villeneuve doesn’t get an Oscar nomination. Dune: Messiah is set to close out Villeneuve’s Dune trilogy, and given the jump in quality from Part I to Part II, I expect it to be masterful.

4. Anora:

Sean Baker’s racy movie about a stripper, played by a terrific Mikey Madison, falling in with the son of a Russian oligarch, is one of the only films I saw this year that legitimately made me laugh. While the premise makes it sound like a drama, it’s often sidesplittingly funny, with Madison delivering perhaps the performance of the year in the title role. This feels like Baker’s most crowd-pleasing movie to date and further establishes him as one of the most talented helmers of his generation.

3. Nosferatu:

Robert Eggers brilliantly builds on the success of The Northman with another epic period film, with his vampire film impeccably mounted. The casting is pitch-perfect, but the show’s real star is Eggers, who, along with Villeneuve and Conclave’s Edward Berger, seems to be on the verge of being considered one of the new masters. And it’s also scary! If you can, try to see this one on 35mm or an IMAX screen, as it’s designed to be a gran theatrical experience. Who would have thought that a remake of a horror classic that has already been remade before could be one of the best movies of 2024?

2. The Brutalist:

Brady Corbett’s 3.5-hour 70mm epic is a stunning achievement, with him somehow making one of the year’s most lavish epics for only $6 million. Adrien Brody gets his best role since The Pianist, while Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones have never been better than in this post-war tale of an immigrant’s attempt to capture the American dream turning into a nightmare. See it on 70mm film if you can, which should be easier to achieve once it expands to more theaters in January.

1. The Substance:

Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance proved to be the most electrifying film of the year, featuring gruesome imagery you won’t soon forget. But, who knew a 2.5 hour body horror film could be so much fun? Effortlessly working as both satire and horror, it offers Demi Moore a career-redefining role. At the same time, Margaret Qualley again shows us why she’s one of the brightest rising stars of her generation. This one is now available on PVOD, and is also streaming on MUBI.

What do you think the best movies of the year were? Let us know in the comments!