The Best 15 Movies Of 2024, According To CinemaBlend

Turtles All The Way Down is a standout film from this year. Based on John Green’s novel, it follows a teen with obsessive-compulsive disorder as she investigates the disappearance of a billionaire with her best friend. The adaptation offers valuable insight into anxiety and OCD, helping others understand these struggles. Isabel Merced gives a powerful performance, supported by a strong cast that emphasizes the importance of family and friends, showing that even when facing challenges alone, you’re never truly without support. It’s a heartfelt and meaningful story that resonates deeply and just might help you understand your friends who suffer from anxiety much more.

A film that takes 'art imitating life' to wickedly unnatural conclusions, Aaron Schimberg’s A Different Man truly lives up to its titular descriptor. Sebastian Stan is enjoyably unlikeable as Edward, an aspiring actor suffering from neurofibromatosis whose life is forever changed thanks to an experimental surgery. Temporarily content as an attractive and successful real estate agent, Edward’s performative side soon returns after discovering a play was written about his former life, fronted by a charismatic chap named Oswald (Adam Pearson) who also has neurofibromatosis. This twisted and unpredictable morality tale is like Charlie Kaufman’s Twin Peaks, and its themes of happiness and regret stay lodged in the brain long after the credits have rolled. Schimberg created a gem, but Pearson owns the pic with scene-stealing humor and charm.

There Will Be Blood is one of my top five movies of all time, and I never thought I’d get another big screen experience like that ever again. Well, that all changed when I saw The Brutalist, Brady Corbet’s epic about László Tóth (Adrien Brody), a Jewish Hungarian immigrant who comes to America after the end of World War II to carve out a life for himself in America. The sprawling story, which spans nearly 40 years over the course of the film’s 215-minute runtime, is full of wonder and detachment, ecstasy and agony, and the enduring human spirit in the face of indifference and evil. Shot using VistaVision, this is something I’m glad I saw in theaters this year.

Jason Reitman’s frenetically paced Saturday Night is a movie I keep coming back to in my brain, and not simply because it pays homage to some comedic greats or hits longtime fans of the sketch comedy series in the feels. Sure, seeing John Belushi break out of 30 Rock to go ice skating is thrilling, but Jason Reitman’s movie is largely successful because it shows the chaos of a fledgling TV format in the ‘70s and putting young, disruptice folk in charge of young, challenging talent who all want different things from the sketch comedy series. It's genius to track the 90 minutes before the airing of the first episode in near real-time, and it's exciting to see some actors playing out sketches we’ve seen in a completely different context for 50 years. I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

When I heard there was going to be a movie starring two of my favorite actors, Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh, I had a feeling it would be my cup of tea, but wow, I wasn't expecting to be so floored and swept away by We Live In Time. John Crowley's film is far from a by-the-numbers rom-dram. It feels like a love letter to being a partner to someone itself, and how it can be wildly exciting, completely hilarious, achingly heartbreaking and with warts of compromise. From it's powerful plotline about the ticking time clock of life, to its final moments, this one is going to stick with me for awhile.

Framed as a buddy road trip movie, Will Ferrell and veteran SNL writer Harper Steele — who came out as transgender during the pandemic — set out on a trek across the U.S. in Will & Harper to see if it’s still safe for Steele to partake in her love of shitty dive bars and truck stops. At times laugh-out-loud funny, the documentary is strongest when everyone drops the act. Ferrell leads by example in support of his longtime friend as they encounter the kindness of strangers, open-mindedness in unexpected places and, unfortunately, reminders of just how hateful people can be of something they fear or don’t understand. Harper makes herself extremely vulnerable to help bridge that gap in one of the year’s most important watches.

Christopher Reeve is still considered to be one of the best actors to have played Superman, but there was more to the man than just his performance as one of pop culture’s greats superheroes – which is what Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story explores. The documentary goes an incredible job of both covering Reeve’s acting career and his work as an activist following the horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed for the final years of his life. While heartbreaking at times, this film is more so inspiring and effectively shows how Reeve served as a beacon of hope for many, just like the character he famously portrayed.

Few films released this past year are as emotionally affecting as His Three Daughters. Writer/director Azazel Jacobs’ latest feature centers around a trio of estranged sisters who convene at their father’s apartment as he approaches the final days of his life amid hospice care. During the siblings’ stay, old wounds are re-opened, and the women hash out their issues in a way they surely never thought possible. This is an intimate piece of work from Jacobs, whose script dives deep into strained familial relationships and serves as a sharp meditation on grief. And, of course, the film is anchored by incredible performances from co-leads Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne. In short, it’s a raw, yet warm, movie that’ll surely strike a chord with viewers and sit with them long after the credits roll.

Having actually been raised in the Catholic Church, the plot of Conclave – director Edward Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris’ 2016 novel – certainly piqued my interest. However, I never anticipated just how thoroughly riveting watching the election of the new Pope could be. The key to the high-stakes drama’s engrossing power is not just in its blood-boiling commentary on faith and manipulation but, especially, in its astonishing performances by the likes Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rosselini. While the twist ending of Conclave did not satisfy me like I hoped it might, the shocking, spellbinding road to the conclusion answered my prayers.

2024 was a great year for animation with blockbuster hits like Inside Out 2 and underrated gems like Transformers One, but without question, the best animated movie of 2024 was The Wild Robot. The story about a robot lost on an island of wilderness is actually a story about parenthood. It’s about the mistakes we make and the lessons we learn. It’s a heartwarming story about chosen families and about taking responsibility. Director Chris Sanders has crafted something truly special here. The animation is simply stunning, some of the best we’ve seen from Dreamworks to date. It’s also arguably their most mature movie. Kids looking for a bright and colorful story will find it while adults will embrace a deeper meaning.

Sing Sing is a beautiful story about the power of art and empathy. The film follows a group of men at the Sing Sing prison who are part of a theater troupe, and it brilliantly captures how life-changing support, friendship and art can be. Notably, Colman Domingo and Paul Raci are the only known actor in the ensemble, as the rest of the performers were all part of the Sing Sing program while they were incarcerated. So, along with this movie being a wonderful depiction of this real-life troupe, it’s also a highlight reel of the incredible talent these men got to cultivate during a difficult time.

For fans of the Wicked stage musical, 2024 was truly a year to rejoicify, as the long-anticipated movie adaptation – well, Part 1 of it – finally arrived. Jon M. Chu’s movie adaptation flew into theaters (possibly via broom or bubble), and brought Oz back to life on the big screen in stunning fashion. Whether you’ve seen the stage production, listened to the soundtrack or went into the movie totally new to it, there’s so much to love about this musical. The film succeeds in making the most of its talented cast (particularly Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande), the outstanding songs of its soundtrack, and the truly magical place that is Oz. And quite frankly, it left me feeling very emotional and totally ready for Part 2.

Even hyped up on the first half of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune adaptation, I feared another IT: Chapter Two style stumble when trying to stick the landing. Those fears were unfounded, as Dune: Part Two exceeded my love for its predecessor, delivering an epic event we haven’t seen in theaters since the Middle-earth Saga. Timothee Chalamet’s Paul Atreides is a complicated anti-hero, and fleshed out as such in beautiful detail. The young man we thought we knew reluctantly becomes the tyrant we know he’ll become, and that journey is so satisfying to witness, I’m still sad that Denis Villeneuve is calling it quits after Dune: Messiah. With these two films as proof, I have an unshakable faith in that next chapter.

Journalism movies hold a soft spot in my heart. Give me two hours of reporters burrowing into a complicated story, and I’ll be glued to my seat. But director Tim Fehlbaum’s spellbinding September 5 most impressed me because it represents a turning point when television journalists were creating the rules regarding breaking news coverage, and doing it under the most intense scrutiny possible. Set at the Munich Olympics during a hostage crisis, September 5 follows network producers as they decide on the fly how to report a developing story to a nervous global audience. It’s a harrowing tightrope walk through the interpretation of facts, and one that shows we still have so much to learn about how news is told, and how it is received.

I'm a big horror fan, but there are plenty of times where the film world doesn't seem to appreciate these projects as much as me. Luckily, The Substance as an exception, as Coralie Fargeat's satirical body horror flick got buzz as soon as it premiered at Cannes. The movie pivots between horror and comedy throughout its runtime, with some truly stellar performances coming from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. And while the body horror is initially unsettling, The Substance's final act is an over top gore fest that essentially takes the piss out of the genre itself. And somehow, despite all the blood and guts, the most disgusting sequence of the entire film features Dennis Quaid eating a giant bowl of shrimp.