Never let anybody let you know it’s been a foul 12 months for films, as a result of in response to our evaluation scores, there have been loads of wonderful entries for movie buffs to take pleasure in. Each 12 months, we spherical up our greatest reviewed films right into a single record and going by our rely, 22 movies obtained high marks from IGN’s official critiques in 2024, which implies they have been awarded both a 9 or a ten. With so many robust movies popping out this 12 months, we received’t blame you when you missed a couple of, so we’re right here to offer a full account of each 2024 movie that IGN scored as both “Amazing” (9) or a “Masterpiece” (10).
Let’s begin with the three films that obtained a ten.
Sasquatch and Mad Max Sagas
First up is Sasquatch Sunset, a bonkers story a few household of non-verbal sasquatches. Reviewer Clint Gage is upfront about how divisive the film probably is for audiences, however he cherished it, calling it an “emotional masterpiece of experimental cinema.” Give it a attempt when you’re open to one thing really unconventional. Another unconventional film from this 12 months is Riddle of Fire, a shocking debut characteristic from Weston Razooli that may be a weird mixture of crime caper, fairytale fantasy, and online game quest logic (actually) a few group of youngsters happening an journey to discover a blueberry pie for his or her sick mom. We received’t spoil anything about this particular film, however search it out if you wish to see the most effective and weirdest movies of the 12 months.
Lastly for the ten’s, we’ve Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, the long-awaited prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. Starring the at all times superb Anya Taylor-Joy as a youthful incarnation of Imperator Furiosa (performed by Charlize Theron in Fury Road), this wasteland odyssey is in a a lot totally different tonal register from its 2015 counterpart, however its extra melancholic and character-driven method makes it a straightforward contender for one of many 12 months’s greatest. Even when you’re not sometimes a Mad Max individual, it’s value waiting for Taylor-Joy’s improbable efficiency and a few stellar motion sequences. Sadly the film didn’t mild up the field workplace, so when you didn’t test it out in theaters, make sure to give it a watch at house.
TVs That Glow, Thinking About Dying, and Festival Faves
As for the 9’s, we’ve fairly a couple of to get via. We’ll begin with I Saw the TV Glow, an arthouse horror movie from director Jane Schoenbrun. This is among the most intensely private and idiosyncratic movies of the 12 months, and has not solely taken the Letterboxd group by storm however has additionally obtained reward from iconic filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader. Speaking of iconic filmmakers, be looking out early subsequent 12 months for Steven Soderbergh’s Presence, an experimental horror movie shot from the angle of a magical entity. Siddhant Adlakha reviewed the movie for IGN out of the Sundance Film Festival, saying it’s a “resourceful haunted home thriller” and a “midnight style romp.” Presence will likely be launched in theaters on January 24, 2025.
And if we’re speaking competition favorites, we’ve to say The Brutalist, which has turn out to be some of the acclaimed movies of the 12 months after a competition tour that included Venice, TIFF and NYFF. This three-and-a-half-hour epic comes from director Brady Corbet, and stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones. Brody performs László Tóth, an architect and Holocaust survivor who travels to America and works to deliver his spouse and niece over from Europe. Although some might balk on the prolonged runtime (together with an old-school intermission), reviewer Chase Hutchinson urges you to keep it up, saying that the movie is a “daring, stunning, and brutal have a look at the United States, not how we like to think about the nation, however the way it really is for these smothered beneath it.”
Some different movie competition darlings this 12 months embody Sundance entry Sometimes I Think About Dying, a by no means Search engine optimization-friendly darkish comedy starring Star Wars alum Daisy Ridley as a suicidal workplace employee who struggles with extreme loneliness. Reviewer Marya E. Gates stated Ridley delivers a “wealthy and resonant efficiency,” and that director Rachel Lambert’s “surreal touches heighten its melancholy.” There’s additionally Sing Sing, which premiered on the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023, however was correctly launched this 12 months by A24. The movie stars Colman Domingo as Divine G, an incarcerated man who brings collectively his fellow inmates with a makeshift theater group. Reviewer Carlos Aguilar known as the movie, which is one more winner for Domingo’s filmography, a “touching drama and an inspiring reminder of how group and an outlet for self-discovery can positively form somebody’s outlook.”
Civil Wars, Challengers and Kindness
A24 distributed two different films on our record, the primary being Alex Garland’s blockbuster Civil War. Garland is normally extra well-known for his smaller scale science-fiction movies like Ex Machina and Annihilation, however with this film he jumped right into a speculative motion epic full of wonderful performances and stellar cinematography. Led by Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, Civil War is tense and thrilling in all the precise methods. The second film right here is Janet Planet, a coming of age movie and the directorial debut of Annie Baker, which went on a multi-festival tour in 2023 earlier than lastly being launched this 12 months. Typically extra related along with her work in theater as a playwright, Baker didn’t miss a step in her transition to movie, with IGN’s evaluation saying the movie’s “photographic aesthetic enhances its distinct sense of time, place, and reminiscence.”
If you have been on the lookout for new entries from a few of our most celebrated administrators, 2024 was rife with these as nicely. Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino (Suspiria remake heads unite) turned in Challengers, a sweat and intercourse drama that includes each a love triangle and many tennis. Starring Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, the film was broadly beloved by movie followers and critics, together with our personal. For films that have been not broadly beloved, see Francis Ford Coppola’s long-gestating ardour challenge Megalopolis, which stumbled with critics and audiences however discovered some defenders, together with right here at IGN. Starring Adam Driver as a visionary architect in an alternate twenty first century, it’s a film that’s troublesome to explain with out sounding a bit off the wall. We’ll simply say that when you have been on the lookout for one thing that might solely have come from a singular creative thoughts (for higher or worse), Megalopolis is actually a one in every of a form expertise.
The surreal sensation Yorgos Lanthimos additionally returned to theaters this 12 months with Kinds of Kindness, an anthology movie that includes three darkly comedic tales. Reuniting with common muse Emma Stone (you noticed Poor Things final 12 months, didn’t you?), the Greek director delivered one more gonzo film primed for the sickos. His fashion isn’t for everybody, but when you may get on his wavelength, there’s nobody doing this actual form of film at his stage proper now. And after all we even have Sean Baker’s Anora, some of the talked about films of the 12 months as we put together for award season. Mikey Madison, who earlier than this was most well-known for her work in Scream 5, has turn out to be an early favourite for Best Actress classes attributable to her efficiency because the title character, a intercourse employee who goes via a weird collection of occasions when her new husband’s mother and father attempt to get their wedding ceremony annulled.
The Dead Live!
And if we’re speaking auteurs, we’ve to say Nosferatu, the newest movie from acclaimed director Robert Eggers. Known for wonderful movies like The Witch and The Northman, Eggers channels his Gothic vitality by remaking the 1922 basic from F. W. Murnau, which is often thought-about some of the traditionally vital horror movies of all time. Although some followers of the unique novel might lament its deviations from the supply materials, Nosferatu pulls from an enchanting mélange of influences in addition to the guide and Murnau’s movie, such because the 1932 black and white movie Vampyr, the 1979 remake from Werner Herzog, Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 adaptation, and even options just a little little bit of DNA from The Exorcist. This one is dropping in theaters on Christmas Day, so when you’re within the temper for a blood-soaked interval piece after opening your presents, make sure to not miss it.
There have been some robust franchise entries this 12 months as nicely. A Quiet Place: Day One, the third movie within the sci-fi horror collection, shocked by being much better than your common prequel has any proper to be. Featuring nice performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn and a assured character-driven story, Day One proved that this franchise has extra life in it than many would have anticipated. We additionally noticed the conclusion of Warner Bros.’ two-part animated adaptation of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal graphic novel basic Watchmen with Watchmen: Chapter II. Reviewer Zaki Hasan had nothing however reward for the second installment, writing that “the various methods it sticks to its roots delighted this fan of the comedian, however it may possibly simply as simply function an entree into this story for somebody experiencing it contemporary.”
Sticking with animation, the Looney Tunes will quickly get in on the motion with The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie. After the extremely disheartening state of affairs with the shelving of Coyote vs. Acme, this movie premiered on the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and is ready to be launched worldwide on February 28, 2025. Reviewer Rafael Motamayor stated the movie “has sufficient gags per minute to go away audiences in need of breath with laughter, but in addition a giant coronary heart that exhibits why these characters are so beloved even after practically 90 years.” On that observe, one other animated staple will quickly be making a comeback with Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, a brand new feature-length movie within the British claymation franchise. It options the return of The Wrong Trousers antagonist Feathers McGraw, and in response to IGN reviewer Ryan Gaur, it “stands shoulder to shoulder with a few of Aardman’s greatest work.” That one will likely be dropping on BBC One and BBC iPlayer December 25 and streams on Netflix starting January 3. 2025.
Wicked Anime
For the anime followers within the viewers, we need to spotlight two explicit movies. The first is The Concierge, an adaptation of Tsuchika Nishimura’s manga collection The Concierge at Hokkyoku Department Store, which is centered round a shopping mall for anthropomorphic animals (the employees are human, when you have been questioning). Reviewer Kambole Campbell praised how the movie tailored the manga, saying that The Concierge has a “full of life, expressive artwork fashion and splendidly absurd characters.” The second is Haikyu!! The Dumpster Battle, which is a sequel to the anime tv collection Haikyu!! This collection is concerning the Karusono High School volleyball staff and member Shoyo Hinata specifically, with the movie detailing a very vital match towards Nekoma High School. Reviewer Mike Mamon stated the movie is “a pleasant look ahead to long-time followers that doubles as an entertaining sampler for these inquisitive about this beloved collection.”
And final on our record is the long-anticipated movie adaptation of Wicked, the beloved Broadway musical that acts as a prequel to The Wizard of Oz. This Part 1 of two from director Jon M. Chu stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Galinda. Given the field workplace totals and A CinemaScore, IGN reviewer Alyssa Mora wasn’t alone in loving the best way the movie brings the musical to the massive display screen. She wrote that “this movie adaptation epitomizes what fashionable film musicals can and ought to be,” and that “Wicked will undoubtedly immortalize Grande and Erivo in film musical historical past.” That’s some excessive reward! Of course, you recognize what she’s speaking about because you’ve seen it already, haven’t you?
What have been your favourite films of 2024? Let’s focus on within the feedback!
Carlos Morales writes novels, articles and Mass Effect essays. You can observe his fixations on Bluesky.
