(This article is part of our Best of 2024 series.)
It’s always tricky to distill a whole year’s worth of films into five, but that’s the name of the game, so let’s attempt to do this.
5. Twisters
There’s something irresistible about the thrill of a storm-chasing adventure, especially when paired with likable characters and spectacular effects. Though there were the occasional eye-rolling clichés, such as Glenn Powell mansplaining how tornadoes work to a tortured meteorologist, the sequel managed to just be a heck of a good time in cinemas – hell, I saw it three times dragging a new friend along with me with each viewing. Much of its appeal might be lost on a smaller screen, but it was the most fun I had in the cinema last year, kinda making me want to yell “YEEEE HAAAAW!” at the screen and join them on their next tornado-rangling ride, and that’s how it crept into my top 5.
4. Inside Out 2
When Pixar announced a sequel to one of its most critically lauded films, I got nervous (anxious you might say 😉) because, for every Toy Story 2, there is a Cars 2. I approached with caution and was NOT disappointed. The creators achieved the incredible feat of expanding the world of Riley’s mind while keeping it contained and totally relatable. It made me, and many other moviegoers, want to see an Inside Out film once a decade to sort of check in with Riley at the different stages of her life because this film, like its predecessor, provided many of us with the vocabulary to explain much of the way we sometimes feel. It’s no surprise that it is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time because I don’t believe that there’s a single viewer who could, after watching this, claim that they weren’t moved or surprised by it in some big or small way. (Sadness recognizing Riley wants Joy in the climax of the film nearly finished me). Who needs therapy when you have Inside Out and its wildly entertaining, emotional sequel!
3. The Wild Robot
Speaking of animated films, my number 3 is DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot. Another ‘surprise’ on my list because the trailers reminded me a lot of Disney’s 2014 hit, Big Hero 6. Roz looked like one of my favorite Disney characters, Baymax, so I wasn’t too keen to see a sub-par Baymax on screen. Dreamworks has also not had a bonafide original hit on their hands for ages, but when the buzz around the film exploded, I had to see what all the fuss was about. What I saw was an exciting addition to the DreamWorks cannon. An animated adventure amplified by a stunning score and songs to boot – “Kiss the Sky” by Maren Morris somehow makes you want to curl up in a ball and cry and stretch your arms out and feel like you can fly at the same time. I cried several times, saw it again, and cried again. The film is less like Big Hero 6 and more like another childhood classic – The Iron Giant – in all the best ways. In fact, if it wasn’t for an arguably more stunning animated film (which I haven’t been able to see yet) – Flow, this gem of a film would be taking home the Best Animated Feature Film Awards easily… in fact, it still could!
2. Conclave
There is so much to love about this film from Oscar-winning director Edward Burger. The pope dies, and a new pope is to be elected. Sounds… fine… or boring even for some audiences. But instead, the chapel doors close, and with them begins one of the most intense and surprising political thrillers I’ve seen in years. It is a scathing review of the Catholic church yet simultaneously celebrates it. It explores moral ambiguity and notions of what is right and wrong in our post-modern world. The characters are tightly drawn, the shots are often compositions that could easily hang in a gallery and the performances (especially by the lead, Ralph Fiennes) are riveting and full of complexity. The final moments left me grappling with its implications, a testament to the film’s refusal to provide easy answers. I’m rooting for it to walk away with a few golden trophies at the Oscars this March.
1. Dune: Part Two
Though it pains me to have three of my top five films be sequels when there are so many great original films out there, there is no denying that each of them belongs there (for me anyway), and none more so than my number 1 for the year. I remember seeing Dune: Part One in cinemas more than once and just feeling that this is what it must have felt like to watch The Lord of the Rings in cinemas. I sensed it was a moment in cinematic history, and I felt so grateful to be present for it. That feeling just swelled in Dune: Part Two. My expectations were high going into it and not only were they adequately met but surpassed. Denis Villeneuve’s passion for the source material is present throughout the film. The shots are operatic, and so is the storytelling. The characters are complex, and their relationships are so beautifully explored through exceptional performances by the cast. There is no doubt that I will revisit this one again and again for many years to come, and I am eagerly anticipating the final installment of Paul Atreides’ storyline in the upcoming Dune: Messiah.
Before I leave, some honorable mentions: Wicked, I was never expecting there to be that much depth to the characters; The Holdovers, a late release in South Africa meant that I saw this in February and it’s become one of my new favorite Christmas movies – see review here; Past Lives, also a late release, never have I seen the complexity of loving two people so beautifully portrayed on screen; and Transformers One, every time I want to give up on this blooming franchise, they do something unexpected.
What are your thoughts on the movies that made my top five? Share them down below!