With the year officially breaking through the halfway point, it’s time to decide what the best movies have been. In a year driven by huge IP that’s been rocky for the box office at best, there are still some seriously good — hell, even great — films that have been released. From Dune: Part Two to Monkey Man and everything in between, here are the 10 best movies of 2024 so far.
10. ‘Love Lies Bleeding’ — Rose Glass
Rose Glass‘ sophomore outing following up her cult classic Saint Maud is nothing short of visually and auditorily stimulating. Following standoffish gym manager Lou (Kristen Stewart), Love Lies Bleeding tracks her volatile journey of falling in love with bodybuilder Jackie (Katy O’Brian) and the lust, violence, and power that ultimately sinks its teeth into her life.
Featuring a David Cronenberg-esque mood, the film pumps to life with a score from Clint Mansell coursing through the veins of both a deep and abstract narrative. The Kristen Stewart hive stays strong with this one.
9. ‘Hit Man’ — Richard Linklater
Landing nearly perfectly in the “just a purely fun summer movie” category, Richard Linklater’s Hit Man, put out by Netflix, is exactly the type of movie people have been longing for. Gary Johnson (played by Glen Powell — who is operating at the heights of his Hollywood star power, oozing an almost unbelievable amount of charisma on-screen) moonlights as a fake hit man in police stings only to fall for a potential client (Adria Arjona) and unwind a succession of dangerous mishaps.
Surely one of the sexiest movies of the year, Hit Man is able to blend humor, excitement, and damn good movie-making into a story that is ultimately a stimulating exploration of self-identity. Plus, it’s rewatchability is through the roof.
8. ‘Monkey Man‘ — Dev Patel
Dev Patel‘s directorial debut Monkey Man isn’t perfect, but what it lacks in thematic cleanliness and good old-fashioned directorial know-how, it makes up for in taking massive on-screen chances, setting it apart from many modern-day action flicks. Dev Patel, in addition to directing, plays the lead of an anonymous young man who unleashes a cacophony of vengeful acts against corrupt leaders who murdered his mother.
The movie has some of the most exhilarating action sequences of the year that prove how valuable behind-the-camera ingenuity is. It continually grasps at huge, controversial thematic topics, showing how cool Dev Patel is both in front of and lens. It also has what is probably the coolest elevator sequence of all time (I’m looking at you Captain America: The Winter Soldier), so there’s that.
7. ‘Perfect Days’ — Wim Wenders
A beyond beautiful rumination on the importance of the seemingly meaningless, mundane moments in life, Perfect Days is the ultimate cinematic film of 2024 (though it released internationally in 2023). It’s patient yet powerful, quaint, and verbose. Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) is old school he reads continuously, listens to cassette tapes, and cleans public restrooms around Tokyo. He reflects on his life through a series of encounters with people around him only to discover the meaning of his life.
Wim Wenders manifests a truly meditative experience with some of life’s most profound questions and answers blossoming throughout the entire runtime. It’s a movie that will change the way you look at the world around you with delight and is one of the best therapeutic movies out there.
6. ‘Civil War’ — Alex Garland
Easily one of the most divisive movies of 2024 so far, A24’s grandiose Civil War still remains atop the charts of best movies of the year. Writer/Director Alex Garland‘s latest film is a journey across a dystopian future in which military-embedded journalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), and newcomer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) embark on a journey to the White House before rebel factions descend upon it.
With some of the best sound design of any movie so far (I wouldn’t be surprised with an Academy Award nomination here), the film elicits uneasy amounts of moral disquiet coupled with startling imagery that is all too real in today’s modern political climate. The cast all deliver frighteningly good performances that feel authentic in their exploration of journalistic rights, information freedom, and how far people are willing to go to see their version of the truth. Although it isn’t the most fun of watches, it is one of the best.
5. ‘Dune: Part Two‘ — Denis Villeneuve
Can Dune: Part Two follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and bring home 6 Oscars? I wouldn’t be so sure. But that doesn’t detract from the fact that Dune: Part Two is bigger, bolder, and all-around better than the franchise’s first installment from 2021. Visionary director Denis Villeneuve left no Fremen cave unexplored in his sprawling cinematic telling of the next chapter in the journey of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet).
Quite literally what IMAX screens were made for, Dune: Part Two adds massive names like Florence Pugh and Austin Butler to an already astounding cast, allowing a vast story to flourish and unfold through immaculate visuals and a rapturous Hans Zimmer score. It’s the second highest-grossing film of the year for a reason, folks.
4. ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ — Frank Miller
What has been billed as a misunderstood masterpiece by many (including myself), Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga takes two true movie stars and pits them against one another in the wasteland. Technically a prequel to the hit film Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa follows a young Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) as she is captured by a renegade leader by the name of Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and subsequently attempts to flea his reign.
Chris Hemsworth is engaging in capital A “actingm” bringing an unhinged energy to George Miller‘s wasteland epic that fits like a missing puzzle piece. The movie is a tonal shift from its predecessor, allowing more time for character studies and legendary stunts. Anya Taylor-Joy undoubtedly cements her position atop the movie star charts with her powerful leading performance in a film that rewards multiple viewings, making its historical significance inescapable.
3. ‘The Bikeriders’ — Jeff Nichols
Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Jodie Comer, Mike Faist, Michael Shannon… should I keep going? The Bikeriders, from long-time director Jeff Nichols, is the ultimate dudes rock movie. But not only that — it’s the ultimate “dudes have feelings and need people to talk to and things that makes them feel valued” movie, too.
Based on photobook of the same name, The Bikeriders documents the ins and outs of the midwestern motorcycle club the Vandals. Benny (Butler) joins up with Johnny (Hardy) in the creation of the club only to realize it quickly grows into fostering a world of underground violence and deceit. It’s a fascinating look at the idea of what happens when something we create outgrows our reach and how that twists our ideas of what is meaningful in life. Jodie Comer brings aboard some brilliant accent work as Kathy, Benny’s wife, in what is a badass movie from head to toe.
2. ‘I Saw the TV Glow’ — Jane Schoenbrun
It feels like a disservice to place this at number two on the list when this is probably one of the most important films of the last 10 years. I Saw The TV Glow is the story of how two teenagers, Owen (Justice Smith) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), bond over their love for a mysteriously canceled supernatural TV show called The Pink Opaque.
Deep in its thematical explorations, the film tackles ideas like self-identity (both in and outside of the trans lens), the potentially poisonous power of memory, and how we grapple with a sense of ownership over shared creations. It’s got one of, if not the single best monologues of the 2020s, mesmerizing performances, and dark overtones that highlight the effective creative decisions, like neon colors guiding the entirety of the film’s visual language. It’s a movie that will haunt you. Stick with you. Change you. Jane Schoenbrun formulated the movie of a generation.
1. ‘Challengers’ — Luca Guadagnino
I’ve already written about Challengers and how it kind of ruined me. It’s still true. Not a day has gone by since I saw this film for the first time (and subsequently a second and third time) where I don’t think about some aspect of it, no matter how big or small. Tashi (Zendaya), a former professional tennis player turned wife-coach to Art (Mike Faist) after an injury, is shocked to see an old acquaintance in Patrick Sweig (Josh O’Connor) at her husband’s tennis challenger, sparking feelings that quickly bring about tension in the relationship of all three.
Zendaya’s commanding persona and performance mixed with the duality that Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist bring within the sandbox of Luca Guadagnino is a combination so good it’s still almost unbelievable that it exists. An unforgettable Ross/Reznor score acts as the heartbeat to a film all about power, sweat, and churros. Erotic and electric at every energetic moment, there is no doubt in my mind that Challengers will remain one of the very best movies of the year when 2024 is done and dusted — for now, it’s the single best movie of the year so far.
Although the box office is down and things might look a bit dire for the state of movies, 2024 has offered up some pretty good films so far. With a back half of the year that promises huge movies like Robert Eggers‘ Nosferatu, the Joaquin Phoenix-led Joker: Folie à Deux, and Francis Ford Coppola‘s $100 million passion project Megalopolis, 2024 has promise to be quite a good movie year. Maybe it’ll even end up being a great movie year.
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