2024 has been an interesting year for movies. From the highest-grossing movies of the year all being sequels to a new “Barbenheimer,” it was an entertaining year for sure. With dozens of films to choose from, here are five of the movies that really impressed me.
#5 “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
Set 300 years after “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the film follows an ape named Noa, who teams up with a human to bring his clan back home. Though the movie could have been a little shorter, “Kingdom” shows this decades-old franchise still has great stories to tell. Initially, when this film was announced, I wasn’t sure how to feel. When the first trailer released, all my worries went away. “Kingdom” still delivers what fans have come to expect from this franchise: great characters, incredible world-building and stunning CGI. I cannot wait to see what Disney does with this franchise in the future.
#4 “Transformers One”
Set 300 million years before “Transformers” (2007), this film sees how Orion Pax/Optimus Prime and D-16/Megatron went from being built like brothers but forged into enemies. If you are familiar with Transformers lore, you can probably figure out the story pretty easily. It’s a prequel after all. However, all the other elements and aspects of the film easily outshine the predictable story. The animation is stunning, the world building is incredible and the climactic battle is jaw dropping. An all-star cast including Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry and Scarlett Johansson bring the characters to life very well. Just be sure to stick around for an important post credits scene.
#3 “Deadpool and Wolverine”
In the MCU’s first R-rated movie, Wade Wilson (Ryan Ryenolds) puts back on the red suit and teams up with a yellow suited Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save the multiverse. “Deadpool and Wolverine,” despite being an MCU movie, feels more like a 20th Century Fox Marvel movie, but that’s ok. It did an fantastic job saying goodbye to this era and moving on to the next. There are some amazing cameos and still has much of the humor, bloody action and vulgar language that made the first two Deadpool movies fun to watch.
#2 “Civil War”
In the near future, America experiences another Civil War in due part to an authoritarian president. In one word, this movie was haunting. The theme of division really applies to our society today. The film also doesn’t shy away from the intense violence. However, the movie does a great job exploring what a modern day civil war could look like without any political bias. I hope this film gets some Oscar nominations, especially a leading and supporting actress nomination for Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny, respectively.
#1 “Dune: Part Two”
Paul Atreides teams up with the Fremen, who see him as ‘the chosen one’ per say, to destroy the Harkonnens. Like former newspaper reporter Ava Chancellor, I was absolutely wowed by this movie. They dialed it up to 12 for this film. The stakes are higher, the action is thrilling and the world of Arrakis is developed even more. I saw this in IMAX opening weekend, and I thought I was on Arrakis. The new characters are fantastic additions that really help drive the story forward. If you enjoyed “Part One,” you will enjoy “Part Two.”
