Best movies of 2024: Why we loved these 18 films, from The Substance to Dune: Part Two

As 2024 winds down and 2025 looms on the horizon, it's time to look back at the year that was in pop culture. We asked our staff to pick their favorite movies, music and television from the past year, and now we are sharing it with you.

The rules are pretty simple: the film just needed to be released in the calendar year 2024 to be considered. For television, just one episode had to air for the first time over the last year. To be clear, this list isn't necessarily the best of the year, it's our favorites. 

This last year was a fun one for movies, as we saw massive hit sequels like Dune: Part Two, Gladiator II and Twisters hit the theaters. Oddity and The Substance made a big name for horror, and family-friendly had its moment with Inside Out 2 and The Wild Robot.

Here are some of our favorites of the year.

1. Dune: Part Two

Denis Villeneuve somehow not only lived up to the hype for the sequel to 2021's sci-fi epic, he exceeded it with Dune: Part Two. Timothée Chalamet was utterly fantastic in a stacked cast that showed off the skills of Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Florence Pugh and Dave Bautista. Dune: Part Two also showed that Austin Butler is so, so much more than just the guy that can do the Elvis impersonation. His Feyd-Rautha is terrifying and chilling, even with so little screen time. The movie also spawned some of the best memes of the year. What can't Dune: Part Two do?

-- Caroline Darney

2. The Substance

I walked into this theater knowing literally nothing about the film except the name on the ticket, and oh my goodness, was I in for a surprise. Once you suspend disbelief and allow the body horror to feel cartoonish rather than scary, this immediately becomes a raucous and riveting watch. They put a mirror to beauty standards and then smashed that thing in ways I never could have expected.

-- Bryan Kalbrosky

3. Inside Out 2

I was skeptical heading into Inside Out 2 because of Pixar's iffy track record with sequels. On the one hand, you have most of the subsequent iterations of Toy Story. On the other there's ... Cars 2. But the follow-up to Pixar's story about growing up and understanding your own emotions has no such pitfalls. It doesn't even change the formula. It just beautifully weaves in new feelings like Anxiety and Embarrassment into Riley Anderson's experiences as a young teenager. And yes, I bawled. Again.

-- Robert Zeglinski

4. Wicked

I went into Wicked nervous about the decision to split the beloved musical into two parts, but came away absolutely enthralled. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey absolutely nail their roles as the main trio of this movie, with their chemistry and banter a standout for me. The heart of the musical that I’ve loved since a teenager is still there and the songs have been given new life on the silver screen with a $150 million budget. I cannot wait to see how they flesh things out in part two.

-- Mary Clarke

5. Drive Away Dolls

There’s a lot of folks that say the R-rated comedy – the genre that seemed to be so popular and powerful in the mid-2000s – is dead. This, from Ethan Coen, proves that it isn’t impossible to revive it. It’s ridiculous, wildly raunchy, absurd and an absolute blast, weaving witty writing, funny one-liners, action, romance and drama all together. The vehicles for all of it are Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley, whose characters will make you laugh and think as a MacGuffin takes them to Tallahassee. It also has incredibly funny cameos and solid performances from supporting cast members Colman Domingo and Beanie Feldstein. If there’s one complaint, it’s that the film needed more minutes for Bill Camp.

-- Mitchell Northam

6. Alien: Romulus

After Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection, we finally have a sequel worthy of being included alongside Alien and Aliens. This is not to say Romulus is as good as the first two entries – it would be immensely difficult for anything to hit the heights of Ridley Scott's horror flick and James Cameron's action follow-up – but Fede Alvarez brought life back into the franchise. Cailee Spaeny is fantastic as the lead, and David Jonsson is incredible as the eerie artificial human. If nothing else, the scene where they quietly traipse through a room of face huggers is worth the price of admission.

-- Darney

7. The Brutalist

Brady Corbet's towering epic about the trials of the immigrant experience stands tall as one of the year's best.

-- Cory Woodroof

8. Conclave

To me, there is no more perfect genre of movie than Conclave. It did exactly what it set out to do while existing perfectly well in the confines of the universe that it creates for its audience. The dialogue was brilliant, the plot was engaging, the cinematography was wonderful, and the performances were all so good. Plus it got me wondering what life would be like if Stanley Tucci were pope, and that's something to have a think about.

-- Kalbrosky

9. I Saw the TV Glow

A deep dive into nostalgia and acceptance, I Saw the TV Glow is the kind of story that can be digested many ways. Director Jane Schoenbrun intended it as a reflection of the moment a trans person understands where they belong and the fear and anxiety that come with it. Even if you can't relate to that, there are universal moments of fear and connection, using nostalgia and pop culture as a crutch or a bridge and how if affects everyone's development. It's unsettling and occasionally beautiful work that hits hard for anyone who came of age in the 1990s.

-- Christian D'Andrea

10. Oddity

I never would have believed you if you told me that I'd be recommending a horror movie on a best of list, but here we are. A good friend told me to check out Oddity, and I'm so glad I did. To be honest, I was so unnerved partway through the movie that I almost bailed out. So glad I didn't, though. Oddity is just so incredibly ...unsettling. It's very simple (not a lot of bells and whistles or fancy effects) but it's effective. I will never unsee that doll.

-- Darney

11. Kinds of Kindness

A classic Yorgos Lanthimos story, Kinds of Kindness pulls no punches as a grim, offbeat picture of the human experience. In one story from this short anthology, Robert Fletcher (Jesse Plemons) tries to please his boss/lover Raymond (Willem Dafoe) by any means necessary, in this case, randomly causing chaos on the city streets. In another Daniel (Plemons) is extremely unconvinced his wife is actually his ... wife. I'm not sure everything coalesces perfectly, but I will never say no to Lanthimos making fun of us.

-- Zeglinski

12. Hit Man

While he may have gotten more attention for Twisters, this was the best performance I've ever seen from Glen Powell and assuredly convinced me that he indeed has all the star power in the world. But he also has a lot more range than I expected, and this was a perfect project to expose that under the direction of Richard Linklater.

-- Kalbrosky

13. Twisters

Speaking of Glen Powell, where Hit Man showed is incredible range, Twisters showed he's got the star power to be an action lead. I am begging Hollywood to make more action flicks. Summer blockbusters. I know this is existing IP, but I want to see the most fun stories on the biggest screen possible. If you feel it, chase it.

-- Darney

14. Monkey Man

Imagine fusing John Wick with Enter the Dragon. That's what this movie feels like. For a flick with a $10 million budget, Monkey Man sure does deliver on a lot. Dev Patel's debut as a director was a fantastic one. The future is so bright for that guy.

-- Michael Sykes

15. The Wild Robot

In every possible way, The Wild Robot is a charming home run. It's a simple story told with great care and attention to detail, centered around the exploits of a futuristic robot that successfully integrates itself with lovable (and hilarious) wild life. It's one of the best original animated movies I've seen in a long time, and I can't recommend it enough. Just, if you haven't seen it ... see it now. See. It. Now.

-- Zeglinski

16. Gladiator II

The opening scene earned Gladiator II a spot on this list for me, and it just kept going for two and a half hours. Denzel Washington was fantastic, Paul Mescal and Pedro Pascal absolutely dominated, and it was visually stunning. Oh, and SHARKS IN THE COLISEUM.

-- Darney

17. Challengers

I’d never been more invested in a tennis match in my life before watching this movie. The drama and tension between the three main characters across the entire film was so delicious to watch unfold. Truly a situation where a polyamorous relationship would have solved all of their problems. Also, shoutout to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross for the techno-infused soundtrack that made me sit on the edge of my seat during every scene.

-- Clarke

18. September 5

This had a limited release in December, but it was one of the more tense and fascinating movies I've seen in ages. It tells the story of the Munich Olympics hostage crisis, but solely from the perspective of the ABC sports team broadcasting the games. Peter Sarsgaard is mesmerizing, and John Magaro (Past Lives) delivers a fantastic performance.

-- Darney

This article originally appeared on For The Win: Best movies of 2024: Why we loved these 18 films, from The Substance to Dune: Part Two