Horror remake Speak No Evil and belated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice join our list of the best movies released so far in 2024.
We’re through the summer season, making now a good time to drop fresh films onto our list of 2024’s best movies (you can check out 2023’s best movies here, and the 14 best movies of 2022 here).
The year is already off to a strong start already thanks to Dune 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Longlegs, and Inside Out 2. Now we’re adding Blink Twice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Speak No Evil to the list.
So scroll down for – in alphabetical order – the best movies of the year; aka our favourite films of 2024, which we’ll continue to update as-and-when new bangers are released.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Official Synopsis: The world’s favorite Bad Boys are back with their iconic mix of edge-of-your seat action and outrageous comedy but this time with a twist: Miami’s finest are now on the run.
What we said in our Bad Boys: Ride or Die review: “The best thing about Bad Boys 4 is how it emphasizes the importance of family. The franchise started nearly 30 years ago, with the first movie coming out in 1995 — since then, [Martin] Lawrence and [Will] Smith have always shown dedication to these roles. As such, Ride or Die focuses on the highlight of all four movies: the unwavering brotherhood of Marcus and Mike.”
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Official Synopsis: Beetlejuice is back! After an unexpected family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice, Lydia’s life is turned upside down when her rebellious teenage daughter, Astrid, discovers the mysterious model of the town in the attic and the portal to the Afterlife is accidentally opened. With trouble brewing in both realms, it’s only a matter of time until someone says Beetlejuice’s name three times and the mischievous demon returns to unleash his very own brand of mayhem.
Dexerto Beetlejuice Beetlejuice review: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice understands that, without the rich world-building that made the original a classic, any future iterations wouldn’t work. Thirty years of technological advancement may mean the edges are smoother this time around, but Tim Burton isn’t over-reliant on digital effects, preserving the story’s impeccable sense of place. “
Blink Twice
Official Synopsis: Frida is a young and clever Los Angeles cocktail waitress who has her eyes set on the prize: philanthropist and tech mogul Slater King. When she skillfully maneuvers her way into King’s inner circle and ultimately an intimate gathering on his private island, she is ready for the journey of a lifetime. Despite the epic setting, beautiful people, ever-flowing champagne and late-night dance parties, Frida can sense that there’s more to this island than meets the eye. Something she can’t quite put her finger on. Something terrifying.
What we said in our Blink Twice review: “Blink Twice is a modern-day thriller that does not need to provide over-the-top frights to induce fear in its audience. The film perfectly captures the feminine experience with deft and unwavering direction from Zoë Kravitz. Her debut behind the camera cements her as one of Hollywood’s best and brightest young female voices.”
Challengers
Official Synopsis: Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy-turned-coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak (Mike Faist), Tashi’s strategy for her husband’s redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick (Josh O’Connor) —his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?
Dexerto Challengers review: “Movies used to be like this — needlessly cool, visually throttling, and horny in a way that’s more sloppy than chic. If a new era of big-screen eroticism does take off, then we’ll have Challengers to thank.”
Challengers also made it onto our list of the 40 greatest sports movies of all-time.
Civil War
Official Synopsis: Civil War is an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride through a near-future fractured America balanced on the razor’s edge.
Dexerto review of Civil War: “Those seeking political polemic on one wing or the other will be disappointed and (probably) neurotically irate — but they’re searching for something that intentionally isn’t there. 28 Days Later wasn’t really about zombies, nor was Ex Machina about the dangers of AI; Civil War isn’t interested in affirming or attacking your views, but lamenting it for not doing so is a willful misread of the film.”
Deadpool & Wolverine
Official Synopsis: A listless Wade Wilson toils away in civilian life. His days as the morally flexible mercenary, Deadpool, behind him. When his homeworld faces an existential threat, Wade must reluctantly suit-up again with an even more reluctantlier… reluctanter? Reluctantest? He must convince a reluctant Wolverine to — F**k. Synopses are so fucking stupid.
Deadpool & Wolverine review: “Deadpool and Wolverine is a must-see MCU experience; giddy, gruesome, and more emotional than you’d expect. Its issues play second fiddle to the nostalgia and shameless joy you’ll feel in the cinema. In other words, let’s f**king go.”
Dune: Part Two
Official Synopsis: Dune: Part Two explores the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a path of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
What we said in the Dexerto review of Dune 2: “Dune: Part Two is a screen-quaking cinematic landmark that should hold the future of blockbuster filmmaking accountable; imperfect, cold, but mighty.
The First Omen
Official Synopsis: When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.
Dexerto review of The First Omen: “Subtlety and realness are arguably the key to horror success, and they’re used to perfection in The First Omen. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill jump-scare experience (although there are a few of those); instead, it’s a tense, slow burn that builds to some truly horrifying moments – and when it hits, it goes straight for the jugular.”
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Handling the Undead
Official Synopsis: On a hot summer day in Oslo, the newly dead awaken. Three families faced with loss try to figure out what this resurrection means and if their loved ones really are back.
Dexerto’s Handling the Undead review: “Handling the Undead does what any great horror movie should do: it worms its way into our souls and picks at our deepest, darkest fears. First and foremost, Handling the Undead is an achingly poignant study of grief. The fact it’s packaged as a zombie movie is simply a bonus.”
Kill
Official Synopsis: When army commando Amrit finds out his true love Tulika is engaged against her will, he boards a New Delhi-bound train in a daring quest to derail the arranged marriage. But when a gang of knife-wielding thieves led by the ruthless Fani begin to terrorize innocent passengers on his train, Amrit takes them on himself in a death-defying kill-spree to save those around him — turning what should have been a typical commute into an adrenaline-fueled thrill ride.
Kill review: “Kill is good, and very nearly great. The action is top-notch. The cast is both compelling and convincing. And genuine emotion underpins proceedings, which elevates the material.”
Longlegs
Official Synopsis: In pursuit of a serial killer, an FBI agent uncovers a series of occult clues that she must solve to end his terrifying killing spree.
Longlegs review: “Longlegs might not quite match the hype built by its viral campaign, but Osgood Perkins’ horror movie is still a great thriller with plenty of scares and standout performances from Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe.”
Inside Out 2
Official Synopsis: Inside Out 2 returns to the mind of newly minted teenager Riley just as headquarters is undergoing a sudden demolition to make room for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions! Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust, who’ve long been running a successful operation by all accounts, aren’t sure how to feel when Anxiety shows up. And it looks like she’s not alone.
Dexerto review of Inside Out 2: “If you want an easy and enjoyable way of reminding yourself that it’s okay to not be okay, Inside Out 2 smashes it out of the park. Proving that Disney is back on form, it’s undeniably the most successful sequel — and maybe movie outright — that the studio has had in years. Trust me… you’ve never wanted to have Anixety more.”
Late Night with the Devil
Official Synopsis: In 1977 a live television broadcast goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms. What unfolds next is shocking…
Late Night with the Devil review: “Late Night with the Devil is high-concept horror that plays out in a single location, delivers multiple scares in pretty much real-time, and serves as an effective star vehicle for longtime supporting actor David Dastmalchian.”
Love Lies Bleeding
Official Synopsis: Reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Vegas in pursuit of her dream. But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.
Love Lies Bleeding Dexerto review: “Love Lies Bleeding, the jaw-unhinging sophomore feature from Rose Glass, is a gleefully gonzo midnight movie, but its vibes hold more weight than the story.”
Monkey Man
Official Synopsis: Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Dev Patel as Kid, an anonymous young man who ekes out a meager living in an underground fight club where, night after night, wearing a gorilla mask, he is beaten bloody by more popular fighters for cash. After years of suppressed rage, Kid discovers a way to infiltrate the enclave of the city’s sinister elite. As his childhood trauma boils over, his mysteriously scarred hands unleash an explosive campaign of retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him.
Dexerto review of Monkey Man: “Monkey Man is exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure. The action is fast and frenzied, which frequently works in the film’s favor — most notably during a magical musical training montage — but sometimes to the movie’s detriment. While the story is much like a million revenge stories you’ve seen before, but given fresh legs through the Hindu philosophy and cultural iconography that’s laced throughout proceedings.”
Road House
Official Synopsis: In this adrenaline-fueled reimagining of the 80s cult classic, ex-UFC fighter Dalton takes a job as a bouncer at a Florida Keys roadhouse, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.
Road House review: “Road House is dumb fun that’s designed to appeal to our baser instincts. It’s also relentlessly entertaining from first punch to last, and a worthy successor to the cult classic on which it’s based.”
Speak No Evil
Official Synopsis: When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.
Speak No Evil review: “Speak No Evil is a solid remake, with plenty of discomfort to be had. And it might just have the scariest thing that no other 2024 horror can top: the experience of encountering a British person on holiday.”
Head here for 2024’s best TV shows, or check out our list of the biggest grossing movies of all-time.
