My Top 5 Movies of 2024

If I'm being honest, most of the year 2024 in film was fairly weak. That said, it really couldn't have closed out on a stronger note. So with that in mind, let's take a look at my favorite films to come out in the past year.

Honorable Mentions
Alien: Romulus (Fede Álvarez)
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (Adam Wingard)
The Wild Robot (Chris Sanders)

#5

Turtles All the Way Down
(Hannah Marks)

This movie about a girl suffering from an extremely debilitating case of OCD definitely struck home with me. It was an unnervingly realistic depiction of the condition, and the various ways it can obstruct your life. This one made me pretty emotional watching it.

#4

Heavier Trip
(Juuso Laatio, Jukka Vidgren)

I only even heard about this movie because it features recurring appearances from the band Babymetal throughout the film. I'm glad I gave it a chance because of that, though, because it wound up being an incredibly charming film, and one of the most genuinely hilarious movies I've seen in years. And speaking of Babymetal...

#3

Babymetal Legend - 43 The Movie
(Hiroya Brian Nakano)

The first Babymetal movie gave me a WTF reaction upon first viewing, which is a more than fitting reaction for this band. I love film analysis, and I love that a concert movie of all things was able to spur on an analysis of the film from me. It may not have been what I was expecting going into it, but I wound up loving it for what it is.

#2

Sonic the Hedgehog 3
(Jeff Fowler)

Who would've ever thought that Sonic the Hedgehog would make for a perfect film trilogy? Each new entry has been even better than the last, and that holds true for this latest entry in the series, too. I've said it before, but these movies are an absolute love letter to the franchise and the fans, and this movie goes even bigger in that regard and has some of the most satisfying crowd pleasing moments of the series thus far.

#1

Flow
(Gints Zilbalodis)

One of the most unique films that I've seen in years is also by far the year's best. An epic fantasy following a common house cat and the various other animals it encounters on its voyage, this film is an absolute treasure, and is an especially rewarding one to revisit over and over again. Operating without a single line of dialogue uttered throughout, this film is a true master class in visual storytelling, and a movie that'll take you on a thrilling and emotional journey as we travel along with this lively cast of creatures.

(And, spoiler alert, it'll absolutely be making an appearance on my upcoming list of the Top Movies of the Decade so far, as we approach the halfway point of the '20s. So stay tuned for that!)