The 10 Best Films of 2024 (So Far)

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The best movies of 2024 so far come at a complicated time for the film industry, still struggling to get back on its feet after the double-strike of 2023 (not to mention all the other chaos of the past five years). And honestly, that’s what makes every one of them such a welcome gift: There is no better cure for an existential crisis than going to see a movie that doesn’t just entertain you — it transforms you.

Perhaps that transformation comes in the form of a rush so intense you’ll be blaring Reznor and Ross as your workout mix for weeks (we certainly will). Or it comes in the dazzling wonder of a sci-fi universe that gets richer with each new installment. Or maybe it comes from the simple celebration of human connection, whether it be a decades-old friendship put to the test or finding yourself in a situation where being alone literally means death.

The vibe around big movie releases this spring isn’t exactly an optimistic one, given the flagging box office performance of so many anticipated releases. But that just makes the 10 movies listed below feel even more vital and necessary — we need the awe and joy and horror and power they delivered to our lives. We always need movies.

— Liz Shannon Miller
Senior Entertainment Editor

Editors Note: Check back for all our 2024 Midyear Report coverage, including our list of the 30 Best Albums So Far.

Table of Contents

10. Babes

Babes (NEON)

Directed by: Pamela Adlon
Written by: Ilana Glazer, Josh Rabinowitz
Cast: Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, John Carroll Lynch, Oliver Platt, Sandra Bernhard, Stephan James, Hasan Minhaj

Marking Pamela Adlon’s directorial debut, Babes has a deeply irreverent point-of-view on “the miracle of childbirth,” but so much reverence for the importance of female friendship. Stars Ilana Glazer and Michelle Buteau play longtime BFFs whose deeply relatable struggles with parenthood nearly tear them apart; the catharsis that comes is both hilarious and heart-warming, with no shortage of poop jokes along the way. — L.S. Miller

09. Self Reliance

Self Reliance (Hulu)

Directed by: Jake Johnson
Written by: Jake Johnson
Cast: Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick, Natalie Morales, Andy Samberg, Mary Holland, Emily Hampshire, Christopher Lloyd

When speaking to Consequence about his directorial debut, Self Reliance, Jake Johnson said his goal was to simply make “a fun 90-minute movie.” That might seem like a low bar, but when you’d have to set aside five hours to take in the two movies topping this list, you can see Johnson’s point. Kudos to him, then, for succeeding, also writing and starring in a film that’s a charming, thoughtful, breezy watch. Playfully tripping between wacky comedy and surprising thriller, with a fantastic supporting cast (Biff Wiff and Anna Kendrick truly shine), Johnson proves you can still fit plenty into a tight hour and a half. — Ben Kaye

08. Civil War

Civil War (A24)

Directed by: Alex Garland
Written by: Alex Garland
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman

Far from the easiest viewing experience this year, Alex Garland’s deliberately apolitical story of an America torn apart from within remains haunting, and not just because of that Jesse Plemons scene. It’s a chilling reminder of how no society is safe from the horrors of war, and how a conflict like this could happen far easier than we’d ever want to believe. And it’s all anchored by a career-best performance from Kirsten Dunst. — L.S. Miller

07. Problemista

Problemista (A24)

Directed by: Julio Torres
Written by: Julio Torres
Cast: Tilda Swinton, Julio Torres, RZA, Greta Lee, Catalina Saavedra, James Scully

This lovely film from actor, writer, and comedian Julio Torres (produced by Emma Stone, no less) is incredibly special. There’s an accessibility to Problemista in the fact that it revolves around chasing dreams, but feels singular in the way the story is told — particularly the emphasis on the lack of safety net that often accompanies the immigrant experience. Once the viewer abandons their viewing to Torres’ rules of reality, with all the humor, hope, and sadness that entails, Problemista comes fully to life. — Mary Siroky

06. The Fall Guy

The Fall Guy (Universal)

Directed by: David Leitch
Written by: Drew Pearce
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hannah Waddingham, Teresa Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Winston Duke

It’s a damn shame that The Fall Guy didn’t find a huge audience upon release, because there’s no film this year that captures the pure unhinged joy we get from watching a great action scene, as well as the craft behind that movie magic. Ryan Gosling as the titular stunt man and Emily Blunt as the director he loves make for a great on-screen pairing, and director David Leitch delivers set piece after set piece that show, instead of tell, why exactly we love these sequences so much. And there’s a very good dog! Try to see this one in theaters, if you still have the chance. — L.S. Miller

05. Love Lies Bleeding

Love Lies Bleeding Katy O'Brian — Love Lies Bleeding Katy O’Brian

Love Lies Bleeding (A24)

Directed by: Rose Glass
Written by: Rose Glass, Weronika Tofilska
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Jena Malone, Anna Baryshnikov, Dave Franco, Ed Harris

Every choice Kristen Stewart makes these days, when it comes to the roles she takes on, feels powerful and purposeful. Her Sundance hit Love Lies Bleeding is no exception, a wild tour de force from Saint Maud director Rose Glass — the surreal dark fantasy also features an incredible performance from Katy O’Brian as an aspiring bodybuilder whose relationship with gym manager Lou (Stewart) gets complicated thanks to Lou’s criminal father (Ed Harris, with a mullet for the ages). You won’t believe the places this one goes, and you’ll never forget its defining moments. — L.S. Miller

04. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros.)

Directed by: George Miller
Written by: George Miller, Nico Lathouris
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Alyla Browne, Lachy Hulme, Charlee Fraser

Comparing Furiosa to a film that many people might agree is one of the best action movies ever made, full stop, just feels genuinely unfair on some level. It’s also not at all the right way to think about this Fury Road prequel, as it feels vital and necessary thanks to the way its development took place at the same time as Fury Road. In order to tell a story taking place over decades instead of years in this new chapter of his defining franchise, director George Miller brings so many magic tricks to the screen… and yes, Dementus, he does have it in him to make it epic. — L.S. Miller

03. I Saw the TV Glow

I Saw the TV Glow (A24)

Directed by: Jane Schoenbrun
Written by: Jane Schoenbrun
Cast: Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler, Amber Benson

Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow is beautifully unnerving; the cinematography is gorgeous and highly stylized, the acting is intense and cryptic, and the themes are steeped in both nostalgic fun and deeply disturbing dysphoria. Together, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer-esque aesthetic and subtextual allegory of repressed identity combine for a film that wedges itself under your skin, leaving its mark on viewers long after they leave the world of the Pink Opaque, regardless of their relationship with gender or sexuality. — Jonah Krueger

02. Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros.)

Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Written by: Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem

Calling Dune: Part Two the Empire Strikes Back of our time might be hyperbole — but it also might not be. The second installment of Denis Villeneuve’s gorgeous, epic take on Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic is star-studded, emotionally gripping, and an overwhelming success both artistically and commercially. Complete with engaging performances and an already iconic score, all signs point to Dune: Part Two becoming a universally beloved classic on par with the biggest space operas out there. — J. Krueger

01. Challengers

Challengers (MGM)

Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Written by: Justin Kuritzkes
Cast: Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, Mike Faist

The truth is, Challengers simply has it all: an incredible score, wildly daring and engaging cinematography, impeccable direction from Luca Guadagnino, Mike Faist in a backwards hat, and an absolutely delicious mess between our three main characters. Challengers is a sports movie in that it’s not really about tennis at all — it’s about power and control. It’s fun, sexy, and incredibly rewarding upon rewatch, and Zendaya is obviously a star of the times; Josh O’Connor completely disappears into the role of Patrick. While the movie is genuinely great the whole way through, it’s especially difficult to come up with a recent movie ending that feels so satisfying and so earned. This one’s going down in the history books. — M. Siroky

The 10 Best Films of 2024 (So Far)
Consequence Staff