A lot of good movies came out this year. With the Golden Globes passed and Oscar nominations announced, I think it’s a good idea to look back on the films from 2024.

I watched about 20 movies that came out last year and here are my top 10 films and why you should watch them.

I don’t just rate these movies on how good they are but how re-watchable, entertaining, and enjoyable they are. Some of the movies higher up on the list are not as good, technically speaking, as those at the bottom but due to curtain factors (that I will explain) I believe them to be higher or lower on this list.

This top 10 list will be published in the Phoenix in five segments before the Oscar ceremonies on March 2.

8 – Gladiator II 

This movie is the distant continuation of the original Gladiator from 2000. It tells the story of Lucius, who witnessed the original Gladiator Maximus’ death, and his journey to becoming a gladiator himself. It’s his story to find himself and stay alive in a politically and socially violent Rome. 

I’ve already talked about this movie, so if you are interested in more details take a look at that review on the Phoenix Newspaper webpage. I think this movie has a great atmosphere created by the director and the production designers to create a very realistic Rome for this story to take place. There is a scene where they fill the Colliseum with water and sharks, then have the gladiators recreate what ocean warfare looks like. There are definitely a lot of entertaining action sequences throughout this movie. 

This is a story of betrayal, traitors, and trying to figure out who to trust. Denzel Washington definitely does a good job in heightening the tension of this movie, playing both the political game and the game of gladiators. 

Despite Washington’s performance, the other characters are not as compelling as the original characters from 2000.

When Gladiator came out it won awards like Best Costume, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects, but most notably Best Picture and Best Actor. Russell Crowe was definitely able to capture the audience’s attention in a way that Paul Mascal was not. In total Gladiator received 12 Oscar nominations. Gladiator II only received one nomination. It’s clear this film is not nearly as successful as the original but nevertheless it is interesting enough to spend 148 minutes with. I rate this movie 3/5 Stars. 

7 – Lisa Frankenstein 

This movie tells the re-imagined story of Mary Shelly’s classic tale Frankenstein. In Zelda Williams’ version, Lisa is a romantic high school student in the ’80s. The only problem is that none of the high school boys have caught her interest. Only the people buried in a graveyard of single men have been able to catch her eye. She wants to fall in love but the fact that her true love is dead is not her only problem. Her step mom thinks Lisa is an attention seeking delinquent because she witnessed her mother’s murder. One night, however, an unusually violent storm sends a lightning bolt directly into the grave of a Victorian man. Just like the monster from Mary Shelly’s story the Victorian man comes to life, and the creature finds Lisa. They find that the only way to completely reanimate the man is to kill students to steal their body parts and sew them onto the creature. Together they embark on a romantic story full of comedy and murder. 

For me this is one of the only rom-coms that came out this year. This teen movie is about the angst of growing up, the desire to belong, and the need to find companionship.

This movie is very good stylistically. If this movie was a painting it would be something you would want to look at. I think the colors and atmosphere of this movie are very visually appealing. This film has both the fashion and vivid colors of the ’80s alongside the stiffness of the Victorian Age but still feels very contemporary. For me, this artistry is the strongest part of this movie.

The second strongest thing is the uniqueness of this movie. I think this movie is very authentic and captures in a comedic way the teenage experience and the fears and the wants that go along with it. The film tells an unconventional story about unconventional people in unconventional situations. It is a very different take on Mary Shelly’s classic story. 

There are some problems with this movie, however. I think a lot of the drama feels forced between Lisa, her step sister, and her step mom. I don’t like a lot of the plot points surrounding their relationships with each other. The way the step-mother tries to turn Lisa’s father against her, even after she witnessed her Mother’s death, just because she doesn’t like Lisa, doesn’t seem very realistic. I think that a lot of the murders and violence in this movie are necessary to the story they were trying to tell, but I find the violence over done and over glorified.

If you are in the mood for something a little different and a little weird but really fun I recommend giving this movie a try. I rate this movie 2.5/5 stars.

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