Top 10 Best Movies of 2024
In the process of compiling the list of best movies of 2024 that I managed to see throughout the calendar year, it has been a difficult decision to rank them accordingly. A mix of mainstream, mid-budget and indie movies made the cut into the Top 10 list. It’s worth noting that 2024 has been a banner year for horror and animation with some of them can also be found in the honourable mentions. That said, here is my pick for the Top 10 Best Movies of 2024 below.
10. Exhuma
The highest-grossing Korean movie of 2024 delves into the ominous dread of traditional Korean rituals, superstition and buried secrets unfold in six chapters. Writer-director Jang Jae-Hyun (The Priests, Svaha: The Sixth Finger) brings out the best in his ensemble cast, notably Choi Min-Sik as the world-weary geomancer Kim Sang-Deok and Kim Go-Eun as the steely shaman Hwa-Rim.
Jae-Hyun’s deliberate direction echoes a spade digging a grave by hand, hitting down and scooping the sand away repeatedly as it goes deeper and deeper. What begins as “The Passing of Misfortune” ritual to appease the guardian and whisk away the negative energy from the earth to the sacrificial pigs soon takes a dark and sinister turn. Jae-Hyun incorporates a few effective jump scares, possession-horror tropes and how the murky past and present collide, culminating in an all-hell-breaks-loose finale.
9. Red Rooms
Think of this Canadian psychological thriller as the flip side of Brian De Palma’s lurid exploration of obsession and voyeurism, where everything is steely and clinical. Pascal Plante’s direction is an absorbing slow burn that embraces the power of ambiguity to explore his mysterious protagonist, played to icy perfection by stunningly beautiful Juliette Gariépy. The titular rooms refer to a dark web portal exploiting snuff videos with Plante’s coldly detached visuals and dread-inducing moments, which deserve equal mention. (Full review)
8. Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s second half of Dune improves by leaps and bounds with higher stakes that echo the look and feel of a war movie and immersive action set pieces. It’s an epic blockbuster that justifies its IMAX experience while credits also go to Villeneuve for his intriguing storytelling as he delves into power, corruption, deception and intergalactic politics. Dune: Part Two also benefits from the stellar cast including Timothee Chamalet, Zendaya and Javier Bardem reprising their roles. Then, there’s the franchise newcomer Austin Butler who impresses in his ruthless Harkonnen warrior role as Feyd-Rautha. (Full review)
7. Conclave
All Quiet on the Western Front director Edward Berger explores the inner workings of the papal election in Conclave, a Vatican-set chamber drama imbued with tension-filled power politics. The movie gets an extra boost from its thriller-style approach with engaging dialogue and solid performances all around. The latter is especially true with Ralph Fiennes’ subtle lead performance as the conflicted Cardinal Lawrence. (Full review)
6. The Lyricist Wannabe
Norris Wong’s sophomore follow-up to Stephy Tang-starred My Prince Edward touches on the rarely-explored subject of a niche profession working as a lyricist. The titular character in question played by Chung Suet-Ying in a sympathetic performance as the movie follows her trials and tribulations struggling to make a breakthrough in the music industry. Familiar themes of rejection, determination, fate and luck are effectively incorporated through the movie while Wong balances her movie between pragmatism and feel-good vibes without resorting to histrionics. (Full review)
5. Maharaja
Told in a deceptively non-linear structure, Nithilan Saminathan’s labyrinthine thriller takes his viewers on a roller coaster ride as Maharaja weaves from one genre to another. It starts as a quirky, lightweight comedy about a missing iron dustbin before the movie gradually shapes into a gritty thriller with the kind of revenge angle that rivals the no-holds-barred nihilistic Korean cinema. Kudos also go to Saminathan’s crafty storytelling that embraces the narrative power of misdirection and of course, the movie wouldn’t have worked without Vijay Sethupathi’s titular character stealing the show. (Full review)
4. Flow
2024 has been a strong year for animated features with movies like Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot and Transformers One. Then, there’s Flow, an independently produced animated movie using the free, open-source 3D software called Blender. And it’s completely dialogue-free, which seems like a bold risk but Latvian writer-director Gints Zilbalodis does a great job telling a remarkable story about a black cat’s adventure-filled journey. Here, the movie explores the relationship between the black cat and the rest of the surviving animals in a post-apocalyptic world plagued by the tsunami flood. The animation is uniquely textured with a painterly look while Zilbalodis incorporates relevant themes of climate change, friendship and community with enough heart and humour. (Full review)
3. All Shall Be Well
Money is the root of all evil, even when it involves the family in Ray Yeung’s All Shall Be Well, his follow-up to the director’s award-winning queer drama Suk Suk (Twilight’s Kiss). Yeung employs deliberate pacing throughout the movie as he explores the aftermath of one of the lesbian partners’s death (Maggie Li Lin-Lin’s Pat), whose family subsequently takes advantage of her wealth and inheritance for personal gains, leaving the grieving significant other (Patra Au’s Angie) in a vulnerable position. Yeung extracts great performances from his solid ensemble cast including Patra Au and Maggie Li Lin-Lin while subtly exploring the familiar, matter-of-fact themes of familial conflicts and greed. (Full review)
2. The Last Dance
Who could have thought a rarely explored taboo subject of death and funeral in Hong Kong cinema managed to defy all odds and turn into box-office gold? The Last Dance made it to the tune of HK$150 million so far at the time of writing and emerged as the highest-grossing Hong Kong film ever made.
Writer-director Anselm Chan, whose previous movies were the first two romantic comedies Ready or Knot and Ready o/r Rot, proves his versatility in tackling the morbid subject delicately without succumbing to a melodrama. The battle between tradition and modernity from the respective Man (Michael Hui) and Dominic’s (Dayo Wong) point of view in managing the funeral business is meticulously integrated into a resonant family drama. Not to forget, all three principal actors — Dayo Wong, Michael Hui and Michelle Wai — delivered their career-best performances. (Full review)
1. The Substance
Moving out from the vengeance-themed Revenge to a high-concept black comedy, Coralie Fargeat’s sophomore follow-up in The Substance showcases her unique flair for meshing different genres. And that is a dark satire about the beauty standards in the ever-competitive world of showbiz and how ageism and sexism affect a person’s career.
Enlisting Demi Moore to play the unfortunate victim of a has-been celebrity marks the actress’ great comeback and she’s perfect for the role. You feel her sense of desperation in trying to stay relevant even if it meant resorting to unconventional methods, which leads to the titular experimental serums. A DIY procedure that allows the individual to clone a younger self (Margaret Qualley in an equally solid performance). Fargeat also infuses David Cronenberg-style body horror in the second half may have been revolting for some audiences. And yet, it’s hard to deny the director’s extremist approach in hammering her point regarding the subject matter. (Full review)
Honourable mentions (in alphabetical order):
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Magpie
Inside Out 2
Oddity
Out of My Mind
Saturday Night
Sheriff: Narko Integriti
Strange Darling
The Wild Robot
Young Woman and the Sea
