The Best Films of 2024: Our Definitive Ranked List

2024 has been a remarkable year for cinema. From franchise tentpoles to bold original storytelling, the range and ambition on display across global film has been genuinely exciting. Whether you're a casual viewer or a dedicated cinephile, there's something here for everyone.

Below, we've ranked the ten films that stood out most — based on storytelling, craft, performances, and lasting impact.

Table of Contents

What Makes a Great 2024 Film?

We judged films on four criteria:

  • Narrative ambition — Does the story take risks or say something meaningful?
  • Direction and craft — Is the filmmaking itself confident and distinctive?
  • Performances — Do the actors bring the material to life?
  • Rewatchability and resonance — Does the film stick with you?

The Ranked List

  1. Dune: Part Two — Denis Villeneuve's epic science-fiction conclusion is a technical and emotional marvel. Zendaya's expanded role and the film's operatic scale make it one of the decade's great blockbusters.
  2. Conclave — Edward Berger follows up All Quiet on the Western Front with this gripping, claustrophobic thriller set inside the Vatican. Ralph Fiennes is extraordinary.
  3. The Substance — Coralie Fargeat's body-horror satire is one of the boldest, most unforgettable films of the year. Not for the faint-hearted, but impossible to ignore.
  4. A Real Pain — Jesse Eisenberg writes, directs, and stars in this moving, funny, and deeply humane road movie about grief and Jewish identity. Kieran Culkin steals every scene.
  5. Challengers — Luca Guadagnino brings his trademark sensuality to a love-triangle drama played out across years of tennis matches. Zendaya delivers a career-best performance.
  6. Civil War — Alex Garland's near-future war film is a tense, morally complex look at journalism and conflict. Visually stunning and deeply unsettling.
  7. Alien: Romulus — Fede Álvarez revitalises the Alien franchise with a stripped-back, genuinely terrifying horror film that respects its legacy.
  8. Nickel Boys — RaMell Ross adapts Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel with a breathtaking first-person visual style that feels unlike anything else in recent cinema.
  9. The Wild Robot — DreamWorks Animation delivers a visually stunning and emotionally resonant story about survival, parenthood, and belonging.
  10. Longlegs — Osgood Perkins crafts a deeply atmospheric serial killer horror with an unforgettable Nicolas Cage performance at its centre.

Honourable Mentions

These films narrowly missed the top ten but are absolutely worth your time:

  • Twisters — A crowd-pleasing disaster blockbuster that delivers exactly what it promises.
  • Speak No Evil — A suffocating British-American remake that improves on the Danish original in almost every way.
  • Gladiator II — Ridley Scott returns to ancient Rome with spectacular results, even if the script takes some liberties.
  • Inside Out 2 — Pixar's emotional sequel handles anxiety with surprising sophistication for younger audiences.

2024 has proven that cinema — in all its forms — remains a vital, thrilling art form. Whether you start at number one or pick something that catches your eye, you're in for a treat.