This year has had many twists and turns, ups and downs, and many hectic events. Though one thing has stayed the same throughout. That is the new movies that were released in 2024. Written below are the top ten movies of 2024 and why.
1. WICKED: Part 1 – November 22
Set in the marvelous land of Oz, Wicked is a musical brought from the stage to
the theaters. This movie has met the expectations of many, with an 8/10 score on IMDb. Part of what made this adaptation so enjoyable is that it stayed true to the original musical, by adding scenes to create multiple parts. “It’s a little bit different, they add a lot of scenes to it so they can make it part two and part one, but overall I think it’s real good,” said sophomore Caprie Wilson.
2. The Fall Guy – May 3
This is the love story about a stuntman and the director of a movie, starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt. The average score for this movie is a 6.9/10 on IMDb, meaning that over half the people who have watched this have enjoyed it. This is an action-packed comedy film that keeps the romance growing throughout. This action keeps viewers on the edge of their seats, waiting to see what happens next. Overall, the movie was well made, with a good division of action, romance, and comedy to keep fans interested throughout the film.
3. Twisters – July 19
Twisters is an action-packed story about an old tornado chaser going back out there and chasing again. Not many had given it great ratings, having a 6.5/10 on IMDb, which shows that a little over half have enjoyed watching it. A sequel of sorts, this movie has the same idea as the original Twister. Although this movie does not have any of the original characters, only the machine created in the original. Overall, this movie was brought to life with the harsh realities of what can happen during a tornado and was very well made.
4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – March 22
A continuation of the Ghostbuster films, this movie continued the story nicely. Given a 6.1/10 on IMDb, this story brings back some of the original characters from the 80s and the new characters that were created to continue to pass the torch on. This continued to take the original idea and add modern touches to create it. Having action and comedy mixed to create the perfect blend to add to the story. Though the ratings say one thing, many people enjoyed watching this movie, and are waiting anxiously to see how the story will continue.
5. Dune Part 2 – March 1
Brought from the book to the big screen, this movie had many high reviews. Give an 8.5/10 on IMDb. Based on the first book written by Frank Herbert, it adds to the first movie, without taking much away from the original story. This action-packed story has a romantic addition, without having it be the main takeaway. There was not any comedy mixed into the action, leaving it feeling like a serious movie that the viewer had to focus on the entire time. In the end, though, it has the viewer leave feeling as if they truly took something away from the movie.
6. Arthur the King – March 15
A tear-jerking inspirational movie about a man’s love for his dog. Rated a 7/10 on IMDb, this movie left viewers feeling inspired. Based on a true story, it follows the journey of adventure racers who run into a dog who joins them. After the race, there are problems with bringing the dog home which brings tears to many people’s eyes at the end of the movie. It finishes with an inspirational image and adds the true story bits into the credits. This leaves the viewer happy and inspired throughout the hardships that life might bring.
7. Moana 2 – November 27
This is the continuation of Moana’s story, which was given a 7/10 on IMDb. Though it was not a favorite movie for some. “It kinda disappointed me, I thought it would be better,” said junior Kaylin O’Daniel. Many people, including O’Daniel, had very high hopes for how this movie would be, but for some, it did not meet their expectations. Part of this could have been due to the soundtrack since it was written by a different songwriter. Other than that, many enjoyed this movie for the laughs and story. At the end of the interview, when asked if she would recommend this movie she said, “Probably not a friend, but maybe a younger sibling.”
8. Mean Girls the Musical – January 12
A musical remake of the original movie brought back many of the original fans. Though it was not seen as a great remake by everyone, having been given a 5.6/10 on IMDb, many have enjoyed it as well. “I really liked it, it was fun. It was a really fun movie,” said junior Sierra Grant. It brought back many moments from the original that fans enjoyed but with a musical soundtrack included in it now that was brought in from the stage. This brought a new take on the story, bringing in old and new fans all around.
9. Time Cut – October 30
This movie did not have all the popularity due to it being a Netflix original, and never being released in theaters. For the people who watched this, they gave it a 5/10 on IMDb, meaning that it was not seen as a great movie. This is supposed to be a horror-style movie, and while it had its scary moments, it did not have enough for many viewers of horror. Having been a movie with time travel and all the events that had led up to the ending, it had seemed predictable who the killer was going to be. This left viewers feeling like there should have been more to the movie than there was.
10. Descendants Rise of Red – July 12
This movie is a continuation of the Descendants series, which many of the original fans did not enjoy. These fans have rated this a 4.7/10 on IMDb, which means that less than half enjoyed this movie. When watching, they tried to make a tribute to the original characters, which was hard because very few of the actors had chosen to come back. It also seemed at times that they had forgotten how the original characters looked when they cast for this movie because many of the new cast do not look related to their son in the original series. This created a discrepancy in the series, which many fans did not enjoy.
