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timothee chalamet and zendaya coleman in dune part two
timothee chalamet and zendaya coleman in dune part two
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Culture > Entertainment

My Standout Films of 2024

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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UNH chapter.

2024 has been a very fulfilling year for cinema lovers. While some of my highly anticipated films haven’t even been released yet, with A Complete Unknown, Babygirl, and Nosferatu all releasing on Christmas day, I had to leave them off this list. But, I can almost guarantee they would have made it. Luckily I’m still left with a plethora of great films from this year, some of which I never thought I’d enjoy as much as I did. 

Here are my standout films from 2024: 

DUNE: PART TWO — Denis villeneuve

Starting off strong, my absolute favorite film of 2024 is Denis Villenvues’ Dune: Part Two. The film features an outstanding cast consisting of Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, Javier Bardem, and Christopher Walken. The story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet) as he and his mother (Ferguson) join the Fremen in hopes of wreaking revenge on the people who killed his father and attacked his home. 

While I enjoyed Villenevues’ first Dune film, it doesn’t compare to part two for me. Everything felt more elevated – the cinematography, the score, the story, the acting performances. It was incredibly more impactful. I knew about five minutes in that it would be unforgettable. It is a massive achievement in modern-sci fi, and I can’t wait for upcoming announcements about Denis’ Dune: Messiah, which is set to begin production in 2025 and will be the final film to his Dune franchise.

Kinds of kindness — Yorgos lanthimos

Kinds of Kindness was a unique, and totally hilarious film from director Yorgos Lanthimos, whos’ 2023 film Poor Things earned 11 nominations at the 96th Academy Awards (and won four). With the trailers not providing a clear storyline, and knowing that Poor Things threw me for a loop despite having hints of what to expect, I had no idea what Kinds of Kindness was going to entail and I’m so glad it didn’t. 

The movie is an unexpected joy ride that takes the viewer through three distinct stories: All the same actors, but different settings and character names. It’s bold, shocking, comedic, and flat out entertaining. I remember the whole theater laughing throughout the majority of the film. The cast delivered hilarious performances that I kept replaying in my head after watching. This film is due for a rewatch from me. 

longlegs — oz perkins

It feels wrong to leave a horror off of this list – so I won’t. If you’ve stepped foot on any social media platform this year, you’ve most likely heard of Osgood Perkins’ Longlegs. The film features Nicholas Cage in a light you’ve never seen him before, and a rather standout performance from Maika Monroe. While it has few jumpscares, Longlegs still managed to crawl under my skin and keep me riddled with anxiety.

The movie earned mixed reviews with some saying it was overhyped, and others saying it was the scariest film of the decade. I don’t agree with either. I think the “hype” for this movie added to the anticipation and the eventual dread of having to see it. “Dread” isn’t an exaggeration either – I was terrified to watch it. It was very well done, however I found the ending to be rushed. I wished they had left some of the conclusion making to the audience instead of wrapping it all up in a tight bow. Nevertheless, I am a horror junky and had tons of fun with it. 

challengers — luca guadagnino

A film that took me by surprise this year was Luca Guadagnino’s: Challengers. Luca is my favorite director, and has previously charmed me with his films Call Me By Your Name (2017) and Bones and All (2022), but I could tell this film would be much different from either of these. 

Challengers is a witty and wildly entertaining film starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. With a magnificent score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and striking performances from the entire cast, I was captivated from start to finish. The film follows Tashi (Zendaya), a previous tennis player and now coach, as she enters her husband Art (Faist) into a challengers event in hopes to get him out a losing streak. He soon finds himself across the court from Patrick Zweig (O’Connor), his former best friend and Tashi’s former boyfriend. I have never been so bewitched by a love triangle!

ANORA — SEAN BAKER

Sean Bakers’ Anora follows Ani (Mikey Madison), a sex worker from Brooklyn, and the story of her marriage with Ivan (Mark Eidelstein), the son of an oligarch. Once his father discovers the news, he leaves Russia and arrives in Brooklyn to get their marriage annulled. I knew I was going to enjoy this film, but I didn’t expect it to have me in tears by the end.

Anora is laugh-out-loud funny, shocking, and heartbreaking. Mikey Madisons’ performance is one I will hold in my mind for a long time. She is a star, and I am very eager to see where the rest of her career takes her. This film won the top prize at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, and has already been nominated for seven Golden Globes. I cannot wait to see the recognition this film receives, as it was truly astonishing. 

A REAL PAIN — JESSE EISENBERG

A Real Pain is the last film I would’ve expected to put on this list. It’s an unassuming yet unbelievably powerful story. The film follows cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) on their trip to Poland to honor their recently passed grandmother and to learn about their family history. 

Kieran’s acting really made this movie stand out to me. His comedic timing was impeccable, and he left me giggling during many of his scenes. While it’s hilarious, it’s also incredibly real and authentic. It sits in the narrow pathway between different genres and represents the different aspects of life itself. I surprisingly loved most of Eisenberg’s choices as a director, and his style was very intriguing. I’ll now be hopefully awaiting the next announcements for his directorial career.

wicked — jon m. chu

I absolutely could not leave Wicked off of this list. I hadn’t previously seen the musical, but I am a huge fan of the original The Wizard Of Oz. All I knew going in that it would be a backstory to the relationship between Elphaba (the eventual Wicked Witch of the West) and Glinda.

The movie only portrays the first half of the musical and ends at what would be intermission. Wicked Part Two is set to release on November 21, 2025. This movie was simply amazing. Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), and Ariana Grande (Glinda) did more than justice for these characters. The musical sequences are truly something to behold, and I have gone back to the theater more than once to listen to Erivo’s incredible voice.

This year’s cinema has left me surprised in more ways than one, and I am impatiently awaiting to finish it strong with the three other films releasing on Christmas Day. I cannot wait to see what amazing films 2025 will bring.

Hi! I'm Kaitlyn and I'm a sophomore at UNH with a major in Wildlife & Conservation Biology, and a minor in Cinema Studies. I enjoy writing about all things cinema!