My Top 20 Films of 2024

So far, in our awards, we have looked at Action, Cinematography, Costumes, Emotion, Fun, Music, Tension, Worldbuilding, Best Animation, Best of Australia & New Zealand & Best TV of 2024

However, in this last entry into our Best of 2024 awards, we crown our Best Film of 2024.

All films are subjective, so our list might look completely different from yours. Of the 116 films we reviewed last year, 110 had their Australian Theatrical/Streaming Release in 2024. This is the list from which we draw our entries, and you can see the complete list of movies HERE.

Much like last year’s list, we have had many staggered releases towards the end of the year in Australia. So we may have films here that were released in 2023 for you but 2024 for us, and there may be some omissions here because we won’t get those films until later in 2025.

Highly CommendedThe Beekeeper, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Fall Guy, How to Make Gravy, Inside Out 2, The King of the Indies, The Kitchen, Rebel Ridge, The Rooster,  Transformers One, Turtles All the Way Down, Twisters & Wicked   

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Worldbuilding that Astounded Us in 2024

One of the benefits of film is that it is a visual medium, which means that it can do in a frame what it might take a book several pages of description to pull off. We see this the most in its ability to build worlds in front of our eyes.

These worlds could be great space operas exploring galaxies, a small period piece that looks back in time, or anything. But when every part of the film is used to tell a story, you know it is good.   

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Abigail,A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Moogai, The Mountain, Saturday Night, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Wicked  
 Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Agatha All Along, Black Doves, The Diplomat, Earth Abides, The Gentlemen, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Penguin, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shrinking, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Wars: The Acolyte & X-Men ’97    

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The Musical Scores of 2024 That Wowed Us

One factor that I will always look out for in a film is the musical score. I can get caught in the world of music as it sits in my head in the days, weeks, months, and even the years that come. There is immense artistry in weaving emotions from music, having us slip into the world that is created, fear the oncoming dread even if we do not know why, or rejoice in the triumph of that final victory.

Music charts the cinematic world as it guides us, lifts us up, and yet it can also crush our souls with a couple of notes on a piano. This is its power.

Also, a reminder that this award is for Musical Scores and Original Songs only, so no needle drops or non-original songs, so prepping you for Wicked not being on this list right from the start. However, it would be remiss of me not to at least mention the cultural relevance of Deadpool & Wolverine using a choral version of Madonna’s Like a Prayer.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Alien: Romulus, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Gladiator II, Hundreds of Beavers, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 & Transformers One


Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Shōgun & Star Wars: The Acolyte

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Cinematography That Made You Go Wow in 2024!

Cinematography is an art form that can be as bold as a gong crashing after a moment of silence or as subtle as the tide coming in. It elevates a film to the heights of accolades or becomes frustrating when it misfires.

While at the heart of cinematography is the Director of Photography or Cinematographer, to get something from the script to the final shot takes a whole team of professionals, and it is their talent that we champion today.

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: A Quiet Place: Day One, The Beekeeper, Civil War, Deadpool & Wolverine, Hundreds of Beavers, Monkey Man, Rebel Ridge, Robot Dreams & Turtles All the Way Down

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: Citadel Honey Bunny, The Diplomat, Dune Prophecy, Earth Abides, Fallout, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Mr. & Mrs. Smith & Shrinking

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The Costumes of 2024 That Made Us Say ‘Hot Damn’

You can use many techniques to help build your world, ground your setting, or give dimensions to your characters. You can use music and create elaborate sets, but one of the best ways is through the costumes you make.

People instantly judge a character within moments on the screen, and the outfits are essential to that first impression. More than this, you can also use costumes as a way of storytelling. What do they say about this world? What do they say about how a character is progressing? 

Costumes can build worlds and tell us details we can only see, but also, they can make us say, ‘Hot Damn’, look at that beading on that dress. That must have taken hours to do!

Our Highly Commended Films in 2024 are: Alien: Romulus, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, The Bikeriders, Challengers, Deadpool & Wolverine, Gladiator II, The Holdovers, Hundreds of Beavers & Monkey Man      

Our Highly Commended TV in 2024 are: The Diplomat, Doctor Who, Dune Prophecy, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Penguin, Star Trek: Discovery & Star Wars: The Acolyte    

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Dune: Part Two – Movie Review

TL;DR – Even with such a weight of expectation that I had for it, Dune: Part 2 still stuck the landing with a gusto I was not expecting.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Post-Credit Scene – There is no post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a screening of this film.

Paul stands in front of an explosion.

Dune: Part Two Review

I need to be clear when coming into this that this might have been the most excited I have been to see a film since maybe The Lord of the Rings. I adore this universe (okay, only the first three books, don’t @ me), and to see the First Film not only get the universe they were adapting but also have the budget to show it off. Well, there is a reason it was my favourite film of 2021. However, that is a lot of expectation, and in my experience, that can be a recipe for disaster.

So to set the scene, the plan of Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) has succeeded. With the help of  Padishah Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken), Arrakis/Dune is his, the Atreides are dead, the millennia-long feud is over, and Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen (Austin Butler) is getting ready to take over from his incompetent brother Glossu Rabban Harkonnen (Dave Bautista). There is only one problem: not all the Atreides are dead, for Paul (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) made it through the desert to the Fremen people and are now in the hands of Stilgar (Javier Bardem) and Chani (Zendaya). It was safety brought with a blood price, which is increasing as the Harkonnen troops send patrols deeper into the desert. For Paul, his new place with the Fremen could be a way to find revenge for the destruction of his family, but is he ready for leadership to be thrust upon him? For once the Fremen are unleashed, can they be stopped?

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