Best Movies of 2024: Best New Movies to Watch Now
Welcome to our guide of the Best Movies of 2024, featuring every Certified Fresh movie as they come in week by week!
In April: Challengers, Abigail, Arcadian, Scoop, Wicked Little Letters, Civil War, Monkey Man, The Beast, and The First Omen.
In March: Love Lies Bleeding and Problemista, both from A24. One Life, starring Anthony Hopkins. Ordinary Angels, starring Hilary Swank. In horror, we got You’ll Never Find Me and Late Night with the Devil, the latter which also tops our best horror of 2024 list. Dialogue-free animation Robot Dreams and Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World jockeying for the top spot here.
And what about February? Dune pretty good, thanks for asking. Part Two went Certified Fresh within an hour after the reviews embargo lifted on February 21st. With it outclassing the first Dune, we took a look at 20 sequels that got better Tomatometer scores than their originals. Otherwise, things got freaky with horror film Stopmotion and the comic zaniness of Hundreds of Beavers taking the crown for the best-reviewed of the year.
We didn’t have a blockbuster January like we did in 2023‘s, when genre surprises M3GAN and Plane went Certified Fresh. But Daisy Ridley got her post-Skywalker win with Sometimes I Think About Dying. Mads Mikkelsen re-teamed with his A Royal Affair director Nikolaj Arcel to find The Promised Land. With The Crime Is Mine, Francois Ozon is getting career-best reviews, and his 10th Certified Fresh film over the past decade-and-change. And Netflix scored with The Kitchen, Orion and the Dark, and Good Grief.
#1
Adjusted Score: 100783%
Critics Consensus: As heartbreaking as it is heartwarming, Robot Dreams is the stuff good animation is made of.
Synopsis: DOG lives in Manhattan and he's tired of being alone. One day he decides to build himself a robot, a...
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Starring:
#2
Adjusted Score: 100780%
Critics Consensus: As unique and breathlessly expansive as its title, Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World adds to the evidence supporting Radu Jude's status as a uniquely gifted and provocative filmmaker.
Synopsis: From Golden Bear winner Radu Jude, DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THE END OF THE WORLD takes a fierce...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 99921%
Critics Consensus: With alluring razzmatazz, The Crime is Mine and its superlative stars will seduce farce lovers and Francophiles.
Synopsis: In 1930s Paris, Madeleine, a pretty, young, penniless and talentless actress, is accused of murdering a famous producer. Helped by...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 99692%
Critics Consensus: Following its own alluringly inscrutable path between past, present, reality, and dreams, Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell rewards patient viewers with an absorbing spiritual odyssey.
Synopsis: Winner of the prestigious Camera d’Or for best first film at this year's Cannes Film Festival, the enthralling Inside the...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 99348%
Critics Consensus: More than making up in style and sheer creativity whatever it might lack in terms of budget, Molli and Max in the Future blends sci-fi and rom-com to wildly entertaining effect.
Synopsis: 'Molli and Max in the Future' is a sci-fi romantic comedy about a man and woman whose orbits repeatedly collide...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 107233%
Critics Consensus: Delightfully dark, Late Night with the Devil proves possession horror isn't played out -- and serves as an outstanding showcase for David Dastmalchian.
Synopsis: Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show 'Night Owls' that has long been a trusted companion to...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 101731%
Critics Consensus: A journey toward hope, Io Capitano perambulates through the ravishing Saharan landscape encountering the most sublime and debased corners of humanity.
Synopsis: In this acclaimed film which won top directing and acting prizes at the Venice Film Festival, writer-director Garrone presents a...
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#8
Adjusted Score: 100296%
Critics Consensus: A heartfelt film that tells a poignant story without straying into sentimentality, Tótem is a life-affirming triumph for writer-director Lila Avilés.
Synopsis: In a bustling Mexican household, seven-year-old Sol is swept up in a whirlwind of preparations for the birthday party for...
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#9
Adjusted Score: 101476%
Critics Consensus: Mads Mikkelson leads us through the savage terrain of The Promised Land with a glimmer of hope in this epic Nordic tale with Western bones.
Synopsis: In 18th century Denmark, Captain Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) -- a proud, ambitious, but impoverished war hero -- sets out...
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#10
Adjusted Score: 107887%
Critics Consensus: With its trio of outstanding performers volleying their star power back and forth without ever dropping the ball, Challengers is a kinetic and sexy romp at court.
Synopsis: From visionary filmmaker Luca Guadagnino, Challengers stars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan, a former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force...
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#11
Adjusted Score: 97608%
Critics Consensus: Sustaining a zany premise with stylistic bravura and inspired gags, Hundreds of Beavers is a comedic gem that gives a dam.
Synopsis: A slapstick epic about a frostbitten battle between JEAN KAYAK and DIABOLICAL BEAVERS--hundreds of them--who stand between him and survival....
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#12
Adjusted Score: 96520%
Critics Consensus: Led by a Maddie Ziegler performance that's as funny as it is fearless, Fitting In takes a boldly provocative look at the assumptions and expectations surrounding modern femininity.
Synopsis: A coming-of-age "traumedy" that follows 16-year-old Lindy (Maddie Ziegler) who is unexpectedly diagnosed with a reproductive condition, MRKH syndrome. The...
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#13
Adjusted Score: 108895%
Critics Consensus: Lust and violence collide to powerfully pulpy effect in Love Lies Bleeding, a well-acted addition to writer-director Rose Glass' growing body of exceptional work.
Synopsis: From Director Rose Glass comes an electric new love story; reclusive gym manager Lou falls hard for Jackie, an ambitious...
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#14
Adjusted Score: 95807%
Critics Consensus: Limbo probes Aboriginal injustices with a patient eye, using the scars of history as the backdrop and basis for a powerfully minimalist mystery.
Synopsis: Travis Hurley (Simon Baker), a detective, arrives in the remote outback town of Limbo to investigate the cold case murder...
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#15
Adjusted Score: 95750%
Critics Consensus: Fueled by the sparkling chemistry between Line Renaud and Dany Boon, Driving Madeleine proves a sweetly sentimental drama that deftly tugs the heartstrings.
Synopsis: Madeleine, 92 years old, calls a taxi to take her to the retirement home where she will be living. Charles,...
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#16
Adjusted Score: 122488%
Critics Consensus: Visually thrilling and narratively epic, Dune: Part Two continues Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the beloved sci-fi series in spectacular form.
Synopsis: "Dune: Part Two" will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while...
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#17
Adjusted Score: 98102%
Critics Consensus: Sexually charged and riddled with tension, Femme redresses the noir genre and may leave audiences biting their nails to the nub.
Synopsis: With his performances as Aphrodite Banks, Jules (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Candyman) has a place among London's celebrated drag artists. One night...
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#18
Adjusted Score: 95494%
Critics Consensus: As harrowing as it is humane, The Settlers serves as a sharp-edged excavation of long-marginalized history.
Synopsis: Chile, 1901. Three horsemen embark on an expedition, tasked with securing a wealthy landowner's vast property. Accompanying a reckless British...
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#19
Adjusted Score: 95208%
Critics Consensus: About Dry Grasses keeps us warm with dark humor through its unhurried and verbose wintry meditation on the human condition.
Synopsis: Nestled away in wintry East Anatolia, public-school art teacher Samet (Deniz Celiloğlu) yearns to leave the sleepy village for cosmopolitan...
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#20
Adjusted Score: 98132%
Critics Consensus: If La Chimera is a wild, improbable pursuit, this marvelous and magical tale by Alice Rochrwacher is the pie in the sky to behold.
Synopsis: Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but never manage to find. For the band of tombaroli,...
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#21
Adjusted Score: 96780%
Critics Consensus: Aided by Cristiana Dell'Anna's performance in the title role, Cabrini is an uplifting biopic with a timeless message.
Synopsis: From Alejandro Monteverde, award-winning director of "Sound of Freedom", comes the powerful epic of Francesca Cabrini, an Italian immigrant who...
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#22
Adjusted Score: 95725%
Critics Consensus: An uncommonly ambitious animated film, Orion and the Dark benefits from a Charlie Kaufman screenplay that isn't afraid to tangle with existential ideas.
Synopsis: The thing Orion fears the most is the dark. When the embodiment of his worst fear pays a visit, Dark...
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#23
Adjusted Score: 96737%
Critics Consensus: Held aloft by outstanding work from a tremendous cast, One Life pays heartwarming tribute to a remarkable humanitarian effort.
Synopsis: Based on the book If It's Not Impossible...: The Life of Sir Nicholas Winton by Barbara Winton, ONE LIFE tells...
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#24
Adjusted Score: 92496%
Critics Consensus: Stopmotion takes the conflict between art and artist to chilling, visually thrilling extremes, distinguished by director Robert Morgan's excellent effects work.
Synopsis: A talented stop-motion animator becomes consumed by the grotesque world of her horrifying creations -- with deadly results....
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#25
Adjusted Score: 91553%
Critics Consensus: Smart sci-fi that's solidly grounded in social commentary, The Kitchen suggests a bright future for the directing duo of Daniel Kaluuya and Kibwe Tavares.
Synopsis: London, 2040 -- rising house prices, computerized labor and eradication of the Welfare State has turned the city into a...
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#26
Adjusted Score: 107963%
Critics Consensus: An audacious effort from debuting director Dev Patel, Monkey Man dispenses action and sociopolitical commentary with equal aplomb.
Synopsis: Inspired by the legend of Hanuman, an icon embodying strength and courage, Monkey Man stars Dev Patel as Kid, an...
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#27
Adjusted Score: 93476%
Critics Consensus: With Problemista, Julio Torres' utterly unique sensibilities prove a perfectly cracked lens through which to find the surreal humor in bleak aspects of the human experience.
Synopsis: Alejandro (Julio Torres) is an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador, struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in...
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#28
Adjusted Score: 89807%
Critics Consensus: Visually stylish and alluring in a dreamlike way, Disco Boy finds writer-director Giacomo Abbruzzese building on his obvious influences to tell a story that's distinctive in its own right.
Synopsis: After a painful journey through Europe, Alex, the Belarusian, joins the Foreign Legion in France and clings to a confused...
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#29
Adjusted Score: 95560%
Critics Consensus: Carrying off well-worn vampire tropes with a balletic flourish, Abigail dances around the familiarity of its premise with a game cast and slick style.
Synopsis: After a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to...
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#30
Adjusted Score: 89629%
Critics Consensus: Led by a trio of strong performances, Arcadian blends family drama and post-apocalyptic horror to visceral, emotionally stirring effect.
Synopsis: In a near future, life on Earth has been decimated. Paul (Nicolas Cage) and his twin teenage sons, Thomas (Jaeden...
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#31
Adjusted Score: 88445%
Critics Consensus: Unwieldy but rewarding, The Beast uses its sci-fi conceit to explore intriguing themes in largely satisfying fashion.
Synopsis: The year is 2044: artificial intelligence controls all facets of a stoic society as humans routinely "erase" their feelings. Hoping...
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#32
Adjusted Score: 86150%
Critics Consensus: Carried by Lily Sullivan's outstanding lead performance and enriched by an expertly administered sense of creeping claustrophobia, Monolith is an eerie thriller that burns slow and lingers.
Synopsis: While trying to salvage her career, a disgraced journalist begins investigating a strange conspiracy theory. But as the trail leads...
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#33
Adjusted Score: 90232%
Critics Consensus: With a dash of grace and circumstance, this sweet display of humanity is stabilized by Hilary Swank in a role that plays to the heartstrings of all Ordinary Angels.
Synopsis: Based on a remarkable true story, ORDINARY ANGELS centers on Sharon Steves (Hilary Swank), a fierce but struggling hairdresser in...
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#34
Adjusted Score: 105537%
Critics Consensus: Tough and unsettling by design, Civil War is a gripping close-up look at the violent uncertainty of life in a nation in crisis.
Synopsis: From filmmaker Alex Garland comes a journey across a dystopian future America, following a team of military-embedded journalists as they...
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#35
Adjusted Score: 82749%
Critics Consensus: With its charmingly childlike perspective, Riddle of Fire channels the spirit of youthful adventure with enough exuberance to overcome an occasionally shaggy structure.
Synopsis: This neo-fairytale set in Wyoming, USA follows three mischievous children as they embark on an odyssey when their mother asks...
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#36
Adjusted Score: 92731%
Critics Consensus: Frequently frightening even as it plays within the confines of a nearly 50-year-old film series, this prequel is The First Omen of a bright future for the franchise in quite some time.
Synopsis: When a young American woman is sent to Rome to begin a life of service to the church, she encounters...
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#37
Adjusted Score: 87107%
Critics Consensus: Departing from corporate comedy,Sometimes I Think About Dying modestly explores critical human connection through a superbly melancholic Daisy Ridley.
Synopsis: Lost on the dreary Oregon coast, Fran finds solace in her cubicle, listening to the constant hum of officemates and...
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#38
Adjusted Score: 87883%
Critics Consensus: Thanks largely to a strong cast that leans into the story's humorous side, Wicked Little Letters is a diverting comedy even if the mystery at its core isn't particularly clever.
Synopsis: A 1920s English seaside town bears witness to a farcical and occasionally sinister scandal in this riotous mystery comedy. Based...
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#39
Adjusted Score: 80751%
Critics Consensus: Visually and sonically distinctive, You'll Never Find Me heightens its spooky atmosphere and claustrophobic setting with a story that'll keep viewers guessing.
Synopsis: An isolated man living at the back of a desolate caravan park is visited by a desperate young woman seeking...
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#40
Adjusted Score: 82725%
Critics Consensus: Scoop wrings riveting drama out of its real-life story, even if the actual interview footage remains an arguably superior watch.
Synopsis: Inspired by real events, SCOOP is the inside account of the tenacious journalism that landed an earthshattering interview -- Prince...
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#41
Adjusted Score: 82307%
Critics Consensus: A well-acted depiction of grief and self-discovery, Suncoast often overcomes its reliance on broad coming-of-age tropes with a light touch and a charming ensemble cast.
Synopsis: Inspired by Chinn's life experience from the early 2000s, follows a teenager (Nico Parker) living with her strong-willed mother (Laura...
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#42
Adjusted Score: 80575%
Critics Consensus: A solid first feature for writer-director Dan Levy, Good Grief offers a generally affecting look at love after death whose refreshing sincerity only occasionally veers into sentimentality.
Synopsis: Marc (Daniel Levy) was content living in the shadow of his larger-than-life husband, Oliver (Luke Evans). But when Oliver unexpectedly...
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#43
Adjusted Score: 74324%
Critics Consensus: Debuting director Jake Johnson acquits himself admirably with Self Reliance, a unique comedy-thriller hybrid that does a generally effective job of balancing silly and sincere.
Synopsis: When a middle-aged man (Jake Johnson) is invited into a limo by famous actor Andy Samberg, his dull life takes...
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