It seems like every year more movies come out with big-name stars likeZendaya,Timotheé Chalamet, andFlorence Pugh, but while allmovies are obviously rewatchable, not all should be rewatched. Many movies give audiences warm feelings or life lessons that make viewers want to see them again, likeInside Out 2. Some movies have such iconic titles and songs, such asWicked, that make audiences run to theaters to see opening night dressed according to the theme or characters. Then, there are movies that are either remakes or sequels to a film that’s been long awaited, likeBeverly Hills Cop,that make the audience feel nostalgic.
In 2024, there were comedies and action-packed thrillers, but there were also light-hearted movies that delivered life lessons. Even movies with abstract views that deliver important messages are a part of the year’s big movie line-ups. So many movies require multiple watches from fans because of the cinematography, directing, and acting from all involved. The promotions for these movies revved up the audience’s anticipation and made people want to hit the theaters as soon as they got released. Rewatching films is inevitable, so why not rewatch some of the best from 2024.
10’We Live In Time'
Directed by John Crowley
We Live In Time follows Almut (Florence Pugh) and Tobias (Andrew Garfield) as they have a chance encounter that changes their lives forever. Through Almut hitting Tobias with a car, the two find themselves together at the hospital where their love story begins. This incredibly moving romance shows the intricacies of a young couple navigating through life and love. When Almut develops cancer, their relationship becomes even more longing and heartfelt. The couple has to find out how to make it through ‘til the end.
Everyone loves a movie that is the most perfectly sad andromantic love story. There are few ways a movie can end when one of the characters becomes sick, but either way, it is always expected and the results always leave a space in the audience’s heart. Movies such asMe Before YouandAbout Timeput viewers in a specific place whenever they watch them. They remember the exact feelings they felt the first time they watched it and how it impacted them moving forward.Garfield and Pugh give devastating performancesand bring out the emotional tone of these characters so profoundly.We Live In Timeis one that can be watched from year to yearas a tragically heartwarming romance.
We Live in Time
9’Hit Man’
Directed by Richard Linklater
Hit Manwas aNetflixhit after getting a little bit of a stay at the theater before it came to the platform. “Seize the Identity you want for yourself,” is what Gary Johnson (Glen Powell), a professor who discovers he’s good at disguising himself in order to catch criminals. He begins doing this regularly and his multiple identities eventually land him in a situation he never imagined. Gary falls in love with one of his clients, Madison (Adria Arjona) and it changes his approach to everything. Falling in love with Madison quickly becomes a source of destruction, chaos and deceit to take place for him. The chemistry is blazing, and the action is nonstop inHit Man.
Powell quickly became more loved at the beginning of 2024 and that carried with all his movies into the year.Hit Man’s box office release gave the movie an advantage in being seen by an even bigger audience, but it still continued to rank No. 1 onNetflix. The movie loosely follows the truth of Gary Johnson, who helped police catch criminals. This movie can not seem as intriguing at first, but it soon gets into the deeper plot and brings out the fun. Viewers can immediately feel the chemistry between Powell and Arjona radiating through the screen.Hit Manis one of those movies to turn on when the vibe of the day is hot romance, deception and a little thrill on the side.
8’Dune: Part Two'
Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Part two ofDenis Villeneuve’sDunewas a highly anticipated film for the beginning of 2024.Dune: Part Onebrought home many Academy Awards and Timotheé Chalamet and Zendaya were praised for their performances in the film.Dune: Part Twopicks up with Paul Atreides (Chalamet) on a quest to get revenge for his family against those who murdered them. He battles with making a decision about whether to stay with Chani (Zendaya) or to go and be the leader to meet his fate. The story in part two shows a lot more action and sets the tone even more for the next film.
Dune: Part Twois a simply stunning film for the majority of it, capturing the characters and setting in monochrome colors of grays, tans and blacks. Viilleneuve pays extra detail to the direction of the film and, with a cast that also includes Rebecca Ferguson, Austin Butler and Florence Pugh, it’s a film that shines wholeheartedly through these performances. Because theDune movies arebased on books, rewatching them for better understanding is a must. It’s also just a film that carries so many cinematic shots that it makes you want to go back and catch a specific moment to watch again.
Dune: Part Two
7’Problemista'
Directed by Julio Torres
WatchingProblemistabrings back the nostalgia of old films where the CGI was barely used, and the atmosphere feels like dreams coming true. This whimisical and grounded movie comes to explore the mind of Alejandro (Julio Torres), an aspiring designer who wants to bring his ideas to life. He’s from El Salvador and growing up, his mother let him dream as big as he wanted. Now in New York, landing a job with a company that will let him bring his ideas to life has shown to be more difficult than he anticipated. His work visa is expiring soon, so he lands a job assisting an eccentric artist, Elizabeth (Tilda Swinton) who has been an outcast of the art world for a while. As they work together and search for her artwork, Alejandro discovers more about himself and his ideas.
“I stand with Bank of America!”
Problemistais an underrated moviethat brings a nostalgic feel to movies that take you on a chaotic journey with no idea where the plot will take you next.Torres' unique approach to film and conveying important topics in a comical way is well-developed and hits the mark every time.This movie brings the comedy with heartfelt moments to hold on to in each scene. There is a particularly hilarious scene between Alejandro and a bank teller where he is asking for help and clarification on his bank statement. The scene ends with the teller saying, “I stand with Bank of America,” after Alejandro constantly asks for help because of being fined after having an overdraft. The scene is so relatable for people but also comical because of the display of it. There are so many gems throughout this film that have to be watched more than once.
Problemista
6’Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F'
Directed by Mark Malloy
The return of Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) did not disappoint inBeverly Hills Cop: Axel F, and showed a great cohesive installment to the franchise 30 years afterBeverly Hills Cop: III. Axel returns to the station to investigate who is threatening his daughter, Jane Sunders (Taylour Paige). When he arrives at the station, his friend Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) goes missing. With the help of his daughter and Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the three go on the search for Billy while also trying to protect Jane from whoever is threatening Jane to get closer to her father.
Paige and Murphy play the perfect estranged father-daughter duo and the chemistry between the two doesn’t even seem estranged. The action and humor from the prequel films are still prevalent, but this one feels fresher. It bends well with the older formula ofd the first films, but also brings out a newer tone that shows a more modern-dayBeverly Hills Cop. The search for the culprit is just as chaotic, so it’s fun to watch the unfortunate events that continue to happen. Once the conclusion comes, you can understand how people have continued to loveBeverly Hill Copfor such a long time. It’s a movie that will definitely need to be watched again just to see how well it matches with the others.
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Directed by Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah
TheBad Boysmovies have been a part of a beloved franchise for almost 30 years. The franchise began in 1995 with the hit movieBad Boys, and has since garnered a loyal audience that has spanned decades, showing the energetic, comedic chemistry betweenMartin LawrenceandWill Smith.Bad Boys: Ride or Diefollows Mike Lowrey (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence) as they seek to clear their late captain’s name of being framed for being linked to drug cartels. During their mission to clear his name, the people they look to find clues start to get killed before they can reveal the information that is needed to find out who is trying to slander his name.
The fourth movie in the series is just as action-packed and joke-filled as the first three movies. Lawrence and Smith’s chemistry is forever present and has not faded in the slightest over the years. Just likeBeverly Hills Cop, theBad Boysfranchise has a fanbase that is dedicated to watching their movies. The best aspect of aBad Boysmovie is watching the progression of characters over the years.Because Smith and Lawrence are such loved comedians and actors in the film industry, their films together always bring that nostalgic feeling back.Just as the previous movies have been rewatched by fans more than hundreds of times,Bad Boys: Ride or Diewill carry that same energy for fans.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Directed by George Miller
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagais the origin story of the warrior Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) before she enters the events ofMad Max: Fury Road. Furiosa is kidnapped by those under the ruling of the warlord, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth) and held captive over the span of a decade. The film follows her journey to escape and become the imperator she grows up to become. This movie shows how courageous and calculated Furiosa was at such a young age. She uses her intelligence to fight her way out of her tragic situation.
As a franchise movie, this is the prequel toMad Max: Fury Road, so it holds content that will make audiences want to connect to the previous films to make sure they have the story clearly laid out for them. Audiences also love to compare franchise movies, so rewatching for that reason or just to catch something you may have missed is what makes this movie rewatchable.Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagafeatures action stunts and wild rides through the desert that fans of the franchise are familiar with.Taylor-Joy is a fierce and passionate Furiosa and brings her own approach to the character that connects so well with Charlize Theron’s older version of the character.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
3’Challengers'
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
A film deemed as one of the most erotic of the year came out to also be one of the best tennis movies ever made.Challengersstars Zendaya as Tashi Duncan,Josh O’Connoras Patrick Zweig andMike Faistas Art Donaldson. Tashi is a former prodigy tennis player who now coaches her husband, Art. When a competition for Art to redeem himself from losing comes along, Art has to face his best friend, Patrick, in a final match. Through an intense and moving score, audiences see the heated dynamic between its three leads as they volley back and forth from past to present inChallengers.
Because of the number of past and present scene changes throughout the movie, it can be a bit difficult to keep up with if people aren’t paying attention.However, with such an interactive score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the film is able to keep the audiences' eyes glued to the screen at all times.It makes the audience not want to miss a thing and, with the amount of expressive acting from the lead cast, it’s probably for the best that they do not. The movie has some ofthe best directing from Guadagnino, which brings the intensity of the movie up a notch. The combination of Guadagnino’s directing and Kuritzkes' writing is a powerhouse collaboration that exudes its vision vividly through the screen. The final moments ofChallengersgive the most high-stakes endingwith a final camera shot that will make viewers want to leave the theater only to turn around and watch it again.
Challengers
2’Inside Out 2'
Directed by Kelsey Mann
Inside Out 2was a film many have waited for since the first installment,Inside OutfromDisney’s Pixarhit theaters. The first movie gave fans a look inside Riley’s (Kensington Tallman) brain at her emotions and has garnered a following from people young and old as they discover how to deal with their emotions. The movie is a beautiful display of handling emotions and hits all the emotional notes to make people cry during the film.Inside Out 2was no different when it came to giving fans a coming-of-age story through the eyes of Riley’s emotions. There were old emotions such as Joy (Amy Poehler), Disgust (Liza Lapira), Fear (Tony Hale) and Anger (Lewis Black), which were familiar faces and gave audiences the comfort they had while watching the first time around. In Inside out 2, Riley starts developing new emotions that are aligned with her developing puberty. Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adele Exarchopoulos) and Nostalgia (June Squibb) come into the mix and the other emotions fear they are in danger of being pushed away forever.
This movie has such a special place for so many fans of the original movie. The emotions are voice-acted so well that viewers can truly see how these things affect a person. Riley meeting new people and experiencing anxiety and envy around the interactions or decisions she has to make between friends and hockey are relatable to everyday actions people have to take in the real world.With Poehler and the other stars already being so excellent in their own ways, the addition of Hawke and Edebiri added so much flare and comedy to the sequel. Theanimations of the characters were brilliant and the embodiment of what one would picture those emotions looking like if fully realized. It’s always a great time to go back and rewatch a fil that is an excellently executed animated film that manages to make audiences laugh, cry, and contemplate every decision in life.
Inside Out 2
Directed by Jon M. Chu
The long-awaited film of one of the longest-running Broadway shows, Wicked, finally premiered this year and it did not disappoint audiences. Coming from the director ofCrazy Rich AsiansandIn the Heights,John Chu brought Wicked to theaters with a star-studded cast! Wicked follows the story of Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera), based on the Gregory Maguire novel and theStephen SchwartzBroadway musical. Elphaba attends Shiz Academy alongside her sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), Glinda, and Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey). There she works under Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) to learn how to control her magic. Elphaba’s distinct green skin and special powers put her in a different category from her classmates and once she meets the Wizard, everything changes.
After two long years of filming, fans were finally able to take their seats and seeCynthia Erivo’s Elphaba andAriana Grande-Butera’s Glinda sing and dance on the big screen. The mystical world of Oz bestowed magic across the world.This is a musical, so obviously it’s going to require multiple watches from audiences. With fans ofWicked, old and new,flocking to the theaters, even weeks after its premiere, this is definitely the most rewatchable movie of 2024. It’s got some of the best acting we’ve ever seen from Grande-Butera, showing the world she was always meant to play the role of Glinda, and she does it effortlessly. It also has Cynthia Erivo, who delivered so many fans' favorite renditions of ‘The Wizard and I’, as well as her iconic ‘Defying Gravity’ ending note– Everyone’s seen that promotional commercial. These performances matched with undeniable chemistry throughout the film. Everyone is going to be holding space to watchWickedas many times as they can.
Buy or Rent Wicked on Digital
