16 Films you need to watch in 2024

Does the world really need the Mean Girls remake, a musical film based on a musical based on a film based on a book? Maybe not, but we’re getting it anyway, and it actually looks like a lot of fun!

The film features a few familiar faces who will delight longtime fans (Tina Fey and Tim Meadows both make appearances) alongside Angourie Rice as Cady Heron and Reneé Rapp as Regina George. If the trailer is anything to go by, the film promises to stay true to the spirit of the original while adding a few updates for the TikTok generation. That’s so fetch!

Alice Gawthrop

Based on Amy Liptrot’s Wainwright Prize-winning memoir, The Outrun follows Rona (played by Little Women and Ladybird’s Saoirse Ronan) as she returns home to Orkney, fresh out of rehab and spinning from a tumultuous alcohol addiction. 

Seven years ago, before cold water swimming held quite the social currency it does today, Liptrot narrated how she found a match for her inner turmoil in the biting, wind-ripped waters of Scotland’s Orkney islands, the northernmost point of the UK where she grew up. 

Nora Fingscheidt (System Crasher and The Unforgivable) directs the film which, with Liptrot on-board as writer and her home on Papay providing a ragged filming location, promises to be a faithful adaptation of her journey through recovery. 

The Outrun debuts this month at The Sundance Festival before receiving its international premiere at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.

Becca Inglis

Visionary director Denis Villenueve takes us back to the sci-fi desert planet of Arrakis in the follow-up to 2021’s epic Dune. We follow the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), now working with the Fremen, including young Fremen warrior and his love interest Chani (Zendaya), to get revenge against the Harkonnens after their assault on his family.

If you loved Dune's scale, action and mythos, Part Two seems to have all of the above and more, with large battles, an intriguing protagonist and even sandworm riding! Dune manages to keep audiences excited, expecting more and is definitely one to watch.

Joshua Joda

With 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife seemingly kickstarting the franchise—with mixed results but the welcome return of the original films’ cast—Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire takes the story back to New York. The Spengler family leave Oklahoma to help the original Ghostbusters to take down spooks in the city! However, an artifact unleashes an evil force known as the Death Chill which could doom Earth to a second Ice Age, unless the united Ghostbusters can stop it.

A fun trailer suggests that this Gil Kenan written and directed sequel will benefit from the gang returning to where it all began and it’s sure to be a fun film for all the family—from those who loved Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd’s original films to people who enjoy Finn Wolfhard and Paul Rudd as well. Who ya gonna call for all your icy ghost problems?

Ian Chaddock

This biopic of the much-missed, incredibly talented Amy Winehouse by director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) promises to tell the story of her early years of stardom and the struggles with addiction and the press that accompanied it. Featuring newcomer Marisa Abela as the late London soul singer (who died in 2011, aged 27), Back to Black is sure to be an emotional rollercoaster.

The fact that her estate has allowed the film to use her music is promising because it suggests that they’re happy with how Amy Winehouse is being portrayed. It’s time to see her story on the big screen and celebrate her life and music.

Ian Chaddock

Following filmmaker Rose Glass’ 2019 psychological horror Saint Maud comes her second feature film, an A24 revenge thriller that looks exhilarating.

A 1980s story of romance, crime and muscle-bound women, starring Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian as gym employee Lou and bodybuilder Jackie respectively. When Lou falls hard for Jackie, their love drags the couple into the world of violence around Lou’s criminal family.

This could be one of the most breath-taking cinema experiences of the year, with the trailer evoking the likes of True Romance and Thelma & Louise.

Ian Chaddock

Challengers has had us hooked since the release of its steamy trailer, though its original September launch was postponed due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes.

Positioned as a captivating blend of saucy rom-com and sports drama, the film intricately weaves the tale of a tennis triumvirate: Tashi (Zendaya), a former champion turned coach; her husband, Art (Mike Faist), grappling with a losing streak; and their former friend, Patrick (Josh O’Connor).

It’s a cast made in heaven: Zendaya, a proven box office sensation; Faist who impressed the world with his daring performance as the central antagonist in West Side Story; and O'Connor, who garnered numerous awards for his portrayal of Charles III in The Crown.

We’re excited to see how the chemistry between this remarkable trio will play out under the direction of none other than the master of sumptuous cinema, Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name, Bones and All).

Eva Mackevic

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost a decade since the superb Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), but George Miller is finally returning with the sequel this year, and it looks promising. While Charlize Theron played the titular Furiosa in Fury Road, this time Anya Taylor-Joy will be the actor to tell her origin story as she is taken and trapped between two warring tyrants and tries to find her way back home.

There’s sure to be no lack of crazy vehicles and weaponry, sun-scorched desert Wastelands and acts of brutality, with Chris Hemsworth playing Warlord Dementus. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines!

Ian Chaddock

Returning with a sequel to 2015’s surprisingly emotional Inside Out, Pixar pick back up the story of Riley and the emotions who control her inside her brain. Now a teenager, Joy (Amy Poehler) and the other core emotions are joined by new addition Anxiety (Maya Hawke) and some other, unconfirmed emotions as well, judging from Anxiety saying “we wanted to make such a good first impression” in the trailer.

If Kelsey Mann’s Inside Out 2 can match the original for its mix of laughs and tugging on your heartstrings, it’s going to be animated film that kids and adults alike can relate to and enjoy.

Ian Chaddock

In 2018, John Krasinski created a silent and terrifying universe with A Quiet Place, in which a family struggles to survive in a post-apocalyptic world inhabited by deadly blind creatures with extremely accurate hearing. This year we are set to return with a prequel that will explore how it all began.

There are currently few details about the film but the cast is set to include Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years A Slave, Black Panther), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things) and Alex Wolff (Hereditary).

Alice Gawthrop

Surprisingly, Deadpool 3 is Disney’s only new addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2024 (excluding Sony’s Madame Web and Kraven the Hunter), Deadpool 3 is an eagerly anticipated release. Directed by Shawn Levy (Stranger Things), it’s the first Marvel and Fox crossover.

As well as Ryan Reynolds as the titular merc with a mouth, Deadpool 3 will see the highly anticipated return of pre-MCU Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) and a storyline that’s set to continue down the multiverse route being walked by the likes of the Loki TV series. It’s looking like the superhero film of the summer.

Ian Chaddock

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! We’ve said it three times and summoned Michael Keaton’s iconic, striped-suit wearing “bio-exorcist”, for a long-awaited sequel to the 1988 classic. Tim Burton (Batman, Edward Scissorhands) is back in the director’s chair, and the original’s stars Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara return too.

Jenna Ortega, Monica Bellucci and Willem Dafoe are also joining the ghostly party and although the plot remains a mystery at the moment, it’s sure to be a blast with the ghost with the most back on the big screen!

Ian Chaddock

This highly anticipated action/mystery thriller sees Hollywood royalty Brad Pitt and George Clooney reunite for their first film together since 2008’s Burn After Reading. After showing their on-screen chemistry in the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, the Jon Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) directed film follows two lone wolf fixers assigned to the same job.

We don’t know any more yet but the Clooney and Pitt team-up reunion is sure to be worth a watch. The Apple TV+ film hasn’t got a UK release date at the time of writing, but it will likely be on the same day as in the US—September 20. We'll be glad to rejoin this wolf pack.

Ian Chaddock

In 2019, Joker became a cinematic sensation, sparking a global conversation thanks to Joaquin Phoenix's unconventional portrayal of the iconic villain, its controversial social commentary, and grossing a staggering $1 billion worldwide. Both Phoenix and Hildur Guðnadóttir, the film's composer, clinched Oscars for their contributions.

Fast forward five years, and the anticipation for the sequel, Joker: Folie À Deux (Madness for Two), has us eagerly perched on the edge of our seats. While much remains shrouded in mystery, the revealed details are as surprising as they are thrilling.

Contrary to the dark and sombre tone of the original, Folie À Deux takes an unexpected turn, emerging as a musical. We’re intrigued to see how Guðnadóttir, returning to craft the score, will adapt her singular style to accommodate lyrics this time. The musical pivot is made all the more exciting with the casting of Lady Gaga as Joker's love interest, Harley Quinn. Already known for her eccentric fashion, magnetic stage presence, and dramatic flair, we have no doubt that Gaga will infuse brilliance into the role, adding an exciting new dimension to the narrative.

Eva Mackevic

Another classic film receiving a long-awaited sequel in 2024 (hopefully) is Ridley Scott’s (Napoleon) 2000 epic historical drama Gladiator. Scott is directing again but there’s no Russell Crowe this time. However, Paul Mescal plays Lucius Verus (played by Spencer Treat Clark in the original), with the character having been living in the wilderness for almost 15 years.

With acting heavyweights like Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal also starring, Gladiator 2 could strike down any challengers to its box office success, if the plot matches the promise and Scott remembers that what we do in life echoes in eternity.

Ian Chaddock

This one has been a long time coming! Originally announced all the way back in 2012, the first act of the film adaptation of the multi-award winning musical Wicked is nearly here.

It is a prequel to the beloved The Wizard of Oz, telling the story of Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West, played by Cynthia Erivo) and Galinda (the Good Witch, played by Ariana Grande) in the years before the tornado transported Dorothy and Toto to the magical land of Oz.

With a cast featuring Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Bowen Yang and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz himself, this is a movie that no musical fan should miss.

Georgia Harris