25 best films of 2024: From Longlegs to The Zone of Interest

Whatever genre or style of film is your favourite, there's guaranteed to be something up your alley on the list – which includes major blockbusters, acclaimed Oscar contenders, terrifying horror flicks, micro-budget comedies and not one but two films about animated robots.

So, without further ado, read on for the top 25 UK film releases of 2024.

25. Longlegs

Undoubtedly one of the most terrifying films of the year – and hailed by some critics as the scariest of the decade – it would be criminal for Longlegs not to have a place on this list. Led by the incomparable Maika Monroe, one of the best scream queens of our generation, as the clairvoyant Detective Lee Harker, the story is simple but masterfully effective: Harker is investigating an occult serial killer known as Longlegs, only to discover that her connection to him runs far deeper than she had imagined.

With Nicolas Cage adorned in so many prosthetics to play the frightfully uncanny Longlegs that Monroe’s heartrate reportedly increased at the mere sight of him, the film is chilling in ways you least expect – and yet there is hardly a jump-scare in sight. Stylish, dreadfully atmospheric and expertly crafted, I have got no problem saying that Longlegs is probably the best horror film of 2024. – Chezelle Bingham, Sub-Editor

Read our full Longlegs review

24. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

Following up arguably the greatest feat in action cinema of the 21st century so far is no easy task – but that was the challenge that awaited George Miller when he opted to make a prequel to his critically beloved Mad Max: Fury Road. And although Furiosa perhaps didn't quite scale the heights of his superb 2015 effort, this was a more than admirable attempt – a thoroughly engrossing film in its own right despite lukewarm results at the box office.

Swapping the giddy, unstoppable momentum of the earlier film for a more sprawling approach, Furiosa follows the titular character before she became the great warrior we know from Fury Road, played in turn by Alyla Browne and Anya Taylor-Joy, both of whom are excellent in the role previously made iconic by Charlize Theron. Meanwhile, Chris Hemsworth gives a fine scenery-chewing performance as the brilliantly named villain of the piece Dementus, and – as you'd expect from Miller – the action is staged with both precision and pizazz. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga review

23. Red Rooms

This French-Canadian psychological horror flew under a few radars when released in the UK in September, but is unforgettable for those who see it. The plot centres around fashion model Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy), whose interest in true crime has become so intense that she attends the trial of a notorious Montreal serial killer dubbed "the Demon of Rosemont".

The man in the dock is accused of kidnapping and torturing teenage girls in a so-called "red room", a corner of the dark web where such heinous acts are live-streamed in exchange for cryptocurrency. As the trial progresses, few frightful details are spared and Kelly-Anne’s fascination becomes a dangerous obsession.

Director Pascal Plante, meanwhile, conjures an atmosphere of dread to profoundly disturbing and disquieting effect — as uncomfortable truths about the dark side of the internet are laid bare. – Max Copeman, App Editor

Read our full Red Rooms review

22. Deadpool & Wolverine

The only Marvel film to release this year, Deadpool & Wolverine had a heavy burden to carry. Not only were fans looking to it to "save the MCU" (something many seem to say happens every other project), but also to keep Deadpool’s sweary, crude, blood-splattered sensibilities, and also not ruin Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine send-off in Logan.

Well, given fan reaction, mission: accomplished. Deadpool & Wolverine was a very good time at the movies, delivering some laugh-out-loud moments, some delightful cameos and even some heart come the film’s end.

Some of the references and in-jokes may be best suited to Marvel mega-fans, but most audience members will still find plenty to enjoy here, not least because of Ryan Reynolds and Jackman’s incredible chemistry as these characters. – James Hibbs, Drama Writer

Read our full Deadpool & Wolverine review

21. Close Your Eyes

Víctor Erice's first two films – The Spirit of the Beehive and El Sur – are both among the most acclaimed works in the history of Spanish cinema, but he hadn't made a full fiction feature since the latter was released in 1983. The debut of Close Your Eyes at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 therefore ended a very long wait for devotees of his work, and UK-based cinephiles had to be even more patient for its full release in 2024.

Thankfully, the film very much lived up to its billing: a towering, immensely moving film informed, at least in part, by Erice's own life. It follows a veteran film director named Miguel (Manolo Solo) who is attempting to hunt down friend and former star Julio Arenas (Jose Coronado), who had gone missing while they were shooting a film decades before.

The search allows for plenty of opportunity to reflect on ageing, memory and the state of cinema as Miguel converses with a number of old friends and acquaintances, while the film's immensely poignant ending is one for the ages. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Close Your Eyes review

20. Love Lies Bleeding

In many ways, 2024 has been the year of female rage – and nowhere is that more brutally apparent than in Rose Glass’s stunning film Love Lies Bleeding. Following the blossoming, challenging relationship between Kristen Stewart’s Lou, who is trapped under the thumb of her creepy crime-pushing father Lou Sr (Ed Harris), and Katy O'Brian’s Jackie, a no-nonsense bodybuilder who may (or may not) be Lou’s ticket out of her miserable existence, this is a wild ride that has fun with a whole range of genres, providing a properly fresh cinematic experience as a result.

Kristen Stewart is very Kristen Stewart throughout – a blessing for fans of hers like this writer – but she adds new layers here that make her character both endearing and frustrating in equal measure. Yet the highlight is undoubtedly O’Brian, whose screen presence is colossal in every sense of the word, but is underpinned by a vulnerability that is consistently disarming.

Credit goes to Glass for taking a bold idea and running with it, culminating in a memorable, if divisive, final sequence that sums up the audacious nature of this audacious film. – George White, Sub-Editor

Read our full Love Lies Bleeding review

19. Heretic

Hugh Grant’s recent turn towards more villainous roles and genre pieces has been a delight to witness, and here he goes full horror for the first time, in a film which takes some seriously bold risks.

While some want their horror to be fast-paced and filled with quick scares, Heretic is a slow-burn in the best way, holding out on its audience to ratchet up tension, while also delving into some fascinating debates on the nature of religion, its veracity and also its impact down here on Earth.

Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East provide compelling supporting performances at two Mormon missionaries, Grant’s character traps and tests, while Grant himself not only brings the sinister, but also gets to have fun with the role, providing some comedy along the way. – James Hibbs, Drama Writer

Read our full Heretic review

18. Robot Dreams

The first of two films about animated robots on the list, this delightful – if bittersweet – feature from Spanish director Pablo Berger is a very touching portrait of the bond between a dog and the robot friend he orders online.

What starts as a heartwarming friendship takes a sad turn when the robot finds himself stranded on a beach for the winter, and the remainder of the film's runtime is spent largely following the imaginations of the robot, as he dreams up a number of scenarios imagining both ideal reunions and worst case possibilities.

Entirely free of dialogue, the charming film is both a colourful exercise in experimental storytelling and a genuinely moving exploration of connection and the power of friendship, while it also makes excellent use of Earth, Wind & Fire's classic hit September. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Robot Dreams review

17. The Wild Robot

Charming, heartfelt, captivating and unexpectedly emotional, The Wild Robot emerged as one of this year’s most delightful surprises. Labelled by some as 2024’s answer to Bambi, it follows the story of Roz, a service robot who accidentally finds herself becoming both a friend and a surrogate mother after she accidentally washes up on an island inhabited exclusively by wildlife. Visually stunning, the film is an animated triumph that not only tells a beautiful tale but also left a fair share of its audience in tears – myself included.

Boasting a star-studded cast, with the likes of Lupita Nyong’o, Catherine O’Hara, Mark Hamill and Pedro Pascal all lending their voices to the tribe of four-legged friends, and directed by Chris Sanders, the film is a heartwarming exploration of friendship, motherhood, love and identity that is more than a worthy contender for Best Animated Feature. – Chezelle Bingham, Sub-Editor

Read our full The Wild Robot review

16. That They May Face the Rising Sun

Adapted from the final novel by the great Irish writer John McGahern, Pat Collins’s film is a quiet but perfectly assured drama about life in a small, rural community over the course of a single year. Barry Ward and Anna Bederke play the London couple who’ve moved to his childhood home in County Leitrim, where they make some money tending their farm while pursuing creative interests. We watch them interact with various locals; some conversations are tender, some more heated. The seasons change; there’s a wedding, a wake and a lovely sequence set over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

Collins and cinematographer Richard Kendrick capture some gorgeous images of the Irish countryside, all presented at a careful pace that evokes the passing of time without ever growing slow. The cast is authentic and sympathetic — none more so than the brilliant Lalor Roddy, who gets the meatiest material as the couple’s sometimes irascible neighbour. – Calum Baker, Film Researcher

Read our full That They May Face the Rising Sun review

15. Perfect Days

German auteur Wim Wenders has gifted the world with some of the finest films ever made – Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire being just two of his masterpieces – but it had been a long time since he delivered a fictional film of the quality of Perfect Days, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Festival before arriving in UK cinemas towards the start of the year.

Set in modern-day Tokyo, it's a gentle piece of work that follows the precisely calibrated routine of middle-aged toilet cleaner Hirayama (Koji Yakusho), who appears to be very content in his structured life that sees him eating in the same noodle bar every night and allows him plenty of time to engage in artistic pursuits. But when a few disruptions throw things off balance, we learn more about the hidden past that led him to this place of solitude.

It's a patient film that might be a little too unassuming for some viewers' tastes, but if you can get on its level, it's a beautiful and moving work that celebrates the value of the small pleasures in life – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Perfect Days review

14. A Different Man

2024 can go down as the year that Sebastian Stan cemented his reputation as one of the finest actors currently working in Hollywood – with the Bucky Barnes star turning in not one but two superb performances. And while his excellent turn as Donald Trump in Ali Abbasi's The Apprentice was the one that grabbed the headlines, this intelligent, darkly comic and fascinatingly odd film by writer/director Aaron Schimberg is comfortably the better of the two.

In it, Stan stars as Edward, a New Yorker with neurofibromatosis who agrees to take part in a medical trial that will see his face transformed. Although he is initially delighted with the results and seems to gain a great deal of self-assurance, that newfound confidence rapidly recedes when he comes into contact with another man who has neurofibromatosis and appears extremely comfortable in his own skin – played in a wonderful scene-stealing performance by Adam Pearson.

The film shares similar themes with another major 2024 release, The Substance, but handles them in a way that is uniquely its own – making it undoubtedly one of the most original new releases of the year. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full A Different Man review

13. Hundreds of Beavers

By some distance the lowest-budget film on the list, Hundreds of Beavers is a delightfully silly film and a tremendous feat of ingenuity. Written and directed by Mike Cheslik, it originally premiered in 2022 but finally had a full UK release this year – and comes packaged as an instant cult classic.

It follows a hapless applejack salesman who is left to fend for himself through the harsh winter after an alcohol-fuelled incident sees his farm go up in flames. Although he becomes a master of the art of of fur trapping, he quickly makes some dangerous enemies in the shape of – as the title suggests – hundreds of beavers, who are naturally unhappy about his barbaric methods.

Drawing on the slapstick comedy made popular by silent movie stars in the 1920s and '30s and stuffed with visual imagination, what Hundreds of Beavers perhaps most resembles is a live action Looney Tunes episode – while the fact that all of the beavers are played by humans in comical suits adds a surreal element that makes the whole thing play out like a slightly alluring nightmare. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Hundreds of Beavers review

12. Civil War

Alex Garland’s Civil War arrived with an air of mystery about it. The writer-director was stepping away from the sci-fi and horror genres he had made his home in recent years, and had crafted a film he himself seemed unwilling or unable to talk about. At a time of political instability, there was also nervousness about the way the film would present 'both sides' in the conflict.

In the end, while Civil War still managed to irritate a lot of people (what doesn’t nowadays?), it actually strayed surprisingly far from capital p politics, and instead exposed how fractious our society has become on a macro level. By centring on the journey of four photojournalists on a cross-country road trip, Garland seeps us in the reality of war on the ground, immersing us in the everyday carnage.

The discussions it’s having feel horrifyingly real, the action is bone-shaking and the performances are top notch across the board. This is masterful filmmaking from Garland, which defies expectations and leaves us with a final denouement which is at turns both distressing and oddly humorous. It’s one that will stay with you, that’s for sure. – James Hibbs, Drama Writer

Read our full Civil War review

11. Kneecap

2024 has been the year of the unconventional music biopic, with Robbie Williams film Better Man and LEGO Pharrell doc Piece by Piece both earning plenty of plaudits for their outside-the-box approaches to exploring the life and careers of a successful artists. But arguably even better – and the only of the three to make our list – was Kneecap, which saw the members of the titular Irish-language hip-hop trio playing themselves in an unconventional look at their rise to the forefront of the Belfast music scene.

Although Rich Peppiatt's film takes liberties with the true story – it's presented as a slightly outrageous comedy with elements of fiction rather than a gritty rags-to-riches tale – it brilliantly captures the spirit of the band and their very understandable crusade for the Irish language and culture to be taken more seriously. At times, there are echoes of Trainspotting, with one drug-fuelled scene in particular feeling like a deliberate homage to Danny Boyle's classic, but Kneecap is very much its own thing with a style of its own. – Patrick Cremona, Senior Film Writer

Read our full Kneecap review

10. I Saw the TV Glow

Writer-director Jane Schoenbrun’s ambient chiller tells the story of two teenage outsiders whose mutual love of a Buffy-esque TV show prompts them to question their own reality and the life they should be living.

Visually lush and deeply sad (there isn’t a nightmarish character called Mr Melancholy for nothing), I Saw the TV Glow washes over the viewer in waves of neon and static as it builds towards a visceral howl of an ending that sinks its wires in long after the credits roll. And you’ll probably want to give ice cream a wide berth for a while too… – Christian Tobin, Production Editor

Read our full I Saw the TV Glow review

9. La Chimera

2024 may very well have been Josh O’Connor’s year, especially when it came to the utterly beautiful La Chimera.

The film follows Arthur, a British archaeologist who gets involved in an international network of stolen Etruscan artefacts. While the film is quite simple in its plot alone, the moments of silence in the Italian countryside and Arthur’s desperation to live in the past is something quite hauntingly fabulous.

Stuck between moving on from his lost love and the potential of falling in love all over again haunts Arthur, and director Alice Rohrwacher does an impeccable job ensuring the audience goes on that journey with him. – Katelyn Mensah, Entertainment and Factual Writer

Read our full La Chimera review

8. Challengers

Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor may seem like an unlikely trio on just their names alone, but put them in a high-stakes tennis drama and you’ve got yourself a thrilling ride.

Tashi Duncan is a tennis prodigy that seemingly falls in love with two rising stars, Art Donaldson and Patrick Zweig, who are inconveniently both in love with her and thus, a spicy love triangle ensues, all told through flashbacks and an intense tennis match between former best friends and now rivals Art and Patrick.

Each actor’s performance is awards-worthy and it’ll be a crying shame if none are recognised for their effortless portrayals – even for that final tennis ball scene alone. – Katelyn Mensah, Entertainment and Factual Writer

Read our full Challengers review

7. Anora

Sean Baker has been an indie darling for some time now, but Anora feels like this director’s empathetic filmmaking has gone truly mainstream. From its opening use of Take That’s Greatest Day to gyrating strippers to its emotional finale, Anora is charming, grounded and full of spiky characters - this being no less evident than in the naturalistic, funny, brash and brittle turn from Mikey Madison as the titular protagonist.

What starts out as what appears to be an unlike Cinderella story turns all the more real - with dark comedy, heartache and a dollop of social commentary in a way that also never feels cloying but entirely character-led, Anora is a witty and touching answer to Pretty Woman but without the fairytale.

Outside Madison, Baker also brings us delightful turns from Mark Eidelstein as the juvenile but charming Russian oligarch's son Vanya, but a special mention but also be given to Yuriy Borisov as heavy Igor, whose own unlikely bond with Anora provides the film’s most tender centre. A deserving winner of Cannes Film Festival’s highest honour, the Palme d’Or, Anora is vibrant, romantic, and spirited - just like its loveable heroine. – Lewis Knight, Trends Editor

Read our full Anora review

6. Poor Things

Ignore the slightly questionable morality at the heart of Poor Things, based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, and what you have is a work of wondrous weirdness by Yorgos Lanthimos, who combines with Emma Stone for their strongest collaboration to date. Cinema has the ability to truly transport the viewer into another time, place, world, and very few outings this year manage it quite as effectively as this, which tells the, erm, unique tale of what could happen if you transplant a child’s brain into an adult’s body. (Disclaimer: don’t try this at home.)

As Bella Baxter, said initially-child-brained-adult around whom this story centres, Stone thrives in the role of a lifetime, relishing the chance to craft a character that quite literally evolves as the runtime progresses, as she goes from infantlike fascination to self-assured maturity, challenging many of her contemporaries, and eating countless pastéis de nata, on the way. – George White, Sub-Editor

Read our full Poor Things review

5. All of Us Strangers

It’s hard to think of a film that permeates with such grief, loneliness and sadness in recent times as All of Us Strangers. A fresh career high for the extraordinary director Andrew Haigh, the film sees a master of naturalism step into a slightly more surreal realm as solitary screenwriter Adam (a superb Andrew Scott) finds his desolate days interrupted by a handsome neighbour named Harry (a charismatic and melancholic Paul Mescal), prompting a sexy and profound connection.

However, the greatest pathos emerges when Adam returns to his childhood home and encounters his late parents, played with rich heartache and mourning by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, but exactly as he last saw them when they died in a car crash when he was a child. Grappling with identity, sexuality, grief, romance, sex, and pain, All of Us Strangers is an unforgettable watch that will bring tears and endless replays of some classic songs including Pet Shop Boys’ Always on My Mind and, most pivotally, Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s The Power of Love.

Robbed of many rightful award wins in the last season of accolades, All of Us Strangers deserves to be seen by as many eyes as possible - even if they do all end up misty by the end. – Lewis Knight, Trends Editor

Read our full All of Us Strangers review

4. The Substance

There’s no denying that Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance stands as the most culturally relevant film of the year: a genre-bending, culture-resetting masterpiece that had us all talking. With the Oscar-nominated Demi Moore at its helm as Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading actress clinging to her youth while desperately trying to 'respect the balance', it would be a crime to spoil even a moment of this film to those who haven’t yet managed to watch it – for it is the shock factor of this epic two-and-a-half-hour body horror that makes it so effective.

Offering a pointed critique on ageism and sexism in Hollywood, the film is grotesque, profoundly surreal and uniquely unsettling – with brilliant supporting performances from the likes of Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid providing the film with recklessly comedic chaos. And with a deeply divisive final sequence, The Substance is a film that will haunt you for days after watching – in the best way possible. – Chezelle Bingham, Sub-Editor

Read our full The Substance review

3. The Holdovers

While it feels as though hundreds of new Christmas films are released each year, it’s rare that we add a new festive classic to the list, and even rarer that that film should be a phenomenal drama in its own right.

However, that happened earlier this year with the unseasonal release of The Holdovers, a funny, moving and transportive movie from Alexander Payne, which is propped up by three terrific central performances from Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa and Da’Vine Joy Randolph.

In managing to be both melancholic and heartwarming simultaneously, with a gorgeous visual style, Payne has crafted a film we have no doubt will be returned to year after year. – James Hibbs, Drama Writer

Read our full The Holdovers review

2. Dune: Part Two

Few blockbuster films carry the level of artistry that Denis Villeneuve brings with his Dune films, and he excels himself here with the epic, soul-searching second part. Picking up directly after its predecessor, Dune: Part Two sees Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) become part of a community of Fremen warriors and find love with the literal woman of his dreams, Chani (Zendaya). However, the demands of his bloodline and dark prophecies mean his mother Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) weaponises the Fremen's religious beliefs to arm Paul for a war with old enemies House Harkonnen and also the Padishah Emperor himself, played by Christopher Walken.

With some fantastic new cast additions including Austin Butler as the chilling Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen and Florence Pugh as the regal Princess Ireland, eye-popping set pieces, a hypnotic score from the genius Hans Zimmer, and stunning central turns from Chalamet, Zendaya and Ferguson, there’s so much to like here. However, the biggest strength of Villeneuve’s creation is to wrestle with the themes at the dark heart of its source material from Frank Herbert. Our heroes can be villains, the stories we tell ourselves can be full of lies, and blind faith can destroy countless worlds. We can only imagine what delights await us in an eventual third outing. – Lewis Knight, Trends Editor

Read our full Dune: Part Two review

1. The Zone of Interest

"That’s the camp wall. We planted more vines at the back to grow and cover it."

So says commandant Rudolf Höss’s wife Hedwig as she shows off her family’s perfect garden to her visiting mother, one of many scenes in Jonathan Glazer’s masterpiece where the beauty of nature is a smokescreen. In reality, like the prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp next door, the natural world is screaming: the river is poisoned; the trees are turning yellow; apples are a symbol of rebellion; even the pet dog appears to be showing more alarm than the people going about their day-to-day.

On a filmmaking level, The Zone of Interest is an instant classic. A phenomenal score by Mica Levi squarely places the film in alien or monster movie territory, while the understated performances are horrifyingly mundane – the worst of humanity through a lens that is chillingly normal. But the film’s greatest achievement is the effect it leaves on viewers in the hours, days and months afterwards. By forcing the audience to not turn away and stare into the darkness (quite literally in its extended opening sequence), Glazer ensures that – much like Hedwig’s mother – you can leave the Höss household but you can’t ever fully shake what’s behind the vine-covered wall. – Christian Tobin, Production Editor

Read our full The Zone of Interest review

The following writers submitted lists for this poll: Jeremy Aspinall, Calum Baker, Chezelle Bingham, Max Copeman, David Craig, Patrick Cremona, Matt Glasby, Dave Golder, Kevin Harley, James Hibbs, Alan Jones, Lewis Knight, Sean McGeady, Katelyn Mensah, Steve Morrissey, James Mottram, Jayne Nelson, David Parkinson, Emma Simmonds, Terry Staunton, Christian Tobin, George White, Amber Wilkinson, and Josh Winning.

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