Typically, when it comes to movie releases, the general public tends to focus on the summer blockbusters. They’re comfort food. Those are the films that can launch us into a fantasy world where we can forget about the day-to-day tedium that comes from the other aspects of our lives. Life can be tough, so we’re allowed to enjoy a two-hour movie where things blow up, but those films may not be the films that are “the best.”
According to many critics, when it comes to movies, quality is much more important than escapism. Sure, there are occasions where both critics and the general audience agree a movie is wonderful, like Oppenheimer. Neither summer blockbusters or critically-acclaimed movies are bad if you enjoy them by any means, but when it comes to the quality of the film–the story, the acting, the cinematography, etc.–that’s something that the masses can measure or at least critics can.
Looking over at GameSpot sister site Metacritic, a review aggregate that takes the scores of critics’ reviews and gives movies and TV shows a score based on the average of said reviews, we found out what critics loved in 2024. You may not know some of these films, but you may want to check them out on your own. So let’s dive right into the top 15 critically reviewed movies of 2024. Make sure to keep coming back to GameSpot and this list to see how it changes throughout the year.
Disclosure: Metacritic is owned by Fandom, the same parent company as GameSpot.
15. Inshallah a Boy
Release date: January 12
What it’s about: Nawal’s husband passes away, and she soon finds that she may lose her home to her brother-in-law. Desperate, she fakes a pregnancy with the hopes of keeping her home
14. Chicken for Linda!
Release date: April 5
What it’s about: In this stylish, animated film, a woman wants to make up an unjust punishment for her daughter. So she makes her daughter a chicken dinner that leads to a series of outrageous events.
13. Janet Planet
Release date: June 21
What it’s about: In 1991, an 11-year-old spends a summer at home, wanting the attention of her mother.
12. A Real Pain
Release date: October 18
What it’s about: Two cousins honor their grandmother by traveling to Poland together.
11. Challengers
Release date: April 26
What it’s about: Tashi, a tennis-prodigy-turned-coach, trains her husband to become a Grand Slam champion. To challenge him, she puts him in a low-level tournament.
10. I Saw the TV Glow
Release date: May 3
What it’s about: A teenager is introduced to a late-night television show, highlighting the world of the supernatural. This show changes the teenager’s view of reality.
9. Ghostlight
Release date: June 14
What it’s about: A construction worker joins a local production of Romeo & Juliet and finds the classic story is a mirror of his own life.
8. Pictures of Ghosts
Release date: January 26
What it’s about: Set in Recife, Brazilian, Pictures of Ghosts examines the landscape and its history, which includes the city’s love of cinema and filmmaking.
7. About Dry Grasses
Release date: February 23
What it’s about: An art teacher is working in a remote village in Anatolia. He wants to get away from this life, but after a turn of events, he seems to be stuck where he’s at.
6. La Chimera
Release date: March 19
What it’s about: The film follows a man named Arthur searching for a woman he lost, with the backdrop being set around archeologists and the black market of historical artifacts.
5. Tótem
Release date: January 26
What it’s about: A seven-year-old named Sol and her mother, aunts, and other relatives prepare a birthday party for Sol’s father. However, there is something else going on with her father and a reason for this birthday party being so important.
4. Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus
Release date: March 15
What it’s about: Legendary composer Ryuichi Sakamoto has one last performance on piano before passing away. This isn’t a fictional movie. It’s a saddening and beautiful concert.
3. Inside the Yellow Cocoon Shell
Release date: January 19
What it’s about: A man leaves Saigon after his sister-in-law dies, leaving behind a five-year-old nephew. He ends up in his rural hometown.
2. Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
Release date: March 22
What it’s about: A production assistant must drive around Bucharest in order to film casting for a workplace safety video.
1. Here
Release date: February 4
What it’s about: Here follows a construction worker who lives in Brussels and is preparing to head home to Romania. He meets a Belgian woman working on a doctorate on mosses. He becomes interested in her and delays his decision to go home.