Who would have thought in 2024, a movie called Balls and All – apologies, Challengers – where Josh O'Connor's character touches a tennis ball to the centre of his racket would have caused all of us to clutch our pearls, and cause our oestrogen levels to rise.

And yet here we are. We're nearly through the year, and dare I say, it's shaped up to be one of the best we've ever had in film. We've had movies like Dune: Part 2 topping in rank classics such as The Godfather and Shawshank Redemption, averaging at a 9.4 in ratings. To seeing the best performance from a dog known to film history in Anatomy of a Fall, and even the emergence of a new genre: Harry Styles fan-fiction. With the recently released The Idea of You marking the fifth WattPad-fanfic-turned-movie on the British singer. Perhaps someone should check in on him...

Being an honorary cinephile, there is nothing quite like seeing a movie in the cinemas. The smell of salty buttery popcorn filling the air and to then leave the cinema with the feelings of awe, disappoint, inspiration or even blatantly terrified. Only movies have the ability to move and spellbind us into these vivid states of emotions. Like the way Challengers inspired us to dress in Tennis aesthetic or, for some, ride on a home made sand worm around the snack bar of a cinema, en route with excitement to see the new Dune: Part 2. 

And with a little way to go before 2024 is over, we're still patiently waiting on Gladiator 2 (and Paul Mescal), so stay tuned to see if they make it on our list.

Below, we have accumulated our 12 favourite movies to come out of 2024... so far.

1. The Substance

Our expectations for this new-age thriller starring Demi Moore and Magaret Qualley were sky high. After all, the film scored a whopping 11-minute-long standing ovation when it premiered at Cannes (the festival's longest-ever SO). Thankfully, it lived up to the hype. Moore and Qualley star a two halves of a person — Moore, an ageing star fading out of her prime, and Qualley, her younger, 'hotter' counterpart — divided by The Substance. What follows is a pertinent (though extremely graphic) critique on our society's obsession with ageing and beauty — particularly as it relates to women. Be warned: this is not a watch for those with an aversion to blood and gore.

2. Nightbitch

Basedon Rachel Yoder's novel of the same name, Nightbitch takes on the overwhelm of motherhood at full force — with a bit of absurdism and comedic relief for good measure. In short, Amy Adams stars as Mother, a woman grappling with the simulatenous immense joy and crippling loss of identity that comes from raising her toddler. Here's where things get a little off beat. Without spoiling too much, through the span of the film, Mother slowly — and without explanation — turns into a dog. While undoubtedly an unusual way to get the message across, Mother's transformation is a metaphor for the life-altering transfiguration of parenthood,  and one that has those who have already seen it, firmly in the film's grip.

3. Challengers 

If you love Luca Guadagnino's work such as Bones and All and Call Me by Your Name, you are absolutely going to love this. Somehow Guadagnino has managed to create one of the most sexual intimate movies, without any sex scenes but all through the sport of tennis. He has his finger directly on the pulse with what an audience wants, but also delivery something we didn't know we wanted, with an understanding of tennis beyond what happens in the game. The script by Justin Kuritzkes is masterful, the dialogue itself is a tennis match, with tension built throughout the whole movie until the right in the final scene, when we as an audience can finally breathe. The score of the film is award winning, without a doubt it will be a winner in the 2025 Oscars. And as for Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist- exemplary casting, to put everyday looking guys as the subject of such an intense love triangle makes it all the more relatable and desireable. And of course, Zendaya is masterful, so much so, as an audience by the end you will really not like her. There really isn't a flaw I could pick in this film.

4. Poor Things

This movie is unbelievably funny and exceptionally brilliant. One of the best Yorgos Lanthimos films by far. Throughout the films there's a wrestle between real and pretend ideas of freedom. It's about Bella Baxter, a woman brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist that starts to develop beliefs and cravings. The film follows Bella on her adventure across continents and cultures, each expedition allows her to grow into her purpose. The film is fun, quirky and absolutely outrageous, there is nothing quite like it, and Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo execute their best performances ever in this. If you're big on cinematography and set design, this movie is also for you, every scene you just want to pause on and admire the surrealism and creativity behind it.

5. La Chimera 

2024, must be the year for Josh O'Connor. With Challengers and La Chimera tying in for first place for his performance. The story follows Archaeologist Arthur (O'Connor) freshly out of jail for looting, in search of his fiancé Beniamina while reconnecting with his wayward crew of the Tomborali's. This movie even gets a 5/5 stars from Ayo Edibiri on Letterboxd, it's a movie that perfectly encapsulates the constant search of life after it's lost. Alice Rohrwacher the Director, captures the loneliness of a man, haunted by his past, beautifully. The movie was cathartic and nostalgic to look at and experience, where the ending truly had me holding my breath.

6. All of  Us Strangers

This film is so desperately sad. Andrew Scott is so brilliant, and Paul Mescal solidifies himself into his own category of playing a very niche kind of lonely. The way the story slowly unfolds into something beyond human, has been written so carefully into the script. And the chemistry between Paul Mescal and Andrew Scott is truely unmatched, it's so delicate and so pure that makes the story that further painful.

7. Dune: Part 2

With a 9.4 rating... do I need to say more? But that I shall. The second film to the Dune series is even better than the first film. Which, seems  to not happen too often. In the world of science-fiction filmmaking, this film is monumental. Denis Villeneuve the Director is ambitious and has great audacity behind the camera lens, to achieve further greatness in each shot is enormous. Not to mention a huge A-lister cast with Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and Austin Butler.

8. Mad Max: Furiosa

The latest film the Mad Max series, George Miller has once again created one of the best revenge films. Diabolical and packed with an insane amount of action. For 2.5 hours you will have such a smile across your face watching it, whether you're into action films, Mad Max films are truly unlike any other. Heavy metal cinema, that we hope George Miller will continue to make these movies forevermore.

9. Inside out 2

The sequel to Inside Out. There is nothing more comforting than a Pixar movie, especially when they're about your emotions. It's relatable, it's adventurous and in this movie, the introduction of anxiety, ennui, embarrassment and envy make an arrival. As Riley becomes a teenager, there are a whole lot of new emotions and even beliefs that get created and are struggled with. Extremely cathartic, and film you know will have a happy ending.

10. Society of the Snow 

Nightmare inducing...beautiful, horrific, devastating and haunting. A hard watch as the film is based on a true story of a rugby teams flight on its way to Chile crashes into a glacier in the Andes. I'm not quite sure if I have seen a more effective disaster movie. The depiction of tragedy and the emotional responses are breathtaking from the actors. Terrible tragedy knowing it's a true story as well.

11. Boy and the Heron

The top two film production teams have to be A24 and Studio Ghibli. Director Hayao Miyazaki has directed some of the greats like Spirited Away and Howls Moving Castle- and if you like them, this movie will be a must watch for you. Set while the 2nd World War rages, Mahito haunted by his mother's death moves to live with his stepmother outside of Tokyo. As he tries to adjust to his new life he is followed, and met by a heron. This movie might just be one of his best. Full of surrealism and full of imagination, there is something so gentle about a Ghibli movie that adds to the films charm.

12. The Iron Claw

Another film based on true story, this movie should have won Zac Efron an Oscar, and I don't say that lightly. This film takes a deathly switch on the Four Wedding and a funeral concept. This story follows the Von Erich brothers, who made history in the world of wrestling as professionals in the 1980s. Their domineering father as their coach. This film works so well balancing the complications of the family while also being unafraid to challenge the prison of toxic masculinity.