Why 2024 has been a disappointing year for movies.
Did anyone else enter 2024, supremely excited for the vast amount of films based on awesome pre-existing properties which were coming out this year? Has anyone similarly come to the end of the year feeling like its just been a bit of a lack luster year for movies also? This is exactly what’s happened to me. In December 2023 I was so hyped for all the sequels that were coming out, and before I realised it we were half way through the year and sequels and reboot’s primarily made up 2024’s release calendar. Some of these films were awesome, some awful, and some were simply okay, but none in my opinion formed truly iconic sequels. Regardless of quality, it outlines a larger problem within the current state of movies; where the original films be at Hollywood!?
It's not all doom and gloom, horror movies have had a standout year with films such as Longlegs, Substance, Abigail etc. I should advise that while I’m writing an article groaning about the state of movies in 2024, I’m guilty of seeing most of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against a sequel/prequel/reboot, I’ve already mentioned how excited I was at the beginning of this year. A healthy slate of movies should include some killer sequels/prequels. Let’s focus on some of the instances of where this went right. “Dune: Part 2” was an early success this year, reaching high critical acclaim and raking in some dosh in the process. “Furiosa” was an exemplary film from a master of the craft if slightly lacking the punch of “Fury Road”, it’s just a shame that it’s one of the few sequels which was actually a supremely strong film but so few people saw it.
“Quiet Place: Day One” was an example of a film outshining its predecessors with superb direction and brilliant performances from Lupita Nyong’o and Joseph Quinn. “Alien Romulus” was a hair breadths from greatness by going to back to its gritty roots; if only the Fede Alverez had only ignored Ridley Scott’s nostalgic musings and not included the some iffy at best, deepfake technology.
I’m going to go the other way now and highlight the true stinkers of the year. For me, it all started with “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” a film so entrenched in unwarranted nostalgia and unneeded plot exposition, it forgot to be funny. It was truly shameful how bad this film was, and say what you want about “Ghostbuster: Afterlife” at least it was humorous and full of heart, if a little unoriginal in its story.
“MaXXXine” was another major disappointment for me, Ti West created a remarkable little horror film with “X” making us all horny and terrified in equal measure. He then followed up with “Pearl” which, while not as strong as “X”, featured a career best performance from Mia Goth as the titular Pearl. Then along came “MaXXXine”, set in mid-80’s Los Angeles, this should by all rights have been awesome, but nevertheless fell completely on it’s face. There’s an air of “who cares” any more to the film, with lazy performances and direction, resulting in pure disappointment.
I won’t touch on it much here, as this might have been the most pooped on film of 2024, but “Joker: Folie A Deux” was just god awful. Ignore Tarantino and his ironic take on the film being anti comic book movie, there is no way anyone involved thought this was going to be a good film, this was purely made for the cash, and look how that went. It could be said that Warner Brothers are learning from there lessons with the handling of the DC brand by hiring James Gunn and Peter Safran to head it up, but it sure does feel like it’s taken a long time to get there.
Then there’s the middlers, film’s that were enjoyable, but didn’t strive too far for greatness. The list here is huge: Godzilla X Kong, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Inside Out 2, Twisters, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice among many others. But none for me standout in my mind as the biggest middle finger to cinema goers than “Deadpool & Wolverine”.
I reviewed this on our CornBread podcast and mentioned how hard it was to review. I stand by that, the film is hilarious, especially as a long standing MCU fan, but the film pokes fun at itself about the shameless cameos, weak stories and underdeveloped villains which exist within the MCU, and then proceeds to do all these things within its own film. Its about as graceful as you’d expect from a Deadpool film. While I enjoyed the film and the laughs were consistent, I couldn’t help but feel that we as the audience were the butt of some joke the Disney execs were making as they rolled around in the insane amount of cash this film made. Don’t get me wrong, the MCU needed a win financially, but all the wrong lessons are going to be learnt from this; Disney and the industry as a whole believes all we want is more of the same.
It's not all Disney’s fault, The Eternals is a good example of a film massively underperforming because it tried to do something different. It’s probably the only MCU film to have a genuinely different feel from the other ones. Sure it might have had lofty ambitions about what it could achieve from a story telling perspective, but it was better than other MCU offerings that have made bank. The issue here is the consumer; The Eternal’s problems were two-fold; online vitriol towards the positive steps the movie took towards inclusivity, and a general lack of enthusiasm from cinema goers to try something new within this well-worn universe. So Disney doubled down on pumping out the same old slop on repeat which then led to a general disinterest in the already troubled MCU.
I digress and Disney’s MCU and Star Wars (don’t even get me started here) issues are well known, but I think they are the best analogy for how films in the cinema are being consumed. Releases not based on pre-existing properties just very rarely perform well in the cinema anymore. This has resulted in laziness from the studio’s who are already atop the big budget pyramid due to lack of competition, and original films only coming in the form of lower budget releases which either have limited runs in the cinema, or just go straight to streaming when they start to tank.
It's worth noting another factor which needs to be considered; the critical reception of a film. The internet, for better or worse, has given cinema goers complete access to everything they need to know about a film, including if it’s any good or not, usually before a film is even released. This takes out the uncertainty of going to see a terrible film, but it also means by not going to see these films you might consider “risky”, you aren’t pleasantly surprised by a film. Some of the best experiences I’ve had in the cinema have been films I knew nothing about, or films that were met with lukewarm receptions and actually ended up being decent or entertaining. Remember, reviews are someone else’s opinion and you might not agree. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, sits at an abysmal 42% on Rotten Tomatoes, but in my opinion, is a damn good Godzilla film and I know plenty of Godzilla fans who agree.
There is an answer here to all of this and if you’ve ever tuned in to our CornBread Podcast you’ll hear a broken record playing; go to the cinema and see a film that isn’t based on some pre-existing, multi-film spanning sequel. Take that chance, even two or three films a year on something you’ve seen and thought “oh that looks interesting, I’ll wait for it to come on streaming”. Support these films and your cinema, and I can guarantee we will be rewarded in the long run with creative, individual and fresh films which are currently being stomped on by huge, over-marketed and uninspired sequels. Hollywood is losing its voice through overbearing, meddling corporations such as Disney and Warner Brothers and will continue to as long as the fresh films continue to underperform. So what are you waiting for? Check out your local cinemas timetable and see what tickles your fancy!
What Harry lacks in writing credentials, he makes up for in passion for the subject at hand. The MultiMediaVerse venture isn’t something that sustains us with life’s needs and serves more as a passion project (currently) for us, so if our various contents feels a little rough and ready, that’s because it is! Any feedback is always welcome and I hope you enjoy reading our articles.
