By Arthur Osborne-Young
As 2024 has come to a close, let’s take a look back at the film the year gave us. Last year brought us the return of greats with Francis Ford Coppola’s heralded and highly awaited Megalopolis, or ‘Megaflopolis’ as it’s been dubbed by many, a legacy project devoid of clarity and delivery sparking the wrong kind of apocalypse. There’s been frenzied love triangles and techno-fueled tennis warfare in Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers. Sharks make an appearance in the Coliseum with the storied release of Gladiator II by legendary director and lover of historians Ridley Scott.
A year filled with nostalgia, innovation, and chaos, and just in case you’ve joined a cult and have been living in the Amazon, I’ll give you my highlights.
The Count of Monte Cristo—A love letter to Cinema (4.5/5)
Debuting at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte brought along a Palme D’or-winning epic. With a refreshing yet faithful take on Dumas’ famous tale, it brings you in for a three-hour ride where no expense is spared with high-end production design, fabled cinematography from Nicholas Bolduc, and an all-star cast within which I’ll highlight Pierre Niney and Anaïs Demoustier as clear standouts. The film resonates with what I love about cinema, as it brings you back to a time when well-told, big-budget epics were the gold standard of Hollywood, and it makes you question why this ever changed. Dumas’ novel tackles themes such as justice, revenge, love, and pain, but when taken to the big screen, I don’t feel the need to wrestle with these dilemmas and instead can enjoy an immersive journey where time is lost on me. Its simplicity is why it won me over, as it appeals to why so many love cinema; for me, there is no greater compliment.
Notable Quotes:
- “To hate an Englishman is no sin. It’s common sense.”
- “We must have felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living.”
Challengers – Make Love Triangles Not War (4.5/5)
In April, Luca Guadagnino, a purveyor of sexy and well-paced cinema, released Challengers, starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor, and Mike Faist. It covers the lives of three professional tennis players as they combat injury, failure, and relationships. Guadagnino’s film feels highly innovative as it allows the viewer to empathize with the mental strain of professional tennis without a strong narrative focus on the sport itself. Instead, he lodges you in between our protagonists and lets their character and relationship dynamics speak for themselves. In assessing further greatness, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s high BPM score can only be described as biblical, and if you want to understand what to expect from this film or feel the need for carefree intensity in your life, take a listen to Brutalizer by these two, and you’ll see what I mean. The film ramps into a crescendo filled with the feelings that a love child of Uncut Gems, Crank, and Closer could attempt to create, and I envy all first-time viewers.
Notable Quotes:
- “Which one of us?”
- “This is a game about winning the points that matter.”
Gladiator II – Nostalgia Personified (3/5)
Sir Ridley Scott, aged 87, will leave a sizable print, maybe a crater, with his pending exit from the industry. A man known for bringing the opulence and scale of epic cinema to the screen, leaving the viewer awestruck. Gladiator II is no different, as Ridley crafts an all-too-familiar eye-candied picture of ancient Rome, pulling on our heartstrings and calling for our memories. Early on we are introduced to Lucius, played by Paul Mescal, an actor I admire deeply but find to be tonally slightly off yet nonetheless convincing. This harsh take is likely due to my personal typecast of Paul, as I’m used to seeing him in solemn and heartfelt roles like his work in Aftersun (2022) or Normal People (2020); moreover, Russell Crowe left colossal shoes to fill as Maximus, and due to the rewritten nature the film purveys, it is impossible not to draw comparisons. Denzel Washington steals the show, presenting a fiery and cunning antagonist with Training Day-esque subtleties (Macrinus), who, when paired with the emperor double act (Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger), brings a plane of originality to a film that lacks it. The score, writing, and action feel like slight evolutions, if not regressions, from the original, but nevertheless managed to achieve the desired effects of excitement and chills while I watched. This is not one of the better films of the year but a successful testament to Ridley, who carves out his legacy as Sir Epic with what may be his final take.
Notable Quotes:
- “I will never be your instrument in this life or the next.”
- “The gates of hell are open night and day; Smooth the descent, and easy is the way: But to come back from hell and view the cheerful skies, in this the task and mighty labour lies.”
Honourable Mentions
It’s What’s Inside – Greg Jardin … Fun and tailored, chaos in Greg Jardin’s first feature!
Anora – Sean Baker … A bittersweet and powerful comedy/drama, featuring the best physical comedy of the year.
Recommendations from the Small Screen
Shogun – Rachel Condo and Justin Marks
Industry – Mickey Down and Konrad Kay
The Day of the Jackal – Ronan Bennett
Featured image courtesy of Unsplash.com
