Breaking Down the Ranking of May 2024's New Films: What to Watch and What to Skip
- scarejonathan98
- Jun 1, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 3, 2024
With the month of May at an end, I wanted to share my thoughts and ranking of the May releases that I saw. This month I managed to see 8 new films which is significantly more than any previous month. Part of that is due to more films coming out and another due to there being a couple of new streaming movies that were easier to see. This movie had a varied quality of movies with some being pretty bad and other being the best of the year. With that all said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the 8 new May releases.
8. Unfrosted
Unfrosted is easily the worst movie of the month and probably one of the worst films of the year. Unfrosted is yet another corporate biopic (biopic may be a strong word, it is more fantasy than biography) about the making of the Pop Tart and is Jerry Seinfeld's directorial debut. There is not much redeeming about this movie. It essentially plays as a feature length joke from one of Jerry Seinfeld's comedy routines. Jerry Seinfeld may be good at writing jokes, but he is not good at writing films. This movie also made me realize that he is not a very good actor. He can pass in Seinfeld as he is just playing himself and has his acting overshadowed by his costar. However, when his is front and center in this movie, his acting skills are really bad. His acting style treats everything like a joke so you can't tell when he actually delivers something serious. The movie also has a bunch of random subplots that are just kind of there such as the Mascot strike, the dumpster children, and the romance between the Post and Kellogg CEOs. Melissa McCarthy is also in this for some reason but none of it is good. Overall, this is just a very poor film that almost loops around to being so bad its good.
Score: 4/10 Grade: D+
7. The Strangers: Chapter 1
The Strangers: Chapter 1 is the newest horror movie that I have seen. This movie is the continuation of The Strangers franchise and follows a young couple that stay at an Airbnb in the woods and get attacked by three masked strangers. For some context, I watched the original Strangers movie for the first time a couple of weeks ago but don't have much of any investment in the franchise. In general, I didn't think this movie was very good. The only positive of it was that if effectively portrayed the fear of having people sneak around your home. I felt that it was a bit scary for the first 30 minutes of the film but beyond that the movie was not very good. The characters are both very bland with no decerning characteristics. The killers are not all that memorable. Freddy Kruger, Jason and Michael Myers all have their thing but these killers don't have anything to stand out. Just like in the original Strangers movies, I found the main characters to be incredibly stupid. I don't know about anyone else, but if some stranger knocked on my door and asked for someone then that didn't live there then continued to stand in the driveway, I would peace out real quick not stay in the house and do some hanky panky. The premise itself gets incredibly stupid in the later half of the film with the killers wasting so much time when they could have killed this people 10 minutes into the movie. In the end, the movie does portray some scares well but is overall just too dumb and dull to be good.
Score: 5/10 Grade: C
6. The Garfield Movie
The Garfield Movie is the last movie I saw this month. This movie is a modern adaptation of the Garfield comic and follows Garfield as he reunites with his father and pulls off a heist to get him out of hot water. I think kids will really enjoy this movie. It has the right level of humor for a kid to enjoy but doesn't have the low-brow fart humor that adults would hate. It has a few funny moments in it for adults that made me chuckle but overall kids are really going to enjoy it. The thing I had the hardest time I had with the movie was that it totally lost the essence of Garfield. Garfield is supposed to be about a sarcastic cat that is lazy, likes lasagna, and hates Mondays. Somehow this movie turned his story into a generic heist movie about Garfield's father issues. It reminded me a lot of the issues of Scoob that came out back in 2020. It lost the premise of the character in favor of a generic blockbuster-type film. In the end, while I do think kids will have fun with it, the movie isn't anything special and will ultimately disappoint as a Garfield film.
Score: 6/10 Grade: C+
5. IF
IF was the movie I was the most mixed on this month. I thought the general premise was a lot of fun with this girl being able to see a bunch of imaginary friends. I also thought all of the different characters were fun and unique. They all had their own little gimmick and were just so entertaining to watch. One of the best things about the movie was the voice cast. It had some many well known people like George Cloony, Emily Blunt, Bradley Cooper, Akwafina, Matt Dameon and many others. I also thought the ending was very emotional and quite well done. The end elevated the movie a bit for me. Where the movie goes down is with the specifics of the plot. It took about 45 minutes to really get going which may cause kids to get bored. There were also some dark moments that may be off putting for kids. I also thought the plot was a bit unnecessarily complicated for a kids movie. It seems to jump all over the place and never really stick to one clear goal. Overall, this was a sweet enough family movie but its definitely not one I could see myself rewatching.
Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-
4. The Idea of You
The Idea of You was one of the unexpected good movies this month. The Idea of You is an Amazon Prime Rom-Com that stars Anne Hathaway as a single 40-year-old mother who falls for a young man in a famous boy band. As I've established before, romantic movies are not really my thing. But as far as romantic movies go, this one was pretty decent. Anne Hathaway is a great actress and carries this movie with her performance. I thought the age gap in this movie would make it weird but somehow the movie manages to make it work and encompasses the age gap into the major conflict of the plot. The movie does a great job of taking us through the growth of the Anne Hathaway character as she learns to navigate this new stage in her life. I also thought that the male lead, Nicholas Galitzine had great chemistry with Anne Hathaway and carried his own in the film. The main thing keeping this lower for me is just the absurdity of the romance plot. I have this issue with most romantic movies, where I just find the conflict too stupid but am assured by Sarah that "that's how romantic movies are supposed to be". I also felt the movie was a bit too long. I think it could have ended just about 15-20 minutes sooner, been a quick 90-minute romantic movie, and been much better. In the end, this was a solid romantic movie and would make for a good date night film.
Score: 7/10 Grade: B
3. The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy was the most fun movie I saw this month. It manages to balance being an action movie, comedy, and romantic film all in one while also sprinkling some self-aware humor into the mix. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are both very likable and have a lot of fun in the lead roles. I really like Ryan Gosling in his new era of funny movie star guy. I thought the comedy and romance were both well incorporated into the film. They were never overbearing but in there just enough to make the film shine. The jokes don't go over the top to become spoofy nor does the romance become too in your face to be off-putting to nonromance fans. I also liked how this movie was essentially a love letter to movie-making and the stunt community. It showcases stunt work throughout the film with tons of practical stunts and effects. It also sprinkles in a lot of self-aware jokes about movie making such as poking fun at the Oscars for not having a stunt award. The only issue I really had with the film was that it did get a little predictable in the final act of the film but other than that I didn't have any issues. Overall, this movie is just a blast with no dull moments or excessive amounts of humor or romance.
Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-
2. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is the newest entry in the Planet of the Apes franchise. This movie takes place hundreds of years after the events of the previous 3 films but still manages to continue the legacy of those films. Just like with the newest trilogy, the visual effects in this movie are amazing. I also thought the movie did a great job of building out this new ape culture and showing how the different factions live. The new characters are also solid additions and do a great job of taking over the legacy of the story. I also liked how the movie ties into the other films without having it be a direct sequel. While Caesar isn't in this film, you can still feel his legacy and ideals throughout the story. I also thought the villain in this film was one of the stronger villains in the franchise, you can really understand his motivation he just wants to protect the other apes and his kingdom. Finally, I liked how this movie decided to be a coming-of-age story for the Noa character. It takes him through such a great arc and builds out his character. In the end, this is a great continuation of the Planet of the Apes franchise and one of the best movies of the month and year.
Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-
1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is the best film I saw this month but the top 3 were all very close. This movie tells an epic story about Furiosa and does so in a way that makes the story fit perfectly. The movie isn't overstuffed with ideas, nor does it feel too long. The movie makes the wise decision to have a chapter-like format with each chapter telling a different component of Furiosa's story. It runs a bit like episodes of a TV show but is still done seamlessly enough that a TV show would not be the better version. As with Mad Max: Fury Road, the action sequences are so well done with practical stunt work and great visual effects. The CGI is used to enhance scenes and not just to flood the screen. Chris Hemsworth and Anya Taylor-Joy are great in this film. Any Taylor-Joy does a great job in a role so different than her normal and manages to deliver a great performance with very little dialogue. Chris Hemsworth is also a lot of fun in this film. You can tell that he is going all in with the role and is just having a blast filming the movie. Overall, this is not only one of the best Mad Max films, but it is also one of my top 3 films of the year.
Score: 9/10 Grade: A
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