Holiday Blockbusters: Ranking the 2024 December Movies I Saw

It is finally the end of the year. So before my end of the year ranking, I wanted to share my thoughts and ranking of the December new releases that I saw. I saw six new releases this month with a lot of solid movies and Kraven the Hunter coming out. With all that said, here are my thoughts and ranking of the six new releases that I saw.

6. Kraven the Hunter

Kraven the Hunter is just as bad as Madame Web. This movie has some of the worst writing and dialogue in any comic book movie. There are so many lapses in logic in this movie that it is laughable. Tonally, the movie is all over the place. One minute we see Kraven killing a bunch of people, the next we get a bunch of campy jokes. The movie never commits to what type of tone it wants to have. The movie takes itself way too seriously to the point where it is actually funny how hard they commit to the terrible creative choices. The movie also has a ton of side characters that have no purpose in the movie and just take up wasted screen time. The movie also drags a ton in the beginning with the main plot of the movie not even kicking in until an hour into the film. It just baffles me why Sony keeps putting out these movies and not learning from their mistake. In the end, this is another terrible Spider-Man villain movie. The only positive about this movie is that it finally means the end of Sony's Spider-Man universe.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D+

5. Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King was supposed to be this big prequel to the “live-action” Lion King. It does have some decent moments in it. The visual effects are very well done. The animals and setting look so real even though it is all animated. I also thought the development of Mufasa’s leadership ability was very well done. The movie does a great job of showing why he is such a respected leader in The Lion King. However, that was about all that worked for me. I thought the evolution of Scar’s character was too rushed. His fall is centered around one moment and his character just does a complete 180 instead of a gradual change. I also didn’t think the songs were all that good and just felt like they were checking the boxes for Lion King songs. Just like in the 2019 Lion King, the film doesn’t work emotionally because animals can’t show facial expressions like cartoon creatures can so you just can’t get that same level that the original Lion King had. Overall, while the film had some decent moments, it was not good enough to justify its existence. It just feels like a cash grab with no creative presence behind it.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

4. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

The War of the Rohirrim is the newest addition to the Lord of the Rings franchise and the first animated installment. I like that this movie gives viewers a chance to return to Middle Earth and that we have a new story about Rohan. The action here was pretty exciting with a new big battle at Helms Deep. I also liked how the basic premise of the story was this coming-of-age hero's journey epic. We get to see the main character, Hera, grow into a great leader. I also appreciate how the movie tries to do something different with the franchise, bringing an anime style to the saga. However, this is also the biggest issue with the film. It is different but I think a lot of Lord of the Rings fans will have a hard time getting past the anime style. This movie also just feels so much smaller and cheaper than the other films. It was made for only $30 million and you can feel that. In the end, while I enjoyed this a good deal, it is ultimately dealt a tough hand with the inevitable comparison to the Lord of the Rings films. It was never going to be as good as the other films, nor was the filmmaker trying to do that, but because it has the name association, people are going to unintentionally compare it.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

3. Y2k

Y2k is an indie film that was not on my radar until I saw a trailer for it a couple of months ago. This story follows a group of teenagers during the Y2K New Year's Eve when the big Y2K technology bug infects all devices and inhabits them with a desire to destroy humankind. I had a lot of fun with this movie. It has a good balance of slasher violence/horror and comedy. I thought the premise of the movie was a lot of fun as this interesting what-if scenario. I enjoyed all of the action sequences with the machines attacking all of these people. I thought that Danny was a very fun character and stole every scene that he was in. I also thought that the 90s time capsule aspect of the movie was a lot of fun with all of these 90s culture references and jokes at the decade's expense. This movie is unashamedly campy and I think that is what works best for it. I did feel that it got a little too goofy in the third act of the film and I wasn't totally satisfied with the big climax of the film. I also wish there had been more action sequences with the characters fighting these machines. Overall, while it may not be a super high-quality film, I still had a lot of fun with it and it kept me entertained for 90 minutes.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

2. A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown is the final movie that I saw this year. This movie is a musical biopic about Bob Dylan starring Timothee Chalamet. I don't know much about Bob Dylan but I still had a decent time with this movie. I thought Timothee Chalamet was great as Bob Dylan and has a decent shot at getting nominated for an Oscar. From my limited knowledge of Bob Dylan, it seemed like his portrayal of the musician was spot on. I also liked that this biopic didn't stick to the biopic formula that so many movies do, the storytelling and structure are much more unique. The movie also does a great job of creating a sort of time capsule of the 1960s as there are all sorts of nods and references to that era that make the movie's setting feel lived in. One of the things holding this film back is that they never really explore Bob Dylan as a character. He is a bit of a mystery when he comes to town, but he is still pretty much a mystery when the movie ends. There isn't any growth to him or any explanation as to what drives him to be a musician or to make himself different. In the end, I thought this was a very well-made movie with solid acting. It didn't do anything wrong but the movie as a whole just didn't resonate with me.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 is easily the best film in the Sonic franchise and the best film I saw this month. This movie has all of the stuff that worked for the previous films and none of the things that didn't. I thought that Shadow was a solid addition to the franchise and story. He is the one character in the franchise that isn't written to be funny. Because of this, he makes the movie have a much darker tone which works well for the story the movie is trying to tell. I also thought that Shadow had a very emotional story and helped cement the ideas of grief and revenge as the main topics of the movie. Jim Carey is also a lot of fun in this movie. He plays two characters in this movie and somehow can have a great energy playing off of himself. I also liked how this movie had a very streamlined plot. It doesn't get bogged down with human subplots like the previous films do. It starts right away with Sonic and his friends on their adventure and doesn't stray from that for the entire runtime. Finally, I liked how much emotion was in the film. Shadow is key to most of the emotional scenes but Robotnik and Sonic both get in there some too. In the end, this was a great third film in the Sonic trilogy that delivered on everything people love about the franchise.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-