March 2024 Movies Ranked: Which New Releases Are Worth Watching?

With March finally at a close, I wanted to share my thoughts and ranking on the seven new releases that I saw this month. This month had a lot more options to watch than in the previous two months so I was finally able to get to my usual 5-7 new releases per month. This month had some very high-quality films while also having some really bad films. Regardless, it was nice to have more movies to be able to go see. With that being said, here is my ranking of the March movies that I saw.

7. The American Society of Magical Negros

The American Society of Magical Negros is easily the worst movie I have seen this year. I knew the movie was going to have a bit of a politically heavy message which I am fine with if included organically in the story. I was really interested in the magical aspect of the film. I was hoping to get a new world of magicians with some funny moments. Unfortunately, this was not the case at all. For a movie called The American Society of MAGICAL Negros, there is very little magic in the movie. The movie instead decides to sideline the magical aspect in favor of a very poorly written rom-com. The love triangle in the film is extremely annoying and makes no sense given the main character's job in the film. The movie also gets extremely preachy at the end with the whole climax having the main character yell at another character about how racist he is. It doesn't organically share its message throughout the story and instead opts to shout it at the audience at the end of the film. I also thought the final scene in the film kind of ruined the whole premise of the movie and made the main character growth for nothing. Overall, this is a very poor movie that doesn't do any of its aspects well.

Score: 3/10 Grade: D

6. Road House

Road House is a dumb fun throwback 80s action movie. While the movie itself is not great, it was fun to see Jake Gyllenhaal beat up a bunch of bad guys. While the fights and dialogue were entertaining and amusing, the story and plot structure left a lot to be desired. The roadhouse aspect of the film kind of gets sidelined in favor of a generic mob boss showdown. In terms of characters, all of the characters are pretty bland and forgettable. Nobody has any sort of defining character trait nor is there any clear motivation why anyone does what they do. This movie is another example of a junk food movie. The action is entertaining and there is a lot of fun to be had but the plot itself is actually quite stupid. There isn't too much to say about this movie. You get exactly what you expect from a movie like this. In the end, while this is an incredibly dumb movie, it is still quite fun and would be one I wouldn't mind watching again.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

5. Kung Fu Panda 4

Kung Fu Panda 4 is the newest addition to the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Just like the previous 3 films, this movie has a lot of fun kung fu action as well as the humor that is expected from Dreamworks. I like how this movie shows Po in a different phase of his life as he has to transition from being the Dragon Warrior to being the spiritual leader of the valley. The Awkwafina character is a lot of fun as well. It was fun to see Po interact with more of a morally grey character. What keeps this film down for me is that it just doesn't reach the highs of the other 3 films. It is missing a lot of the great characters that made the other films great such as The Furious Five and Shifu. The villain and humor are also just not as good as the other films. The plot was decent enough but just not good enough to really warrant the existence of the movie. It felt like this movie existed as more of a cash grab than as a way to continue the Kung Fu Panda story. Overall, while this movie is fun enough, it just doesn't reach the highs of the other movies and just doesn't quite capture the magic.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

This movie is a bit of a mixed bag for me but I think it has more good than bad which is why it gets a positive rating. I thought this was a fun Ghostbusters adventure that expanded the lore and built out more of the world. Since the Ghostbusters are already formed, the movie doesn't need to spend any time getting the band back together and just dives right into the adventure. It was also a lot of fun to see the story set back in NYC and include the original cast. I like how both Ray and Winston are given something to do and have supporting roles in the story. Paul Rudd and McKenna Grace and easily the standouts of this movie. Paul Rudd has just so much charm and is just so fun in every scene he is in. McKenna Grace is just great in the lead and is a great emotional center to the story. The main issue with this movie is that there are too many characters and subplots. The movie just has too much going on. It gives every character something to do and the result is an overstuff story. Because of this, I felt the movie took a bit too long to really get going. In the end, while it does feel overstuff, the charm and fun of seeing ghostbusting in NYC is there which makes for, while not a great film, a fun spooky adventure.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

3. Arthur the King

Arthur the King is another movie that gave me exactly what I was expecting out of it. It is basically your typical feel-good dog movie which sometimes is just what you need. The movie hits all of the emotional beats you want from a movie like this. There are several emotional moments towards the end of the film that I thought were quite effective. Of course, the dog is cute and fun to see on screen. The movie feels like it is missing something until he shows up on screen. I also enjoyed the adventure racing aspect of the film. I enjoyed all of the hiking and trekking through the jungle and thought it was very fun to watch. The movie also does a great job of conveying the idea of friendship and loyalty throughout the runtime which fits very well with the theme of the movie as they are both dog-like qualities. The main issue I had with the film was that it was a bit too long. I felt that it could have been shortened by about 10-15 minutes in the end and been just as effective with its emotional moments. The plot itself was a bit clunky at times, there are three distinct sections to the movie and you can feel the transition between them pretty hard. In the end, while this is by no means an amazing movie, it delivered exactly what it was going for and made me feel good by the end.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

2. Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire

Godzilla X Kong was probably the most fun movie I saw this month. This movie finally cracked the on how to make the monsterverse work. It delivers on the monster fights audiences want while not taking itself too seriously. This movie gives so many awesome monster fights with the last 30 minutes being pure awesomeness with a Godzilla and Kong tag team fight. The human characters are a bit more bearable with a single streamlined plot about exploring hollow earth. There is a bit of an arc there but it doesn't bog down the movie or feel as unnecessary as the human plots of the previous films. This movie also finally figures out the tone of the franchise by giving the movie a more goofy, over-the-top fun tone while also being self-aware of how stupid it is. I also liked how this movie gives Kong his own plot line and essentially makes him the main character of the film. Of course, this movie is not great on a plot or character level and is incredibly stupid if you think too hard about it but the point of this movie is to turn off your brain and have fun and that is what it does. In the end, while this is an incredibly dumb movie, it delivers on all the monster fights I wanted and found the perfect tone for the franchise.

1. Dune Part 2

Dune Part 2 is easily the best film I saw this month by a long shot. This is the best-made film I've seen in a while. It is a fantastic Sci-fi epic with compelling characters and huge stakes. The visuals just look so amazing. The CGI is so well done that it actually feels like the characters on a desert planet riding sandworms. This movie is a prime example of how to make a movie look great for under $200 million. The movie also provides a great journey for the main character, Paul as he grows into this new culture that takes him in. The movie also does a great job of balancing numerous side characters while also not making any of them feel unnecessary. The cast is also so stacked in this movie with actors such as Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Josh Brolin, Christopher Walken, Rebecca Ferguson, and many others. They all manage to have a good presence in the film and it felt like there was adequate screen time for all. I also liked how the movie made Chani more of a dominant character. In the book, she is more pushed to the side of the story once she gets pregnant but in the movie, she is front and center with Paul without jeopardizing the integrity of the story. Finally, I felt that the movie was paced very well. It is almost 3 hours long but doesn't feel anywhere near that length. Overall, this is a fantastic sequel and a great movie. This is by far my favorite movie of the year.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A