Every year for the past couple of years now, I keep a running tally of my favorite media I’ve consumed. The main rule is that is had to of been released in the year of 2024, or December 2023 (buffer). You can find my year in review for 2022 at this link, and I will post 2023 in the near future. For the ranking, there are six categories: Movie, Animated Movie, TV Show, Animated TV Show, Video Game, and Album.
Movie Awards:
Movie: Gladiator II
Honorable Mention: Deadpool & Wolverine
I first watched the original Gladiator movie (starring Russell Crowe) on the last day of 2022, as it was leaving Netflix. I enjoyed it, although there definitely were times I had to pause it and take a break. This is where Gladiator II shocked me. I was thoroughly engaged for the entire film, on the edge of my seat. Paul Mescal took the role on beautifully with no gaps. There was a bit of star power, which usually sets a film up for success, but it wasn’t forced. The plot is exciting and the action scenes are top-notch. Gladiator II is a must-see for fans of action movies.
Deadpool & Wolverine was close to a shoe-in. I hadn’t seen many other films (made in 2024) that really deserved this slot. Therefore, I felt the comedy action with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman could receive an honorable mention. I had gone to see this one for my birthday with Eileen, and we both were laughing non-stop. I highly recommend anyone who needs a good laugh, mixed with some action, go see this movie. The big negative with this film that would really prevent it from being the best is the plot. This movie is so strongly rooted with cameos from celebrities and other “superheroes” that the plot could be seen as suffering. Don’t compare this film to Deadpool or Deadpool 2.
Animated Movie Awards:
Animated Movie: Kung Fu Panda 4
LEAST Honorable Mention: The Garfield Movie
I hate to say it, but the animated movie category was so weak this year. Blame it on me for not watching many films, or the film industry for producing more animated sequel crap, but I won’t have much to say. Kung Fu Panda 4 was engaging at the very least and brought back nostalgia from previous movies. I enjoyed seeing Tai Lung, Lord Shen, and Kai, but the Chameleon mismatched the “vision” of villains we’ve had in the Kung Fu Panda universe. Don’t get me started on that dang fox, Zhen. Call it a character arc or whatnot, she was obnoxious and wishy-washy. However, I do love the world-building and Po, which gives it the winner.
I did something different here. I genuinely despised The Garfield Movie (2024). How do you take such an iconic character and turn it into the brain-rot animation that every children’s show is chasing nowadays? Money, I guess, is the answer. I’m glad I waited until this appeared on Netflix so as not to support it through the theater. The characters are ugly, the plot is disgusting. The only part I cared for was Garfield’s backstory with his dad. That’s about it. I could’ve written a better plot, and I’m confident about that.
TV Show Awards:
TV Show: The Penguin
Honorable Mention: Shogun
The toughest decision of this year was the best TV Show. I have seen some incredible shows, and this year was certainly a long one. I tried my best not to let recency bias cloud my judgement, but I believe The Penguin just edges out Shogun. The Penguin, along with Shogun, were the two shows this year where I actively anticipated each week’s episode. I purposely sat in bed on Sunday or Monday night with a drink and my laptop to watch The Penguin. Colin Farrell will surely win an Oscar for his job as Oz Cobb, and Cristin Milioti will hopefully win one as well. The action was unmatched, even as a “mob show”, I was so engaged, and this is coming from someone with a horrible attention span.
If I could continue praising The Penguin without reaching an allotted word count, I would. There’s so much perfection in it from acting to scenes. In the very first episode, I was teleported into Gotham and felt as if it was a real place. Shogun didn’t exactly have that realism, but the story could be argued as stronger than The Penguin’s. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose interest when you’re watching a “foreign” show (language in Japanese), but I kept my eyes glued to the screen. I literally watched as the credits rolled after Episode 9 for minutes after it ended. Perfection.
Animated TV Show Awards:
Animated TV Show: Arcane S2
Honorable Mention: Exploding Kittens
Honorable Honorable Mention: Pluto (released in late October 2023)
2024 was an interesting year for animated TV shows, with some incredible pieces of art being released, and some not worth ever mentioning again. I tend to prefer animated TV shows to regular TV, so when I heard Arcane was renewed for S2 a few years back, I was looking forward to seeing Jinx and Vi’s story expanded upon. Arcane S2 might be the best season of television released in this decade, if not since the turn of the century. The animation is unlike the traditional style which speaks for itself, and the animators went off. Every scene is depicted in perfection, detailing even the most minor instances relating to the parent game. They said they had to cut hour of animation, and if I may speak on behalf of Arcane fans, we want to see it. Now.
Exploding Kittens was actually a genuine surprise. I used to play the mobile card game at school, and had low expectations going into watching the show. I was blown away. It wasn’t pure genius in every scene and line, but it was comedic, achieving the largest goal. I’m not sure if it’s a show I would watch over and over, but it’s a show I did enjoy quite a lot.
I have to break a few rules and give an honorable honorable mention to Pluto (Netflix). It released in the 2023 window of favorite shows, but I didn’t watch it until the beginning of this year. Another one of Naoki Urasawa’s mangas turned into an anime proved to be the perfect idea. From the very first episode you’ll be captivated by North #2’s plot and quickly fall into the rest of the show.
Video Game Awards:
Video Game: Batman: Arkham VR
Honorable Mention: Liar’s Bar
Big surprise, I grant the best game of the year (personally) to a virtual reality game. This is the first time I’ve done so, and I myself was surprised. Meta is beginning to make a name for themselves in the gaming industry but adding AAA game’s such as Batman, Assassin’s Creed, and Asgard’s Wrath. Some of these games are coming in at a steep price (for VR, at least) but Batman was one I actually justified paying for. The action is fun without making you hit your surroundings and the story is engaging and unique. Voice acting is top notch as well. It’s enjoyable to run around serving justice to the rat saviors of Gotham City.
Maybe an odd choice, but I have had a lot of fun in Liar’s Bar, made by Curve Animation. The game might feel a little familiar when you step into the bar; it’s Russian Roulette, but with silly characters and animations. However, when you put the gun to your head, you feel it in real life. Liar’s Bar has a low price which makes it worth every dollar it’s worth.
Music Album Awards:
Album: CHROMAKOPIA – Tyler, The Creator
Honorable Mention: TIMELESS – KAYTRANADA
Without a doubt, it’s CHROMAKOPIA. Each song is perfectly crafted and has it’s own unique feel and sound that is unlike the previous one in the album. Tyler is a fantastic artist and only releases every few years, which made this album so much more special. I’m not going to pretend like I’m an actual music critic, but it’s nearly a 10/10 for me. There were a few songs on the album I couldn’t quite get behind but that was about it. My three favorite songs on the album are Take Your Mask Off, St. Chroma, and Noid.
There were so many options for honorable mention. I was between three: Yours Until the War is Over, Atavista, and TIMELESS. After some careful consideration, I leaned towards TIMELESS. Over half of the songs are in my playlists and the replay-ability is insane. The album gives “main character energy”, or so I’m told. My top three on the album are Call U Up, Witchy, and Do 2 Me.
Wrap-Up
With that, the 2024 season has come to an end and now starts 2025. I’m looking forward to all of the releases coming this year, which I will briefly summarize by category.
Shows: Invincible S3, Severance S2, Andor S2, Lazarus
Movies: Tron: Ares, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Animal Farm, Minecraft Movie, Bad Guys 2
Games: Avowed, Atomic Heart, Atomfall (a lot of “A” games, huh?) CIV7, GTA6
Thank you everybody for reading this far, and if you haven’t yet, check out some other blog posts. Comment below if you’d like to see my 2023 review, or if you enjoy this kind of content. Or, if you have recommendations of things to watch/play/listen to, put them below and I’ll do my best to do it.