2023 proved that the movies are back, baby. 2024 takes it up a gear.

After a long arduous journey through every conceivable superhero world, we’re back to our fantastical roots. Monsters, magic, and good old-fashioned shock value are bringing back the true cinematic experience.

2023 showed promise

Looking to the upcoming year in film, remakes are inescapable, spin-offs are hitting their stride, and around a few corners lie shocking new arrivals.

It’s said that there are no original ideas, and the onslaught of remakes supports the theory. But what we do have at our fingertips is nostalgia and style. That’s helping pave the way for a renaissance of film that cinephiles so desperately deserve.

So far, we’ve gotten Willy Wonka before the Chocolate Factory and Mean Girls the Musical.

Here’s the current cinema scene vibe check, and what to await the rest of the year:

WIlly Wonka, before the Chocolate Factory

People love Timmy Chalamet, and he seemed to have nailed the teen Willy Wonka.

Mean Girls stay mean off-screen

Renee Rapp is a Gen Z wrecking ball smashing her way through the Mean Girls press tour with ~*drAmA*~. Specifically, she said she is “very ageist” and, specifically, “hates millennial women.”

Is it just messy enough to love?

Tiny Fey making her own movie is a power move in itself, but there’s another potential issue with this version… musicals are divisive. They are widely beloved however there is a population of people, including this author, that abhors most of them.

The Mean Girls remake does, however, give us more onscreen Avantika Vandanapu (Senior Year), so that’s a win.

SPEAKING OF THE GIRLIES…

Female filmmakers are having a MOMENT that’s shaping into film HERstory.

First, we had Greta Gerwig (Hello…Barbie), then Sophia Coppola (Francis’ daughter and director of Marie Antoinette) giving us Priscilla‘s story from Elvis’ shadow.

Then of course, we have Emerald Fennel who gifted us Saltburn, which is a league of its own. Weird, freaky, weirdly freaky, from the start it seems like your classic tale of lust and classicism: fucked up rich people, misunderstood working class lad. Then you meet the Minotaur.

Saltburn turns up the heat

Saltburn is a story of playing the long game. It’s not exactly the virtuous one, of course. It’s lonely: even filled with party people, you had a genuine taste of malaise lounging about the lavish estate. But it’s a feast for the senses, and a shock for the ages.

MOST ANTICIPATED 2024 FILMS

Horror has been having its arthouse moment, and Robert Eggers (The VVitch) dives 102 YEARS into the film archives.

“The vampire’s name is Count Orlok, not Nosferatu. ‘Nosferatu’ is an archaic Romanian word for ‘vampire.’ “

IMDb

• Nosferatu remake seems well-managed. Eggers shocked us all in black-and-white with The Lighthouse, and the OG vampire film of yore seems to be getting the same nod. With Willem Dafoe again at its helm, this movie has us blood-lusting.

Other notable stars in this movie: Bill Skårsgard, Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult.

• As 2024 rolls on, we have George Miller’s backstory on Furiosa. Charlize gave us iconigraphy in the role previously. Anya-Taylor Joy (The VVitch, The Menu) might just be broody and defiant enough to nail it.

• Long awaited Dune 2 comes through offering more Timmy Chalamet … that is if you don’t have the ick after Willy Wonka.

• Beetlejuice 2 is a crown jewel of excitement for the year. As the afterlife stretches on, will the reprisal of roles and exciting new spooky additions (Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe) give us the revisit we need?

• The bold move by Tim Burton maybe just have inspired the emergence of other long-since sequels including Gladiator 2 and Twisters.

• Bad Boys will also try to make a comeback with its fourth installment. But that press might be just a little too on the nose for Will Smith at this stage.

• The Spider-verse expands a few times with a Miles Morales version and a live-action called Madame Web. Getting the classic Marvel abuse treatment, there’s a lot more Spiderman in store.

• Ballerina, offers a lady-led spinoff of the John Wick universe.

then, of course, the pop queen scene

• The Amy Winehouse (directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson) will deliver a biopic which has us all a bit… nervous and on edge.

• Lady Gaga teams with Jaoquin in Joker: Folie à Deux.

And speaking of prequels and spin-offs, Wicked stands as one of the most highly anticipated. A proven spin-off success, this Broadway smash bubbles to the big screen with Ariana Grande as the good witch. Will the magic be there?

The big chat is going to be looking for easter eggs

With other remakes packed into the year like Ghostbusters and Despicable Me, we can be sure to expect easter eggs in every shot. Callbacks to the original movies are a filmmaking tradition. There will be plenty of online chatter from people cracking open easter eggs in screen stills. Now would be a good time to brush up on the source material.

Sit back and relax

There’s a surefire way to ruin a viewing experience, and that’s by going in expecting the same viewing experience as previous iterations.

May remakes be allowed to be remakes. May fresh stories also get their chance to shine.

The remake wheel is turning and has evolved–prequels and musical renditions are a new way to dive into familiar worlds without rehashing (and ultimately disappointing) the viewer. But we also have never-before-done remakes from the deep archives, as well as a slew of promising young women behind the camera.

It’s an exciting time for film.

We’ve got the creative juices flowing. We’ve got the girls. Now we just wait for tickets.