Last year’s strike by actors and screenwriters has caused many of the releases planned for this year to be moved to the following year, 2025, but that does not mean that action cinema will be left behind. Far from it, because we have the incentive of coming from a collection of good action films in recent months that have delighted fans of this type of cinema. In 2024, we have some exciting action films ahead of us.
The best action movies of the 21st century
Among the best action movies of 2023, we were able to enjoy new installments of historical sagas such as’Indiana Jones ‘, ‘Fast & Furious’, ‘Mission: Impossible’, and ‘John Wick ‘, a year that allowed us to meet again with characters who have become authentic icons of muscle cinema, such as Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise), and Baba Yaga (Keanu Reeves), protagonists of these successful sagas and established faces in this genre.
And there are no longer icons like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, or Bruce Willis; that’s true, but action cinema has evolved, going from betting everything on its ‘one-man bands’ to building spectacular sequences full of CGI, impossible explosions, and acrobatic stunts.
The most thrilling action movies in 2024
The year started off strong with Jason Statham, the last great action hero, according to ‘The Beekeeper’ director David Ayer, who told us “how tremendously easy it has been to build a traditional action movie around a classic star with such an imposing presence as Jason.” And 2024 continues with an oddity: we only have one Marvel movie, ‘Deadpool 3’ (one of the most anticipated action movies of 2024), and none from DC. In the absence of Marvel and DC movies, superhero cinema is almost monopolized by Sony’s Spider-verse, with ‘Madame Web’, ‘Kraven the Hunter’, and ‘Venom 3’. In other words, 2024 is a superhero wasteland. And perhaps that’s what the genre needs right now.
Instead, we have spies (‘Argylle’), martial arts (‘Kung Fu Panda 4’, ‘Karate Kid 2’), and stuntmen (‘The Specialist’), but without a doubt one of the most notable releases of 2024 is’Furiosa”, with Anya Taylor-Joy stepping into the skin of a younger version of Charlize Theron’s character in ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’, one of the best action films of the 21st century.
These are the best action movies of 2024, as well as the most anticipated releases:
Beekeeper: The Protector
‘Beekeeper’ couldn’t be simpler and, at the same time, more effective. Are you pissing Jason Statham off? Well, Jason takes a can of gasoline and sets out on a crusade across the country, against everything and everyone, to come to your house and tell you a few well-said things.
Release date: 01-12-2024
Directions: David Ayer
Screenplay: Kurt Wimmer
Cast: Jason Statham, Josh Hutcherson, Jeremy Irons, and Emmy Raver-Lampman
Duration: 105 min.
Country: United States
Where to watch: Prime Video
Argylle
Like other filmmakers like Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn is synonymous with fun, with a visual narrative that defies boredom. After the three installments of ‘Kingsman’, the British director once again intends to reinvent the spy genre with ‘Argylle’, his playful proposal.
Release date: 02-02-2024
Direction: Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay: Jason Fuchs
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Henry Cavill, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara, John Cena, and Dua Lipa
Year: 2024
Duration: 139 min.
Country: United Kingdom
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Madame Web
Dakota Johnson enters the web of Marvel and the Spider-Man universe, leading an army of spider-girls formed by Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced.
Release date: 02-14-2024
Direction: SJ Clarkson
Screenplay: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, and SJ Clarkson.
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O’Connor, and Isabela Merced
Year: 2024
Duration: 116 min.
Country: United States
Kung Fu Panda 4
In ‘Kung Fu Panda 4’, Po has the chance to become the spiritual leader of the Valley of Peace. However, to take on this new role, he would need to train a new Dragon Warrior as quickly as possible, while also having to face a powerful new enemy known as the Chameleon.
Release date: 03-08-2024
Director: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine
Screenplay: Jonathan Aibel, Glenn Berger
Cast: Jack Black, Awkwafina, Viola Davis, and Dustin Hoffman
Year: 2024
Duration: 94 min.
Country: United States
Road House
A remake of the 1980s classic starring Patrick Swayze tells the story of Dalton, a former UFC fighter who has fallen on hard times and accepts a job as a bouncer at a troubled roadside bar in the Florida Keys, only to discover that this paradise is not all it seems.
‘Road House: A Hard Trade’ has become the most watched movie in Prime Video’s history.
Release date: 03-21-2024
Director: Doug Liman
Screenplay: Anthony Bagarozzi, Chuck Mondry, Hilary Henkin, and David Lee Henry
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Billy Magnussen, Daniela Melchior, and Connor McGregor
Year: 2024
Duration: 114 min.
Country: United States
Where to watch: Prime Video
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Is there another movie about these two titans? Yes, but this time you’ll see a giant ape with a robotic hand beating up a 100-meter-tall pink lizard that eats nuclear power plants, while an intraterrestrial civilization summons ancient monsters between crystal pyramids. Sold!
Release date: March 29-2024
Direction: Adam Wingard
Screenplay: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, and Jeremy Slater
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Dan Stevens, and Brian Tyree Henry
Year: 2024
Duration: 115 min.
Country: United States
Monkey Man
Kid is a criminal who has just been released from prison and lives in India, trying to adapt to a world marked by greed and lacking spiritual values. He will fight to seek revenge for his mother’s death and defend the most disadvantaged classes there.
Release date: 12-04-2024
Director: Dev Patel
Screenplay: Dev Patel, Paul Angunawela, and John Collee
Cast: Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley
Year: 2024
Duration: 121 min.
Country: United States
Land of Bad
William Eubank goes from horror to action (although the suspense is still present) in a film starring Liam Hemsworth and with the support of Russell Crowe, which will deal with a group of soldiers trapped in the jungle of a hostile country… without weapons.
Release date: February 16, 2024
Director: William Eubank
Screenplay: William Eubank, David Frigerio
Cast: Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth, and Luke Hemsworth
Year: 2024
Duration: 110 min.
Country: United States
The Fall Guy
Fresh off a near-career-ending accident, a stuntman must track down a missing movie star, unravel a conspiracy, and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job. David Leitch (‘Bullet Train’) directs Ryan Gosling , Emily Blunt, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in this action-comedy, one of those hidden gems among 2024 comedy movies.
Release date: 26-4-2024
Direction: David Leitch
Screenplay: Drew Pearce
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Winston Duke, Hannah Waddingham
Duration: 126 min.
Country: United States
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
After years of rumors, delays, false hopes, and even lawsuits between George Miller and Warner, the prequel to’Mad Max: Fury Road ‘has a gap among the 2024 films. ‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga‘ focuses on a younger version of the character played by Charlize Theron in ‘Fury Road’, covering a time span of several years through this character that falls on actress Anya Taylor-Joy.
Release date: May 24, 2024
Director: George Miller
Screenplay: Nick Lathouris, George Miller
Cast: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Burke, Angus Sampson, and Daniel Webber
Duration: 148 min.
Country: Australia
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Fourth installment of the ‘Bad Boys’ saga. This time, the world’s most famous police officers return with their iconic mix of high-octane action and outrageous comedy, but this time with an unexpected twist.
Release date: June 7, 2024
Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah
Screenplay: Chris Bremner, Will Beall
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, and Alexander Ludwig
Duration: 115 min.
Country: United States
Kill Boy
A young deaf-mute must confront the matriarch of the deranged Van del Koy family, who has the entire population under her yoke. After a tragic childhood, an enigmatic shaman has turned him into an instrument of vengeance, ready to do justice. Moritz Mohr makes his debut with this unbridled comic opera about bloody revenge.
Release date: 3-07-2024
Director: Moritz Mohr
Screenplay: Arend Remmers, Tyler Burton Smith, and Moritz Mohr
Cast: Bill Skarsgard, Sharlto Copley, Brett Gelman, Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, and Famke Janssen
Duration: 115 min.
Country: Germany
Deadpool & Wolverine
The first two installments of the character, also known as the ‘Mercenary with a Mouth’, have been a real box office success, especially among young people, and have managed to make Deadpool a world-famous anti-hero, not just among fans of Marvel comics.
And, particularly given the success of the sequel, it was only natural that a third installment would sneak into the 2024 comedy movie list following Disney’s purchase of Fox. Will we be looking at one of the best superhero movies?
Release date: 07-25-2024
Direction: Shawn Levy
Screenplay: Shawn Levy, Rhett Reese, Ryan Reynolds, Zeb Wells, and Paul Wernick
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, and Matthew Macfadyen
Duration: 127 min.
Country: United States
Venom: The Last Dance
Tom Hardy returns for the third (and who knows if last) time to merge into a single being with Marvel’s most famous symbiote in a film shot in Cartagena. Specifically in the Los Mateos neighborhood. This is all we know about ‘Venom 3’.
Release date: October 25, 2024
Director: Kelly Marcel
Screenplay: Kelly Marcel
Cast: Tom Hardy, Juno Temple, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rhys Ifans.
Duration: ? min.
Country: United States
Kraven the Hunter
‘Kraven the Hunter’ will continue to expand Sony’s roster of Marvel villains in 2024 after the releases of ‘Venom’ and ‘Morbius’. It stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and features JC Chandor as director after gems such as ‘Margin Call’ (2011), ‘All Is Lost’ (2013), and ‘The Year of Violence’ (2014).
Release date: 13-12-2024
Direction: JC Chandor
Screenplay: Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Richard Wenk
Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Russell Crowe, Ariana DeBose, and Fred Hechinger
Duration:? min.
Country: United States
