Summary
Action is one of the most popular and profitable genres in film and 2024 brought the release of some true standouts in theaction movielandscape.
Superhero movies were thinner on the ground in 2024 than in other years, but some still managed to make a memorable mark. A few legacy sequels were also released in 2024 and brought some truly iconicactionsequences to the screen. 2024 was definitely a year rich with action movies to dig into, but these are some Game Rant considers to be the best.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Marvel’s only cinematic release in 2024 wasDeadpool & Wolverine, which was possibly the most-anticipated film on its slate.Deadpool & Wolverinemarked the first time Ryan Reynolds’ Merc with the Mouth had officially been under the umbrella of Marvel Studios sinceDisney acquired Fox. This acquisition also allowed Hugh Jackman to reprise the role of his X-Men hero Wolverine and saw the two characters team up in a multiversal action-adventure that will go down in history.
Like the otherDeadpoolfilms,Deadpool & Wolverinehad some truly iconic action sequences and some even more iconic cameo appearances. The film acted as something of a swan song to the Fox era of superhero films and heralded a new age ofDeadpool in the MCU.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Sagahad an impossibly high bar to live up to after the release ofMad Max: Fury Roadin 20215. WhileFuriosamay not have surpassedthat bar, it still provided one of the best action-packed rides in the cinema in 2024. While the titular Max did not appear, Anya Taylor-Joy shone as a young Furiosa who was figuring out her place in the brutal wasteland. Chris Hemsworth was also a standout as the warlord Dementus in a surprising villainous turn for the action hero actor. TheMad Maxprequel also delivered on the action front with an almost 15-minute long road train sequence that is undoubtedly one of the best practical stunt achievements in film to date.
Monkey Man
After failing to see an action hero that represented his culture on screen, Dev Patel worked to change that inhis 2024 filmMonkey Manwhich he produced, directed, and starred in.Monkey Manhas been compared toJohn Wickand with good reason. The revenge-fuelled blockbuster features similarly brutal action with inventive fast-paced choreography and a tone that gets the blood pumping. The story follows Patel as Kid who is determined to get vengeance on the corrupt police officer who killed his mother.Monkey Manis easily one of the best action movies in recent years and delivers a completely original action hero that is worthy of his own franchise.
Civil War
A24 is rarely known for distributing action movies, but in 2024 that changed with the release of Alex Garland’sCivil War. The dystopian war film envisions an alternate USA in which states have been torn apart by a modern civil war. In the middle of this, there is a small group of journalists attempting to make it across a country divided so that they can interview the president. Kirsten Dunst is a standout as the jaded photographer Lee, whose mindset is slowly changed by the ambition of a fledgling war photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny). WhileCivil Waravoided being too obviousabout its political inclinations, it still managed to paint a thought-provoking picture and included plenty of tense action moments.
Gladiator 2
Gladiator 2was another legacy sequelreleased in 2024 that didn’t quite live up to the heights of the original, but still managed to bring its action sequences to life on a similarly epic scale.Gladiator 2reveals a new era of Rome following Marcus Aurelius’ death, one in which two bloodthirsty twins rule the empire and Marcus’ long-lost son, Lucius (Paul Mescal) seeks revenge in the arena after their army takes everything from him.
Gladiator 2ups the ante with its colossal battles, adding beasts, and even boats in a shark-infested water-filled sequence that is worthy of the big screen.Gladiator 2was a return toclassic sword-and-sandals epic actionthat hadn’t been seen on such a scale in a long time.
