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io9/Gizmodo’s December 23, 2024 ranking puts The Wild Robot at No. 1 and Terrifier 3 at No. 25. It is an editorial selection—not a scored poll or a claim of critical consensus—and its 25 films range from family animation and musicals to franchise science fiction and graphic horror.
How to read this ranking
The order below follows io9/Gizmodo’s published list. The article gives a brief rationale for each choice but does not disclose a scoring system, numerical ratings, or a formal method for comparing films. Its ranking is best understood as the publication’s year-end picks, with films spanning several genres and styles.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Help![Blu-ray] | $27.73 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Sneakers [Blu-ray] | $8.24 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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The Help (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) | $13.87 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Lilo & Stitch / Lilo & Stitch: Stitch Has A Glitch Two-Movie Collection (Three Disc Blu-ray / DVD... | $9.19 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Epic (Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy) | $9.79 | Buy on Amazon |
The 25 films, ranked
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The Wild Robot
Roz, a helper robot stranded on an island, ends up raising Brightbill, an orphaned gosling. The film’s appeal lies in the unexpected emotional weight of that relationship and its themes of parenthood, connection, and difference among the island’s animals.
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Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
This prequel makes its own mark rather than simply trying to surpass Fury Road. The ranking highlights its performances and memorable action set pieces.
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Dune: Part Two
Denis Villeneuve’s continuation delivers on the first film’s setup with strong performances, an expansive scale, and a richly visual return to Arrakis.
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It’s What’s Inside
A group of college friends play a disturbing body-swapping party game. The film’s twists, mystery, romance, and violence combine into a story designed to linger after it ends.
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The Substance
This science-fiction body horror follows an actor pushed aside as too old and a bizarre experiment. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley anchor a film that pairs grotesque effects with a more poignant account of aging and celebrity.
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Transformers One
The animated origin story finds an unexpectedly thoughtful angle in the friendship that comes before the conflict between Optimus Prime and Megatron.
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My Old Ass
A young woman encounters herself from 20 years in the future in this coming-of-age story with a science-fiction premise. Its humor sits alongside emotional honesty.
Rank #2
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Monkey Man
Dev Patel writes, directs, and stars in an action film that the ranking sees as a promising debut behind the camera and a showcase for his performance.
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Flow
This dialogue-free French animated film follows a cat trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. Its visual beauty and sustained emotional tension make the animal-centered story especially affecting.
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Civil War
Alex Garland’s alternate-reality conflict follows journalists attempting to remain objective. Rather than dictate a verdict, the film lets viewers judge what they see.
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Nosferatu
Robert Eggers brings meticulous filmmaking to a familiar vampire story, with performances by Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård singled out in the ranking.
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Late Night With the Devil
A 1970s talk-show broadcast and its host’s secrets frame this found-footage horror film. Its period recreation and fresh approach to the format are central to its appeal.
Rank #3
The Help (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)- The Help (Three-Disc Combo: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy)
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Alien: Romulus
Fede Álvarez places this franchise entry between the first two Alien films, drawing on early-1980s style while introducing new creature elements. The ranking also notes its fan service and Ridley Scott’s approval.
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Longlegs
Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage lead this horror story about an FBI agent and a serial killer. Its use of police-procedural conventions helps distinguish it from a straightforward investigation thriller.
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Inside Out 2
Pixar’s sequel brings new emotions—especially Anxiety—into Riley’s inner life as she enters adolescence and faces change.
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A Different Man
Sebastian Stan stars as a man with facial disfigurement whose appearance changes after surgery. The film’s surprising, heartbreaking story resists the outcomes viewers might expect from that premise.
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Wicked
Jon M. Chu’s musical adaptation earns praise for its staging, choreography, and songs, as well as the performances and chemistry of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The film covers the first half of the story.
Rank #4
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I Saw the TV Glow
Jane Schoenbrun connects a long friendship and a cult television show to memory, nostalgia, and the uneasy boundary between wonder and nightmares.
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Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Set centuries after Caesar, the film continues the franchise’s questions about ape and human societies, inheritance, and legacy.
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Heretic
Hugh Grant plays a man who traps two Mormon missionaries in a tense horror-thriller shaped by religion and debate. The ranking emphasizes the gripping build-up.
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The First Omen
Set in early-1970s Rome, this Omen prequel follows an American nun drawn into a conspiracy. Nell Tiger Free’s performance and the film’s surprises help sustain suspense despite the story’s known endpoint.
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Deadpool & Wolverine
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman lead a violent, cameo-heavy superhero film framed as a playful multiverse celebration and a nod to Fox’s mutant movies.
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Epic (Blu-ray / DVD + Digital Copy)- Blu-ray
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- English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
- 2
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Smile 2
The demonic-contagion premise moves to a troubled pop star in this sequel. The ranking considers it an improvement on its predecessor and singles out Naomi Scott.
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Piece by Piece
Pharrell Williams’s biographical film uses LEGO animation. Its visual form makes otherwise ordinary scenes inventive and funny.
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Terrifier 3
Damien Leone’s slasher sequel gives Art the Clown elaborate gore effects and a deliberately mysterious mythology. It closes the ranking as a major step forward for the character.
What kind of films made the list?
The selection is deliberately broad rather than limited to conventional science fiction, fantasy, or horror. Animated films include The Wild Robot, Flow, Transformers One, and Inside Out 2; musicals and music-centered films include Wicked and Piece by Piece; superhero and franchise entries sit alongside original stories such as My Old Ass, It’s What’s Inside, and A Different Man.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchThat range also means the list moves sharply in tone: family animation shares space with unsettling psychological stories, creature features, action, and extreme slasher horror. The ranking’s common thread is not a single genre formula, but films the publication found notable for emotional impact, spectacle, performance, originality, or what they add to an existing series.
Where to start watching or reading
If you want to follow the top-ranked film back to its source, DreamWorks describes The Wild Robot as an adaptation of Peter Brown’s illustrated middle-grade novel, first published in 2016. The studio’s official movie site calls the book an award-winning bestseller and says it reached No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list; that page does not specify the year of the ranking. DreamWorks’ official film site provides the adaptation details.
For home media, DreamWorks lists The Wild Robot in 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats on its official movie page. Universal Pictures At Home lists Piece by Piece on Blu-ray and DVD at its official title page. Formats and access can vary by region and change over time.
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