10 Movies Set in 2024, Ranked (2024)

A movie's setting is a crucial element in storytelling, as it helps paint a clear image in readers' heads by adding more detail, consequently elevating the story to higher grounds. Although there have been plenty of films set in the past — known as historical or period dramas — many, especially in the science fiction genre, take place in futuristic scenarios.

It's almost been one month since 2024 is finally here, and while there are now several sci-fi movies set in the past, others are only now meeting with the present moment. To celebrate the beginning of yet another year, we look back at 10 movies set in 2024, from The Last Days of American Crime to Spider-Man: No Way Home, ranking them by greatness.

10 'The Last Days of American Crime' (2020)

Director: Olivier Megaton

Set in an alternate 2024 where the U.S. government plans to broadcast a signal, brainwashing people into being unable to commit any crimes, this disappointing Oliver Megaton film explores themes of terrorism and crime, much like the title suggests.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the comic-book adaptation of The Last Days of American Crime, there are very few good things to say. It is certainly far from your average action crime film in a not-so-good way. Despite the film not kicking off badly and initially holds the potential to tell an entertaining story, Megaton's screenplay ultimately falls really short of expectations. Furthermore, it also landed on Netflix at a bad moment, leaving a sour taste in viewers' mouths.

Watch on Netflix

9 'Songbird' (2020)

Director: Adam Mason

The provocative Songbird sheds light on COVID-19 by depicting a futuristic 2024 scenario where the virus has been mutated into COVID-23 and the world is in its fourth quarantine. The film centers around a group of people as they navigate the obstacles obstructing society, including disease and martial law.

Luckily, such an unfortunate COVID outcome falls far from what 2024 looks like (though to be fair, it is a bit early to tell). Adam Mason's pandemic-related movie is far from particularly great. In fact, it can even feel a bit tone-deaf at times, going for the opposite of what was expected of films and general entertainment during a difficult time: to cheer up audiences and actually entertain them. While Songbird attempts to deliver an ambitious, solid dystopian premise, it comes across as tasteless and forgettable.

Watch on Hulu

8 'Thunder Force' (2021)

Director: Ben Falcone

In 2021's action-comedy Thunder Force, two childhood friends, played by Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, reunite in 2024, years after having gone separate ways. When one of them creates a treatment that gives them the power to protect their city in a world where super-villains are part of the routine, the two become unlikely superheroes.

Ben Falcone's superhero parody is undoubtedly not among the funniest action comedies (some jokes are really bad). Although Thunder Force still helps keep boredom at bay with its inventive, futuristic 2024 setting, this origin story ultimately fails to deliver good laughs, depth, and development of its main characters, causing it to fall behind in this ranking. It had a good premise, but its execution was surely not ideal.

Watch on Netflix

7 'Highlander II: The Quickening' (1991)

Director: Russell Mulcahy

Highlander's second installment takes place in 2024 and follows MacLeod's (Christopher Lambert) and Rameriz's (Sean Connery) quest to restore the lack of ozone after the ozone layer is believed to have been destroyed. However, their homeworld planet Zeist and a corporation profiting from the disaster stand in their way.

This messy follow-up to the original Highlander, with which Mulcahy wanted to create a new vision for the film series, resulted in an unforgettable 90s sci-fi flick that is so bad that it is almost good (and also incredibly complicated for audiences unfamiliar with the saga to follow while watching it for the first time). Featuring an impressive 0% Rotten Tomatoes score, Highlander II certainly goes down in history for good or bad. Highlander II's depiction of 2024 is bleak and frankly terrifying.

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6 'Narcopolis' (2015)

Director: Justin Trefgarne

The sci-fi mystery Narcopolis sees a police officer (Frank Grieves), also known as a "Dreck," working in a city where all reactive drugs are legal. However, when he is taken off in a case involving an unidentified corpse and unearths a rogue substance in it, he soon realizes that legalization has come with a price.

Featuring a neon, future-noir, Blade Runner-esque world-building set in 2024 United Kingdom, Narcopolis provides audiences with an intriguing take on what the future could look like. Still, while its plot had the potential to be great and the cityscape scenery is interesting, Justin Trefgarne's low-budget movie ended up being a disappointment thanks to its poorly inspired and, unfortunately, bland screenplay.

Watch on DirecTV

5 'The Thirteenth Floor' (1999)

Director: Josef Rusnak

Considered an underrated sci-fi classic to some and a disappointment to others (proof of this is its divisive audience and Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes), The Thirteenth Floor gives off The Matrix vibes as it explores the possibility of computer-simulated universes where people believe they are real. In the film, a man (Craig Bierko) awakens to discover a bloody shirt in his house and his boss murdered the night before.

Blending the sci-fi and thriller genres, the absorbing The Thirteenth Floor keeps audiences invested thanks to its inventive and mysterious narrative, which is way more psychological than action-packed. Although the film is originally set in 1999 Los Angeles, Hall wakes in 2024 connected to a VR system.

Rent on Amazon Prime

4 'Beyond the Time Barrier' (1960)

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer

Beyond the Time Barrier depicts a test flight in 1960 gone wrong. Maj. William Allison (Robert Clarke) goes beyond the time barrier and finds himself in the desolate world of 2024, where he is taken to an underground facility and encounters the remnants of humanity following a mysterious plague.

For films set in 2024, Edgar G. Ulmer's version of the year is not very hopeful and rather dark instead. Featuring average acting and a low budget that falls short of its high-concept narrative's potential, Beyond the Time Barrier is not essential in the sci-fi genre. However, it is still an engrossing take with interesting ideas on what the future would look like in the 1960s.

Watch on Amazon Prime

3 'A Boy and His Dog' (1975)

Director: L. Q. Jones

Based on the novella by Harlan Ellison, L. Q. Jones' imaginative sci-fi comedy film follows a young man (Don Johnson) and his telepathic dog, Blood, as they wander, scavenging for food and fighting gangs of cutthroats, through a post-apocalyptic desert-like wasteland where the old society is preserved.

Set in the post-nuclear war United States in 2024, A Boy and His Dog is about to be one of the sci-fi films set in the future that are now in the past. Although Jones' weird film is certainly flawed and even offensive at times (its plot is literally about a man and his psychic dog roaming around looking for women, and its ending leaves out much to be desired), it is still a well-crafted and imaginative science fiction film.

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2 'Godzilla vs. Kong' (2021)

Director: Adam Wingard

Godzilla vs. Kong is a sequel to Kong: Skull Island and King of the Monsters and the fourth film in the Monsterverse. It follows two of the greatest monster icons in motion picture history as they fight against each other, making for an epic duel with humanity caught in the balance.

While Godzilla vs. Kong is not the best of the bunch (especially not now, as Godzilla Minus One earned a spot at the top of the list) and falls a bit short of what its preceding entries might have led audiences to hope for, Adam Wingard's feature is nonetheless an entertaining film set five years after the events of King of the Monsters, painting an absorbing, though also terrifying scenario of 2024.

Watch on Hulu

1 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Director: Jon Watts

Spider-Man: No Way Home was one of the most anticipated Marvel films of recent times and it was well worth the wait. The film follows Tom Holland's Peter Parker as he goes to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. However, when the spell goes wrong and villains from other universes start to appear, Peter is forced to deal with the tragic consequences.

Much like Far From Home, which events the film is set shortly after, No Way Home takes place somewhere in 2024. Combining the big three Spider-Men (Andrew Garfield, Toby Maguire, and Tom Holland), this Jon Watts movie is essential viewing for fans of the superhero, though also quite heartbreaking and touching. Furthermore, No Way Home is also one of the most profitable and best-reviewed Marvel movies of all time.

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NEXT: 10 Sci-Fi Movies Set in the 2020s That Could Predict The Future