As we approach the end of the year, and the first half of the school year, many new iconic movies have come out. As films evolve with more modern plots, or sometimes go back in time with remakes or adaptations, there are always people who hate them and people who love them. Let’s find out what students at Olympia watched this year, and how they felt about it.

Disney has put out various teasers and trailers for upcoming movies like a Lilo & Stitch live action, and even a prequel to the Lion King. As for this year, they’ve actually released Moana 2, which had mixed reviews among people due to its length, and even the loss of songwriters from the first movie. Sophomore Rachell Soto-Lopez said it was, “the best because the ocean views and overall scenery brought back childhood memories”. Marvel also released “Venom the Last Dance”, which was described as not the best due to the movie feeling rushed in comparison to others in the franchise, said sophomore Elias Rueda. Some movie enjoyers admired certain features of a film, which can overpower their opinions on others, like being able to appreciate a good cast or script. Freshman Emily Payne for example, referred to “The Fall Guy”, as a movie with, “literally no plot, but a great cast with actors like Ryan Reynolds”.

In my opinion, Wicked was my personal favorite as loving the actual musical played a huge role in enjoying the movie. The visuals, cast, and songs were perfect, and I could not imagine a better way they could have portrayed the plot. As 2024 comes to an end, we await even more films to critique and enjoy.