No one needs to be reminded how great the original “Mean Girls” from 2004 is. Now, 20 years later, it’s been reinterpreted not as a straight remake but an adaptation of the stage musical. Although there are varying opinions on the remake culture of the modern entertainment industry, the 2024 “Mean Girls” is a worthy re-imagining of the original film through the lens of the Tony-nominated Broadway show. While it does feature returning cast members from the 2004 film, the bulk of the teenage cast is replaced with younger stars like Angourie Rice, Auli’i Cravalho, and Christopher Briney. 

At the center of it all is Reneé Rapp, who reprises her role as Regina George after playing the character in its Broadway run. Since then, Rapp has become a star in her own right, having appeared in HBO’s “The Sex Lives of College Girls” as well as developing a pop music career with her debut album “Snow Angel.” Rapp’s performance steals the show, or as Variety put it, her entrance as Regina George “carries a jolt, and you may wonder for a moment how Rachel McAdams, in the original film, made the impact she did without that song.”

It’s difficult for the film to live up to the original in many aspects, but with a handful of catchy songs and great performances from new cast members, it’s certainly worth a watch for fans of the 2004 version. As The New York Times wrote, “its charms and ingratiating likability remain intact” — though it’s mainly a Reneé Rapp star vehicle.

It’s been a long time since movies based around the Bible were a popular film genre in Hollywood, whether they’re dramas like “Mary Magdalene” and “The Last Temptation of Christ” or comedies like “Year One” and “Bruce Almighty.” But 2024 is the rare exception in this case, with writer-director Jeymes Samuel flipping the script on Bible movies with “The Book of Clarence.” 

The film stars LaKeith Stanfield as the titular Hebrew man living in 33 A.D., who is inspired by the popularity of Jesus Christ to fake being the Messiah and become free of his mundane, debt-ridden life. The film features a strong supporting cast, including David Oyelowo, Alfre Woodward, and James McAvoy, who all play figures from the New Testament in this reinterpretation of the story of Christ. It’s certainly not the most accurate Bible adaptation (nor is it trying to be), but its satirization of modern-day racial issues makes it a unique take on the genre.

It’s definitely a solid use of Stanfield following his work on “Atlanta,” with Rolling Stone saying of his performance, “even if he wasn’t doing double duty as Clarence and his twin, you’d still feel like he was giving you twice as much as most performers.” Whether the film is offering up a Monty Python-esque depiction of Biblical Jerusalem or a fully realized dramatic story of a Black dreamer, Samuel’s satire is both a thoughtful and hilarious watch. 

“Drive-Away Dolls” was a long time in the making, originating in the early 2000s as the brainchild of Ethan Coen and his wife, Tricia Cooke. Ethan, known as one half of the Coen brothers with Joel Coen, worked on the film for nearly 20 years before actually making it his solo directorial debut. With a cast that includes Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, and Colman Domingo, “Drive-Away Dolls” draws inspiration from 1970s B-movies and exploitation films. 

The end result, much like “Lisa Frankenstein,” might not find love from the average moviegoer, but will certainly find a very specific audience as a future cult classic. What the film lacks at times in narrative cohesiveness it makes up for with the oozing chemistry of its two leads, Qualley and Viswanathan, as lesbian best friends who take a road trip and find themselves intertwined in a political scandal that involves some sex toys, a Miley Cyrus cameo, and a severed head. 

Tomris Laffly wrote at RogerEbert.com, “Qualley is simply a firecracker, an explosive and voracious sprit bursting with the kind of energy that once again cements her as a once-in-a-generation talent,” while Viswanathan “beautifully charts as one of the most striking leading actors working today.” By the end of this over-the-top adventure, audiences may be shocked to see how elegant and heartwarming the love story between its two leads really is. 

There was a time not too long ago when a film like “Ricky Stanicky,” with A-listers like Zac Efron and John Cena leading its cast, would be a go-to studio comedy for a theatrical run. However, it’s only seen a low-key release on Prime Video, despite coming from the directorial mind of Peter Farrelly, who with his brother directed some of the most iconic comedies of the 2000s, including “Dumb and Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary,” and “Me, Myself, and Irene.”

“Ricky Stanicky,” compared to those other comedies, lives and dies by Cena’s performance at the center of it. The film follows a group of childhood best friends who have grown accustomed to blaming their mischief on their titular imaginary friend, but when it comes time to pay the piper, they end up hiring Cena’s Rod, an actor and parody songwriter, to play the role, which ends up having disastrous consequences for all involved. Variety went so far as to call Cena “the movie’s MVP” in their online review.

For fans of Cena’s comedic performances in films like “Trainwreck” or “Blockers,” “Ricky Stanicky” might be the actor’s best work yet. As AP News wrote, “Cena really and truly commits and brings a kind of unexpected depth and pathos to Rock Hard Rod,” though they had little good to say about the rest of the film. Nevertheless, it’s a decent watch for a late-night movie marathon, especially for those who miss raunchy 2000s comedies. 

It’s always a perilous thing to reintroduce audiences to a beloved franchise, especially one as revered as “Ghostbusters.” However, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” might be the first film since the original “Ghostbusters” to give audiences a fun supernatural adventure, rather than having to live up to any sort of standard. Coming off the success of “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” which brought the franchise into the modern era as Egon Spengler’s family teamed up with the original crew to form the new Ghostbusters, “Frozen Empire” was made to feel like an isolated episode of the 1986 animated series. 

When Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) comes across an ancient orb containing a mysterious demonic entity, Ghostbusters both old and new must team up to defend New York City from the frozen emperor’s return. Newcomers to the franchise include Kumail Nanjiani, James Acaster, and Patton Oswalt, though the stand-outs are still “Afterlife” veterans Mckenna Grace and Paul Rudd. Plus the old guard, especially Aykroyd, gets ample screentime compared to “Afterlife.”

Digital Spy called the new film “a step in the right direction for the revived ‘Ghostbusters’ franchise. Old fans can revel in the nostalgia, while there are promising signs that they’re doing something original for new fans.” Like “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” last year, there will be viewers who cross their arms at the mere mention of a series reboot. But for those with more of an open mind, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” is one of the funniest sci-fi comedies in recent memory. 

One of the most anticipated comedies of 2024 is “The Fall Guy,” starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, hot off their successes in 2023 with “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” respectively. Based on a television series from the 1980s, “The Fall Guy” stars Gosling as a charismatic Hollywood stunt performer who is tasked with hunting down the missing lead of his ex-girlfriend’s directorial debut, throwing him in the path of a crime syndicate and way out of his depth. The film is also helmed by proven action director David Leitch, whose prior credits include “Atomic Blonde” and “Deadpool 2.”

“The Fall Guy” is a certified crowd-pleaser that pays homage to the incredible work of stunt people over the years, with Variety commending its “crisp, meticulously lit sequences in which the colors pop, sparks literally fly and even the below-the-line characters look like … well, movie stars.” A review from Rolling Stone following its SXSW premiere also gave credit to the on-screen chemistry between Gosling and Blunt, who “play off each other in a way that perfectly complements their strengths.”

Simply put, “The Fall Guy” is primed to be one of the most beloved blockbusters of 2024, with enough high-octane action and laughs to satisfy any audience member. With the movie’s May release, it’s looking to be an incredible time for comedy films, whether they’re available to watch at home on streaming services or luring audiences back to the theaters.