Best streaming movies of 2024: 'Remarkable Life of Ibelin,' 'Fancy Dance,' 8 more

Smarter people than this critic will have a lot to say about how the movie streaming business evolved in 2024, the changes in its relationship with the theatrical landscape and what that all portends for the future.

But after seeing a lot of streaming premieres, one thing remains unchanged: There are a lot of first-rate movies being made and dispersed across this vast universe.

These were the best of the best, and they're all still available now.

1. "The Remarkable Life of Ibelin" (Netflix)

Sometimes movies arrive out of nowhere and leave you speechless. This is one of them: A documentary that goes directly into the heart and soul of its subject: a man named Mats Steen who had Duchenne muscular dystrophy and died at the age of 25 in 2014. The movie reveals the legacy he left behind through the "World of Warcraft" role-playing game, where he served as a mentor, counselor and source of advice and comfort to a community of friends. 

2. "Fancy Dance" (Apple TV+)

Lily Gladstone gives a first-rate performance as Jax, a member of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation in Oklahoma, who sets out to learn the truth about her missing sister. Accompanying her on the journey is her teenage niece Roki (Isabel DeRoy-Olson). Their relationship forms the core of a picture that addresses big themes, but lives in emotional gray areas. 

3. "Woman of the Hour" (Netflix)

Anna Kendrick's directorial debut makes the story of "The Dating Game" killer into a movie about the run-of-the-mill predations facing women every single day. 

4. "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story" (Max)

In this powerful documentary, the story of Christopher Reeve becomes a movie about love and devotion, as opposed to the tragedy of years lost. 

5. "Hit Man" (Netflix)

Richard Linklater ("School of Rock") shows that he hasn't lost his touch when it comes to making smart, commercial Hollywood comedies. 

6. "The Piano Lesson" (Netflix)

An August Wilson adaptation that's both specific in its story of a family warring over the fate of an heirloom piano in Pittsburgh circa 1936, and universal in what it says about why we value these sorts of objects. 

7. "Orion and the Dark" (Netflix)

Charlie Kaufman, who mastered surrealism in movies like "Adaptation," scripts an engaging animated picture about a boy facing his nighttime fears. 

8. "Road Diary: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band" (Hulu)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are performing intense, three-hour concerts on tour while they're mostly in their 70s. This documentary gives you a glimpse into how they're doing it. 

9. "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon" (MGM+)

A perfect combination of subject and documentarian (the prolific Alex Gibney) allows for Paul Simon to tell his story, in his words. 

10. "The Idea of You" (Prime Video)

News flash: This Anne Hathaway movie proves there are still really fine, vintage romantic comedies out there.