2024 has seen a wide range of films and television shows that fall into the “YA” or young adult category exploring the growing pains as children transition though adolescence into adulthood. Although with series such as Dahmer and Baby Reindeer seeming to have an uptick in younger viewers, the lines of what qualifies under this content umbrella can sometimes feel a bit blurred.
Let’s look at a few of this year’s releases that were clearly targeted towards adolescents and how they fared with both critics and audiences:
FILM
Uglies
The most recent release on this list, Uglies is based on the 2005 science fiction novel Scott Westerfeld. Set in a dystopian world of the future, the premise is that citizens, upon their 16th birthday, are forced to undergo an operation to make them pretty. Eagerly anticipating this transformation, lead character Tally (played by Joey King) soon finds out that it might not be what she wants after all.
Written by Jacob Forman, Vanessa Taylor and Whit Anderson and directed by McG, the film has been panned by both critics and audience members, a little more so by the former. With criticisms ranging from the casting choice of 25-year-old King as a young(ish) teenager in terms of logistics to the staleness of the social commentary on the thematic side, it’s quite clear not many bought into what the filmmakers were putting forward. But in its defence, one might ask if there is a way for Hollywood to make a movie about the perils of superficiality without audiences raising a bit of a suspicious eyebrow?
Inside Out 2. Photo courtesy of Pixar/ Disney
Inside Out 2
One of the biggest successes of the year, Inside Out 2 was destined to hit everyone in the feels. It’s been almost a decade since its predecessor, and audiences of all ages were excited for this sequel that promised to be nostalgic. Riley hit puberty and experienced all its conflicting emotions. It did not disappoint, and neither did the fans as it became the highest grossing animated film of all time, reaching over $1.67B.
Director/writer Kelsey Mann and screenwriters Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein were truly able to recreate movie magic for parents and the kids-who-turned-adolescents since the original was released in 2015. Hailed as intelligent, captivating and heartwarming, the filmmakers ensured a wide appeal with their character additions to the story. Honestly, who can’t relate to feelings of anxiety and ennui?
LIsa Frankenstein. Photo courtesy of Focus Features
Lisa Frankenstein
Advertised as a “coming of RAGE love story” from writer Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) and director Zelda Williams, and released just in time for Valentine’s Day, Lisa Frankenstein is a dark comedy about high school student Lisa (played by Kathryn Newton) and the corpse she is in love with, billed as “The Creature” (Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse). The Creature’s reanimation brings the two together in humorous and horrific escapades, all the while channeling a nostalgic ‘80s vibe and soundtrack.
Scoring significantly higher in audience reviews over critics’, the general consensus was that, while somewhat lacking in substance and not quite hitting the mark on all counts story-wise, the film is a fun, stylish and entertaining throwback to many of the 80s horror comedies it attempts (successfully or unsuccessfully) to pay tribute to.
TV
Dead Boy Detectives. Photo courtesy of Netflix
Dead Boy Detectives
This supernatural-meets-The Hardy Boys release from creator Steve Yockey even had a trailer set to My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” – the series strikes all the YA notes and then some. The title characters are Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew), teenage ghosts who decide not to cross over into the afterlife. Instead, they remain on earth and enlist the help of living psychic Crystal Palace (Kassius Nelson) to solve supernatural crimes and mysteries.
Based on the DC comic created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, critics and audiences seemed to love this fantasy series, lauding it for its imagination, strong characters and overall charm. Upon the news of its cancellation by Netflix after just one season, disappointed fans flocked to social media to start a campaign to have it renewed, but to no avail. The series will remain its current anthology of eight whimsical cases.
A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder. Photo courtesy of BBC
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Based on Holly Jackson’s debut novel of the same name, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder was created for television by Poppy Cogan. The six episodes revolve around Pip Fitz-Amobi (played by Emma Myers) who decides to look into the 5-year-old murder case of a local high school student whose death was blamed on her boyfriend who then committed suicide. As one would expect, taking matters into her own hands and opening up a can of worms some would rather remain closed invites unwanted attention as Pip begins her investigation.
Balancing the usual growing pains of adolescence with the unusual side gig of mystery-solver, Pip’s character encompasses all of the frustration and awkwardness you’d expect and Meyers plays it well. AGGGTM fits comfortably in its six-episode arc with enough room for satisfactory plot and character development without feeling overly drawn out. Well-received by critics, the series was praised for its originality in terms of story and ability to engage and hold its viewers’ attention.
The Umbrella Academy. Photo courtesy of Netflix
The Umbrella Academy – Season 4
Speaking of six episodes, let’s discuss the disservice done to a once-great series in having its episode count slashed (almost) in half for its final season.
Created by Steve Blackman and developed by Jeremy Slater, based on the Dark Horse comic by Gabriel Bá and My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy premiered in 2019. The story surrounds a highly dysfunctional family led by billionaire Sir Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore) and his seven adopted children trained to one day save the world. Unexpected plot twists, quirky characters and even impromptu dance scenes combine to keep the viewer guessing as to what might be next.
Audiences knew the end of The Umbrella Academy was coming and that it was going to be bittersweet. The series had everything – a motley crew of engaging characters, unique superpowers, time travel, wildly offbeat humor…not to mention an incredible soundtrack to some very memorable fight scenes. It was fantastically fantastic and it packed a punch – until it wasn’t and it didn’t.
While the first three seasons of the series comprised a steady ten episodes each, its most recent was given six to wrap things up. As a result, planned plotlines were abandoned and the ending felt confusingly both rushed and drawn out, allocating precious time to tangents that fell apart and went nowhere in the grand scheme of things. It was a disappointing and abrupt end to an exciting ride and to channel my inner teen, I want a do-over.
