I need to put a big disclaimer at the very start here, in that I haven’t seen every movie released in 2021. In fact, I haven’t even seen every movie I have wanted to see from 2021, missing out on movies like House of Gucci and Spider-Man: No Way Home as I write this top ten piece.
With that in mind, here is my Top Ten list for 2021.
10. Malcolm and Marie
This was by far one of the least rewatchable movies released in 2021, but also one of the most captivating. A big risk in terms of movie-making, the movie hinged completely on the acting skills of its only two actors, Zendaya and John David Washington. Revolving around the highs and lows of a night which ebbs and flows from joyous to furious to apologetic, it’s essentially a series of arguments between the movie’s couple. Like I said, it’s not a very rewatchable movie because some of the arguments are pretty tough, but the performances by the leads are spectacular, and make the movie worth the watch (at least once).
9. The Power of the Dog
A modern Western which features Benedict Cumberbatch as the central character, and it is unclear if he is the protagonist or the antagonist throughout the movie. An atypical Western cowboy who enunciates every word (thanks to his education), Cumberbatch takes centre stage along with outstanding performances by Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst and especially Kodi Smit-McPhee. The movie is a very slow burn which takes a couple of twists which leave you second-guessing everything about the movie when the credits begin to roll.
8. Army of the Dead / Army of Thieves
I packaged these two here as one because they both exist in the same universe, with Thieves serving as a prequel to Dead. Both incredibly fun movies, with simplistic plots and your typical “assembling a crack team” heist tropes, there isn’t anything that stands out about the movies. That being said, Zack Snyder’s Dead features several awe-inspiring action sequences thanks to Dave Bautista and company, and the premise in itself is pretty fun. Think Ocean’s with guns in a world of super-smart Walking Dead zombies, and you got a pretty fun start to the Zack Snyder Cinematic Universe.
7. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Speaking of Zack Snyder, there is no way I couldn’t put the Snyder Cut on this list. Yes, it’s long. Yes, it uses too much slow motion. Yes, there are still flaws in the Snyder Cut, but based on the fact that it is his full vision come to fruition and plants more seeds for Snyder’s vision for the DCEU moving forward. It was a really great dive into the Justice League, with some fantastic scenes, including a final Knightmare scene which got me to do a complete 180 on Jared Leto’s Joker.
6. No Time To Die
Daniel Craig’s swansong as James Bond was not his best, but it was far from his worst. As stated in my full review of the movie, it overcomes a boring villain and returns to some of the formulaic plot points that made 007 so much fun early on in his run. With a good story, solid supporting performances, some great direction and jaw-dropping action sequences, and a phenomenal score by Hans Zimmer, No Time To Die was the best possible send-off for debatably the best Bond actor we’ve seen.
5. Free Guy
I’m not going to lie, I had pretty minimal expectations for Free Guy. I have grown a bit tired of the “Hey it’s Ryan Reynolds doing Ryan Reynolds stuff” trope in his movies (you’ll notice Red Notice isn’t on the list). However, Free Guy blew me away both visually as well as in terms of the genuinely sweet storyline at its core. With some great cameos, a really fun performance from Reynolds, and some fantastic direction from Shawn Levy, Free Guy was a movie that both my wife and I left the theatre feeling all warm and fuzzy about.
4. No Sudden Move
I haven’t seen much being said about Steven Soderbergh’s HBO Max heist production, which is too bad because this was a really great film. Don Cheadle and Benicio del Toro are really great, as are some other big names in supporting roles, and a great A-List cameo in a surprisingly central role. If you want to know more about what I thought, please see my full review here.
3. Last Night in Soho
Edgar Wright is a really fun filmmaker, and the technical aspects of Soho are what made it so great for me. I was in awe of how the film was put together, especially in several scenes involving mirrors (he mentioned how this was done on his interview with Reelblend), and the script he and Krysty Wilson-Cairns put together is a really original script which incorporates and tinkers with several common horror tropes. Performance-wise, Thomasin McKenzie is absolutely incredible, and supporting roles by Anya Taylor-Joy, Diana Rigg and Matt Smith are also great. Full of twists and turns and 1960’s nostalgia, Soho didn’t knock me to the floor, but it came darn close.
2. The Last Duel
The first of Ridley Scott’s ensemble-driven movies to be released in 2021, Duel was another movie that isn’t particularly rewatchable due to some tough scenes to watch. However, the storytelling method which is used here is really fun, allowing you to see multiple scenes multiple times from different characters’ perspectives. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck penned the screenplay and starred in it (Affleck’s role shouldn’t work at all, but it somehow finds a way to be awesome) along with the incredible Jodie Comer and the powerhouse that is Adam Driver. The climactic duel is worth all of the build up leading up to it, with Damon and Driver both delivering great performances throughout.
1. Dune: Part One
This was my most highly-anticipated movie in years, so naturally I was very nervous it wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Director Denis Villeneuve delivered and more, thanks to his faithfulness to the source material, some incredible visuals, another fantastic score by Hans Zimmer, and an ensemble who were all giving 100% in every role. Jason Momoa stole the show for me, but with Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Javier Bardem and many more giving the performances of their life (in perfectly-cast roles, might I add), Villeneuve stayed true to many parts of the book and delivering one of the best science fiction movies in a long time. It brings me endless joy every time I refer to Dune as a “Part One” because I can’t wait to see what Part Two will bring to the screen.
Talking Films 