Best Movies of 2021

Hello, guys! And Happy New Year! Today I've finally made a "Best Movies of 2021" list! In a year where many folks can now flock to movie theaters while vaccinated, these movies have the greatest blockbuster quality in some time, while movies that were released to streaming have equally been successful. Despite how great The Snyder Cut and  Bo Burnham's Inside were, it won't be included. If you don't see a movie you loved this year, let me know in the comments.

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home

After being in quarantine because of my family being exposed to COVID, on a Thursday night, I got to see NWH with my folks! Shang-Chi, Black Widow, and Eternals were great movies, well, Eternals was good for the most part, but No Way Home was the most hyped movie for the past 2 years and it did not disappoint! With Peter Parker's identity now being revealed to the world, he has to fix it with help from Doctor Strange but it results in multiple villains coming from many universes including Doc Ock, Green Goblin, and Electro. Doc Ock and Electro were big highlights of the movie, the latter got a more impressive look and is more fleshed out. It was as though Molina never left his iconic role, and it was glorious! However, Green Goblin proved to be a worthy and frightening adversary to Spider-Man! The visuals in this movie, especially with the mirror dimension sequence, were fantastic and the fights between the 3 Spider-Men and the villains were great! Tom Holland's portrayal was excellent, showing Peter having to make a sacrificial choice and become the superhero that he has to be. It's a movie for people who love Spider-Man and for people who have come to love Tom and a love letter to the Spider-Man mythos without sacrificing the story for fan service. This is the most important and incredible Spider-Man movie to date!

9. The Suicide Squad

With so much comic book movie content that we've gotten this year, WB and DC have given us an R-rated comic book movie made by James Gunn! This was a quasi-reboot/sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad and was infinitely better than the dumpster fire that we got! This sees the new Task Force X infiltrate the fictional island of Corto Maltese. Just like how Gunn took lesser-known comic book characters for Guardians of the Galaxy and turned them into household names, he did that same thing to an equally impressive front! The humor was unbelievably funny, the soundtrack was great, the violence delivered and the characters were just soo fleshed out! I even said that Pete Davidson was going to be the first to die! It really made me care for a humanoid shark! The standouts for me were Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Rick Flag, Peacemaker, Ratcatcher 2, Polka Dot Man, and King Shark!

8. Vivo

While Encanto was a big achievement for Latino representation in animation, Vivo arguably had the better and more emotional story and music. It follows a kinkajou who has to bring a song to his owner's former music partner to a big concert in Miami. The film had such an impressive cast including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Zoe Saldana, Brian Tyree Henry, Nicole Byer, Michael Rooker, Gloria Estefan, and Juan de Marcos Gonzalez. The animation was so beautiful that it brought tears to my eyes. I'm pretty sure that I cried three times.

7. The Last Duel

This movie basically proved that Ridley Scott still got it! The movie takes place in medieval France and tells the story of a knight, Jean de Carrouges who challenges his former best friend, Jacques Le Gris to a duel after Jean's wife, Marguerite accuses Jacques of sexually assaulting her. The film was told from 3 different perspectives, Jean, Jacques, and Marguerite, and makes you question who is actually at fault. Obviously, Jacques is the cause of this mess, but also shows that Jean is just as bad as he is. During the duel sequence, I wasn't routing for who was going to win, I just wanted to know how it was going to end. The big stand-out of the movie was Jodie Comer who is an absolute star, and the fact that she didn't get Oscar recognition is criminal!

6. CODA

CODA winning best picture at this year's Oscars has now set a precedent for deaf people to become incredible performers and for Hollywood to tell more grounded stories surrounding the deaf. The movie follows a teenage girl whose entire family is deaf and wants to pursue her dream of singing. CODA is so unrelentingly sweet! It's the kind of movie that'll make you smile no matter what. The genuine connections between the Rossi's and everyone around them are what carried the movie, but I want to talk about Troy Kotsur who played Frank Rossi. The deaf actor acted perfectly through his signing and facial expressions, earning him a well-deserved best-supporting actor Oscar. 

5. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

With 2021 having a lot of great animated movies, another choice was The Mitchells vs. The Machines. This movie follows a family who goes on a cross-country trip to take the daughter, Katie, to college while also surviving a robo-pocalypse. I loved the combination of hand-drawn and cg animation, which reminds me a lot of Into the Spider-Verse and it even has the reliability of family dynamics and how technology has changed how we see things currently. The voice cast was great, it was hilarious and gets you in the feels, and that fight with the robots with Katie and Aaron was awesome. 

4. West Side Story

While I really loved Tick Tick Boom, I was surprisingly blown away by something that I thought not only would ever be remade but also exceed its predecessor in a big way. West Side Story follows a rivalry between two gangs in New York City with two lovers caught in the middle of it all. Classic songs like Cool, Maria, America, and I Feel Pretty had an amazing upgrade, with Cool being my favorite one. Steven Spielberg proved once again that he's still one of the best directors in Hollywood! That opening sequence was a chef's kiss. The big standout was obviously Ariana DeBose who won the well-deserved Best Supporting Actress Oscar, but I think Rachel Ziegler and Mike Faist were fantastic! 

3.  Dune

One of the best theater experiences of my life, Dune is unlike any other! Following up Blade Runner 2049, another sci-fi masterpiece, Denis Villeneuve beautifully crafted and recreated Frank Herbert's expansive world. The movie follows the first half of Dune where House Atreides have become stewards of a desert planet called Arrakis. the heir, Paul Atreides is born into a destiny beyond his understanding and must ensure the future of his family and his people. This movie has incredible cinematography from Greg Frasier, really cool visuals, impressive sound design, and stand-out performances from Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson. Even though the movie plot of Dune has now barely started, it perfectly sets up for an incredible sequel that's set to come out in 2023.

2. Licorice Pizza

Paul Thomas Anderson's follow-up to Phantom Thread is a coming-of-age story set in the 70s about a young teen who meets a slightly older woman and has the best summer ever. While the age difference is controversial with Gary being 15 and Alana being 25, it's still a comfortable viewing that you can watch on an airplane or at home. I see a lot of Phillip Seymour, PTA's frequent collaborator, and closest friend, within Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim surprisingly acted really well in the movie. The soundtrack was pretty soothing as well! Also, it's normal for a teenage boy to have feelings for older women! 

Honorable Mentions:

- Godzilla vs. Kong

- Zola

- Montana Story

- Mass

- C'mon C'mon

- King Richard

- Pig

- The Harder They Fall

- Spencer

- Halloween Kills

- Judas & the Black Messiah

- Nobody

- The Power of the Dog

- Free Guy

- Plan B

- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

- Luca

- Tick Tick Boom

- Summer of Soul

- No Time to Die

- Raya and the Last Dragon

- The Outside Story

- The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

- Evangelion 3.0+1.0: Thrice Upon a Time

- Demon Slayer: Mugen Train

1. The Worst Person in the World

In 2021, the American blockbuster was revived, but the movie that I consider to be the best of this year came from Norway! The movie follows a 30-something woman named Julie who's trying to figure out what she wants to do in life. She goes from being a nursing student to a photographer, working in a book store, while also being in relationships with two men at a couple of points in time. Worst Person perfectly combines the humor and suffering of existentialism. I never thought I would relate to a female protagonist quite like Julie! Because I also run away from things when things get tough and second guess my life choices. What stood out to me is obviously Renate Renseive's performance, Joachim Trier's direction, the mushroom sequence, and its masterful editing. It also has arguably the most heartbreaking moment of 2021 that was between Chapters 9 and 10. It's a masterpiece, what else can I say?

Thank you so much for reading and I hope you all have a fabulous day.