My Top Films of 2021

2021 has been quite a year as things have slowly gotten back to normal. I definitely made up for lost time by seeing several films in theaters, including one exclusive theatrical one that I’ll mention on this list. However, one similarity among a lot of these films is that the stories could have been a lot stronger overall. It also feels like most of the best movies came out at the end of the year, and not just because of Oscar season, and the top two, which are essentially tied, both have really sad endings. So here are my favorites of all the 2021 movies I’ve seen, with the one film not on the list being Cinderella.

20) The Suicide Squad - This film was way too gory for me, but I was still curious about it anyway, making it ideal to watch on a laptop where I can minimize the screen during the action scenes. This movie definitely isn’t for me, but there were some things that I liked, such as King Shark, Ratcatcher II and the sympathy for the villain at the end. I also found some of the deaths effective. I still wish we got Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 sooner instead. I’m also wondering what happened to James Gunn, since he’s seemed to have aged a decade in the last couple of years.

19) Venom: Let There Be Carnage - This isn’t a great film, though I do think I enjoyed it better than the original. I found it so insane that it was kind of entertaining and it definitely one of the best solo f-bombs in a PG-13 movie since Jojo Rabbit, or at least one of the funniest ones I’ve seen in awhile. I was honestly surprised at how short it was and felt. I don’t think the MCU setup paid off at all in No Way Home.

18) Jungle Cruise - This film felt like Disney’s attempt to recapture the magic of Pirates of the Caribbean, but doesn’t quite succeed. There were too many similarities to not ignore, especially with the curses. The only thing that elevates this film is the character reveal halfway through, which suddenly made the film interesting. Still, it was a rather average adventure film and doesn’t come as close to as good as Pirates of the Caribbean, and I’m counting the entire series, including On Strangers Tides.

17) Free Guy - This has got to be the biggest case I’ve seen in years of a film’s comedy dragging down a film. I really enjoyed this story and was the type of film that I would have loved and would have wanted to own on DVD, except the comedy either wasn’t funny or crossed a line for me. Ironically, the funniest scene to me was the obvious we’re-owned-by-Disney-now scene that some critics found annoying. I’m really glad that I didn’t see this in theaters. If the sequel can improve on the comedy, I might check it out, but on DVD.

16) Raya and the Last Dragon - This is one of those movies that I enjoyed when I first watched it, but shortly afterwards, I immediately started to forget it. I definitely understand people who think this should have been a television series since it has such an interesting world and characters that it rushes through. I just didn’t get into the story enough and felt that the message was somewhat muffled and inconsistent. It’s not a good sign when the proceeding short film is better than the feature (and I’m really mad Us Again wasn’t nominated for Best Animated Short Film). Encanto was undoubtedly better.

15) In the Heights - This film was really well directed and I really think Jon M. Chu should direct a Hamilton adaptation since he really understands how to direct Lin Manuel Miranda’s music and am looking forward to seeing how he handles Wicked. It was very strong technically and I definitely think it should have been considered for the Best Editing Oscar. However, the biggest problem with this film was the story. There were moments in the middle where I got bored and while the themes and cultural significance are important, I feel that the story needed to be stronger, which might be why it’s already fading from my memory. Even when I went to see it, I was unsure of what it was actually about. Because of this, I can understand why it bombed at the Box Office. After learning more of the differences between the stage and film versions as well, I’m somewhat dumbfounded by some of the changes they made. This was definitely outshined by West Side Story simply because that one has a stronger story. I did like the twist at the end, though.

14) Cruella - I enjoyed this movie and definitely agree with people who say that the film is at its best when Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are on screen. I also thought Paul Walter Hauser and Joel Frey made a good Horace and Jasper. My biggest complaint is that it did feel its length. I also didn’t hate the third act like a lot of people and felt that it fit with the setup of the film. While this is clearly not a true prequel, it was an enjoyable reinterpretation of the character. I definitely felt that the inciting incident looked ridiculous. I still prefer the first 101 Dalmations remake.

13) CODA - I saw this film through an online advanced screening and enjoyed it while watching. It’s definitely a feel-good film with some good representation. However, I found too many similarities to Blinded by the Light, which I think told this type of story better and frankly find it annoying that film got no Oscar love while this one was nominated. I’ve got a full blog post covering this film in more detail coming soon.

12) No Time to Die - I’ve been a big fan of Daniel Craig’s Bond and was really looking forward to this final chapter. However, I definitely need to rewatch this film since my first reaction was rather mixed, but I feel like I’m warming up to it since I saw it. I’ve never really been a big fan of biological weapons and didn’t really care for the story. I guess my biggest problem is that I still can’t really buy Madeline as his true love and didn’t care for Rami Maleck’s villain and his third act plan. I also think he was probably too young for the role. I also wanted to see more of Ana de Armas, especially after she worked with Daniel Craig in Knives Out. I did find the ending moving and the Bond song was not as bad as I thought it would be.

11) Dune - I got to see this at a Chapman master class with Denis Villeneuve. While I enjoyed it and wasn’t bored despite it being a screening starting at 9am, I agree with critics who say it feels very incomplete and ends abruptly. While I will see part two, I don’t know how much I’m going to love it. While this is great technically, I just couldn’t get behind the story, which I’m noticing is a trend for this year. I feel like this is an adaptation that falls under the original-that-influenced-so-many-works-that-this-feels-like-a-ripoff syndrome. That and I’m still confused about so many things in this world. Hopefully, things are a lot more clear in part two.

10) Zatopek - This film has yet to receive international distribution and I only saw it at a screening at school, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers. It was the Czech Republic’s submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature this year, though I’m not surprised it wasn’t nominated. This was a very entertaining story about Olympian Emil Zatopek set in the background of communist Czechoslovakia. However, I felt that it needed more conflict, a clearer indication of what the time period was, and a stronger connection between the flashbacks and the framing device. However, it was very enjoyable and when it is finally released internationally, I’d recommend you check it out.

9) Black Widow - This definitely isn’t the best MCU film, but I definitely enjoyed this movie. It definitely has a strong opening that isn’t really consistent with the rest of the film. But I really enjoyed the dynamics with her family. I definitely want to see more of David Harbour’s character in the MCU and am curious to see what happened to the other Black Widows out there (I haven’t seen Hawkeye yet, so I don’t know if they address that).

8) The Most Reluctant Convert - I had always wanted to see the one-man play this is based on, but was unable to, so I was glad when I heard that they were making this into a film. I was also glad that this release was expanded beyond only one night because it did so well. I had seen some of the Fellowship for Performing Arts’ virtual plays during the pandemic and enjoyed them overall. I am a huge Narnia fan, so I naturally know a lot about C.S. Lewis and enjoyed learning more about his early years and his conversion. This is a very entertaining film, though it felt way too short, since it’s only an hour and thirteen minutes. It also felt too much like an adaptation of a play and I wish more scenes would have played out instead of being interrupted by narration. Still, I recommend checking this out since the source material is still very strong.

7) Godzilla vs. Kong - I would not have seen this if I didn’t have access to a free online advanced screening and despite not having seen the previous films at the time (I’ve since seen Kong: Skull Island), I really enjoyed it. It’s basically a dumb fun movie with good action and special effects, but I do love the deaf representation and the fact that Kong’s human connection is with a kid instead of a grown woman for a change of pace. My only complaint is the conspiracy theory plot feels somewhat dangerous in today’s society, but I do like the mystery element of the subplot. I’m also glad that I saw this as an adult because the surprise third fighter would have terrified me as a kid.

6) Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings - I really enjoyed this origin story and how unique it felt among MCU solo films. Wenwu is definitely among the best MCU villains. I also loved the return of Trevor Slattery, since I’ve always loved Ben Kingsley’s performance as the character. However, I almost wanted it to be a little stronger. It wasn’t bad, I just didn’t get into this film as much. I am looking forward to the sequel, though and the payoff to the mid-credits and post-credits scenes.

5) Ghostbusters: Afterlife - I must emphasize that I did not like the original Ghostbusters. As a result, I was surprised by how much the trailers intrigued me and how much I enjoyed this film. I preferred the tone of this film, which had more of a Stranger Things, children’s mystery vibe, which was more serious and yet as a result, is much funnier than the original. My biggest complaint is that the third act has too many elements of the original, including the possession element that I hated in the original, but because of the more serious tone, I was more okay with it and I guess because of the performances, actually laughed at times during those scenes. But while I was enjoying the film overall, this film has been added to a list of films where the ending really elevated my opinion of the overall film. It not just serves as a great homage to Harold Ramis, but it is a touching ending that fits with the world and characters as well. I went to see this while I was in the middle of my annual rewatch of Groundhog Day and found it a fitting combination.

4) Encanto - I first saw this at a free screening at the American Cinematheque, followed by a Q&A with some of the filmmakers (and this is the third free screening followed by a Q&A that I’ve mentioned so far and I must admit that they all took place within one week). I really enjoyed this film and have had the music stuck in my head for awhile. It’s ironic that this wound up being released the same year as Raya since they have a similar theme of rebuilding relationships, except this does it much better. Also, Schaffrillas Productions did a great video essay comparing the two films’ themes that does a great job at going into detail on this. My only complaint is that I was kind of confused by some aspects of the story, since I thought the cracks were caused solely by her during the first watch and that she secretly had a gift. Because of this confusion, I had to rank it underneath another animated feature from this year.

3) Luca - Because I live in Los Angeles, I was lucky enough to see this film in theaters and really wish I could have seen it a second time in theaters. This film would probably done well if it was in theaters. It is very funny and enjoyable. I do think the characters look like they’re from a Aardman film and I could definitely tell that this was the same director as the short, La Luna. This also felt like a love letter to previous Pixar films, especially with the post-credits scene being very similar to the one in Finding Nemo. This film is definitely proof that Pixar’s back on track.

2) Spider-Man: No Way Home - What can I say about this film that’s already been said? (And there are some spoilers in this mini-review, it’s hard to avoid.) It’s a fantastic homage to all the previous Spider-Man films that have come before. I wish I had rewatched the Sam Raimi Spider-Man trilogy before first watching this, but was able to before attending a triple feature of the Spider-Man: Home trilogy at the American Cinematheque. It was a lot of fun to see these villains and heroes return and it’s clear that the actors had a blast playing these roles again. As someone who was always freaked out by the body horror aspects of the villains growing up, there was something cathartic about the plot element of trying to cure the villains. Also, though I was not impressed by his films, Andrew Garfield won me over as Spider-Man in this film and if he gets better writers, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of him. And that ending! That has to be among one of the most devastating endings in a superhero film and I really look forward to seeing where Peter goes next. There’s a reason that this film has been so successful.

1) West Side Story - This film was clearly not marketed well because I was not as excited for this film as I should have been. I absolutely love this movie and think it might be better than the original, and definitely better than the stage version. This is significant for me because despite the influence that Steven Spielberg has had on the industry and the craft of directing, I’ve never been the biggest Spielberg fan and have never flat-out loved a lot of his movies. This is the first Spielberg movie I’ve really loved, not just liked. I love the way this film updates and contextualizes the story and characters to the time period in a way that adds a lot of depth. There’s a lot that this film does better than the original, which I already loved, except for the ending, which somehow felt rushed. This is a subject for another blog. It’s interesting to compare this film to In the Heights, and the “America” sequence did remind me of that film a little. In many ways, this film is a great case study to how to do a remake correctly. I wish this film didn’t bomb and if you haven’t seen it, I recommend you check it out. I really hope it wins Best Picture!