Best of 2021 - Films

 

This year, in light of all things Covid, had many releases originally due out in 2020 be out this year and I got to say, it was worth the wait for many of them. Marvel returned with two great films and two ok-ish films, Bond and the Looney Tunes returned to the big screen after so long and franchises such as Ghostbusters and The Matrix had their long awaited comebacks. Of course not forgetting original films such as The French Dispatch and The Mitchells VS The Machines and many more. As with these lists that I have done before, all films seen here are films released everywhere in 2021, including the UK and they are ones that I really enjoyed. Whether it was streaming, home media and/or the big screen, any film I liked that was released this year will be counted. Plus, any films with new cuts that got released this year, will only be counted if the cut makes it very different to what came before. And with that, let's sit down, relax and enjoy these great films:

As before, these lists are not ranked, and I don't watch every single film that comes out in a year. I just watch and review as many as I can. The list is there to tell you to give these a watch.

The French Dispatch

Starting off this list is a Wes Anderson film. Now unlike the other films on this list which are all largely big blockbuster films, The French Dispatch is I guess an art film. Yeah Wes Anderson isn't well known for making big films. But his films are very unique, creative and definitley stand out which speaks true for this film too. The film is of course about a newspaper with the film comprising of a few short stories relating to some of the newspaper's biggest and most well known articles. It has a huge all star cast with Bill Murray taking centre stage and its a lot of fun. Funny, artistic and something that many people will not forget about any time soon. Even has a few animated sequences too on top of all the live action stuff.

Cruella

Yes all the Disney remakes are not perfect. Some really stand out such as The Jungle Book and I guess Maleficent, but when people talk about which is the best one, many seem to agree that this year's remake is the best one. Well the best until you realize that it's still going at a time when it could've just ended without even needing to continue. I mean Cruella isn't even a remake anyway. It's an origin story for the titular villain of the 101 Dalmations franchise with the only part that would actually have anything to do with the main story being right at the end. But anyway, it is a great film with great set pieces, costume designs and two Emmas that enjoy locking horns with one another. Plus a few funny moments, emotional moments and a fantastic soundtrack.

Godzilla VS Kong

If you were to compare the Monsterverse to the DC Extended Universe, many would agree that this film came out at the right time. I mean we had three films beforehand that basically set the stage for this film whereas in DC, they basically when straight into a Batman VS Superman film with only one film beforehand and that film didn't even feel like it was building up to that film. But anyway, its about as epic as a big film can get with Kong being depicted as more heroic than Godzilla and both having several opportunities to deal hits on one another. All before realizing that a much greater threat than each other is emerging which forces them to work together. Yeah sounds like every other VS film, but I will admit this feels like a well-earned film that kicks the Toho version's a**e and a reason to go back to cinemas after the lockdowns. A shame DC didn't do their films this way, but here's hoping the Flash film will fix all those continuity issues.

No Time to Die

You know we all talk about all those films that got delayed because of Covid, but I think we can all agree that No Time to Die was by far the biggest one to be delayed. But it was worth the wait in the end. We got to say goodbye to Daniel Craig's era as 007 with explosions, sophistication, betrayal, revelations and some emotional moments too. Sure it does do a repeat of the villain's motives and that from Die Another Day, but this time, it makes sense (to some degree anyway). One of the best Bond films out there and one that was worth the wait despite Covid.

Encanto

Lin-Manuel Miranda is on fire. There is no stopping him with hit after hit and Encanto is just another great one with his music. A family with gifted talents may not sound all that original, but with lots of colours, great musical numbers and a very Spanish feel, this is one of those rare Disney films with a bit of culture. Not the first one mind you as Pixar gave us Coco and the more you think about it, you may consider this the spiritual successor to that film in some form. But regardless, it's a wonderful film even though we don't talk about Bruno. Ever!

The Suicide Squad

You know I'm actually ok not having the Ayer cut of the original Suicide Squad. I mean yeah that film was a mess, but I actually found some enjoyment in it. Fortunately unlike that film, The Suicide Squad is in every way the vision that James Gunn hoped for. Warner Brothers caught wind that he got sacked by Disney (at least at first) and got him on board to do a DC thing. The first thing they had in mind for him was a Superman film, but Gunn didn't want that. So in a rare move for a major studio, they said they would let him create any DC film he wanted and so he became in charge of this film. Which I have to be honest, is a lot better than the first one. Its fun, bonkers, over-the-top and makes the most bizarre of DC villains be tragic and deadly. This should have been the Suicide Squad film we got the first time round. But hey ho, its here now and its very good despite how messy the DCEU is because of this and other films part of it.

Luca

So Disney have done cultural films before Encanto, but most of them didn't have much of an impact on the world (with the exception of say Lilo & Stitch and possibly others). Pixar have also done cultural films before this one and of the two of them, Pixar at least in my opinion, do it better. There's nothing wrong with that, but you know Pixar. They are the kinds of people that put a lot of heart and soul into their films, and many of them make us think about all sorts of things. Luca is not just a film inspired by Italian things. Its animation is reminiscent of Studio Ghibli films and also old European foreign language animated films too. Making it stand out from many of Pixar's other films as well as the whole sea monster thing. Its a well animated film with heart, soul and a bit of fun here and there.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

In the year where Marvel made their big comeback, only two films that they released this year, stand out. The first is this film which, once again, is one that Marvel took a risk with, and it paid off. Some could say that this is what the Mulan remake should have been like. I mean for a start, it all makes sense, its entertaining and has a lot of action and stakes raised. In fact all the Marvel films released this year (ignoring Venom: Let There Be Carnage which I have not seen yet at the time of typing this) have attempted to make out that the stakes are high with the boring film that is the Eternals and the equally entertaining Spider-Man: No Way Home each having the highest of stakes. Nevertheless, this is a good film overall that isn't too culturally insensitive and people are going to have a good time with.

Raya and the Last Dragon

Compared to Encanto, this Disney Animation film may be too generic as far as the plot goes. But it is a very decent film that shows just how powerful the power of friendship can be and that you can find allies in the most unlikely of people. Such as a baby or a child sailor or even an emotionally broken man. It's not a musical, but it is perhaps more epic than Encanto if you are after the next big animated adventure from Disney's very own animation studio. It's funny, emotional and has some damn good animation for the film it's trying to be.

The Mitchells VS The Machines

Much like with Christopher Nolan, it seems like whenever Phil Lord and Chris Miller are attached to a film, the film is guaranteed to do well. This is Sony's latest animated film which had it not try to match the style of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, it would've probably been less critically acclaimed than how it actually did. It is a great film with superb animation, plenty of laughs and proof that dysfunctional families are not completely hopeless in the wake of human extinction and a robotic uprising. Plus having Olivia Coleman play the Siri like character for a villain is probably the most surprising of all casting choices and it works really well.

Space Jam: A New Legacy

It's fair to say that the new Space Jam film has split public opinion, with critics hating it but audiences really liking it. I mean yeah the BBFC's rating feels too weird for a film that has rapists, child murderers and Rick and Morty even though none of them are doing what they are well known for doing in the film anyway. It is like Ready Player One with the idea that every Warner Brothers franchise has its own world within a multiverse and each character has their appearances adjusted accordingly with each world's appearance. Kind of funny that when the Looney Tunes turn into CGI beings, even they know that it's a hellish thing for them. It's not a perfect film, but one that you can have a good time in if you are among those that actually like LeBron James (apparently he is not well liked among many people) or just enjoy seeing the Looney Tunes doing what they do best.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Now I won't ever deny that the 2016 film was great. Of course it wasn't, but it did not deserve the hate that it got. Honestly it wasn't all bad, but admittedly I too wanted another film with the original gang. Afterlife feels very much like the old Ghostbusters films not just because the director is the original director's son, but that it has the old gang back alongside a new generation that includes Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard who had previously did some Ghostbuster stuff in that show before this very film. It doesn't have Slimer, but Stay Puft is there, the Zuul is there and the soundtrack is very reminicent of the original films. Sure it seems to ignore the second film and obvioulsy the 2016 film, but its a great film. Not quite as big as the films that came before it due to the setting, but its a love letter to the fans and also works as a well earned tribute to the late Harold Ramis whose character's motives and actions are the driving force of the film. But I know too much fan service can overwhelm newcomers. But hey at least it will get people wanting to see the original stuff.

Zack Snyder's Justice League

So I will admit that even though the Snyder cut is in every way a much better version of the 2017 film, it does still have its issues such as the scenes that were kept in that people didn't like very much. Despite this, I call this a film that while fundementally the same film as the 2017 version, it manages to make sense, it gives the right amount of character development (particularly to those who were pushed aside in the 2017 film) everywhere, has a much better score that feels like its own thing and not inspired by previous works and the main villain is now depicted as a sympathetic villain and rightly so. In every way the film that we should have got the first time round and kind of sad that everything that was set up in this version, is now no longer happening due to Warner Brothers having no idea how to move forward while keeping continunity as a key thing. Great that we finally got it, but a shame that it's the last Zack Snyder thing for the DCEU (well for now anyway at the time of typing this).

Batman: Soul of the Dragon

We of course cannot ignore some of the direct to home media stuff and this film is probably the best one I have seen this year. Its an original story that basically plays on the idea of a Batman film in the style of a Bruce Lee film and many of us know how the latter one plays out. It's got a good story, great animation and a combo that most would probably not think would work initally, but it did. At least the animated DC stuff is still going strong despite some missteps, but one day the mainstream films will go strong too.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

Yep they finally did it. They finally made a live action Spider-Man film with too many villains, be good. Its a great final film in an otherwise fantastic trilogy (and yes a trilogy is three films you idiotic press) that shows how mature this Spider-Man has become since the first film. Plus its nice to have it be able to give some much needed closure to the other Spider-Man films that came before the trilogy because well they just didn't really end all that well. I also like how its been consistant in terms of having an older MCU character be the mentor of Spider-Man in each of the films. Sure Doctor Strange isn't exactly the best one of the three that have taken on that role, but it does tie well with his own film even though this was meant to be after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. A very nostaglia filled film that keeps the MCU formula intact despite the emotional ending that this film got in the end.

And that is all the films that I have really enjoyed watching that came out this year. Now let's pay tribute to a select few people that sadly are no longer with us who all worked in some capacity in the film industry:

Samuel E. Wright - A very well known voice actor who showed us that life under the sea isn't all as bad as some people make out.

Larry King - A man known for his chat shows, but has appeared on the big screen too either as a version of his character or for something else.

Christopher Plummer - An actor who definitley knows a thing or two about training dogs (at least in the animated world anyway).

Ruthie Tompson - You may not know the name, but you will have known her work. She was one of the oldest living Disney animators who had worked on the company's early animated films and those live action films with animated sequences including Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Mary Poppins.

Robert Downey Sr. - Not to be confused with his son. He was a filmmaker and actor who has been in a few lesser known things compared to his son. But nevertheless will be missed by many.

Helen McCroy - A wonderful actress known for being part of the Malfoy family in the Harry Potter films and had done lots of things since those days.