The Best Films of 2021 is based on the films that we have reviewed on Power of Pop in 2021. Most of these films were watched online, as visits to the cinema were hampered by the damned pandemic. Truth be told, overall, TV series were stronger than films in storytelling and characterisations and we will get to that particular list in a later post.
Here we go! The Best Films of 2021 (in alphabetical order) –
Don’t Look Up is a 2021 American satirical science fiction black comedy film written, produced, and directed by Adam McKay. The movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as two low-level astronomers attempting to warn mankind, via a media tour, about an approaching comet that will destroy Earth.
Dune Part One is a 2021 American epic science fiction film directed by Denis Villeneuve with a screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Villeneuve, and Eric Roth. It is the first of a planned two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, which covers roughly the first half of the book. Probably #1 on The Best Films of 2021 list!
Eternals is a 2021 American superhero film drama based on the Marvel Comics of the same name. Created by the legendary Jack Kirby in the 1970s, Eternals’ premise was inspired by the Chariots of the Gods? novel which involves the hypothesis that the technologies and religions of many ancient civilizations were given to them by ancient astronauts who were welcomed as gods.
Free Guy is a 2021 American science fiction action comedy film directed by Shawn Levy from a screenplay by Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn, and a story by Lieberman. While in generally, video game adaptations have failed miserably, Free Guy succeeds by being inspired by and referencing video game culture. Yes, Free Guy is able to engage despite the superficial trappings of its premise, due mainly to excellent writing, eye-catching special effects and Ryan Reynolds’ on-screen ‘everyman’ charisma.
Nobody is a 2021 American action-thriller drama film directed by Ilya Naishuller and written by Derek Kolstad. The film’s premise involves a bystander who intervenes to help a woman being harassed by a group of men who then becomes the target of a vengeful drug lord. Cue an ultra-violent revenge flick that is reminiscent of the John Wick franchise.
SHANG CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is an American superhero action-adventure film set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and based on the Marvel comics character created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Jim Starlin.
Spider-Man : No Way Home is a superhero action-adventure drama starring Tom Holland as everybody’s favourite wall-crawler. The film is the final instalment in the Sony-Marvel Spider-Man trilogy that sets the hero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
The Guilty is a 2021 American crime thriller film directed and produced by Antoine Fuqua, from a screenplay by Nic Pizzolatto. A remake of the 2018 Danish film of the same name, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Christina Vidal, with the voices of Ethan Hawke, Riley Keough, Eli Goree, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Paul Dano, and Peter Sarsgaard.
The Suicide Squad is a superhero action-adventure film drama written and directed by James Gunn. The film is based on the DC comics team of villains and is a sequel (of sorts) to the David Ayers helmed Suicide Squad film from 2016, and it features returning characters from that first film.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League is the literal revenge of the nerds. Fandom’s fanatical insistence that Warner Bros release the Snyder Cut over the years led to this unlikely movie becoming a reality in the surreal circumstances of 2021.
The Best Films of 2021 seems to indicate that 2021 was not a good year for film and that is probably the case overall. What can we expect in 2022?
… still there’s more …