At the end of each year, web resources like IMDb, RottenTomatoes, and all other pop-culture media sites, compile their listicles of top-10 games, TV shows, TikToks, and naturally, movies. And since the year 2021 is coming to an end, we can finally look back and reflect on which of the movies are worth watching.
1. Dune
The new Dune is directed by Denny Villeneuve and stars Timothy Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Zendaya, and a heap of other great actors. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert and covers about half of the first book. The sequel will supposedly cover the rest of the book. What is it about? Sand, giant worms, the spice, interplanetary politics. It’s great!
2. The Suicide Squad
James Gunn’s take on the Suicide Squad has surprised millions of viewers. Before the first trailer dropped, people had lost all hope, but as soon as they saw how witty and unapologetic this iteration of the Squad would be, all was forgiven. The action scenes are god-like, the comedy is… well, it’s Gunn’s type of humor, so it’s 50/50, and best of all, the characters are not just cardboard cutouts! At least not all of them are. King Shar alone makes this movie an 8/10.
3. Eternals
It wouldn’t be a top-10 movie list without a Marvel property or two in it, right? (Spoiler alert: there are actually three.) Despite being a beautiful adaptation of the Eternals comic book story, it did not go well with some viewers. So why do people hate on this superhero ensemble? Because, apparently, two guys kissing for a second is considered to be LGBT+ propaganda. Anyway, it’s a bit drawn out at times, but the plot is a saucy blend of character drama, brilliant action, and plot twists you won’t see coming, which is a lot for a Marvel movie.
4. Mortal Kombat
So far, this may be the best video game movie adaptation ever made. It’s not perfect, far from it, but it’s the best one we’ve got, especially after all the Resident Evil movies, Monster Hunter, and even Sonic the Hedgehog. Fantastic action and familiar characters make this movie an absolute hit!
5. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
Is it cheating to put the Snyder Cut on this list? Nah, probably not. This is basically the same Justice League we saw years ago, but this time it’s filled to the brim with slow-motion and about 4 hours of extra scenes. This version spends more time developing characters than a whole season of a CW show, which means the fans are going to love it.
6. Godzilla v. Kong
Humanity has once again angered Mother Nature which, of course, means that the giant lizard is about to attack some fools from the “Apex” company. In search of a way to stop the monster, the head of the corporation sets out to Godzilla’s hometown — Hollow Earth. It turns out that to get there, they’ll need the help of another kaiju — Kong. The clash of the titans is imminent and looks so badass!
7. Spider-Man: No Way Home
It’s still a very fresh release, so no spoilers, but if you like Spider-Man as a character, you’ll be very delighted to know that there’s a lot of him in the movies. Yes, the leaks were true from the very start — Toby, Andrew, and Tom will be teaming up against the bad guys while trying their best not to screw up the reality. No Way Home might be the best movie of the year, if I’m honest!
8. Army of Thieves
Sebastian works as a bank clerk and runs a tiny YouTube channel about safecracking. One day the unlucky blogger gets noticed by a group of professional thieves who offer him to become part of the team and hunt down a series of legendary safes scattered throughout Europe. The premise doesn’t sound like much, but it’s extremely entertaining and action-packed. It’s also a prequel to the Army of Dead, so you have that connection too.
9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shawn is just a meek, humble guy living in San Francisco, who works as a valet at a hotel, hangs out with his school friend Katie in the evenings, and loves karaoke. No one suspects that he is the son of the most powerful crime lord in Asia — Wenwu, aka Mandarin, who has been crushing his enemies for a thousand years with the help of the magical bracers and now wants to resurrect his dead wife, who is actually an evil tentacle monster from another dimension. That’s Shang-Chi in a nutshell.
