2021's TOP 10 films

Those of you who follow me on Instagram, you would have seen these already, but with the captions being a little limited, you had endure 5 posts... so I condensed it all into one post with 10!

I do love my Top 10s!

So these 10 films are all ones that came out in 2021, all whoppers and all incredible given most were probably just about filmed with Covid restrictions in place (although maybe not Dune as I think that was filmed as far back as 2019...) Some 2021 films have been pushed to 2022 (The Batman and Jurassic Park: Dominion included) due to Covid shut downs, but to be honest I'm glad because it made picking my top 10 in 2021 a little bit easier. Next year I'll have a much harder job as we have the likes of The Batman and Jurassic Park to come, as well as the long awaited Avatar sequels, along with Black Adam, Shazam II, Black Panther II, The Flash, Doctor Strange and MANY many more.

But anyway... in the immortal words of King Theoden... 'So it begins'.

10 - The Last Letter from your Lover

One of my favourite Jojo Moyes books, and I loved this rendition. I liked it so much I went to go and see it twice and paid £8.50 for my tickets (twice!!) because I was in Bath and Bath doesn't have a Cineworld (sort it out, Bath, come on!). The Last Letter from your Lover has powerful female leads, both of whom produced the film as well as starred, in Felicity Jones and Shailene Woodley, and were supported by great chemistry in Nabhaan Rizwan and Callum Turner, with a captivating story set across two beautiful timelines. A love affair that rekindles a journalist's belief in love and second chances, and one that does so through the ageless art of letter writing. Beautiful.

9 - Cruella

The outfits, ohhhh the outfits, and the two Emmas (Stone and Thompson) shine once again (I mean when do they not shine, let's be honest). We've only ever seen one side to Cruella, and that was the dog-napping Dalmatian-stealing witch from 101 Dalmatians, so it's actually quite refreshing to learn of her backstory, where the famous villain came from, and how the story unfolds. The beginnings of the fur-obsessed mastermind, how she met Horace and Jasper, written beautifully into Regent's Park and the surrounding areas. Utterly fabulous dahhhling.

8 - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

It's Marvel. Of course it's made it into my top 10s, and this year Marvel gave us not one, not two, and not even three, but FOUR instalments to watch... so you can see my dilemma in choosing my top 10s. Anyway. Controversial opinions loading here, but I would say that this film, as an origin story, is equal to Tony Stark's Iron Man back in 2008. The story, the writing, the character development and the breathtaking scenery means I found it hard to be able to blink, in case I missed anything. Simu Liu is a perfect choice, and Awkwafina supports amazingly and hilariously him in friendship, and with the return of Ben Kingsley as Trevor as well as his best friend Maurice (a faceless fluffy winged creature) I am beyond excited for its sequel announced!

7 - No Time To Die

Although it isn't quite as good as Skyfall, it's just about up there for me as James Bond's greatest outings. What I loved most was that it was Mr Bond finally understanding what it was to be happy, and whilst saving the world from assured destruction, he was also saving his family. An incredible score from Hans Zimmer once again, with great directing from Cary Joji Fukunaga. Stunning scenery as always, an epic showdown to rival any Bond film, with a sadistically evil villain who chooses to destroy people in the cruellest way. I shed a tear (a few of them actually) both times I saw it in the cinema, which is normal for me but very unexpected for a Bond film! Amazing.

6 - Eternals

Again Marvel. And the only thing preventing this from reaching the top 5 is a particular mid-credit scene that I am choosing to wipe from my memory banks, as of today, as are most other Marvel fans I reckon (although I can‘t speak for them). The characters, the different story arc and change of directing style from Chloe Zhao is what keeps this on a different scale to previous Marvel films, and that’s by far a bad thing. Eternals has brought us our first set of diverse superheroes, as well as the world’s first deaf speedster, and it‘s refreshing. Each Eternal has their own particular power, particular strength, and one of the only faults I can give it (mid-credits scene aside) is that there just wasn’t enough time to explore them all. Eternals was completely new to us, and at the beginning we got an opening paragraph we were expected to remember… yet when the movie started, I’d forgotten what it said completely!

5 - Black Widow

I know what you’re thinking. ANOTHER MARVEL INSTALMENT??? Come on… But BOY was this one a long time coming. And I was very impressed… but not actually with Scarlett Johansson. Now, I’m not saying she wasn’t great, because she was, it’s just that Florence Pugh is the one that blew me away here. The story was different, the events were exciting and the action was off the charts, as expected. That said, after all, this one is in the top 10, so it has definitely done something right!

4 - Free Guy

I had a smile on my face the entire time when I saw this film. Ryan Reynolds, true to form, is hilarious. The cameos are amazing (Channing Tatum and Chris Evans (spoiler) are my faves), along with a great soundtrack from Christophe Beck. I can’t really explain what I loved about this film so much, other than its ridiculousness… but I think that’s it. I think it was the fact I couldn’t stop smiling, laughing (and even crying) so it’s just all the emotions. Cinematic masterpiece that bridges the gap between real world, movie world and video game world and who knew it was the film we all needed!

3 - Zack Snyder’s Justice League

Now… why the hell wasn’t this one released in 2016. I know the answer, and I understand why Zack and Deborah Snyder had to suddenly leave the Justice League project, but it just proves that the right director and the right writer means everything. You learn so much more about the DC world, about Cyborg, a lot more backstory and an epilogue that would have extended the DC Universe threefold, and leaving it in a much better place than the 2016 movie did. As a DC fan, I felt robbed when I saw this, and I know I wasn’t alone. Yes, it was pushing on the door of 4 hours, but every minute captivates you, it intrigues you, and it‘s just so annoying that we will probably not see anything more about it… We have a couple more DC films to come this year in The Flash and Aquaman 2, but I don’t think they’ll top this one. And these aren’t spoilers… with Superman not returning, and with The Flash being Batfleck’s last outing, and think we can safely assume we are saying goodbye to this generation of DC heroes, and I eagerly await the director who will pick up Zack Snyder’s mantle to do the Snyder Cut some… justice!

2 - Dune

I knew this film would be my favourite as soon as I saw the trailer. It’s been so long since we’ve been given such a world-building Science Fiction experience like this one - in my opinion it has been lacking since Avatar in 2009 - and boy did this one step up to the plate. Not only did Dune step up to the plate, it blew the plate away with the incredible cinematography, the unbelievable cast, the mind-blowing soundtrack and the emotionally-accurate storytelling. Having now read the book, the film sticks very closely to what Frank Herbert wrote. Denis Villeneuve is an actual genius, and the fact he’s been able to do such an amazing job whilst building an entire world from scratch just proves he is one of the greatest directors around. The bulk of viewers, including myself, went in blind because the book is long and complicated, but after expecting to come out confused by what I was seeing, I just came out unbelievably excited. That soundtrack by Hans Zimmer is one of the best soundtracks I have ever listened to and is, quite literally, out of this world.

1 - Spider-Man: No Way Home

I still feel like I can’t really say too much about this film, because it’s been less than a month since it’s come out, and some people may not have been able to get to the cinema to see it… But I do feel very sorry for Dune, because if this film hadn’t come out, Dune would have been in the number 1 spot. But it did. Spider-Man: No Way Home is an emotional journey, one where Peter goes out of his way to save villains from other universes he has no reason to save. It’s an emotional journey where he shows his humanity more than any superhero ever has… and yet the film ends with him losing everything he’s ever loved. The growth of Peter Parker as a character in this film pushes the storyline and the action past the excitement of Avengers: Endgame (unpopular opinion maybe) and it’s why this film is holding the Number 1 crown as the best film of 2021. It’s the emotional rollercoaster we were all hoping for, the one we were all hoping it would be, and I applaud Tom Holland… who has settled himself as THE greatest Spider-Man of all time.

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Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more blog posts about films. Monthly updates on what film’s I’ve seen in the cinema, what soundtracks to listen to, what I’m most looking forward to… It’s a great year for film is 2022, and I can’t wait to explore what it has to offer!