Top Five Movies of 2021

Movies came back in 2021! Despite being a weak year for movie theaters, there were still some great ones to be sure. Here are five of my favorites, in order of release:

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

I wrote about this animated gem when it first came out in April, and it remains one of the funniest, most creative movies of the year. From the people who brought us Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this movie centers on Katie, a teenager who can't wait to move away from home. But just as Katie's family is taking her to college, the machines rise against their human overlords. The Mitchells are the only human to escape capture, and it is up to them to save the rest of humanity. 

The Mitchells is both heart-warming and hilarious. The creative animation style stands out amid the sea of "Pixar-ified" animated films that look the same. It's a film that everyone with a heart and a funny bone can enjoy. 

Dune

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I knew I had to read the book. Between the all-star cast and breathtaking visuals, Dune is the surprise hit in a year where many movies struggled to reach large audiences. Set in the distant future, Dune is about a young man named Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) whose family is sent to the remote planet of Arakis to oversee the harvesting of spice, a drug that makes space travel possible. The film only covers the first half of the book, but fortunately a sequel is currently in the works.

Despite a somewhat dense plot, the film does a good job building out its world in a way that is understandable and exciting. If you think this is just a Star Wars knock-off, think again – Dune the novel came out before Star Wars was created and actually invented many of the sci-fi tropes you see today. Director Denis Villeneuve is masterful at pulling you into the beautiful and mysterious desert planet and sets up what will likely be a successful franchise for years to come. 

Last Night in Soho

Last Night in Soho is a thrilling mystery film about the dangers of living in the past. A young, 60s-obsessed fashion designer named Eloise (played by Thomasin McKenzie from Jojo Rabbit) moves to London. Every night, she is seemingly transported to the 1960s and inhabits the body of Sandy (Anya Taylor-Joy), an aspiring singer from that era. As Eloise becomes increasingly enchanted by the music and the fashion of the 60s, she begins to see the ghosts from Sandy's world appear in her own world, making her question what is real and what is fantasy.

Last Night in Soho is one of the better thrillers I've seen in a long time. It isn't on Netflix like The Mitchells and doesn't come from an acclaimed book franchise like Dune, so not many people saw it. But the film keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish and features a very compelling performance from Anya Taylor-Joy, who is truly one of the next great movie stars. If you enjoy psychological thrillers like Psycho, The Shining, or The Invisible Man, this is the movie for you.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

At the time of this writing, Spider-Man had made over a billion dollars in less than two weeks at the box office. As one of the most-hyped movies of all time, No Way Home has lived up to expectations. This movie combines the best of the previous Spider-Man movies – it's funny, clever, and hits home emotionally. Try to look beyond some of the sillier or nonsensical plot points and appreciate the culmination of twenty years of the film character that sparked the superhero movie revolution. 

Since I'm not giving away major plot points here, all I'll say is that Willem Dafoe reminded us all that his performance as the Green Goblin is the second-best superhero villain portrayal behind Heath Ledger's Joker. He's absolutely terrifying and I'm so glad he's back in this role. And although I still think Andrew Garfield is the best Spider-Man (and was betrayed by a truly awful The Amazing Spider-Man 2), Tom Holland shows surprising emotional range that wasn't present in his other two solo films. No Way Home is a reminder of the power of seeing a movie on the big screen with a hundred other people. There's no experience like it.

Nightmare Alley

This is the best movie this year that almost no one has seen. Based on the 1946 novel of the same name by William Lindsay Gresham, Nightmare Alley depicts the rise of a Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) from homeless vagabond to carnie to master performer. After taking a job at a traveling carnival, Carlisle learns the skills of a mentalist – someone who tricks people into thinking he can read minds, see the future, and communicate with the dead. But Carlisle's skills reveal a darker side that lusts for money and power at all costs.

Great performances from a cast full of familiar faces and an excellent leading performance by Bradley Cooper pull you into the fascinating world of old-time carnivals. The ending, which will leave you thinking for days, is worth the film's 150-minute runtime.  If you liked the themes of power, deception, and the darker side of human nature in The Prestige, this movie is certainly for you. 

That's the list! Check out these recommendations and let's hope for a great movie year in 2022!