best movies – Five years after a pandemic-shaped, split-window year of releases, 10 standout movies from 2021 still manage to feel alive—whether through Shakespeare with Denzel Washington, Arthurian darkness, or a Norwegian rom-com that refuses to behave like one.
By 2021. the film world was still moving through aftershocks of the pandemic—slower rollouts from major studios. and the strange rhythm of movies appearing in theaters and on premium digital rental and streaming around the same time. Even with that uneven release structure, the best films of 2021 didn’t fade as the years passed. They held onto what made them matter: craft. performances. and storytelling that stayed sharp long after the noise of the moment moved on.
10. ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’
Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ arrived with the kind of concentrated talent that’s hard to fake—directorial vision from Joel Coen. exceptional performances from Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. and cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel. It brings Shakespeare to the modern age with stark clarity. and its black-and-white visuals only deepen the power of the performances and the classic storytelling at its center.
What’s sad, in retrospect, is how limited its legacy and staying power have felt since release. The film was originally made for Apple TV+. Five years later. the work still reads like a genuine artistic statement—proof that Joel Coen can turn a Shakespearean story into something immediate and haunting. even if he hasn’t made another feature-length directorial film since.
9. ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
In ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ history feels personal and brutal. The film released in February 2021. and it carved out its own lane by leaning on the extension given to the 2020s slate during the pandemic. It competed alongside 2020 films like ‘Nomadland’ and ‘Mank,’ which left it easily overlooked in the wider memory of 2021.
But the story of real-life revolution and heartbreak is hard to dismiss once you’re in it. Daniel Kaluuya delivers a masterful central performance as the late Fred Hampton. building an electrifying presence rooted in public speaking and a visionary sense of what people could fight for. The pain comes from how the film’s fall and betrayal feel inevitable—strong will and the pursuit of rights eventually being snuffed out by higher powers before the change can fully take hold.
8. ‘The Green Knight’
David Lowery’s ‘The Green Knight’ stands out among Arthurian adaptations for its originality. Rather than treating the legend like a museum piece, Lowery turns Sir Gawain’s story into something shaped by pain, perseverance, and growth.
It’s a ruthlessly intense fantasy that digs quickly into the darkness and psychological gravitas of Gawain’s journey. anchored by a striking lead performance from Dev Patel. The film goes big in both scale and feeling—building a sprawling. multi-layered adventure that doesn’t just belong to Gawain. It pulls the audience into every step of the ordeal, and time has been kind to it. More and more viewers have found their way to its brilliance.
7. ‘Pig’
On paper, ‘Pig’ can sound like an overly nonsensical action thriller—especially if you’re only looking at a surface-level summary. Nicolas Cage’s Rob heading into a city to retrieve his lost pig can also sound like it belongs to a different tone era.
But the film’s emotional target is completely different. ‘Pig’ is described here as one of the most emotionally touching and beautiful experiences from 2021 cinema. and it earns that reputation with earnestness and raw vulnerability. Nicolas Cage delivers what the piece calls his best performance not just of the 2020s so far. but his best in decades. The range and emotional depth he brings give the script an “icon status” effect—something that lingers more than the genre wrapper suggests.
6. ‘Dune’
It would’ve been difficult to build a list of 2021’s best films without ‘Dune. ’ a blockbuster that helped revive enthusiasm for big-screen spectacle after a year that left many feeling like the momentum of cinema had stalled. The film is framed as the absolute highlight of blockbuster filmmaking in 2021—especially in terms of quality. cultural impact. and legacy.
This extravagant. high-budget space opera achieves what many thought was impossible: it’s said to do justice to one of the all-time greatest sci-fi novels ever written. Denis Villeneuve’s meticulous filmmaking style is described as proving craft and control in every moment. delivering an epic sci-fi experience and making the most of the budget’s promise of spectacle. Even with some writing off the original film after improvements made to the sequel. ‘Dune Part One’ still carries a kind of magic that keeps it firmly in icon territory.
5. ‘Titane’
‘Titane’ is Palme d’Or-winning material that, surprisingly, wasn’t nominated for an Academy Award. It’s described as strange, ruthlessly bleak, and abstract body horror—yet it also carries a surprisingly beautiful core: found family and unconditional love.
The film balances horror and uncomfortable ideas with a kind of precision that’s hard to dismiss. Its moments of carnage and shock land harder because what surrounds them is tense secrecy, building toward familial love anyway. The story is presented as chaotic on purpose, bouncing between sickening and chaotic concepts that spiral toward full mayhem. Still, the “bedrock cushioning” of love keeps the overall effect grounded in something human.
4. ‘West Side Story’
‘West Side Story’ arrived with hype—and skepticism. Spielberg’s modern-day remake of the Best Picture-winning musical classic didn’t exactly roll in under easy expectations, especially after ‘Ready Player One’ was described as dismal.
But Spielberg. here. is credited with exceeding those expectations—also for being especially strong in musicals. making it feel like the craft is second nature rather than a one-off. The film’s tone is presented as finely balanced. knowing when to go high-energy and alive during upbeat songs. and when to slow down so the emotions of performances can sweep the audience through bliss and heartbreak.
Even with a “nonexistent box-office run” that it says was wiped off the map by ‘Spider-Man,’ the film is argued to have a sustained and effective legacy, anchored in its strengths and its place in Spielberg’s modern career.
3. ‘Licorice Pizza’
Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Licorice Pizza’ may not be defined by the same magnitude as his later achievements. but the charm is unmistakable. The film is described as sweet. melancholy. and distinctly human. packed with offbeat comedy in the tradition of Anderson’s earlier hits like ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ and ‘Magnolia.’.
The focus here is also on the central performances—Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman—framed as a breakout dynamic that powers the film’s infectious mixture of whimsy and innocence. Their complicated story of young love becomes more compelling precisely because it carries flaws too. Five years in, it still feels like a film whose long-term legacy is still trying to settle into view.
2. ‘Mass’
‘Mass’ is portrayed as emotionally devastating, even if it was massively overlooked by award bodies during the 2021 awards season. The film centers on a duo of parents connected by their late sons’ deaths in a school shooting—one parent’s child is the shooter, and the other’s child is the victim.
The story’s movement is described as slow and raw: after years of living with pain and anger. they meet in the basement of a church for a painful conversation. The film is praised for cutting to the heart of the indescribable pain of losing a child. and for showing each character’s own approach to grief and remembrance. That balancing act—different perspectives handled with a realistic vision—is described as a tour de force in performance art and emotional complexity.
1. ‘The Worst Person in the World’
With 2020s film culture leaning more toward international and experimental voices after the massive Academy Awards sweep of ‘Parasite. ’ ‘The Worst Person in the World’ is framed as a near-perfect example. It’s an abstract Norwegian rom-com that explores the uneasiness and difficulties of young adulthood.
The hook here isn’t just the performances or layered characters—though it’s credited with delivering those. It’s the execution. described as abstract and unusual in a way that makes the experience feel fresh again and again. Its exceptionally paced chapter structure. a wide array of compelling cinematography. and abstract sequences are singled out as key reasons it stays satisfying.
The film’s visual approach also reshapes what it even means to call it a rom-com. It’s far from a traditional romance story in visual style, which fits the fact that its characters are far from typical rom-com archetypes.
Release date and credits for ‘The Worst Person in the World’ are included here as part of the film’s profile: October 13, 2021; runtime 127 minutes; director Joachim Trier; writers Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt.
2021 best movies The Tragedy of Macbeth Judas and the Black Messiah The Green Knight Pig Dune Titane West Side Story Licorice Pizza Mass The Worst Person in the World