Our 5 favourite movies of 2021 

By Calum Whitfield and Emily Hubbard 

It’s nearly the end of 2021, so to celebrate, here is a list of each of our top five favourite films of the year. Remember, we haven’t seen everything so there will be some glaring omissions (Calum’s particularly annoyed with himself for not watching Last Night in Soho before this, and Emily is incredibly sad she hasn’t yet seen the 2021 remake of West Side Story) and we’re not trying to say these are objectively the best films of the year, just the ones we looked back on and felt we enjoyed the most!

Let us know what you think we missed!

No Copyright Infringement Intended 

Calum

Godzilla vs Kong  

What can I say? I’m a sucker for silly films about giant monsters fighting each other, and rarely do they come this giant or this silly. Sure, the story doesn’t make much sense and the human characters are kept pretty two-dimensional but Godzilla vs Kong is pure silly fun and exceeds itself in this department. I couldn’t have picked a better film to be my first post-lockdown cinema experience.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League  

I’ve said a few times that I’m a huge fan of Zack Snyder, so I couldn’t miss off this complete reimagining of 2017’s fairly disappointing Justice League. With Zack Snyder in full control, it’s overlong, and overstuffed, over pretentious, and yet it’s utterly enthralling. Loaded with heart and emotion lacking from the 2017 cut as well as giving all its hero’s proper arcs without having to sacrifice any of the action this is a real triumph in the ever-expanding world of superhero movies.

In the Heights

As a rule, I don’t consider myself a huge fan of musicals, so my expectations were pretty low going into In the Heights. Walking out, I was about ready to pack my bags and head to Broadway. Following a wide range of quirky characters from the predominantly Dominican neighbourhood of Washington Heights, we get a beautiful tale of how we can always find a way to get some of what we dream about. Oh, and it’s got some killer song and dance routines too.

The Green Knight

After I first finished The Green Knight, I didn’t think I was a big fan. It’s a strange film, ambling along at a slow pace through a variety of weird images and situations as Gawain journeys towards his showdown with the titular knight, and at first, I found it confusing and little else. But it’s a film I have thought about a lot since, more so than any other on this list, and on a re-watch, I found myself wholly enthralled by its strangeness rather than put off. Give it a go and you’ll find this a film loaded with gorgeous imagery and a strong message.

Fear Street

A bit of a cheat as this is actually a series of three films released one at a time over three weeks, but I had too much fun with Fear Street to not include them. A throwback to the trashy slashers of the 80s in many ways, while leaning into the occult and maintaining some more modern touches, not everyone was that impressed with Fear Street, but as a long-time horror fan, I had a huge amount of fun with all three of these when they came out and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone else who enjoys a good fun slasher movie.

Emily

The Suicide Squad

Sometimes, when studios actually allow creators to have full control over their movies, masterpieces are made. James Gunn’s take on this rag-tag, fan favourite, team of anti-heroes is a great example of this. Packed with gratuitous violence, crude jokes, and a killer soundtrack, The Suicide Squad feels like a comic book brought to life by someone who has a true love for the source material and is a vast improvement on its 2016 counterpart. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of superhero media, and it’s safe to say that out of the vast amount of content released this year, both DC and Marvel, The Suicide Squad was my favourite.

The Mitchells vs The Machines

Perhaps the most underrated film of the year, this animated delight follows a family’s road trip as it gets derailed by an unexpected robot apocalypse. Animation style in films shifted after the release of 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse and its influence is clear to see here with the use of mostly hand-drawn animation. The Mitchells vs The Machines is funny, charming, has a great message, and is sure to leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

CODA

Every so often, a film comes along that moves you beyond words, and in 2021, that film for me was CODA. The film tells the story of Ruby (Emilia Jones), the only hearing member of her deaf family, a Child of Deaf Adults (CODA), who is torn between her love for music and her sense of responsibility to look after her family. CODA is a true joy to watch from start to finish, and truly deserves all the awards buzz it’s getting. Sure. It’s heart-warming as hell, but it’ll also leave you weeping like a baby.

Dune

The experience of seeing Dune on an XPlus screen with Dolby Atmos surround sound alone is enough for me to place Dune in my list of top five films of 2021. Dune’s visuals and score are so breathtakingly beautiful that I doubt another film will top it for a long while (or at least until Dune Part 2 rolls around). Denis Villeneuve’s take on the Sci-Fi great proved to be largely faithful to its source material, whilst also setting the stage for a new epic saga of space-related antics.

In The Heights

If 2021 has taught us anything, it’s that no one does a musical like Lin-Manuel Miranda. Before the global phenomenon that is Hamilton, Miranda created In The Heights, with the musical getting its long-awaited big-screen debut in 2021. In The Heights is everything you want and expect from a musical, it’s vibrant, the songs are catchy, and it’s packed with emotional gravitas. Most importantly, however, In The Heights is a reminder of just how fun movies can be.