Top 10 – Best Films of 2021

2021 was another strange year with the cinemas closed for a while again, so attempting to watch new films and in particular those from 2021 was quite the challenge. I feel as though this list isn’t maybe as “good” as some lists but I have had to go by the films that I have seen and I might have missed some but here it goes! Sorry, not sorry that this was a great year for musicals!

10. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (Review)

What an absolute Marvel treat, I feel as though we are at the point where introducing new characters and parts of the extended Universe seems to just work in the best possible way. I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and ended up really enjoying it.

9. Single All The Way (Review)

Wasn’t this just a lovely Christmas surprise of a film, I am fully on board with this being the gay When Harry Met Sally story and it has some incredibly lovely moments from start to finish.

8. The Mitchells vs the Machines (Review)

Sometimes when you watch a film that was the exact film you needed to watch at that exact moment, that is how I felt watching this one the it premiered on Netflix. Has such an amazing story at its core and really makes you think about the constant need to use any form of screen all of the time!

7. West Side Story (Review)

I was a little bit dubious about this one as I had only caught up with the 1961 version earlier in 2021 but I totally adored the way this was all done and ended up crying my eyes out at the end. The level of dance routines was very good along with the slight character changes made for an incredible movie musical.

6. Free Guy (Review)

I seriously think this was the most fun I had watching a film in 2021, so much so I very quickly saw it twice at the cinema. It’s one of those films that just made me feel so happy, and let’s face it having something make you feel happy is quite a difficult thing! Reynolds was a joy throughout and carried the film very well, also interesting to get you thinking about virtual reality and gaming.

5. In the Heights (Review)

I’ve been waiting for a film version of this musical since seeing it on Broadway back in 2008 (the night before it won the Tony award for best new musical, I always have to add), that blew my mind as it was something different to anything else I had seen on stage before. This adaptation to screen really is fantastic and Anthony Ramos was great in the leading role.

4. Spider-Man: No Way Home (Review)

I think this was probably the film I had been waiting for the most in 2021 and it was more than worth the wait and excitement, it did not disappoint bringing the multiverse to life in live action form after teasing at it. Bringing the old villains back and having a lovely Spider-Man moment was truly fantastic.

3. Last Night in Soho (Review)

This was one of those films that blew my mind at the cinema and isn’t that always a great feeling, I had no idea at times which direction it was going in and it certainly turned into a very different film to how it looked in the trailer. Amazing female characters and performances that were a joy to watch.

2. Tick, tick … Boom! (Review)

Andrew Garfield is everything in this film which is about Rent creator Jonathan Larson and oh how he owns the screen so much, with an incredible message that you should never give up on your dream and you must put all of that effort in if you want to at least try and succeed. The musical numbers are very good and it really is such a great film.

1. Belfast (Review)

A film masterpiece from Kenneth Branagh that is for sure, I felt the above photo still from the film was more than appropriate as I feel it captures exactly how I felt when I was actually watching Belfast. It is a gorgeous film with an incredible story about family at its core and heart, it gave me such fond memories of moments with my own grandparents and it was seriously just a joy to behold.

What were the best films you watched in 2021?