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Yep… I did it again. Even though I said in my Top 10 Films of 2020 list when I posted it in September last year that I was going to make sure to release my 2021 list either in January or February and not sometime later in 2022, unfortunately as you can see, that plan did not quite work at all. However since I published this list in July this year rather in September like I did in 2020, I consider it a little bit of a improvement since its came out 7 months into the year instead of 9 months. Now you’re probably wondering, why did it take me so long to write it up? Well… Pretty much I was because of the same reasons why I didn’t release my 2020 list until late last year as well: a new busy work schedule, my personal life, family stuff, podcasting, sickness (luckily not COVID-19 related), busy with other things etc. But the main reason being, is that I had a lot of catching up to do movie wise since that there was so many films that were released during 2021 that I hadn’t gotten around to watching yet. Plus it didn’t help that a couple of lockdowns that happened last year as well, which made me wait until a lot of films I wanted were available on home media rather than the cinema. I thought that I’d take the time to catch up on the main ones I wanted to see to find out if they were worthy enough to be on the list. After a long 7 months, I’ve seen nearly everything that I needed to see and I knew that now was the right time to sit down and write the list. Overall compared to last year, 2021 was definitely a lot better year for cinema since a lot of the major films that were suppose to come out last year, were finally released this year. There were so many films that I loved from last year, so it was actually hard to narrow them down for a top 10. When you see my list, you’ll understand why that is. Now before I go into my final official top 10 films of 2021 list, here are all my honourable mentions of the year. Enjoy!

NOTE: I’ve only included films that were officially released theatrically, on home media or on streaming platforms in either Australia, the U.K. or the U.S. during 2021. However some films that I saw at film festivals in 2021 won’t be included if they haven’t had a official release in either of those three countries yet.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS (In Alphabetical Order):

The Amusement Park

Benedetta

Burning

Candyman

CODA

The Dry

Eternals

Flee

June Again

King Richard

The Lost Daughter

Malignant

Mass

The Medium

Minari

The Mitchells Vs. The Machines

No Time To Die

Nobody

Parallel Mothers

Petite Maman

Psycho Goreman

Quo Vadis, Aida?

Spencer

Summer Of Soul (… Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Tick, Tick… BOOM!

Woodlands Dark And Days Bewitched: A History Of Folk Horror

…And now onto my official top 10 films of 2021…

10. WEST SIDE STORY

(Dir: Steven Spielberg)

“The best musical I’ve seen in 20 years. Director Steven Spielberg’s adaption of the classic musical is a truly exhilarating and brilliantly made film that’s full of great choreography, song numbers, emotion, timely themes and great performances. Dare I say, it’s even better than the already great and classic Oscar-winning 1961 version.” 

9. THE CARD COUNTER

(Dir: Paul Schrader)

“While the themes in the story are ones we’ve seen explored before in other projects of his, Paul Schrader’s latest is still a truly exceptional and superbly crafted film that tackles its subject matter in a gripping way. Oscar Isaac was simply fantastic in this and it’s up there as one of the best performances of his career so far .‬”

8. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME

(Dir: Jon Watts)

“Without a doubt the best live-action Spider-Man film since SPIDER-MAN 2. It’s an absolutely terrific, hugely entertaining, emotional and surprising sequel that’s a true crowd-pleaser in every way. It brings closure to this story in the series while setting some interesting things in the future for the franchise. This is a film that every Spider-Man fan is going to enjoy.”

7. THE LAST DUEL

(Dir: Ridley Scott)

“Ridley Scott’s best work since THE MARTIAN. This was a truly exceptional, captivating and superbly made/crafted medieval drama that does a great job at tackling the timely themes of its story. The cast were terrific in their roles but it’s without a shred of doubt Jodie Comer’s film, she was absolutely sublime.”  

6. THE FATHER

(Dir: Florian Zeller)

“Well, this was completely unexpected. This was absolutely exceptional, devastating, complex and brilliantly crafted film that superbly puts us into the mindset of someone suffering from dementia in a unique way. Lead stars Anthony Hopkins (in his well deserved Oscar-winning turn) & Olivia Colman were both amazing in this.”

5. NITRAM

(Dir: Justin Kurzel)

“While the controversy surrounding it is definitely understandable, but director Justin Kurzel’s latest is an absolutely riveting, unsettling and brilliantly crafted film that takes us into the mind of the man behind one of worst mass shootings in Australian history. It’s respectful to the events that happened while showing the monster the man would become.” 

4. THE POWER OF THE DOG

(Dir: Jane Campion)

“While I’ve been mixed on Jane Campion’s previous work, this is definitely my favourite film of hers to date. This is absolutely exceptional, captivating and brilliantly made western whose story tackles some very complex themes within its story. Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons & Kodi Smitt-McPhee were all simply fantastic in their roles.”

3. ZACK SNYDER’S JUSTICE LEAGUE

(Dir: Zack Snyder)

“Umm… Why the hell wasn’t this version released in cinemas? This is an absolutely fantastic film that’s a massively huge improvement over the 2017 theatrical cut in every way. It’s epic, bold, captivating, moving, gonzo, breath-taking and awesome. It won’t be for everyone due to its unrestraint ambition and 4 hour long length, but I truly loved it every minute of it.”

2. DRIVE MY CAR

(Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi)

“I wasn’t sure what to expect from this film based on its hype and acclaim, but I was absolutely enthralled from beginning to end throughout its entire 3 hour running time. This is a truly sublime, moving and brilliantly crafted/acted film that takes a quiet but meditative approach to grief. It’s definitely without a doubt a masterpiece.”

1. PIG

(Dir: Michael Sarnoski)

“Based on its premise, you would think that it’s going to be a JOHN WICK clone but with Nicolas Cage and his pet pig but in reality, the film is much more than that. In his directorial debut, Michael Sarnoski has exceptionally crafted a truly captivating, mesmerising, subversive, emotional and even hopeful film that effectively uses its story to examine loss. After being on the comeback trail these pass few years, star Nicolas Cage’s quietly sublime performance is up there as one of his greatest turns. He is absolutely amazing here and the film surrounding him is just as fantastic. There’s no question in my mind that only did Cage give the best performance of any actor in 2021, this film was also the very best film I saw from the year as well. “

Well, there you have it. Those are my official top 10 films of 2021. Agree or disagree? Let your voices be heard in the comments below or on the official Super Network Facebook page!

Article written by Bede Jermyn