The Best Movies of 2021

Twelve months ago, many moviegoers assumed that the cinema experience was dead. COVID-19 fears caused theater owners to decide whether they could wait out the coronavirus or if they should shut down entirely. The business lost millions, and many lost hope. Wise ones knew that Hollywood would find a way, and where are we at now? Spider-Man: No Way Home being the biggest film of 2021, both at the box office and in the hearts of moviegoers. Even with the Omarion Omicron hitting harder than previous variants, that didn’t deter folks from hitting the theaters, which is a testament to the strength of a good film. Folks will figure out a way to see it—in theaters—if it’s good enough.

Another lingering thought from last year was what the impact of Warner Bros. dropping their films day-and-date in theaters and on HBO Max would be. December of 2021? Folks are actually confused when a new film isn’t available on streaming the day it hits theaters. Streaming services have grown—we saw HBO Max joined by Peacock, Paramount+, and other new services in the last year—and opportunities to grow these services with highly-anticipated movies has been a blessing. Will these things continue on? It’s hard to say; there’s a lot of coin that Hollywood missed out on due to the theater situation, but the public has proven that they are more comfortable than ever enjoying new movies on the couch. It won’t murder the theater industry, but there is a lot of room to grow.

What we’re trying to say is that Hollywood has found ways to adapt in the last two years to give you the entertainment you’ve been looking for. Now the question is “what was actually good?” And of course, that’s where we come in. We sat on our couches and/or braved everything going on to hit the theaters and have returned with our picks for the best movies of 2021. Run back the best cinema 2021 had to offer.