2021 was no exception to being a year packed with jaw-dropping, heart-wrenching, action-packed, and thought-provoking movies. In no particular order, here are 6 of our top movies from the past year!
A Quiet Place Part II
One anticipated film at the beginning of this year was A Quiet Place Part 2. Taking place seconds after the events of Part 1, Evelyn Abbott (played by Emily Blunt) and her 3 kids desert their compromised home to travel outside, where the smallest sound can leave them the most vulnerable. In a flashback at the start of the movie, we learned that the ultrasonic hearing monsters who brought the apocalypse are from space. And they can’t swim, which finally gave the humans an advantage.
Evelyn’s daughter, Regan (played by Millicent Simmonds), discovered there was a possibility that people were taking refuge on an island just off the New York coast. The last thing her mother wanted was to lose another family member, but Regan took the initiative to make the journey to find security.
Evelyn’s fear for her children’s safety throughout the movie contributed significantly to their family’s growth as they learned to believe in each other’s capabilities. With Regan being deaf, the son Marcus (played by Noah Jupe) being easily frightened, and Evelyn having to keep her newborn healthy and quiet, each member finds a way to overcome their obstacles in order to save each other’s lives by the end.
In a way, this movie portrays what every parent might be feeling during the pandemic. Extra precautions, knowhow of the outside world, and possessing skills of their own showed Evelyn that the kids are alright. The sequel did a great job of expanding their world as well as the lore, and left watchers hungry for Part 3. If you prefer watching a family in a horror setting rather than a horror movie with family in it, the A Quiet Place movies have a profound story to dive into.
Halloween Kills
2021 saw the next installment in Michael Myers’ killing spree in Halloween Kills. The story has some major holes, but the message is a little more solid. Starting off right where the 2018 movie ended, it’s revealed that Michael Myers did indeed survive the house fire. The plot is split between two parts, Michael’s journey to his childhood home and the town coming together to form a mob to hunt him down. Most of the issues with the story happen because of the message it’s trying to send.
In the middle of the movie, there’s this long scene where the town hunts down some guy who they think is Michael, despite evidence to the contrary, and eventually kill him. This scene and surrounding ones try to paint a picture that people need to think for themselves and not just follow the group; that one needs to see the world for themselves before making decisions.
At the same time, the movie also discourages lone wolf behavior, with many fight scenes involving Michael being those where 1 person decides that they’re enough to take down the killer. The only time in the movie where people succeed is at the end: when a group of people come together, there’s confirmation that it is Michael Myers, and then take action.
Of course, he doesn’t stay down for long since every movie nowadays has to set up for the sequel, this being no different. The last 5 minutes are spent showing that Michael isn’t dead yet and he’ll return in the next installment, Halloween Ends.
Dune
The 2021 reboot of Dune brought a sense of scale and epicness that wasn’t seen in many other movies this year. And even though most didn’t grasp an understanding of what was going on until their second viewing, the show-stopping visuals and acting balance with the fast-paced plot.
Dune is a sci-fi adventure packed with action, drama, suspense, and betrayal. In the year 10,191, The planets of the House Atreides and House Harkonnen are mortal enemies that serve the Imperial Emperor from House Corrino. When Atreides becomes responsible for overlooking the manufacturing of spice on the planet Arrakis, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen orders the sabotage of their operation and the annihilation of the royal family. It’s up to Duke Leto’s son, Paul Atreides (played by Timothee Chalamet), to form a relationship with the Arrakis people and save their worlds.
Everything such as the flawless cinematography, booming score by Hanz Zimmer, daunting spaceships, the fear you feel from the giant sandworm approaching, and the performance each actor brings to their character all make this film a very unique blockbuster.
Luckily, “this is only the beginning.” This first movie only covers half of author Frank Herbert’s novel. Keep an eye out for a Part 2 that’s coming soon!
No Time to Die
The final installment in Daniel Craig’s run as James Bond released in 2021, with some parts of the movie being great, and other parts not so much.
Throughout No Time to Die, it’s clear that they haven’t forgotten the previous movies, with Vesper Lynd’s grave being used as the starting point for the conflict between Bond and Madeline Swan. Felix Leiter and Ernst Blofeld also return to play important roles in Bond’s conflict with Safin, with both of them meeting their ends in the arms of James.
The villain Safin (played by Rami Malek) can leave many desiring more out of his character, however, the story makes up for it with Bond’s relationship with Swan and her daughter. Throughout the movie, its slowly revealed that Swan’s daughter also happens to be Bond’s. And while this can bring up some questions on how it happened due to Le Chiffre’s destruction of Bond’s… parts, in Casino Royale, it can be easily overlooked in order to experience this softer side to Craig’s Bond.
His new daughter is a huge reason Bond sacrifices himself at the end of the movie. With his sacrifice, the audience is left feeling the pain experienced alongside Madeleine at his death.
No Time to Die is the dramatic send off to the story started in Casino Royale all the way back in 2006.
Tick, Tick…Boom!
Lin Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of the musical Tick, Tick…Boom! was arguably one of the best this year next to West Side Story and In the Heights. His direction helped to portray all the highs and lows of the late Jon Larson’s life.
Tick, Tick…Boom! is a pop/rock autobiography of his life and work on writing his newest musical, Superbia. Jon’s legacy would live on through his next musical, Rent, but before that, he would face many struggles leading up to his 30th birthday. Before he hit the big 3-0, he had to compose the most vital song to Superbia, hire musicians for its workshop, support his friends who were threatened by HIV, and give an answer to his girlfriend on whether he wants to move out with her or not. The story shows how his commitment to this project impacts his relationship, friendships, and time to think about other important matters.
Like in every other role he’s played, Andrew Garfield brings his all to resembling a real figure, like Larson, through his mannerisms and even style of singing. Garfield was handpicked by Miranda for this role, so he learned how to sing in just a year in preparation.
From what musical fans have seen from this year’s adaptations, creating a movie from a stage production has the potential to be executed very well with the right cast and crew. And Tick, Tick…Boom! was a perfect example of an adaptation done right.
The Suicide Squad and Zach Snyder’s Justice League
DC’s new THE Suicide Squad, directed by James Gunn, showcases DC learning an important lesson. That if you’re working in a creative medium, give the creative people some control.
If you compare David Ayer’s Suicide Squad to James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, you’ll see a huge difference between the two movies. A part of it’s because of their different stories, but the directors of both admit that the first movie would have been better if not for DC’s meddling. James Gunn actually thanked Ayer on Twitter saying that without the troubles during his time directing, Gunn’s version of the Suicide Squad would have been a lot harder to make.
You can also see the change in DC’s ways with their other movie of this year, Zach Snyder’s Justice League. Snyder’s gave us a huge opportunity to compare what would happen when the director has full control over the movie and when the studio gets to decide what happens. When comparing the two, there’s still plenty of flaws in both versions, but Snyder’s original vision is the better of the two, as long as you’re fine with the extra 2 hours.
My favorite part of the “Snyder cut,” as fans call it, is the addition of Cyborg’s story. In the original, Cyborg felt like he had a lot of missed potential. Luckily, Snyder was able to give him more screen time in this newer rendition.
While Snyder’s version of this universe won’t continue, I’d recommend people wanting to get into the DC universe his version over the studio’s.