10 Movies From 2021 That Are Conisdered Classics, Ranked
2021 is a rather peculiar year when it comes to its larger impact on the grand scheme of filmmaking history, as a large chunk of its releases were heavily impacted by the then-still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Many films that were originally planned to release in 2020 ended up being released in 2021, and because theaters were still getting a handle on things, many movies were released both digitally and in theaters at the same time. Despite these inherent oddities that made the year a strange one, there was still an inherent high quality when it came to the releases throughout the year.
Whether it be simply being some of the first films to strike the iron hot and capitalize on the new, post-COVID landscape of filmmaking or being of great quality on its own merits, many 2021 releases have cemented their legacies as modern classics. While the year may seem like it was just yesterday for some people, the year grows more and more distant with each passing day, with these films acting as an impactful reminder of one of the strangest times in film history.
10
‘The Green Knight’
A mesmerizing and beautiful modern evolution of the classic Arthurian tale, The Green Knight transforms and modernizes the tale of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) with a stylistic approach and top-of-the-line visuals. The film does more than simply retell the story of the Green Knight, however, telling a wide variety of different fables during Gawain’s journey, each having their own distinct message and overarching impact on the larger themes of the film.
David Lowery has always greatly excelled when it comes to a film’s visual flair and atmosphere, with The Green Knight having a palpable energy that combines gritty medieval stories with a magical, fairy-tale fable. It makes for one of the most dynamic and interesting takes on Arthurian legend in film to date, further capitalized by an array of great performances and slick pacing that keeps the audience invested the entire way through. While initially divided among audiences, the film has largely grown in favor over the years as one of the defining fantasy films of the 2020s.
9
‘The Mitchells vs the Machines’
While Sony Pictures Animation and Lord Miller had already proven themselves to be a rising star in the studio animation world with Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, The Mitchells vs the Machines proved that this exceptional quality was far from a one-time fluke. The film is brimming with creativity and passion with each frame, fully utilizing its stylized 3D animation style not only in terms of giving it a distinct personality, but amplifying its message as a love letter for the art of creation.
The exceptional visuals go hand-in-hand with every other aspect of the film, with the comedy and storytelling of the film getting a major boost thanks to its infectious style and flair. At its core, the film tells a classic dysfunctional family story, yet as opposed to many films of this concept in the past that showed wildly unrealistic portrayals of a family unit, The Mitchells vs the Machines feels very earnest and modern with its portrayal of family. The film quickly became a smash-hit on Netflix and is now considered one of their best animated films to date.
8
‘The Suicide Squad’
While The Suicide Squad was completely butchered by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of its box-office prospects, the overwhelming acclaim from audiences and critics alike quickly made it the must-watch entry of the DCEU. The film combines James Gunn‘s two different eras of filmmaking, making entertaining superhero-team comedies as well as wild, raunchy and gory exploitation films, into one glorious package. It vastly improves upon the previous Suicide Squad film with its entertaining visuals, compelling story and characters, and all sorts of fun, bloody action.
Even years later, as the DCEU has faded and been replaced by Gunn’s DCU, The Suicide Squad still stands as the critical highlight of the entire cinematic universe and a guiding point for the future of DC filmmaking as a whole. The film quickly made up for its middling box-office return with a substantial and impactful legacy as one of the best superhero films that the 2020s has had to offer, still maintaining this stature 4 years after its release.
7
‘The Worst Person in the World’
A beautifully told romantic dramedy from Norway, The Worst Person in World has found itself breaking the global barriers to be the decade’s defining story of self-discovery in young adulthood. The coming of age masterpiece soars thanks to its endless sense of charm, deeply engaging characters, and an engrossing filmmaking style that constantly breaks the rules and goes beyond the confines of traditional storytelling. It makes for one of the most entertaining and compelling rom-coms in years and quickly became a critical darling of the decade as a whole.
Especially after Parasite showed to many audiences the impact and weight that international filmmaking could hold, this placed many more eyes of appreciation on The Worst Person in the World as the comedy masterpiece that it is. The film’s legacy and strength as one of the decade’s best films only grows more with each passing day, with the upcoming release of director Joachim Trier’s next film, Sentimental Value, only further adding to this film’s recognition and strength.
6
‘Old’
M. Night Shyamalan has had a wildly divisive career with many glorious highpoints and disastrous lowpoints, and while the film may not be as acclaimed as some of his classic films, the hook of Old has continued to enamor audiences all these years later. There is simply something haunting yet absurd surrounding its concept of a “beach that makes you old” that has kept the film in the cultural conversation years after its release. It certainly also helps that Shyamalan perfectly capitalizes on the potential of this premise, bringing it to its creative extremes and creating a genuinely haunting PG-13 horror experience.
Despite the film’s middling reception from critics and audiences, its flaws somehow manage to amplify its legacy and classic status in a backwards sort of way, as it’s all a part of the charm of Shyamalan as a filmmaker. His signature quirks certainly distract at times, yet when the film is at its most compelling and emotionally impactful, it quickly cemented itself as one of the defining horror films of 2021. Its shocking final act twist alone is enough to leave an impact and stay in the hearts of audiences who witnessed the film.
5
‘Tick, Tick…Boom!’
While Lin-Manuel Miranda is widely celebrated for his work on creating the smash-hit Broadway musical Hamilton, the musical visionary has also left his mark on the world of film with his singular directorial effort, Tick, Tick…Boom!. The film acts as an adaptation of the Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) musical of the same name, being a semi-autobiographical story of Larson’s attempts to write a hit musical and make his mark on the theater industry.
Thanks to Miranda’s inherent expertise and strength with theater, he can bring out a great emotional response from Larson’s connection and passion for theater through the pacing and filmmaking. This is further amplified by an exceptional lead performance from Andrew Garfield and a wide array of compelling musical numbers that largely do justice to Larson’s original songs. Especially in a decade such as the 2020s, which has seen the release of many great musical films, Tick, Tick…Boom! continues to stand out as one of the absolute best.
4
‘The Black Phone’
Releasing 9 years after director Scott Derrickson and star Ethan Hawke terrified audiences with Sinister, the dynamic duo of horror returned to create one of the scariest and most impactful supernatural films of the 2020s, The Black Phone. The film draws inspiration from classic Stephen King horror stories, telling an almost fable-like tale of perseverance and fear as a young child comes into their own while facing down a despicable entity of evil.
Hawke comes into his own as the central role of the main villain, The Grabber, finding a great mixture between sadistic glee and overwhelming terror as he viciously murders various children in the film. It combines a dark, grounded story of kidnapping with supernatural elements to create a deeply impactful and terrifying original horror film for the ages. Especially with the highly anticipated sequel releasing this month, The Black Phone continues to stand out as one of the defining R-rated horror films of the 2020s.
3
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’
While it certainly took a little bit for the MCU to find its footing and reacquaint itself after the massive success and finality of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man: No Way Home easily stands as their most recognizable and impactful post-Endgame release. Much more than simply capping off an impactful trilogy of Tom Holland Spider-Man films or acting as the next step in a multiversal story, No Way Home is a great love letter to the history of Spider-Man in live-action.
It easily features the height of Holland’s portrayal of the legendary web-crawler, bringing out all the emotion and inherent strength that the character of Spider-Man has to so many people. While the initial hook of classic villains and previous iterations of Spider-Man helped the film achieve massive box-office success as the first true post-COVID smash hit, it’s the emotional pull and storytelling that has helped the film become a classic well after its initial release.
2
‘Encanto’
One of the biggest examples of just how impactful and prominent a film’s streaming release will play into its legacy in the modern era compared to its theatrical performance, Encanto didn’t become a true instant classic until it released on Disney+. When in theaters, the film received praise, but went unseen due to the lack of marketing and the still recovering nature of theaters. However, after the film became widely available on Disney+, it skyrocketed to being one of Walt Disney Animation Studio’s most acclaimed original musicals in years and the undeniable height of their 2020s film offerings.
The emotional Disney film feels like a massive culmination of everything that Disney had been working towards with their musicals in the 2010s, being rife with personality and charm with many standout songs and deeply memorable characters. Lin-Manuel Miranda once again brings his distinct songwriting talents to Encanto for an approach that both pays tribute to the classic Disney songs of the past while also adding his own signature flavor and style to the mix.
1
‘Dune’
For a long time, Dune has stood as an icon of literary sci-fi mastery that simply couldn’t truly be adapted into film, despite a valiant attempt by David Lynch in the 80s. However, Denis Villeneuve’s glorious blockbuster take on the story breathed new life into the world of Arrakis and once again catapulted Dune into an icon of sci-fi mastery for a new generation. The film’s brilliant visual style, combined with staying true to the exceptional themes and messaging of Frank Herbert‘s original novel, created a film that long-time fans have been dreaming of for decades.
However, the film didn’t simply become a definitive modern sci-fi classic thanks to repeating previous material, as Villeneuve does a great job of adding his own signature style and flair to the story of Paul Atreides. Through beautifully crafted visuals and a bombastic, brilliant score, the film amplifies the impact of each emotional moment and sets the stage for a more powerful and dynamic second half. Dune will only further cement its legacy in the years to come as the defining sci-fi achievement of the 2020s.
Dune
- Release Date
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October 22, 2021
- Runtime
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155 minutes
- Director
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Denis Villeneuve
- Writers
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Frank Herbert, Eric Roth, Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts
