A combination of the 2020 Oscar slate extending into the first two months, a relentlessly active streaming presence powered by Netflix's "release at least 1 new movie every week" strategy and the theatrical release pipeline starting to really fire up again over the past six weeks has made the early 2021 cinematic slate a very dynamic, fascinating beast. So did this perfect storm of genre and release channel diversity generate positive results? Generally yes.
While not quite matching the absurd quality level of 2019, 2021 has made a pretty strong impression out of the gate with a solid number of standout films and very little in the way of outright flops. There's been riotous comedies that have used their own twisted oddball voices to mine non-stop laughs (Bad Trip, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar), some really impressive blockbusters (Godzilla vs. Kong, F9, A Quiet Place Part II) that have helped reinforce the value of the theatrical experience within the cinema ecosystem and a transcendent piece of filmmaking that brings the intensity and intrigue of a thriller to the dramatization of a tragic piece of American history that has been swept under the rug by the masses for far too long (Judas and the Black Messiah). As studios continue to unload the vaults of heavy-hitter titles they've amassed over the past year and the aforementioned supersized Netflix release calendar prepares to enter its prestige phase in roughly two months time, 2021 is in a position to end on an even stronger note than what it started on. Below, you'll find a ranking of every film I've seen from January through the opening weekend of July as well as a healthy number of mid-year awards that cover everything from acting to surprises/letdowns to visual effects. Hope you enjoy.
Haven't Seen, but Intend to Watch:
Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell
Blast Beat
Censor
Chaos Walking
Don't Tell a Soul
False Positive
Fear Street Part 1: 1994
Finding Ohana
First Date
Flashback
Happily
In the Earth
Infinite
Initiation
Land
Monster
Profile
Psycho Goreman
Raya and the Last Dragon
Riders of Justice
Shiva Baby
Spiral: From the Book of Saw
Stowaway
Summer of Soul
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
The Courier
The Dry
The Paper Tigers
The Spongebob Movie: Sponge on the Run
The Tomorrow War
Till Death
Together Together
Voyagers
Werewolves Within
Wrath of Man
48.The Marksman (D+)
47.Awake (D+)
46.Good on Paper (C-)
45.Tom & Jerry (C)
44.Moxie (C)
43.The United States vs. Billie Holiday (C+)
42.Coming 2 America (C+)
41.Thunder Force (B-)
40.Locked Down (B-)
39.Breaking News in Yuba County (B-)
38.Our Friend (B-)
37.Fatherhood (B-)
36.The Ice Road (B-)
35.Shadow in the Cloud (B-)
34.The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (B-)
33.No Sudden Move (B-)
32.Outside the Wire (B-)
31.The Mauritanian (B-)
30.Without Remorse (B)
29.The Little Things (B)
28.Boss Level (B)
27.Boogie (B)
26.The White Tiger (B)
25.Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (B)
24.Saint Maud (B)
23.The Woman in the Window (B)
22.Oxygen (B)
21.Cruella (B)
20.Mortal Kombat (B)
19.Zack Snyder's Justice League (B)
18.Some Kind of Heaven (B)
17.Luca (B)
16.Those Who Wish Me Dead (B+)
15.The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B+)
14.The Forever Purge (B+)
13.Zola (B+)
12.Plan B (B+)
11.F9 (B+)
10.I Care a Lot (B+)
9.Concrete Cowboy (B+)
8.Army of the Dead (B+)
7.Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (B+)
6.A Quiet Place Part II (B+)
5.Malcolm & Marie (A-)
4.Godzilla vs. Kong (A-)
3.Nobody (A-)
2.Bad Trip (A)
1.Judas and the Black Messiah (A)
Mid-Year Awards:
Biggest Surprise: Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Biggest Letdown: No Sudden Move
Most Underrated Movie: Concrete Cowboy
Most Overrated Movie: No Sudden Move
Top Performance: Daniel Kaluuya, Judas and the Black Messiah
Worst Performance: Eddie Murphy, Coming 2 America
Top Ensemble: Judas and the Black Messiah
Worst Ensemble: Moxie
Top Director: Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah
Worst Director: Robert Lorenz, The Marksman
Top Script: Will Berson and Shaka King, Judas and the Black Messiah
Worst Script: Mark and Joseph Raso, Awake
Top Breakthrough Performance: Andra Day, The United States vs. Billie Holliday
Top Directorial Debut: Ricky Staub, Concrete Cowboy
Top Cinematography: Marcell Rev, Malcolm & Marie
Top Score: Thomas Newman, The Little Things
Top Visual Effects: Godzilla vs. Kong
Top Action Sequence: "Metal Factory Fight", Nobody
Best Villain: Baroness von Hellmann (Emma Thompson), Cruella
Worst Villain: Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba), The Marksman
Best Performance in a Bad Movie: Gina Rodriguez, Awake
Worst Performance in a Good Movie: Millie Bobby Brown, Godzilla vs. Kong
Best Overacting: Emma Stone, Cruella
Worst Overacting: Juan Pablo Raba, The Marksman
Movie I'm Most Excited to See in the Second Half of 2021: The Suicide Squad
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