A 2021 film experience: With so many great movies released this year, here are the 10 best

I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be able to regularly go to movie theaters again or how much I missed that experience throughout 2020, and it only makes that feeling fonder when there were so many great movies released in 2021.

Some years will have 10 or 12 good movies, but 2021 had at least 20 films that I wouldn’t mind watching again. That makes creating a list of the 10 best films of the year difficult. I wanted to include so many other films, like “Belfast” and “Nightmare Alley,” but I couldn’t find room for them. But I certainly feel confident in my picks for the 10 best films of 2021.

10. “The French Dispatch”

Wes Anderson films are always a treat. They’re bursting to the brim with charm and dry wit, with that unmistakable Anderson touch. “The French Dispatch” is no exception and boasts one of the largest casts of any of his films, with a lot of terrific performances, my favorites being Benicio del Toro and Timothee Chalamet.

9. “Dune: Part One”

I might have Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi fantasy epic a little too low on this list, but this is still certainly a film worth checking out. It has one of the grandest scopes and scales of any movie since “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and yet still manages to be personal and poetic in its approach.

8. “Godzilla vs. Kong”

This one is probably not on anyone else’s top 10 list, but this was some of the most fun I’ve had at the movies in years. The effects are spectacular, especially the lighting on the monsters and the facial animation for King Kong. I’ve never seen Godzilla or King Kong with more emotion than in this film.

7. “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train”

2021 was a terrific year for animation. From “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” to “Encanto,” there were no shortage of great ones. But anime movies had an even better year, with films like “Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0” and the best animated film of the year, “Demon Slayer: Mugen Train.” It takes the breathtaking style and ferocity of the “Demon Slayer” anime and adds a greater sense of scale and character to give it an even bigger emotional punch, especially in its final moments.

6. “The Power of the Dog”

It is an uncomfortable experience that you cannot look away from in the best possible way, like a slow-motion car crash. Only this car crash has Benedict Cumberbatch at his slimiest. It is difficult to watch at times, yet it is both thrilling and tense all the way through, like Cumberbatch is a ticking time bomb.

5. “King Richard”

Certainly the most uplifting film of the year, the story of Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, is one of managing ego and pride without ever patronizing anyone. Will Smith gives one of the best performances of the year that allows him to be rawer and more emotional than he’s ever been.

4. “Spider-Man: No Way Home”Part of me didn’t want to put the newest MCU movie on this list, but it is far too entertaining to ignore. What really makes this work so well is that it pays homage to the previous Spider-Man films, evolving familiar villains rather than just referencing them. It feels like the next step of those stories rather than a love letter to them.

3. “Licorice Pizza”

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a romance that is so captivating, charming and comforting than in Paul Thomas Anderson’s return to his roots. Cooper Hoffman and Alana Haim are so genuine and affectionate in their unlikely romance that you immediately get sucked into the story. It blends a wildly entertaining coming-of-age tale with an unforgettable romance and sharp, witty dialogue.

2. “West Side Story”

I went into Steven Spielberg’s remake of ‘West Side Story’ not expecting much and ended up enjoying his version even more than the 1961 film. Nearly every performance is better in this version, the dance numbers are more stunning and better choreographed, and the pacing is considerably better.

1. “The Green Knight”

The most engrossing, beautiful and personal story of the year, ‘The Green Knight’ is a classic Arthurian tale given a gorgeous update. Even though Benedict Cumberbatch and Will Smith gave stunning performances, Dev Patel’s role as King Arthur’s nephew seeking a name for himself is the best performance of the year. And the journey his character goes on, mostly shown through smaller vignettes, is a hauntingly beautiful one. It blends many genres together while taking a 14th century story and breathing new life into it. For me, that makes it the most impressive film of the year.