2021 Recap: Movies

As part of my recap of 2021 I've decided to recap this years newest releases which I had managed to see during my visits to the cinemas. Please find by rankings down below: 

45. Venom: Let There Be Carnage

It's hard to really put how much I disliked Venom: Let There Be Carnage. I think a lot of my dislike for it comes from just how much damage Sony Pictures has done to Venom as a character in my eyes. Venom to me is this dark embodiment of hate and pain that serves as a nice parallel to Spider-Man. To see him characterised into such a comedic and likeable entity in these films really emphasises how little this studio understands the character and how little they actually care. Let There Be Carnage doesn't just use Venom wrong either, it has a packed cast of great actors and actresses and it wastes them criminally on a abysmal script. The only saving grace is that this movie is thankfully quite short so you don't have to suffer through it for too long.

44. The Nest

To this very day I still struggle to understand what The Nest was really trying to achieve. I remember being enticed by the trailer I saw for this film as it made it look like a subtle horror film about a family slowly being changed and corrupted by this house they were living in. That whole premise was enough to put me in a screening, but instead what I got was a really boring drama movie than uses all of it's runtime to say absolutely nothing. I think that's the worst crime of this film, it does nothing to justify itself existing. All the actors and actresses in it are putting in a damn fine performance but the script and the overall direction of this film is dry and monotonous and ultimately wastes their time as well as yours.

43. The Night House

I think I might have enjoyed The Night House a bit more if it wasn't so misleading in the way it was promoted. Similar to The Nest, the initial impression I got from the trailers for this film was about a sinister horror mystery that build and builds into a demonic climax. Whereas in actual truth the film is a attempt to depict the grief of losing a loved one through unconventional means. I wish I could say I enjoyed the film, as I think some of the direction and performances here were great but I feel the message of the film is lost in the midst of several other plot points the film tries to incorporate into the runtime.

42. Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes is a origin film based in the G,I Joe universe and follows the origins of the titular character as he seeks to gain revenge for his fathers murder by entering the hidden world of Yakuza and Ninja. I honestly found this film to be utterly boring and that is something the other films (despite their very long list of faults) never had an issue with. I found the main performance by Henry Golding to be a notable issue as the man just didn't seem interested to be in the role and that seemed to have a side-impact on everything else in the film. Nothing in this film seems exciting or worth investing time in, even the action scenes were notably dull. 

41. Dear Evan Hansen

Dear Evan Hansen has only one notable element worth praising and that's the songs. The rest of the film is not worth your investment. Even with a star-studded cast I felt this film just was not trying hard enough to be as inspiring as it thought it was being. Plus I genuinely think the plot of this film is truly problematic. I appreciate it's trying to shine a light on mental health and seeing ones worth, but using and manipulating the suicide of a teenager to get to that goal feels disingenuous and muddles the intent of the message in my eyes.

40. Cruella

As far as live action Disney remakes/reboots go, Cruella isn't the worst. I think the performances from everyone in this film, especially Emma Stone and Emma Thompson are fantastic. There's a distinct style to this film visually as well with the set design and the dresses utilised all throughout. I just think the long runtime and underwhelming narrative let's this movie down for me. It's hard to get invested in a plotline which tries to tow the line with an inherently evil character by saying "she's just misunderstood". Cruella De Vil is one of my favourite Disney villains and the film doesn't really do her justice for me.

39. Matrix Resurrections 

There's a line in Matrix Resurrections which makes fun of the meta world of the Matrix by saying Warner Brothers want a sequel to the Matrix trilogy with or without Thomas Anderson's help. That line while being played off comedically, is how I actually feel this film was made. There's little purpose or value to this film, it just feels like a result of a corporate stipulation to pump out another Matrix film. That's not to say it doesn't have some glimmer of value, the first 3rd of the movie is probably the most interesting part with how it plays with the reality of the past three films in this metatextual sense, but that dies away real quickly and the quality of the film just continues to drop straight till the very end.

38. Mortal Kombat

It's still hard to generalise my feelings on Mortal Kombat. I think the universe of MK is rife for a great movie franchise based on how expansive the world of MK is in the games. The film however feels like it was shying away from using much of the lore. It felt like it cherry picked all the best elements of the initial storylines and designed an initial plot around it. What we are given as a result is a film that feels inconsistent and often at times underwhelming. It's main weak link is the original character of Cole Young who feels at odds with the rest of the film and is such a uninteresting character to follow compared to the other characters from the games. The main saving grace is what stuff from the games is here is referenced and used nicely and the action/fight scenes are entertaining to watch.

37. Old

I duped myself with this film and it's my own fault. M. Night Shyamalan being the director is enough of a red flag but I was cautiously optimistic with the concept being presented here. The idea of being trapped in an environment which rapidly ages you and there being no escape, being forced to watch yourself and the people you love quickly wither and decay is such a cool idea. It's just a shame the film this narrative is being told through is filled with the trademarks of every terrible M. Night film. Terrible direction, and writing seems to be what weighed this film down notably. Again it was a star-studded cast on deck but even they couldn't save this film from being all sorts of silly, nauseating and disappointing to endure.

36. Space Jam: A New Legacy

Space Jam: A New Legacy is just a advertising platform for all of Warner Brothers owned properties. That's fundamentally what this is, there's an attempt at a plot with Lebron James and being an overbearing parent to his kid but that is such a cookie cutter implementation I honestly couldn't care less. When the film decided to just say screw it and throw all the references at you with all the jokes you'd expect it's not too bad. Don't get me wrong it is definitely too much and nearly 70% of the jokes fail to hit, but I think as far as films designed to advertise and promote go; I've seen worse.

35. Escape Room: Tournament of Champions 

Escape Room: Tournament of Champions is a good film for like 70% of the runtime and then the rushed and anticlimactic ending drags this movie down for me. I think the idea of making a thriller film with lite-horror elements around the concept of Escape Rooms is a novel idea. Escape Rooms have become popular in modern times and idea of it being a life or death situation to escape adds to the tension. When the cast of the film are actually in the Escape Rooms and figuring things out and trying to avoid dying, it's great and entertaining! It's just a shame every other element of the film feels poorly implemented alongside it. 

34. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

I'm a big fan of the Conjuring films ever since James Wan brought us the very first one back in 2013. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It despite still holding true to the original ideas, and keeping the Warrens as the central focus can't help but be the weakest of the three for me. I think the ideas thrown around in this film feel notably tacked on and don't hit all that well. I can't fault the performance of Patrick Wilson or Vera Farmiga but even they couldn't stop this film from feeling like it was struggling to follow a coherent narrative. Many people note Conjuring 2 as the worst, but I feel that one at least followed one core premise all throughout and kept it simple, this 3rd entry feels disjointed a lot of the time.

33. Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills serves as a direct continuation of the story from the 2018 film, quite literally set on the same night from the prior film.  Despite following straight on though I am sad to say Halloween Kills fails to live up to the momentum and impact of the the 2018 title. My main gripes with this film is the pacing and writing. I feel when it focuses on Michael as a character, it's great. He's imposing and intimidating and his kills are scarily brutal and real. However what I didn't care for is the tedious and cringe-like writing of the Haddonfield mob subplot which takes up way too much time in this film and feels incredibly weak in comparison. It's because of the weaker elements of the film that the better elements can't help save this film from feeling notably disappointing.

32. Free Guy

Free Guy plays with a concept in which it follows an NPC in a video game world as the main character. I think as a plotline for a film, there's a lot more done with the plotline that I expected and if anyone else was cast in the role I'd find it almost overbearing and nauseating however Ryan Reynolds makes it really entertaining to work through. I still think the story is a bit bland and the humour and writing doesn't always work but it's harmless enough and will entertain you moderately in my opinion.

31. Respect

Respect is a biopic film which depicts the early life and rise to stardom of soul singer Aretha Franklin. I found this one to be a very mature and well established film. It doesn't do anything all that different when compared to other biopics but the narrative and acting from the entire cast feels very confident, especially from Jennifer Hudson in the starring role. My only irk with the film was it's runtime, standing at 145 minutes the film does drag a bit in places and it makes the passage of time more notable. 

30. F9

I dipped out of the Fast and Furious films soon after Tokyo Drift so you can imagine my surprise to see how much this franchise has changed when I sat down to watch F9. I think the film is not really interested in telling a honest or captivating narrative but I think once you acknowledge that and accept the film for what it is; silly and mindless fun it's actually not that bad. The car scenes mixed with some of the action set pieces make this film rather fun to watch just for the pure ridiculousness of it all.

29. Out Ladies

Our Ladies is a very funny and endearing coming of age film based around a bunch of Scottish Catholic school girls in the late 90's.  I enjoyed this one quite a bit, I love how well defined and acted all of the girls were in this film, you get a real genuine sense of a long-established relationship between them all. The film is also beautifully directed and edited to reflect the years of change we go through in our teenage years, it tackles a lot of serious topics with maturity yet with a nice mix of comedy.

28. Godzilla vs Kong

Godzilla vs Kong works on delivering exactly what you want in all honesty. I think the overall plot is a bit weak but similar to F9 I think the film is aware of this, but unlike F9 it doesn't try to get you to what you're after all that quickly. Godzilla vs Kong doesn't happen all that often in this film and that is that would have made me rank it lower on the list, but the fact is when they do get on screen and start fighting, I've honestly never been more entertained. Visually the fight scenes are an amazing spectacle to behold and they last for a good amount of time to keep you entertained.

27. People Just Do Nothing: Big in Japan

I've admittingly never seen People Just Do Nothing, I am aware it was a well enjoyed show on BBC 3 but I never sat down to watch it before watching the film. I think what I appreciate about the film is it takes that into account and doesn't go too much into the show's continuity and treats it as a sort of soft-pilot in film form. I love the comedy on display in this film, it quintessentially British and I love the clash of comedy and style as the gang venture to Tokyo, Japan. I love how much the writing takes advantage of the setting and premise, there's such a key focus on the culture behind Japan but is given a lot of the typical British humour alongside it.

26. Herself

Herself is a beautiful and heart-wrenching film about one mothers attempt to build a new home for her daughters to live in. I love how balanced the film is in reflecting some very mature and often at times depressing realities a single mother might face coming out of a abusive relationship while showcasing the pure joy of coming together to build a better future with friends and family who love you. This message is projected beautifully by some great directing from Phyllida Lloyd and by the acting from the Irish cast. 

25. The Many Saints of Newark 

I was a bit apprehensive sitting down to watch The Many Saints of Newark due to the fact it tied in to The Sopranos TV show and I had no history of watching the show. To my surprise however this film works really well in setting up an easy to follow narrative for new viewers while all the same teasing and referencing elements of the show for existing fans. The story covers a very personal story about a young Tony Soprano and his relationship with uncle Dickie Moltisanti throughout the years. I enjoyed the narrative for the film quite a bit, the acting from the star-studded cast was great and it has a lot of grit and brutality which you often expect in these films. It's also done well in making me interested in watching the Sopranos TV show when initially I had no interest.

24. Don't Breathe 2

When I heard about Don't Breath 2 I was a bit apprehensive. The first film was a great thriller/horror experience focusing a enclosed environment and a blind war-veteran who was incredibly intimidating and a capable killer. Don't Breath 2 takes him out of an antagonistic role however and puts him in a protagonist role and I was a bit worried the film was going to ignore all the terrible stuff he committed. In retrospect though I really enjoyed what this film does with the character. It puts him in a much more vulnerable position by defending a relationship between him and a young orphan child as they attempt to defend themselves from a gang of drug dealers. It's a very brutal film in the way the action is established and it doesn't shy away from showing you some of the more gruesome elements. Plus I like that it doesn't ignore what he did in the first film and uses it to further define his character in the movie. 

23. No Time To Die

No Time To Die is an interesting film when compared to the other Craig Bond films. I love how distinct his films were for focusing on a more pragmatic and brutal bond who preferred to use his strength and intelligence as apposed to an array of gadgets and gizmos. No Time To Die feels the furthest from that style of Bond as I feel it tries to pay a lot of tributes to the prior Bond films with it's style and gadgets. On one side, I like how personal this Bond film is and feels very similar to OHMSS by pondering a life for Bond outside of spywork with a family. On the other side, the jarring change of tone and style for the narrative and the nearly 3 hour runtime make this film a weaker entry when compared to Casino Royale or Skyfall.  I will give credit to the acting and direction here though, it's a very competent film despite it's weak theme and Craig puts in an amazing final performance as 007.

22. Candyman

Nia DaCosta's Candyman film is a visually interesting and captivating horror experiences to sit through which sadly falters at the very end. Packed with an amazing cast of black American actors, the film does will it utilising their performance to bring our not just the fantastical horror elements of the Candyman but to also draw on modern day and historical hardships  many people of colour face in America. It uses the legend of the Candyman as a conduit to explore these ideas I appreciate what the film tries to talk about and signpost to it's modern day audience. Despite a really rushed and weak final arc I can't fault this film for much else. The direction in this film is filled with style and substance as well and I love the use of cinematography during the Candyman scenes. 

21. Malignant

When I went to watch Malignant I was expecting a decent clasher horror with James Wan's typical flair for horror imbued all along it. What I got instead was the most bizarre and hilarious plotline I've ever seen in a horror film. To this day I still try to decide if the film intended to be this funny or not, because I honestly love how comedic it can be in a lot of scenes. The big seller form me on this film however was around the final 3rd arc of the movie, it changes things up massively and I just accepted this was gonna be a fun and ridiculous ride and I was here for it all.

20. Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise felt like the next iteration in the Disney action/adventure franchise. It's funny because it's also based on a popular ride from the Disney theme parks, similar to how the Pirates of the Caribbean films originated that way as well. I love the dynamic between The Rock and Emily Blunts characters here and the adventures they go on feel entertaining and visually fun to work through. It's got the same foundational strengths as the POTC films so I'm optimistic about seeing what they do with these films as the years go by.

19. King Richard

King Richard is an incredibly moving film which focuses on Serena and Venus Williams' early life with their father and coach Richard. Williams. It's a great film carried brilliantly through the performance of it's overall cast, but obviously the main standout for me was Will Smith as Richard. He puts on an incredibly layered performance which is filled with so much emotion that I often at times forgot he was playing a character. The narrative does a great job in reflecting the Williams sisters rise to tennis stardom while not shying away from covering the difficulties and struggles they faced in their upbringing. It's a film filled with heart and emotion and I enjoyed watching it thoroughly. 

18. Black Widow

As the first MCU film to release post-pandemic, Black Widow was a solid if slightly underwhelming movie. I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the film, the action scenes are fun and I love the dynamic shared between Natasha and her family. The issue I think I have with the film is it felt a few years too late. I reckon this may have worked out better if it actually came out before Infinity War considering the continuity, also the overall plot and big bad guy felt like your typical MCU bad guy stuff and it was hard to not feel the film was relying on a formula near the end. The best thing to come out of the film through was Florence Pugh as Natasha's sister Yelena. She brings a wonderful new charm to the MCU and she seems the best fit to carry forward the Black Widow mantle.

17. Raya and the Last Dragon

The first of two animated projects released this year by Disney Animation Studios; Raya and the Last Dragon is a beautiful if slightly predictable movie. I love the southeast Asian culture in display in this film and with it being an animated film there's a great sense of colour and fluidity in the way scenes are animated and shot. I also have to give credit to Disney for utilising an all-Asian cast to voice the characters, they do a really good job fleshing these characters out, especially Awkwafina as Sisu. Like I said the only issue I have with the movie is the predictability of the plot, it feels almost akin to a video game narrative in which we explore and world, collect a item and enter the final level. It's not to say the story it's trying to tell is bad, I just think it could have tried to do something a bit different in the set up.

16. Freaky

Freaky was a wonderful surprise for me. Starring Vince Vaughn and Kathryn Newton, the film follows a horror-style retelling of the Freaky Friday narrative. It involves the souls of a serial killer and his young teenage victim being swapped and plays it off in a comedic yet all around gruesome manner you'd expect in a slasher. I love that this film never takes itself all that seriously yet still has a lot of cool and interesting kills to dish out. The acting on display from Vince and Karthryn trying to pretend to be different people is the most entertaining aspect of the movie for me, they hit a lot of comedic bells during their scenes and I really enjoyed my time with this film.

15. The Suicide Squad

The Suicide Squad shows WB know how to make the most of a bad situation. Initially fired from his role as director on Guardians of the Galaxy 3 at Marvel; James Gunn was offered an opportunity to direct the next big instalment in the Suicide Squad franchise and oh boy did he. You get a sense this film was made and filled with all of Gunn's negative energy after the firing but this film is wonderfully mean-spirited in all the funniest ways. I love how Gunn used this movie to give a lot of the more obscure DC villains a platform. The fact we got Polka Dot man and Starro on a big screen is something I will always appreciate. While I don't think all the jokes really land as well as Gunn thinks they would I can't fault the man for getting the essence of Suicide Squad down to utter perfection. The performances from the cast ensemble are great as well, I take special note of Idris Elba and John Cena especially, I'm excited to see what WB/DC do with their characters going forward.

14. The Green Knight

The Green Knight is both a mesmerising yet ultimately confusing film. The thing that captured my attention the most with this film was the visual style. I think the way this film is presented visually is really captivating and almost dream-like. The angles and shots as well as the visual effects used to set up this mystical and magical world of Camelot is Oscar worthy. It's just a shame the overall narrative struggles to be all that coherent to follow. I appreciate it's based on a 14th centaury poem so interpretation would always be difficult yet there were key aspects of the film I found myself truly lost and I think the film had the opportunity to make things a bit clearer while still sticking to the original intent of the poem. If anything the film has a great cast of characters to influence each scene and I hope if anything it makes people pay more attention to Dev Patel who I think is incredible in this.

13. West Side Story

West Side Story was such a fun and visual film to experience. I've always been aware of West Side Story as one of the more iconic musicals Stephen Sondhiem wrote the songs for, but never had the opportunity to watch it until now. Steven Spielberg continues to showcase his directing talent with this movie as each scene is wonderfully constructed and choreographed to perfection and the amount of time and preparation that went into the musical numbers must have been insane. The only slight issue I have with the film is the predictability of it, as I know it's based off of Romeo and Juliet it's easy to expect motifs from that story pop up here. I think everyone puts in a great performance here and they really inhabit their characters brilliantly. The best aspect of the film though is the musical numbers, they are without a doubt some of the best constructed musical numbers I've seen in any film, the range of tone and symphony combined with the dance choreography is worth the price of admission alone.

12. Eternals 

I honestly feel Eternals got a bad wrap. I think it stands as one of the best MCU films we've had in a long time and I will die on that rock. Visually Chloé Zhao has directed the most beautiful Marvel film yet in terms of visual scope and set design. The cast and characters they inhabit all have unique traits and characteristics that help tie them together as a disjointed family. The story the film inhabits too feels very interesting. We've never seen Marvel go into the idea of gods and celestials before and to see the concept played around with on a big screen with Zhao directing it I felt compelled to follow the weave this film was spinning. The only issue I will concur on is the pacing, I feel the film struggles to justify it's 2 and half hour runtime and probably could have done with some better edits.  I will still defend this film though, in a world where everyone's doing the same type of film here we have MCU trying to do something different and I'll always support that.

11. The French Dispatch

The French Dispatch is the next film from Wes Anderson and it's filled with his typical flair and style. Rather than being a core storyline like The Grand Budapest Hotel, the movie follows a set of stories presented in the form of articles in a newspaper called The French Dispatch. The anthology style approach to the film is a nice change of pace, even if admittingly I felt some stories were weaker compared to others. Where the film can't be faulted though the direction and style, Wes Anderson nails a truly unique style that I'd argue would be very difficult to emulate with anyone else and it's what draws me into his films the most. I also love how he pulls in a lot of big name actors into his films and fits them into funny and quirky characters. 

10. Luca

I still think it's a damn crime Disney didn't release this film in theatres. I understand they probably needed some exclusive properties to make the Disney + streaming service more appealing, but to rob me the chance of seeing this film on a big screen is heart-breaking. Luca has to be one of the most idyllic and tranquil Pixar films I've seen in a while. The way the film uses an almost water colour-like visual style to embody the natural beauty of Italy and it's coastline is mesmerising. I also really appreciated the narrative not being too high stakes this time around as it made for a nice change of pace. The idea that it's just about a friendship blooming between people who are different and learning to embrace that difference and finding people who accept it, it's a wonderfully subtle yet much needed message for the modern world to take on board. 

9. A Quiet Place: Part 2

A Quiet Place Part 2 is a great continuation of the storyline John Krasinski set up in the initial film.  I think this film is fantastic, it's presented in a really captivating fashion with the camera work and I love how it showed the origins of the aliens in a past-tense opening scene. The acting from everyone in this film was great too, I felt the family dynamic was really strong here and the kid actors are easily my favourite. Overall, A Quiet Place Part 2 continues to showcase the best aspects of the original film all the while presenting new situations and concepts to to carry it forward into a potential sequel.

8. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Ghostbusters: Afterlife was a way better movie than I ever expected it to be. On my initial viewing of the trailers I assumed it would be a cookie cutter attempt to implement Stranger Things into a Ghostbusters setting and while we got some aspect of that, it was no way cookie cutter. This film felt like a genuine love letter to the original Ghostbusters, it pays great homage to key characters and iconic items all the while telling an funny and often at times emotional story. While I loved the acting from everyone in this film I have to give major credit to Mckenna Grace who is the major standout as Phoebe, she has such a talent and at such a young age too.

7. In The Heights

In The Heights felt like a living embodiment of summer time joy for me. Lin Manuel Miranda is doing his usual thing and recreating one of his best musicals on the big screen with a packed cast and even more packed songs! I really can't understate how good the songs in this film are, nearly every single track is a legitimate hit and I listen to the track list over and over to this very day. I also take special note of the visual style and tone of this movie. It paints a wonderful picture of Washington Heights and the cultures that inhabit it in all their pride and joy. 

6. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Marvel are on top form this year when it comes to setting up new and interesting characters. Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is another great entry into the MCU.  Starring a predominately all-Asian cast, the story of Shang Chi is one of personal stakes and emotion. I loved the narrative at play in this film, it plays with the idea of heritage and expectation in a way that feels both emotional and incredibly relatable. The acting from everyone here is great and I can't wait to see Simu Liu make more appearances in the MCU as Shang Chi. The best element of the movie for me however were the fight scenes, these were expertly shot and choreographed and they stole the show when it came to capturing my attention. This is what happens when MCU banks into new ideas and concepts and I really can't wait to see this trend continue.

5. Encanto

I loved Encanto! What a genuine breath of beautifully coloured fresh air this film was. Filled to the brim with Lin Manuel Miranda's perfect lyrics and musical tones this film tells a wonderful story about family and the expectations within it. I loved the performances being given here by the cast, they all inhabit the roles of their characters with such charm and passion. I like the idea being played with that Mirabel is the only person in her family without magical gifts and how the film uses that as a contrast to talk about relevant family topics while still presenting a fresh and wonderfully original concept through animated form.

4. The Mitchells Vs The Machines

Mitchells vs the Machines just exemplifies why Sony Pictures Animation are giving Disney and Pixar a real run for their money in the animated film field. I love the animation style in this film, it feels inherently original and emotive in a funny and quirky sense. The amount of visual gags this film can fit on one shot is insane and the rapid speed of sequences just shows Sony is on another level in this field. I think there's a lot of merit to the narrative too, created by Mike Rianda and Jeff Rowe of Gravity Falls fame, the film never ever stops being funny yet it also has the ability to be emotional and endearing in all the best ways. It's the best animated film of the year for me.

3. Last Night in Soho

Edgar Wright is a magician when it comes to film. I don't think I've ever disliked any of the films he's made and that's not going to change with his latest. Last Night in Soho is a wonderfully filmed and written production. It uses perspective and visual cues in all the best ways and tackles the idea of nostalgia in gritty and realistic fashion. As expected with Wright there are so many amazing shots and sequences which feel almost impossible to imagine being filmed. It was a experience to sit through the film and ponder on the narrative to the very end  and in typical fashion Edgar always keeps surprising you. I want to give special credit to the late great Diana Rigg who put in her final performance in this film before her sad passing. She was fantastic in the supporting role along with the remainder of this great cast.

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Spider-Man: No Way Home stands as one of my favourite films of the year, and my favourite MCU film so far. I've always been a big fan of Spider-Man since I was a kid and I've loved all the iterations from TV, Film and Video Game. Spider-Man No Way Home takes all that love and adoration I had for the web-head ever since I was a kid and pays great respect to it, all the while setting up a new landscape for Tom Holland's Spider-Man going forward. I honestly can't stop thinking  about how good this film was, it's filled to the brim with love and attention for the core principles of Spider-Man and the way it pits these familiar foes from prior films against him in a new and relevant way is all the most appreciative. I honestly can't explain how much it meant to see Alfred Molina and Willem Dafoe return back to their roles after so long and act as though they never lost a single beat. Dafoe in particular was the MVP of the villain ensemble for me, the way he ruled the role here stands to show how amazing the man is an actor, even going so far to do his own stunts! 

1. Dune

It was a tough call to decide between Dune or No Way Home for my favourite film of 2021. Where I think Dune beats No Way Home though is in the fact it felt like something truly new and never before experienced. Sitting in my seat and watching Dune on the big screen for the first time honestly took my breath away. I was witnessing a franchise bloom in pure confidence and pride in how original a concept it  was. The story of Dune feels compelling all on it's own, but putting Denis Villeneuve  behind it was the cherry on top of this beautifully spicy cake. The man makes films that are designed to be watched in cinema. The angles, the imagery, the depth of a scene and the way it can be presented are all down to the man's ability to capture a unique vision. That is what Dune is, it's a unique vision from the mind of a man who has nothing but respect for the books and wants to bring them to life in the most respectful way possible. Everything in this film, the acting, the set design , the visual effects and pacing all just mesh together to define the experience Villeneuve is trying to take us on. All roads lead into the desert as Paul Atreides once said, and the road this franchise is planning on taking me on is one I will walk with glad tidings.