The 28 Best Movies Of 2021

2020 was going to be a big year for movies. But then, uh, you know...COVID. We still got some good ones via streaming and VOD release—looking at you, Da 5 Bloods, Birds of Prey, and Sound of Metal, to name a few—but many of the biggest and most awaited movies of the year will now help 2021 (hopefully!) double up with cinematic goodness.

We're psyched for all kinds of movies. That could be huge blockbusters like Dune, Shang-Chi or The Suicide Squad, or some smaller independent films—like Zola or The Card Counter—that we want to talk your ear off and make sure you watch, and love, and talk someone else's ear off. That's the whole point of loving movies; if you like one of the huge ones, great, but it can sometimes feel even better to find one flying under the radar that you love, and making sure the whole world knows just how good it is.

Look, it's too early for me to get this excited. It's only the intro, after all. Read on for some of the movies we've already seen and loved, and a ton more that we really cannot wait to see.