Check out our favourite films of 2021 below:

10. The Suicide Squad

James Gunn made his return to the big screen with the wild and crazy supervillain rollercoaster of a movie with The Suicide Squad. And this was pure comic book pulp at its best. R-rated and totally over-the-top, Gunn was like a kid in a candy store as he took his favourite most despicable, and sometimes useless DC supervillains, and threw them into a do or die mission to save the world. The Suicide Squad was loud and in-your-face cinematic fun and audiences were sure to get a kick out of it.

9. Jungle Cruise

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt took a trip into the Amazon jungle and this was one wild ride down the river! With terrific swashbuckling flair and moments of spot-on humour, Jungle Cruise was an enjoyable watch through and through. Johnson and Blunt had perfect chemistry together and you couldn’t help but fall in love with these two fantastic characters. Frank and Lilly were a terrific match on-screen and they certainly got involved in one hell of rush that was blockbuster fun at its best.

8. West Side Story

When you want that special feeling of the movies you only need to turn to movie legend Steven Spielberg and he delivered a stunning cinematic event to the big screen with West Side Story. Big, bold, colourful and bright, West Side Story was an incredible piece of cinema that was brought to life with the power of the famed stage show and translated onto the canvas of the movie screen like never before. This was a story to escape into and it truly got you in your groove thanks to a wonderful combination of performance, choreography and music, and made the movie theatre a very magical place once more.

7. Land

Filmmaker and performer Robin Wright took audiences out into the grand wilds of a still uncharted America in Land, and this film presented an intimate and meditative picture of life, love and loss. And it was sure to touch your soul. Using images and performance over dialogue and words, Wright showcased the feral beauty of a still untamed landscape and the consequences that happen when one encroaches on it. As her character Edee Holzer learn to live with the landscape she soon became one with it and a beautiful story of rebirth and renewal unfolded before the audience. Land was an absolute beauty of a picture and for those who witnessed it, it was certain to stay with them.

6. I Care A Lot

Rosamund Pike brought a cold, calculating and truely psychopathic quality to shady legal guardian Marla Grayson in the sharply original dramatic thriller I Care A Lot….and this one certainly cut deep. Frame by frame, minute by minute you had no idea where this crazy thriller was going to turn to next and as it moved quicker and quicker the tension only ramped up and the shocking final moment hit with the force of a 367 Magnum! This was cinematic originality as I’ve never seen before and I was hooked from the very first moment.

5. Spider-Man: No Way Home

The Multiverse has arrived and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man jumped headfirst into the web-spinning fun of it all with Spider-Man: No Way Home. And there were plenty of ‘Oh My God’ moments in this superhero extravaganza! Packing together action and narrative all in one, long time Marvel fans were treated to some very cool treats thanks to director Jon Watts unique narrative and this was a cinematic experience that truly fed the fanboy or fangirl in all of us. Audiences of all ages were sure to love what was delivered in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the result was pure fun at the movies.

4. Cruella

Fashionistas beware because Emma Stone was about to smash the catwalk with the high energy, rock edge of Cruella. Stepping into the devilishly decadent couture stylings of the infamous Cruella de Vil, Stone showcased the origins behind the madness and mania of one of Walt Disney Pictures greatest ever villains and Cruella was one wild time out at the movies. Feeding off the rebel, rock n’roll energy of the 1970s, Cruella was a hell of a lot of fiendish fun and there were plenty of bold moments to make you sit up and say WOW! Gorgeous to look at, and entertaining through and through you certainly weren’t going to forget the rush of Cruella and the devil was certainly given her due.

3. Wrath of Man

Tough guy director Guy Ritchie returned to the big screen with a vengeance with an action film of pure Old Testament vengeance with Wrath of Man. And this one hit with the strength of an M4 on full auto! Jason Statham was in pure beast mode as the mysterious ‘H’, a security cash truck driver who was not all he claimed to be and who had one hell of a grudge to settle. And the result was pure chaos. Wrath of Man was packed full of testosterone and kept you guessing the whole way through and it was a great pleasure to see Ritchie and Statham back together and the result was a piece of classic action cinema. Wrath of Man was not for the faint of heart, but damn did it hit hard.

2. The Last Duel

Maestro filmmaker Sir Ridley Scott took audiences back to the steel and fire of the Middle Ages with The Last Duel, an extraordinary historical story of truth and justice and this was a cinematic event for the ages. Telling the true story of the quest of the Lady Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer) for divine justice and the battle that her husband Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) would fight with his sworn enemy Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), this was a once in a lifetime cinematic event. Damon, Driver and Ben Affleck were all truly exceptional in their parts, but the success of this movie belongs to Jodie Comer who gave a fiery and passionate performance and would not quit until she saw justice done. Bold and mighty, The Last Duel was an impressive and powerful watch and is far and away one of the best films I can claim to have ever seen.

1. No Time To Die

After a long wait, we finally saw the swan song from Daniel Craig as he once again donned a tuxedo and stepped into an Aston Martin for his final performance as secret agent 007 James Bond in No Time To Die. And this blockbuster cinematic event was nothing short of extraordinary. Operatic and dashing, No Time To Die was a film of pure energy and character and had the flavour of the ultimate Bond film as Bond raced against the clock to save the world from a dangerous and unhinged new villain. Craig was in his element as Bond and brought a complete full circle to his performance as the debonair spy in this energetic and pulse-pounding action thriller and damn was it a fine watch. No Time To Die was a fantastic experience in the cinema and audiences sure got their adrenaline fix with this one. It was just magnificent on every single level and a very worthy choice for the best film of the year.

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For the first time in the cinematic history of Spider-Man (Tom Holland), our friendly neighborhood hero is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life from the high-stakes of being a Super Hero. When he asks for help from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

Spiderman: No Way Home is the epic superhero movie 2021 needs. The wise words of Uncle Ben echo “with great power, comes great responsibility” and boy does it ever! This film packs a punch and is the ultimate nostalgic nod to the heritage of Spider-Man. This is sure to have audiences frothing at the mouth as we see the re-emergence of The Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe), Doctor Octopus (Alfred Molina), Sandman (Thomas Hayden Church), Electro (Jamie Foxx) and The Lizard (Rhys Ifans). Could Spidey’s nightmare get any worse?! Worlds collide as the multiverse is cracked open. Prepare yourself for mind-bending special effects, a trip through the mirror dimension and back-breaking stunts. The classics are certainly brought back in this script with plenty of clever one-liners, humour for good measure, and a few epic twists that are sure to excite fans.

Director Jon Watts returns to complete the trilogy he started back with Spider-Man: Homecoming back in 2017 and this final film in his trilogy of works is an undeniable one of a kind movie experience. Since day one, Watts has been incredibly open for his love and admiration of the Spider-Man character and his work on Spider-Man: No Way Home is a perfect love letter to Marvel’s most famous superhero. Watts truly makes this a film for the fans and whether you’re young or old you’re sure to be in heaven with this new film as he takes audiences on a fantastically fun superhero ride that has that quintessential movie escapism about it and which delivers a good serving of heart to audiences everywhere. While not to tread into spoiler territory, Watts has crafted a film that will leave Spider-Man fans SMILING and there are plenty of moments that will send the whole audience into spontaneous applause.

Tom Holland once again returns as the endearing Peter Parker/Spider-Man and his life as a superhero has certainly been turned upside down. Looking for some way back to normal he un-intentionally opens up the multiverse and that’s where things get very interesting for Parker. While he’s still the happy-go-lucky, all-American character that we’ve come to expect, Holland takes a leap into the dramatic this time as Peter and the scope and complexity of director Jon Watts story certainly tests him as an actor. Holland wrestles with plenty of big emotions and there are some serious lessons for him to undergo this time around as this film once again confirms why he’s the perfect Spider-Man for this generation.

Joining Holland this time around is Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange, the Master of the Mystic Arts and his presence certainly takes the action up a whole new level into the cosmic. Where Tony Stark was the father figure, Quentin Beck was the cool uncle and Nick Fury was the mean step-dad, Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange is the almost un-co-operative colleague, who doesn’t really jump at the chance to help out Spider-Man, but chips in cause he feels he owes him. It’s so much fun to see Cumberbatch back in action again as Strange and he certainly slings plenty of magic this time. Cumberbatch and Holland also have a great sense of back and forth banter between one another and his presence certainly raises the stakes of Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Watts goes big this time with the action, stunt work and visual effects and the presence of five new adversaries for Spider-Man to battle this time around, with all of them not of his world, certainly pulls your attention in every direction as an audience member. And this is just straight-up popcorn fun. Watts clearly has a sense of fun in dreaming up all of these dynamic battles and it’s fun to see the spider-suit pushed to the limit as each new villain brings a new challenge for Peter to deal with. Costume designer Sanja Milkovic Hays has done a terrific job adapting several different Spider-suits for Spider-Man: No Way Home and she presents a unique eye for creativity and I’m certain that every kid this Christmas will want to be dressed like Spider-Man again.

When discussing Spider-Man: No Way Home I also want to address the presence of the Multiverse and make no mistake its inclusion in the film leads to ALL KINDS OF AWESOME. While I can’t go into too much detail without running the risk of spoilers I will say that the concept of the Multiverse is completely eye-opening here in Spider-Man: No Way Home and the audience was literally hollering in delight with what this narrative concept delivered up. Trust me when I say that the Multiverse is just straight-up cool, and it certainly tests Tom Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man to the limit. Watts revels in the creativity, possibility and nostalgia that such a concept allows him to address and whether you’re new to Spider-Man or a long time veteran fan of the character you’ll be very pleased with what’s on offer in Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Spider-Man: No Way Home is the film that 2021 needs and deserves. It’s fun, light-hearted, nostalgic, action-packed, dramatic, exciting and plays to the power of the movies and why audiences sit together as a group to watch them. This is a film delivered with so much love and it’s a true gift of passion delivered to the audience who loves this character. Young and old will love this film in equal measure and there’s never been a more important portrait of everyone’s favourite web-slinger. All we can say is WOW…JUST WOW!

Image: Sony Pictures

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