The Top 20 Films of 2021, Readjusted
As the soft, gooey center in a trio of years marking a global pandemic, 2021 was a rough year for the movies. Still, as we do every year here at Flickchart, last January we presented the then-current Top 20 Films of 2021, as determined by the rankings of our users. As time marches on, these rankings evolve as more users see more movies and make more rankings. How have fourteen months’ worth of new rankings affected this list? Read on to find out.
One caveat: With the Marvel Cinematic Universe expanding into television, 2021 marked the first year since we started making these lists with 2016 that the Top 20 list included miniseries, which are usually rankable on Flickchart. For the purposes of that list, we left them out to focus on feature films. A year later there is only one miniseries on the list, and rather than leave it off we’ll expand the list to 21 so we can give this well-regarded miniseries its due.
21. West Side Story
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Directed by Steven Spielberg
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Global Rank: #3,251
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New to the Top 21
This musical remake was a Best Picture Oscar nominee, and Best Supporting Actress winner for Ariana DeBose. DeBose appeared in the final season of Westworld in 2022, and will play Marvel character Calypso in the upcoming Kraven the Hunter, based on the Spider-Man villain. Director Steven Spielberg has made back-to-back Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominations with The Fabelmans, and is next turning his attention to a film starring Bradley Cooper, based on the Frank Bullitt character originally played by Steve McQueen.
20. Drive My Car
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Directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi
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Global Rank: #3,181
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New to the Top 20
A Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nominee, Drive My Car took home the prize for Best International Feature Film. Director Hamaguchi’s next film, currently titled Our Apprenticeship, is in pre-production.
19. Last Night in Soho
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Directed by Edgar Wright
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Global Rank: #3,106
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Rank in January 2022: #16
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Global Rank in January 2022: #5,132
Thomasin McKenzie appeared in the BBC series Life After Life in 2022, and plays the title character in director William Oldroyd’s Eileen, which was released in January. Anya Taylor-Joy served up performances in Mark Mylod’s The Menu and David O. Russell’s Amsterdam in 2022, lends her voice to The Super Mario Bros. Movie in 2023, and has finished shooting her title role in Furiosa, George Miller’s prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, due in 2024. Edgar Wright is currently in development on a remake of The Running Man.
18. The Worst Person in the World
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Directed by Joachim Trier
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Global Rank: #3,104
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New to the Top 20
A nominee for Best International Feature Film, The Worst Person in the World also received a nod for Best Original Screenplay. No word yet on director Joachim Trier’s next project.
17. Luca
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Directed by Enrico Casarosa
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Global Rank: #3,101
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Rank in January 2022: #8
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Global Rank in January 2022: #3,766
Pixar Animation Studios’ 24th feature film was another Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee, and was followed in 2022 by Turning Red (currently up for that same Oscar) and Lightyear. This year, the studio drops Elemental in June.
16. The Last Duel
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Directed by Ridley Scott
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Global Rank: #3,062
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New to the Top 20
Matt Damon is part of two big biopics in 2023, Ben Affleck’s Air, and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Adam Driver starred in Noah Baumbach’s White Noise in 2022, and is currently entering theaters with the sci-fi action thriller 65. Jodie Comer starred in the fourth and final season of AMC’s Killing Eve in 2022, and will next appear opposite Austin Butler and Tom Hardy in The Bikeriders, and Benedict Cumberbatch in The End We Start From. Insanely hard-working octogenarian Ridley Scott is in post-production on Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix, pre-production on a sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner, Gladiator, and development on an as-yet-untitled Alien prequel.
15. Encanto
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Directed by Jared Bush, Byron Howard and Charise Castro Smith
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Global Rank: #3,043
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Last Year’s Rank: #20
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #6,330
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 60th animated feature film won the Oscar for Best Animated Film, and was nominated for Best Score and Best Original Song. The studio released Strange World in 2022, and will drop Wish in November, which will be the first hand-drawn Disney animated feature since Winnie-the-Pooh in 2011.
14. WandaVision
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Directed by Matt Shakman
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Global Rank: #2,997
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Rank in January 2022: Excluded from the list, but was #9
WandaVision was the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first foray into television, and has been followed by several since, the most recent of which was She-Hulk: Attorney at Law. Next up are Secret Invasion and a second season for Loki. Meanwhile, director Matt Shakman was, for a time, attached to a potential new Star Trek movie, but is now set to helm Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four.
13. Judas and the Black Messiah
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Directed by Shaka King
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Global Rank: #2,784
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Rank in January 2022: #6
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Global Rank in January 2022: #3,187
LaKeith Stanfield starred in the final season of Hulu’s Atlanta in 2022, and in 2023 will appear in The Book of Clarence and Disney’s Haunted Mansion. Hot off his Best Supporting Actor win for Judas, Daniel Kaluuya reunited with his Get Out director, Jordan Peele, for Nope in 2022, and will lend his voice to Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse this year. No word yet on Shaka King’s next directorial project.
12. The Green Knight
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Directed by David Lowery
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Global Rank: #2,782
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Rank in January 2022: #12
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Global Rank in January 2022: #4,134
Having previously helmed the studio’s live-action remake of Pete’s Dragon, David Lowery directs Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy in 2023. Dev Patel will next appear in Wes Anderson’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar.
11. Nobody
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Directed by Ilya Naishuller
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Global Rank: #2,761
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Rank in January 2022: #10
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Global Rank in January 2022: #4,048
Bob Odenkirk completed his run as Jimmy McGill on the wildly acclaimed Better Call Saul in 2022. This year, he stars in Life Upside Down, which released in January, and the AMC series Lucky Hank. Ilya Naishuller directed an episode of Karamora in 2022, but there’s no word yet on his next project.
10. No Time to Die
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Directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga
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Global Rank: #2,596
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Rank in January 2022: #5
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Global Rank in January 2022: #3,032
Producers are taking their time finding the actor who will succeed Daniel Craig as iconic superspy James Bond. In the meantime, Craig re-teamed with his Knives Out director, Rian Johnson, for Glass Onion. A third Benoit Blanc film is in development. Ana de Armas has garnered her first Oscar nomination as Best Actress for Blonde, and Rami Malek will appear in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer this year. Cary Joji Fukunaga has directed several episodes of the upcoming miniseries Masters of the Air.
9. The Mitchells vs. the Machines
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Directed by Michael Rianda and Jeff Rowe
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Global Rank: #2,578
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Last Year’s Rank: #9
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #3,982
The Mitchells vs. the Machines was a Best Animated Feature Oscar nominee for Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation. Netflix has another nominee currently with Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, and Sony drops Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse this year.
8. CODA
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Directed by Sian Heder
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Global Rank: #2,540
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New to the Top 20
As the Oscar winner for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for deaf actor Troy Kotsur, CODA‘s profile rose immensely, helping it climb the global Flickchart significantly. Kotsur will next appear in Flash Before the Bang, currently in pre-production. No word on Sian Heder’s next directorial effort, but as a writer and producer, she contributed to the second season of the Apple TV series Little America in 2022.
7. The French Dispatch
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Directed by Wes Anderson
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Global Rank: #2,419
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Rank in January 2022: #13
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Global Rank in January 2022: #4,603
Wes Anderson fans, rejoice. The director has two films coming in 2023: Asteroid City, starring Margot Robbie and Tom Hanks, and The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, an adaptation of the book by Roald Dahl, starring Ralph Fiennes and Benedict Cumberbatch.
6. Zack Snyder’s Justice League
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Directed by Zack Snyder
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Global Rank: #2,310
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Rank in January 2022: #11
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Global Rank in January 2022: #4,198
This cap on the trilogy that began with Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice now more accurately represents Zack Snyder’s vision, a vision of a DC universe that is now coming to an end as Warner Bros. restructures their superhero content. Meanwhile, Snyder’s next project, Rebel Moon, is a sprawling space opera so big, Netflix is splitting it into two parts.
5. Licorice Pizza
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Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
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Global Rank: #2,228
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New to the Top 20
The highest-ranked debut on our list since last year, Licorice Pizza was a three-time Oscar nominee: Best Picture, and Best Director and Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson. No word yet on his next film, however.
4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
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Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
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Global Rank: #1,996
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Rank in January 2022: #3
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Global Rank in January 2022: #2,118
Destin Daniel Cretton has thrown his lot in with Disney and Marvel, contributing to the forthcoming series American Born Chinese and Wonder Man, the latter being part of the MCU. He has also landed the plum assignment of directing the next big Avengers team-up film, The Kang Dynasty. Simu Liu will appear in One True Loves, Simulant and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in 2023, while Awkwafina will appear opposite Nicolas Cage’s Dracula in Renfield, and lend her voice to Scuttle the seagull in Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid remake.
3. The Suicide Squad
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Directed by James Gunn
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Global Rank: #1,326
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Rank in January 2022: #4
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Global Rank in January 2022: #2,150
James Gunn has famously taken over as the new co-head of DC Studios, but first, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 drops this year for their competition, Marvel. These days, Margot Robbie is one of the hottest leading ladies in Hollywood, appearing in David O. Russell’s Amsterdam and Damien Chazelle’s Babylon in 2022, and Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie in 2023. Idris Elba is poised to reprise his role from the BBC television series Luther in Luther: The Fallen Sun, hitting Netflix on March 10.
2. Dune
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Directed by Denis Villeneuve
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Global Rank: #816
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Rank in January 2022: #2
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Global Rank in January 2022: #1,106
Timothée Chalamet’s star continues to rise. After Dune, he appeared in Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up and reunited with his Call Me By Your Name director, Luca Guadagnino, for the cannibal romance Bones and All. This year, he takes on the title role in Wonka, from Paddington director Paul King, and, yes, teams up again with director Denis Villeneuve for Dune: Part Two.
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
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Directed by Jon Watts
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Global Rank: #477
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Rank in January 2022: #1
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Global Rank in January 2022: #1,028
Widely considered the brightest spot of the uneven Phase Four of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, No Way Home left fans wondering when a Spider-Man (or three) will be returning to the big screen. This year, the world’s biggest franchise unleashes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and The Marvels. Meanwhile, Sony retains its stranglehold on the Spider-Man IP by releasing Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse and Kraven the Hunter this year.
The Fallen
These movies have been kicked out of the Top 20 (well, Top 21) since last January. Here, I will also mention the miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which was purposely left off of our list last year, but was clocking in at #20. It has now fallen to #36.
Black Widow
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Directed by Cate Shortland
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Was: #7
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Now: #25
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Global Rank: #3,726
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #3,266
Free Guy
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Directed by Shawn Levy
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Was: #14
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Now: #28
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Global Rank: #4,027
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #4,421
Raya and the Last Dragon
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Directed by Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs & John Ripa
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Was: #15
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Now: #32
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Global Rank: #4,781
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #4,729
In the Heights
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Directed by Jon M. Chu
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Was: #17
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Now: #30
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Global Rank: #4,717
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #5,190
Bo Burnham: Inside
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Directed by Bo Burnham
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Was: #18
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Now: #27
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Global Rank: #3,903
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #6,302
Godzilla vs. Kong
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Directed by Adam Wingard
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Was: #19
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Now: #43
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Global Rank: #6,839
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Last Year’s Global Rank: #6,633
The Best of the Rest
Andrew Garfield in Tick, Tick…Boom!
Looking to catch up on some more of best 2021 had to offer? Here are the rest of the current Top 40 films of the year.
22. Tick, Tick…Boom! (Directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda)
23. Pig (Directed by Michael Sarnoski)
24. The Power of the Dog (Directed by Jane Campion)
25. Black Widow (Directed by Cate Shortland)
26. Nightmare Alley (Directed by Guillermo del Toro)
27. Bo Burnham: Inside (Directed by Bo Burnham)
28. Free Guy (Directed by Shawn Levy)
29. Ghostbusters: Afterlife (Directed by Jason Reitman)
30. In the Heights (Directed by Jon M. Chu)
31. Don’t Look Up (Directed by Adam McKay)
32. Raya and the Last Dragon (Directed by Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs & John Ripa)
33. Belfast (Directed by Kenneth Branagh)
34. Hawkeye (miniseries) (Directed by Bert & Bertie, and Rhys Thomas)
35. King Richard (Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green)
36. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (miniseries) (Directed by Kari Skogland)
37. The Black Phone (Directed by Scott Derrickson)
38. The Tragedy of Macbeth (Directed by Joel Coen)
39. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp)
40. Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) (Directed by Questlove)
