Best Movies of 2021: Individual Top Ten Lists

From Dune to The French Dispatch, here are our writers’ Individual Top Ten Lists of the best movies of 2021.


2021 has been such a great year for film fans that every single one of our writers’ individual top ten lists looks completely unique, reflecting a year that has seen the release of Dune, West Side Story, Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time To Die and many more box office hits, but also of great indie gems, groundbreaking Netflix releases and beloved festival favourites. In addition to the definitive list of Loud and Clear’s best movies of 2021, 18 of our staff writers shared their individual favourites, in alphabetical order, to celebrate the wonderfully diverse, excellent movies that have been released this year. Here are 68 films you don’t want to miss.

Please note that our individual top ten lists only include movies that have had their first release somewhere in the world in the year 2021, not counting film festival debuts, and that not all of our critics have been able to see all of this year’s releases.


AARON MURRAY

  1. Pig
  2. Bo Burnham: Inside
  3. Help
  4. Small Engine Repair
  5. Malignant
  6. Judas and the Black Messiah
  7. Nobody
  8. Spencer
  9. The Last Duel
  10. Boiling Point

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists anthony

ANTHONY BOWMER

  1. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
  2. Drive My Car
  3. West Side Story
  4. Old
  5. Evangelion 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time
  6. Malignant
  7. Pig
  8. Memoria
  9. Dune
  10. Annette

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists bethany

BETHANY LOLA

  1. Red Rocket
  2. Petite Maman
  3. Titane
  4. Luca
  5. The French Dispatch
  6. Shiva Baby
  7. Halloween Kills
  8. Judas and the Black Messiah
  9. The Harder They Fall
  10. Raya and the Last Dragon

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists anthony

BRANYAN TOWE

  1. Dune
  2. West Side Story
  3. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  4. Shiva Baby
  5. Licorice Pizza
  6. Spencer
  7. Last Night in Soho
  8. The Suicide Squad
  9. In The Heights
  10. The Matrix Resurrections
loud and clear reviews best movies of 2021 Individual Top ten lists
Best Movies of 2021: Individual Top Ten Lists – Shiva Baby (Courtesy of Indie Memphis Film Festival)

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists anthony

CAMERON FAIRCHILD

  1. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
  2. Memoria
  3. Wife of a Spy
  4. Annette
  5. The Card Counter
  6. Cry Macho
  7. The French Dispatch
  8. Old
  9. Zero and Ones
  10. West Side Story

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists daniel

DANIEL ALLEN

  1. Titane
  2. Censor
  3. Summer of Soul
  4. The Mitchells vs. The Machines
  5. The Power of the Dog
  6. Pig
  7. The Green Knight
  8. Shiva Baby
  9. Judas and the Black Messiah
  10. tick, tick…BOOM!

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists edgar

EDGAR ORTEGA

  1. Dune
  2. The Green Knight
  3. A Quiet Place Part II
  4. Spencer
  5. The Sparks Brothers
  6. Pig
  7. Shiva Baby
  8. In The Heights
  9. The Mitchells vs. The Machines
  10. No Time To Die

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists harry

HARRY SOLOMONS

  1. Judas and the Black Messiah
  2. Bo Burnham: Inside
  3. The French Dispatch
  4. Annette
  5. No Time To Die
  6. Sing, Freetown
  7. The Harder They Fall
  8. Dune
  9. Barb & Star Go To Vista Del Mar
  10. The Mitchells vs. The Machines

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists jack

JACK WALTERS

  1. Spencer
  2. The Green Knight
  3. Bo Burnham: Inside
  4. Dune
  5. The Power of the Dog
  6. Judas and the Black Messiah
  7. Titane
  8. The French Dispatch
  9. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  10. Shiva Baby
loud and clear reviews best movies of 2021 Individual Top ten lists
Best Movies of 2021: Individual Top Ten Lists – Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros. Pictures)

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists jake

JAKE BURBAGE

  1. Drive My Car
  2. Licorice Pizza
  3. C’mon C’mon
  4. The Green Knight
  5. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy
  6. The Power of the Dog
  7. The Humans
  8. Bergman Island
  9. The Velvet Underground
  10. The Souvenir Part II

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists joe collar

JOE COLLAR

  1. Benedetta
  2. Adrienne
  3. Titane
  4. Spencer
  5. Petite Maman
  6. Encounter
  7. Censor
  8. No Time To Die
  9. Last Night in Soho
  10. In the Heights

loud and clear reviews joe

JOSEPH TOMASTIK

  1. Spencer
  2. tick, tick…BOOM!
  3. Last Night in Soho
  4. In the Heights
  5. Dune
  6. Censor
  7. A Quiet Place Part II
  8. The Mitchells vs. The Machines
  9. Judas and the Black Messiah
  10. Candyman

loud and clear reviews  michael

MICHAEL CARVELLI

  1. The Worst Person In The World
  2. The Power of the Dog
  3. The Green Knight
  4. Judas and the Black Messiah
  5. Mass
  6. The Harder They Fall
  7. The Last Duel
  8. tick, tick…BOOM!
  9. The French Dispatch
  10. CODA

loud and clear reviews olivia

OLIVIA SAVAGE

  1. C’mon C’mon
  2. The French Dispatch
  3. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  4. Luca
  5. Dune
loud and clear reviews best movies of 2021 Individual Top ten lists
Best Movies of 2021: Individual Top Ten Lists – Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman in C’mon C’mon (A24)

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists serena

SERENA SEGHEDONI

  1. The Power of the Dog
  2. In The Heights
  3. Last Night in Soho
  4. Bo Burnham: Inside
  5. The Lost Daughter
  6. Spencer
  7. Spider-Man: No Way Home
  8. The Card Counter
  9. Free Guy
  10. Nightmare Alley

loud and clear reviews william

WILLIAM STOTTOR

  1. Petite Maman
  2. Drive My Car
  3. Memoria
  4. Dune
  5. The Power of the Dog
  6. Pig
  7. C’mon C’mon
  8. The Harder They Fall
  9. Bo Burnham: Inside
  10. Little Fish

loud and clear reviews Individual Top ten lists siegel

YEHUDA SIEGEL

  1. Licorice Pizza
  2. The Worst Person in the World
  3. Red Rocket
  4. Parallel Mothers
  5. The Matrix Resurrections
  6. Titane
  7. Luca
  8. C’mon C’mon
  9. Drive My Car
  10. The French Dispatch

ZOE ROSE BRYANT

  1. Licorice Pizza
  2. West Side Story
  3. Dune
  4. Don’t Look Up
  5. Spencer
  6. C’mon C’mon
  7. Belfast
  8. King Richard
  9. CODA
  10. tick, tick…BOOM!
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