Many movie fans like to keep up with the latest and greatest films. A trip through the Oscar nominees is a common way to do that. But what about the best films of the year so far? 2021 has almost four months under its belt, and there are already many movies that true movie fans need to see.
This article will use movies with theatrical or straight-t0-streaming releases in 2021. If a movie didn't have a wide release in 2020, but only festival screenings, it will count here as a 2021 movie. IMDb requires 25,000 votes for a movie to be in its Top 250, but this article will require only 10,000. The year is still young, after all. Ties will be broken by the number of votes.
10 The White Tiger - 7.1 (Available on Netflix)
The White Tiger was directed by Ramin Bahrani, based on the 2008 novel by Aravind Adiga. It tells the story of Balram, who goes from being a poor child to being an entrepreneur. Along the way, he tries to work his way up by driving for the son of the rich landlord who controlled his village as a child.
Adarsh Gorav plays Ramin, with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao in supporting roles. Ramin Bahrani's script earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
9 The Dig - 7.1 (Available on Netflix)
John Preston's 2007 novel is the basis for Simon Stone's The Dig. In the film, Carey Mulligan plays a woman who has the burial mounds on her land looked at by an archaeologist, played by Ralph Fiennes. The film also features Lily James and Ken Stott.
Ellie Wood got the rights to the novel in 2006, a year before it was released. It wasn't until 2018 that the film went into production. Nicole Kidman was originally attached, with Carey Mulligan taking over her role. Fiennes, however, was attached back to 2018. The film was released on Netflix in January.
8 Palmer - 7.3 (Available on Apple TV)
Palmer is an Apple TV original movie, directed by Fisher Stevens. Justin Timberlake features as the title character, who re-enters society after 12 years in prison. Palmer ends up becoming the guardian of Sam, a young boy who lives next door to his grandmother.
Palmer was Apple TV's second-biggest film debut, after only Greyhound. As with many recent films, the rights were picked up by a streaming service during the theater shutdowns.
7 The Mauritanian - 7.4 (Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video)
The Mauritanian tells the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a man imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay without any proof or charges. His case is taken on by defense attorney Nancy Hollander, who discovers how many injustices have been done against Slahi. Slahi eventually wrote a book about his experiences, upon which the movie is based.
Tahar Rahim and Jodie Foster star as Slahi and Hollander, respectively. Both received rave reviews for their performances. Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Zachary Levi co-star in the movie.
6 Raya and the Last Dragon - 7.4 (Available on Disney+)
Raya and the Last Dragon is the 59th feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Raya is the 13th official Disney Princess, played by Kelly Marie Tran. In the film, Raya seeks a dragon named Sisu, with hopes of finding the pieces of the Dragon Orb. Only with the Orb can Raya restore her father and countless others that have been turned to stone.
Originally set for a November 2020 release, Raya was one of many films pushed back because of the global health pandemic. Following the live-action Mulan, Raya was the second film to go straight to Disney Plus for a premium fee. Don Hall directed Raya as his fourth animated feature for Disney, joined by Carlos Lopez Estrada in his first transition from live-action to animation.
5 Nobody - 7.5 (Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video)
Nobody stars Bob Odenkirk as a former assassin, and it was directed by Ilya Naishuller with a script from John Wick writer Derek Kolstad. Like other films on this list, it saw a number of release date changes. Originally set for August 2020, the film had no less than five release date changes before releasing in March.
The potential has been left open for Nobody to crossover with John Wick, consider the involvement of Kolstad and producer David Leitch. This isn't the only possible connection to that franchise, as Atomic Blonde has also been considered for a crossover. John Wick 4 and 5 and spin-off film Ballerina are also planned.
4 Judas and the Black Messiah - 7.6 (Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video)
As with The White Tiger and The Mauritanian, Judas and the Black Messiah is a 2021 film that qualifies for the 93rd Academy Awards. In a normal year, the films eligible would have to have been released between January 1st and December 31st of 2020. Due to the circumstances of the health pandemic, eligibility was extended to the end of February. The film tells the true story of Chairman Fred Hampton of the Black Panther Party, and the infiltration of the Party by William O'Neal on behalf of the FBI.
The film has been a great success, being nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. LaKeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya have received many honors for their performances, and both were nominated for Best Supporting Actor. The Academy's decision to have Stanfield in the Supporting category was confusing to some, as he is the lead of the film.
3 Zack Snyder's Justice League - 8.1 (Available on HBO Max)
It was a movie whose release was in question, and even its existence was too. After Warner Bros. released a chopped-up version of Justice League in 2017, complete with many rewrites and reshot scenes from Joss Whedon, fans began to demand the real version of the film. Many debated whether Zack Snyder had even shot all of his film, while Snyder himself insisted he did. A movement taking around two-and-a-half years finally got Snyder his chance to finish his vision. Snyder has been very grateful to fans and has condemned any toxic fandom while also thanking fans who raised money for suicide awareness.
Zack Snyder's Justice League was no mere director's cut. It was as different a film as could be from Whedon's cut. The film is twice as long, has a lot more character development, and treats the characters with a lot more respect. It also restores three characters of color removed from the theatrical cut; Iris West, Elinore Stone, and Ryan Choi. Perhaps the film's most notable change is the vastly expanded role for Ray Fisher as Cyborg, who Zack Snyder called "the heart" of his film.
2 The Father - 8.3 (Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video)
The Father was directed by Florian Zeller, based on his play of the same name. It takes a very serious look at dementia, with the entire movie being from the perspective of a man who has it. The viewer experiences the story with the main character, as he remembers events out of order. Some characters even appear different in various scenes, with some uncertainty as to who the real versions of the characters are.
The performances of Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman have been widely celebrated, with both receiving Oscar nominations. The film also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It's currently ranked 129th on IMDb's Top 250 of all-time.
1 Drishyam 2 - 8.7 (Available on Amazon Prime Video)
Drishyam 2 was directed by Jeethu Joseph and is a sequel to his 2013 film. The thriller features the original film's cast returning, led by Mohanlal as Georgekutty. Joseph's film Ram was being filmed before the global health pandemic and had to be put on hold until the film could resume filming in countries outside India. Having planned to make a Drishyam sequel that could be filmed entirely in Kerala in India, Joseph moved ahead with precautions in place.
The sequel currently sits as the highest-rated film of 2021 on IMDb, with a minimum of 10,000 votes. Whether it will hold that spot throughout the year remains to be seen. But four months into the year with some great movies so far, it stands out as the top film so far according to movie fans.
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