2021 is such a weird mishmash of a year in all facets of society, movies included. Are we in the mood for Weighty, Important Topics? Breezy comedies? Heartfelt emotional stories? Classics? Should we support theaters? Stay home and stream everything? It's likely the environment I saw these movies in had an effect on how they struck me. For instance, my #1 of the year was seen in a theater in which we were told to keep our masks on the entire time, with no concessions allowed, and nobody seated anywhere near us. Would the same movie have elicited such a strong response if I were stretched out on the couch at home? Who knows?
However things would have shaken out, it's a good thing we saw Encounter the way we did, because it is pure atmosphere. This tense thriller about a veteran who essentially kidnaps his children from his ex-wife, and sets out on a cross-country road trip in order to protect them from alien invasion was so suspenseful, I was clenched in fight-or-flight anticipation for the entire running time. I didn't unclench until the end credits rolled. There are so many clichés that this movie could have relied on, and smartly avoided. Riz Ahmed gives a terrific performance, and you're never quite sure how much his character can be trusted.
Let's get to the the full ranking of 2021 movies:
Encounter (A-)
Encanto (A-)
Belfast (B+)
Pig (B+)
Black Widow (B+)
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (B+)
Being the Ricardos (B)
Dune (B)
In the Heights (B)
To All the Boys (Always and Forever) (B)
Nightbooks (B)
The Mitchells vs. the Machines (B)
West Side Story (B-)
Cruella (B-)
Reminiscence (C+)
Godzilla vs. Kong (C)
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