The Top Ten Must-See Movies Of 2021

Carl delves into the upcoming release schedule to reveal his ultimate list of Must-See Movies of 2021

It’s time to look ahead to the Must-See Movies Of 2021.

Let’s face it. This year has been a complete washout. Almost every Hollywood movie has, in one form or another, been denied the treatment it deserves. From the smallest film that ended up on Prime Video or Netflix to the big blockbusters that would have blown the doors off the multiplexes with the crowds entering to watch the latest and greatest of the summer movies, we have all been left gasping for the entertainment we all love.

We did get some big fare in the shape of ‘Bad Boys For Life‘, ‘Birds Of Prey: And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn‘, ‘Dolittle‘ and to a certain extent ‘Bloodshot‘ but the majority of these releases got pushed back until next year. Fare such as ‘Mulan‘, ‘Scoob!‘ and others decided to skip theatres and hit PVOD instead in a bid to get seen by the world’s audiences while ‘Tenet‘, ‘The New Mutants‘, ‘Unhinged‘ and ‘Bill And Ted Face The Music‘ did hit screens in a reduced capacity for the audience.

‘Wonder Woman 1984‘ hit screens around the world just as many were forced to close once more, meaning the film will hit PVOD in the United Kingdom early in 2021 while it opens in theatres and hits HBO MAX on Christmas day in the United States. All in all, not a very good year for audiences, the studios, theatre chains, and more importantly, the millions of employees that have seen their work completely dry up, leaving them without any financial resources for the majority of the year.

Looking Ahead

Now there appear to be several vaccines on the way and the first inoculations have taken place, hopefully, we are seeing the start of the end of the pandemic. Maybe we will be able to return to the theatres and see the material denied to us this year along with what else Hollywood and the small studios have to offer. Below, I present my top ten of what I’m most looking forward to seeing next year at the multiplex. I apologize for picking only the blockbusters at this point, mainly due to not knowing exactly what smaller films will be making their bows but rest assured, as soon as I find any that could make the grade, I will endeavor to give them a mention in these pages. And so, may I present my picks of the Must-See Movies of 2021.

The Must-See Movies Of 2021

No Time To Die

Daniel Craig’s final appearance as James Bond 007. This was one of the films I was most looking forward to seeing this year. Now, a year after it was due to make its bow, we should, hopefully, get the chance to see what the world’s least secret, secret agent has up his sleeve this time around in his 25th adventure. The film picks up five years after the ending to ‘Spectre‘ with a now-retired Bond living a quiet and peaceful life in Jamaica with his beau, Dr. Madelline Swan (Lea Seydoux) before he is reluctantly dragged back into the world of espionage and daring-do. With support from Oscar-Winner Rami Malek as the villain and with the (apparent) shock that 007 has a daughter alongside the confirmed opening credits sequence which doesn’t feature Bond at all, this could be the Bond film to end them all.

Black Widow

Scarlett Johansson’s character bravely sacrificed her life for the greater good during ‘Avengers: Endgame‘ but that hasn’t stopped Marvel from bringing her back one last time in an origin story that will see the mantel handed over to Florence Pugh for the next slate of the Marvel universe. Again, the film will be released a year later than planned but with what we have seen so far, it looks to be an all-action romp for the character and a fitting way to send Johnasson’s time as Black Widow off into history. And there is that rumored cameo from Robert Downey Jr, so…

Top Gun: Maverick

Thirty-five years after Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell flew away in his fighter plane, this belated sequel once again sees Tom Cruise put on his leather jacket and shades, ready to feel the need, the need for speed. This time around, Maverick is a trainer to the new breed of pilots for the United States Navy. Miles Teller plays the son of Maverick’s former co-pilot ‘Goose’ in what promises to be an impressive return for the character and the franchise. With Val Kilmer also returning as ‘Iceman’ and featuring what looks to be more amazing visuals in the sky and cockpit, we may be in for a treat. Like ‘No Time To Die‘, I shall be seeing the film on the biggest IMAX screen I can find.

Godzilla Vs. Kong

A monster smackdown for the ages, that is what we have been promised in this third and final chapter in the ‘Monsterverse’. This has been building up ever since Godzilla made his first appearance back in 2014 and Kong’s in ‘Kong: Skull Island‘ a few years later. The teasing is now over and it’s time for these titans to finally get it on. I can guess what is going to happen, the pair will fight until they discover they have to work together and stop an even bigger threat to both their and the World’s existence. This has again been teased since day one, with Godzilla being hailed as the one to bring balance to the world. Well, we will see how they get on when the film finally gets released. My money is on Kong for the win though.

Halloween Kills

The sequel to 2018s reboot/sequel ‘Halloween‘. Once again, Jamie Lee Curtis steps into the familiar shoes as Laurie Strode with able support from Judy Greer as her daughter Karen and Andi Matichak as her granddaughter Allyson. This time around, we can expect to see welcome returns for Kyle Richards as Lindsey Wallace for the first time since the original film, Nancy Stephens as Marion Chambers, returning after the original ‘Halloween II‘ and her murder in ‘Halloween H20:Twenty Years Later‘ which now, with this new timeline didn’t happen. Charles Cyphers also returns once more as Leigh Brackett, the former sheriff of Haddonfield whose daughter, Annie was a victim of Michael Myers back in 1978. Anthony Michael Hall plays Tommy Doyle from the original film and it is great to see that James Jude Courtney returns as Myers alongside original Myers actor Nick Castle in a small cameo as the killer. The film follows on from the 2018 film and is due for release in October.

The Suicide Squad

I love Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and here she returns once again to play the character for the third time, following on from the original ‘Suicide Squad‘ and this year’s’ Birds Of Prey‘. Alongside fellow returnees Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang, Joel Kinneman as Rick Flag, and Viola Davis as Amanda Waller. New to the franchise, we have Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, Peter Capaldi as The Thinker, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, and Michael Rooker as Savant among others. It has also been confirmed that action veteran Sylvester Stallone will appear in the film as an as-yet-unnamed character. The film is directed by James Gunn who also writes the screenplay in what is being rumored as being an R-rated run out for the squad this time around. We can only hope.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage

The sequel to the 2018 film, once again starring Tom Hardy as the character, this time he is joined by Woody Harrelson who made a mid-credits cameo as Cletus Kasady in the first film where he uttered the now-classic line “When I get out of here, there’s going to be Carnage!” He was right. Harrelson is bringing the nasty villain into this second adventure which promises to be even darker and nastier than the original film. The battle between the two symbiote characters ain’t going to be pretty, to say the least, and could lead (fingers crossed) to an R-rated outing for the two characters. Michelle Willimas once again plays Eddie’s former Fiance Anne alongside Reid Scott as her boyfriend, Dan. Making her first appearance in the franchise is Naomie Harris as Kasady’s girlfriend, Shriek. The film is due to open in June and we may finally get to find out if the rumors of a Tom Holland Cameo as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man are true.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife

Can you believe it has been thirty-six years since the original film came out? Thanks to the delay that has hit the film, it will be thirty-seven when the film opens but it could be worth the wait. Because this is the third ‘Ghostbusters‘ film, the one that all the fans have been waiting for. Sadly, Harold Ramis has passed on and so, Egon Spengler cannot make an appearance but the film has the plotline that his relatives discover his hoard of ghostbusting equipment, his past, and the legacy he has left them. Original stars Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Annie Potts, and Sigourney Weaver all return in what will almost certainly be a torch-passing movie, handing the franchise to a new, younger set of Ghostbusters. Slimer has been confirmed as coming back too. And once again, they’re ready to believe you.

Dune

this could be the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s book that we have all been waiting for. Denis Villeneuve directs from a screenplay by himself alongside Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth. An all-star cast has been assembled to tell the first half of the book including Timothee Chalamet, Oscar Issac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Dave Bautista, Stellan Skarsgard, and Zendaya in what promises to be a truly epic movie fit for the largest screens. The property has been filmed before by David Lynch back in the 1980s which was a financial and critical failure for Universal studios. Fingers crossed that this new version from Warner Bros Pictures is worthy of the novel it is based upon and becomes a box office hit.

Zack Snyder’s Justice League

This is the film I’m waiting for! And thankfully, I don’t have to wait that much longer as it is due out in March of next year. A labor of love for the director and for the millions of fans who crusaded for the film to be completed, the footage we have seen so far, the production stills and the behind the scenes snippets from Snyder including the conversation he is presiding over to make the film suitable for IMAX theatres have raised the excitement for the film to a fever pitch.

This will be the definitive version of the film, sweeping away the ‘Josstice League’ travesty that we were given a few years back. Although Gal Gadot and Henry Cavill have said they haven’t filmed any additional scenes as Wonder Woman and Superman respectively, we already know that Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, and Ben Affleck have been before the cameras to complete shots and film new material for what will be a four-hour opus from Zack Snyder, a possible superhero film to end all superhero films. I’m hoping that the screens in the UK and in particular London will be open once again so I may see it in full with the best picture and sound quality around in IMAX where it belongs.

Final Thoughts

So there you have it, my personal top ten Must-See Movies of 2021. There are, of course, many other films that I will be seeing throughout the year but these are the ones I can’t wait to get my teeth into, to watch, enjoy, and review. You may agree or disagree with my selections, as you have every right to. If so, why not drop us a few lines here at Future Of The Force. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you want to see on the silver screen over the next twelve months. And let us just hope that we can see, enjoy, and marvel at them all together once more.

The Future of the Force. The future of pop culture writing.

Carl Roberts

Carl Roberts is the News Editor for The Future of the Force. Aside from being our horror genre aficionado, he is also passionate about Star Wars, Marvel, DC, and the Indiana Jones movies. Follow him on Twitter where he uses the force frequently!