UPCOMING MOVIES 2021 ( part 1 )
#THE_BEST_MOVIES_OF_2021, RANKED BY TOMATOMETER
Rotten Tomatoes is collecting every new Certified Fresh movie into one list, creating our guide to the best movies of 2021. Among them you’ll find blockbusters (Shang-Chi), documentaries (Lily Topples the World), awards contenders (The Green Knight), the cutting-edge in horror (The Night House).
Movies achieve Certified Fresh status by maintaining a steady Tomatometer score of at least 75% after a minimum number of reviews, with that number depending on how the movie was released. For wide releases (of which there were significantly fewer this year, as you can imagine), the minimum number of reviews is 80. For streaming or limited release movies, that number is 40. And finally, it’s 20 reviews for movies premiering on television. Across all release types, each movie needs at least five of its reviews to be published by Top Critics. Once a movie goes Certified Fresh, the only way to lose it is by dropping below 70%.
After the world-altering year of 2020, critics and audiences and studio heads alike are navigating 2021 with its evolving distribution models and industry standards. So far,rnest, and army, Black Widow, and yes, Shang-Chi).
MY SALINGER YEAR
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: New York in the 90s: After leaving graduate school to pursue her dream of becoming a writer, Joanna (Margaret Qualley)... [More]
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, Douglas Booth, Seána Kerslake
Directed By: Philippe Falardeau
PALMER
Critics Consensus: Although it traffics in familiar territory, Palmer is elevated by worthy themes and a strong ensemble led by an impressive Justin Timberlake.
Synopsis: Former high school football star Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) went from hometown hero to convicte
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, June Squibb
Directed By: Fisher Stevens
CRUELLA
Critics Consensus: Cruella can't quite answer the question of why its title character needed an origin story, but this dazzling visual feast is awfully fun to watch whenever its leading ladies lock horns.
Synopsis: Academy Award (R) winner Emma Stone ("La La Land") stars in Disney's "Cruella," an all-new live-action feature film about
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser
Directed By: Craig Gillespie
Critics Consensus: Percy vs Goliath teeters toward heavy-handed messaging, but Christopher Walken's work in the central role helps keep this fact-based story upright.
Synopsis: Academy Award® Winner Christopher Walken*, Zach Braff and Christina
Starring: Peter Stebbings
Directed By: Clark Johnson
PIXIE
Critics Consensus: Pixie borrows shamelessly from multiple like-minded heist thrillers; fortunately, Olivia Cooke's outstanding lead performance makes for a great getaway vehicle.
Synopsis: Pixie Hardy sets out to avenge her mother's death and attempts a heist that will give her the means to... [More]
Starring: Dylan Moran, Chris Walley
Directed By: Barnaby Thompson
BLUE BAYOU
Critics Consensus: Blue Bayou can be indelicate in its attempts to tug the heartstrings, but solid acting and a genuinely affecting story make this drama difficult to ignore.
Synopsis: From award-winning writer/director Justin Chon, Blue Bayou is the moving and timely story of a uniquely American family fighting for... [More]
Starring: Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O'Brien, Linh Dan Pham
Directed By: Justin Chon
THE WORLD TO COME
Critics Consensus: The World to Come is made from ingredients that will be familiar to fans of period forbidden romance movies, but they're given fresh life thanks to an excellent cast.
Synopsis: In this powerful 19th century romance set in the American Northeast, Abigail (Katherine Waterston),
Starring: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott
Directed By: Mona Fastvold
inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim's performance elevates the uneven material.
Synopsis: Directed by Kevin Macdonald and based on the NY Times best-selling memoir "Guantánamo Diary"
Starring: Jodie Foster, Tahar Rahim, Shailene Woodley, Benedict Cumberbatch
Directed By: Kevin Macdonald
GODZILLA VS. KONG
Critics Consensus: Delivering squarely on its title, Godzilla vs. Kong swats away character development and human drama to deliver all the spectacle you'd expect from giant
Synopsis: Legends collide in "Godzilla vs. Kong" as these mythic adversaries meet in a spectacular battle for the ages,
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry
Directed By: Adam Wingard
SPOOR
Critics Consensus: Spoor stylishly taps into a deep well of anger to deliver an unusual yet largely effective revenge thriller with environmental
Synopsis: A retired woman gets mixed up in a mystery when avid hunters in her mountain village begin turning up dead,
Starring: Agnieszka Mandat-Grabka, Wiktor Zborowski, Jakub Gierszał, Patrycja Volny
Directed By: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik