Last updated March 2024
On the hunt for sensationally spectacular Best Movies 2021? We assembled 30 marvelous, universally beloved Best Movies 2021 handpicked by our experts for your immediate streaming enjoyment. With through the roof acclaim from revered IMDB critics and our own community of savvy users, these elite titles simply can't be matched for quality. Help other viewers find overlooked gems by voting for your personal favorites. We appreciate your help showcasing the finest titles available!
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba - Tsuzumi Mansion Arc (2021)
Plot Summary:
Tanjiro ventures to the south-southeast where he encounters a cowardly young man named Zenitsu Agatsuma. He is a fellow survivor from Final Selection and his sparrow asks Tanjiro to help keep him in line
Duration: 87 min
IMDB Rating: 8.9/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Animation, Action, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Plot tags: supernatural, martial arts, supernatural ability, demonic possession, teamwork, supernatural power, demon, fight, warrior, battles, young, adventure
#Home (2021)
Plot Summary:
The humble, technology-challenged Oliver Twist struggles to keep close with his sons as they grow up and become active on social media
Duration: 158 min
IMDB Rating: 8.8/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: India
Plot tags: mission, technology, fish, cell phone, social media, malayalam, telephone
Toma (2021)
Plot Summary:
Biopic about Toma Zdravkovic, the man who is remembered not only for his songs and unique way he was singing them, but also as a bohemian, both in his behavior and his soul
Duration: 140 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Music, Romance
Country: Serbia
Plot tags: musician, musician's life, price of fame, rising to stardom, relationship vs career, music, friends, celebrity, historical figure, family problems, lifestyle, historical character, gambling, female nudity, sex scene, addiction, hitchhiking, star, convertible
Jai Bhim (2021)
Plot Summary:
A pregnant woman from a primitive tribal community, searches desperately for her husband, who is missing from police custody. So as to find her husband and seek justice for them, as their voice, a High Court advocate rises in support. Will their battle for justice succeed?
Duration: 164 min
IMDB Rating: 8.7/10
IMDB Votes: 213000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Country: India, USA
Plot tags: lawyer, courtroom, investigation, poverty, theft, crime investigation, criminal, dysfunctional family, poor family, human rights, mission, jury, criminal justice, judgment, trial, biopic, innovation, prison, justice, wife, police brutality, tamil, telugu, bollywood, indigenous
Bo Burnham: Inside (2021)
Plot Summary:
Stuck in COVID-19 lockdown, US comedian and musician Bo Burnham attempts to stay sane and happy by writing, shooting and performing a one-man comedy special
Duration: 87 min
IMDB Rating: 8.6/10
IMDB Votes: 53000
Genere: Documentary, Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: USA
Plot tags: comedian, stand up comedy, musician, music, humour, satire, lifestyle, experiment, stoner, moving, intrigue, concert, pop culture, feeling, stand up comedian, pandemic, quarantine, mental illness, breaking the fourth wall, internet culture, electronic music, athlete, pop music, male nudity, nudity
Sarpatta Parambarai (2021)
Plot Summary:
When Sarpatta Parambarai is challenged to a do-or-die match, Kabilan, a young labourer, must choose whether to put on the gloves himself and lead his clan to victory, or be dissuaded by his disapproving mother and dangerous politics
Duration: 173 min
IMDB Rating: 8.5/10
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Action, Drama, Sport
Country: India
Plot tags: boxing, fight, politics, gang war, crime family, bandit, gang, boxer, battles, athlete and trainer, organized crime, political intrigue, power struggle, political unrest, showdown, criminal gang, prizefighter, fight for supremacy, mission, mother, coach, cheating, clan, training, tamil
Drishyam 2 (2021)
Plot Summary:
7 years after the events of Drishyam, the family lives with the trauma from that fateful night. A gripping tale of an investigation and a family threatened by it. Will Georgekutty be able to protect his family this time?
Duration: 152 min
IMDB Rating: 8.4/10
IMDB Votes: 40000
Genere: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: investigation, dysfunctional family, family secret, family relations, neighbor, father daughter relationship, husband wife relationship, neighbor neighbor relationship, fish out of water, criminal, life is a bitch, social problems, relationship problems, family problems, secret, money problems, marital problem, plot twist, perfect crime, police, funeral, interrogation, witness, skeleton, casting
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Plot Summary:
Sony Pictures Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company jointly announced that Marvel Studios and its President Kevin Feige will produce the third film in the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" series, starring Tom Holland. The film is scheduled to release on July 16, 2021. The third film will see Peter Parker deal with the aftermath of Quentin Beck outing him as Spider-man, but also to deal with a familiar old foe who has joined a group of "Sinister Six" villains
Duration: 148 min
IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
IMDB Votes: 849000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, multiverse, peter parker character, double life, teenager, heroes, teenage boy, supernatural power, villain, villain turns good, teenage superhero, costumed hero, superhuman powers, comic book, rescue, high school, moral dilemma, magical power, loss of loved one, microchip, spider man, high school student, grief, good versus evil, martial arts
Farha (2021)
Plot Summary:
Palestine, 1948. After the withdrawal of the British occupiers, tensions rise between Arabs and Jews. Meanwhile, Farha, the smart daughter of the mayor of a small village, unaware of the coming tragedy, dreams of going to study in the big city
Duration: 92 min
IMDB Rating: 8.1/10
IMDB Votes: 86000
Genere: Drama
Country: Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden
Plot tags: teenager, arab, moving, female friendship, father daughter relationship, palestinian-israeli conflict, exile, girl, coming of age, identity
Karnan (2021)
Plot Summary:
An angry young man fights for the rights of his oppressed people. Can he save them from those who weild power and weapons?
Duration: 158 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Action, Drama
Country: India
Plot tags: torture, village, fight, fighting the system, showdown, righting the wronged, battles, brutality, society, social problems, struggle for survival, human rights, police brutality, civil rights, civil rights movement, small village, fight for supremacy, mission, police, tamil, bollywood
Evangelion: 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time (2021)
Plot Summary:
The fourth and final film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series
Duration: 154 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Animation, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Plot tags: technology, fight, violence, battles, hi-tech, outer space, spacecraft, fantasy world, space station, dream world, showdown, college, parallel universe, post apocalypse, dystopia, space battle, robot, beach, city, father son relationship, train station, breaking the fourth wall, biopunk, space, kaiju
Dune (2021)
Plot Summary:
A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive
Duration: 155 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 733000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Canada
Plot tags: desert, space opera, alien planet, messiah, prophecy, destiny, outer space, water shortage, premonition, spy, politics, adaptation, survival, tribe, heroes, struggle for survival, child prodigy, mind control, dead body, alien, sword fight, dream, baron, knife fight, treason
Malik (2021)
Plot Summary:
A past ridden with crime, death and pain is recounted to Freddy, a juvenile criminal, who has been assigned to eliminate his estranged uncle Sulaiman, an aging patriarch, while behind bars
Duration: 162 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 14000
Genere: Action, Biography, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: criminal, gangster, murderer, murder, bandit, criminal gang, troubled past, gang, crime boss, life is a bitch, organized crime, crime and punishment, gang war, gang member, dark past, cause and meaning, mission, politics, love, death, past, dysfunctional family, malayalam, hindi, crimes
CODA (2021)
Plot Summary:
As a CODA (Child of Deaf Adults), Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family's fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 8.0/10
IMDB Votes: 157000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Music
Country: France, Canada, USA
Plot tags: deaf, sign language, mute or deaf, musician, coming of age, family relations, teenager, disability, deafness, fisherman, women, parents and children, family problems, female singer, moral dilemma, dream, kids and family, family life, father daughter relationship, mother daughter relationship, direction and purpose, social problems, family business, aspiration, financial problem
Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)
Plot Summary:
Zack Snyder's definitive director's cut of Justice League (2017)
Duration: 242 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 429000
Genere: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Plot tags: superhero, batman, superheroine, female warrior, heroes, superhero team, justice league, team, kingdom, superman, villain, time travel, superhuman, end of the world, alien invasion, superpower, immortal, gotham city, surrealism, archery, god, comic book, chaos, super villain, violence
Dave Chappelle: The Closer (2021)
Plot Summary:
As he closes out his slate of comedy specials, Dave takes the stage to try and set the record straight — and get a few things off his chest
Duration: 72 min
IMDB Rating: 7.9/10
IMDB Votes: 28000
Genere: Comedy
Country: USA
Plot tags: stand up comedy, controversy, stand up comedian, humour, comedian, satire, irony, social satire, comedy club, talk show, concert, suicide, stand up
Minnal Murali (2021)
Plot Summary:
A tailor gains special powers after being struck by lightning but must take down an unexpected foe if he is to become the superhero his hometown in Kerala needs
Duration: 158 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Action, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Country: India
Plot tags: superhero, lightning, supernatural, fight, power, supernatural power, supernatural ability, good versus evil, heroes, battles, love, super villain, villain, struck by lightning, lightning strike, malayalam, hindi, telugu, director cameo, supervillain, adventure
Jujutsu Kaisen 0 (2021)
Plot Summary:
Yuta Okkotsu is a nervous high school student who is suffering from a serious problem—his childhood friend Rika has turned into a curse and won't leave him alone. Since Rika is no ordinary curse, his plight is noticed by Satoru Gojo, a teacher at Jujutsu High, a school where fledgling exorcists learn how to combat curses. Gojo convinces Yuta to enroll, but can he learn enough in time to confront the curse that haunts him?
Duration: 105 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 32000
Genere: Animation, Action, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Plot tags: supernatural, demon, paranormal, spirit, curse, high school life, supernatural power, warrior, magical creature, evil spirit, supernatural ability, supernatural being, martial arts, magic, fight, student, battles, creature, villain, tragedy, power, haunted, haunting, exorcism, chase
Joji (2021)
Plot Summary:
Joji, an engineering dropout and the youngest son of a rich family lives with his aspirations of becoming super wealthy. Driven by greed and blind ambition, he decides to execute his plans following an unexpected event in the family
Duration: 113 min
IMDB Rating: 7.8/10
IMDB Votes: 11000
Genere: Crime, Drama
Country: India
Plot tags: ambition, family relations, father son relationship, businessman, dream, parents and children, father and son, follow your dream, greed, family problems, male protagonist, mission, wealth, malayalam, bollywood
The Worst Person in the World (2021)
Plot Summary:
Chronicles four years in the life of Julie, a young woman who navigates the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path, leading her to take a realistic look at who she really is
Duration: 128 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 90000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: Norway, France, Sweden, Denmark
Plot tags: love, flirting, breakup, cancer, existential crisis, female protagonist, infidelity, voice over narration, male female relationship, feminist, reindeer, drug trip, christmas, pregnancy, hospital, yoga, father daughter relationship, hallucination, gym, fear of death, comic book, millennial, oral sex, relationships, nordic
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021)
Plot Summary:
Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy. But when a documentary filmmaker discovers them amongst the clutter of his Airbnb, the short film he posts online brings Marcel millions of passionate fans, as well as unprecedented dangers and a new hope at finding his long-lost family
Duration: 90 min
IMDB Rating: 7.7/10
IMDB Votes: 24000
Genere: Animation, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy
Country: USA
Plot tags: animal, stop motion, animal life, anthropomorphic animal, satire, divorce, found footage, tiny, child, date, shell, animals, family
Mass (2021)
Plot Summary:
Two couples meet for a painful and raw conversation in the aftermath of a violent tragedy
Duration: 111 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Plot tags: tragedy, church, forgiveness, parents, grief, violent, mass murder, loss of child, multiple perspectives, relationship problems, backfire, murderer, murder, parents and children, family problems, confession, marital crisis, marital problem, bereavement, cause and meaning, psychology, mental disorder, illness, mental illness, christian
Help (2021)
Plot Summary:
Sarah seems to have found her calling working in a Liverpool care home where she has a special talent for connecting with the residents. Then, in March 2020, the Coronavirus pandemic hits
Duration: 98 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 12000
Genere: Drama
Country: UK
Plot tags: elderly, quarantine, pandemic, isolation, epidemic, retirement home, lifestyle change, workplace, isolated house, social realism, dystopia, male nudity, father daughter relationship, alzheimer's disease, violent outburst, patient, older man younger man relationship, retirement home life
The Mitchells vs the Machines (2021)
Plot Summary:
After Katie Mitchell is accepted into the film school of her dreams, her family decides to use this opportunity to drive Katie to school as a road trip. When their plans are interrupted by a tech uprising, the Mitchells realize that they must work together to save the world
Duration: 114 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 123000
Genere: Animation, Action, Adventure, Comedy, Family, Sci-Fi
Country: USA, Hong Kong
Plot tags: robot, father daughter relationship, parents and children, road trip, dog, family relations, family life, pug, journey, wife, husband, fish out of water, evil robot, father son relationship, brother sister relationship, man versus machine, parenthood, family drama, father daughter conflict, on the road, lgbt, stupidity, dysfunctional family, lgbtq, heroine
Shyam Singha Roy (2021)
Plot Summary:
A young filmmaker is in a soup right when he’s about to find his footing in the film industry. When he sets out to find an answer, turns out it’s in the past
Duration: 155 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Drama, Romance
Country: India
Plot tags: reincarnation, relationships, romantic relationship, love and romance, couples, love affair, male female relationship, love story, love interest, couple relations, telugu, hindi
Drive My Car (2021)
Plot Summary:
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanja at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled
Duration: 179 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 62000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Plot tags: japanese wife, infidelity, driver, grief, audition, asian, amor, car, storytelling, anton chekhov, love, sex, monster, revenge, time travel, relationships, writers, past, journey, library, existentialism, disability, childhood trauma, affair, city life
Pushpa: The Rise - Part 1 (2021)
Plot Summary:
Pushpa Raj is a coolie who rises in the world of red sandalwood smuggling. Along the way, he doesn’t shy from making an enemy or two
Duration: 179 min
IMDB Rating: 7.6/10
IMDB Votes: 84000
Genere: Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: India
Plot tags: rags to riches, smuggling, bandit, gang, criminal, criminal gang, fight, sibling rivalry, flashback, telugu, bollywood, shot to death, slow motion action scene, shot in the hand, crimes
A Hero (2021)
Plot Summary:
Rahim is in prison because of a debt he was unable to repay. During a two-day leave, he tries to convince his creditor to withdraw his complaint against the payment of part of the sum. But things don't go as planned. Is he truly a hero?
Duration: 127 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 29000
Genere: Drama
Country: Iran, France
Plot tags: muslim, lonely, debt, european, prison, taxi, bad reputation, gold, fight, social network, family relations, taxi driver, lie, television, father son relationship, stuttering, fiance fiancee relationship, rumor, charity event, caught in a lie, social media, persian, tv news, tv interview, handbag
King Richard (2021)
Plot Summary:
The story of how Richard Williams served as a coach to his daughters Venus and Serena, who will soon become two of the most legendary tennis players in history
Duration: 144 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 130000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Australia
Plot tags: tennis, athlete and trainer, father daughter relationship, biopic, athlete's life, strict father, african american, black, family relations, coach, rivalry, motivation, father and daughter, real life, professional rivalry, siblings, desire for fame, rising to stardom, women, parents and children, workout, female athlete, direction and purpose, victory, ambition
tick, tick... BOOM! (2021)
Plot Summary:
On the cusp of his 30th birthday, Jonathon Larson, a promising young theater composer, navigates love, friendship, and the pressures of life as an artist in New York City
Duration: 120 min
IMDB Rating: 7.5/10
IMDB Votes: 117000
Genere: Biography, Comedy, Drama, Musical
Country: USA
Plot tags: theater, believe in yourself, broadway, composer, music, gay friend, gay interest, screenwriter, best friend, love, flash forward, boyfriend girlfriend relationship, musician, pianist, hiv positive, gay, rise to the top, perseverance, coming of age, musician's life, supportive friend, success, friends, couples, daydreamer