The most fun movies of 2021

When we talk about the best movies of a given year, we often focus on big ambitions — films that help redefine film, that push the envelope of what movies look and feel like, or at least get at essential human truths in new, exciting ways. But there’s often a difference between the movies we most admire for their craft and the ones we remember at the end of the year for the sheer joy they brought us. The 2021 Best Movies list will be out soon. But first, these are the 2021 movies which got us moving, regardless of whether they were seen in theaters or homes, alone or with others.

In the Heights

Photo: Macall Polay/Warner Bros. Entertainment

In the Heights is one of 2021’s best movies, a densely written and deeply felt musical in a year surprisingly packed with powerful musicals. It was my first time seeing a movie in theaters since March 2020 when things stopped working due to COVID quarantines. This came after over a year watching movies at home. In the HeightsThe feeling was like sunshine bursting through the windows of a cell. It was a triumphant return to Big-Screen Spectacle Cinema, to movies designed to overwhelm the senses and eat up every scrap of the audience’s attention and emotion. It was a stark reminder to me that life used to involve more than just waiting for vaccines or connecting via Zoom after so many years of being isolated. And the film’s sweet summer energy was particularly uplifting after spending the Chicago winter hibernating. This movie re-warmed my bones when they really needed it, and it reminded me why I’m a sucker for musicals, where every emotion is worth dancing about. —Tasha Robinson

Fear Street

Image courtesy of Netflix

The night began as many other great movie nights: A friend and me (finally able t hang out in real life thanks to vaccinations) watched a handful of new streaming releases. Our first pick wasn’t be a winner, but it pushed us late enough that the summer evening became dark, and we started the night’s real treat: Fear Street 1994. It’s a surprisingly strong, unnerving slasher that felt as much like a classic as a throwback. We had no prior knowledge of the legend (based upon books). GoosebumpsR.L. Stine), but we didn’t care — and we certainly didn’t think about it once we hit the eerie ending teeing up Fear Street, 1978.

The original rollout of these movies was supposed to take place months apart. It is amazing to consider. The franchise’s energy felt urgent and thrilling as all three dropped on consecutive summer Fridays. They are indeed a pulpy thriller. The urgency with which they intertwined (both narratively and in release) was unmatched. The greatest compliment I could pay a solid franchise is the fact that it gave me and my friends a pleasant appointment viewing experience. It allowed us to clear our calendars and bring us together at a time that was still a little new. They weren’t always incredible, but the experience consistently was. —Zosha Millman

Raya, the Last Dragon

Image: Walt Disney Animation

Disney continues to make animated films that aren’t explicitly queer, yet lend themselves to queer readings. That’s a huge part of what I loved so much about Raya, the Last Dragon. We were treated to not one but two Disney Princesses. They are both skilled fighters and heroes Raya and Namaari, respectively. The two of them start as friends and then they are split up when the people of Kumandra, the fantasy realm’s various factions, begin to fight. The rest of the film takes Raya on a hero’s journey that also reads like a cat-and-mouse chase between the two women, culminating in an intense fight scene in a crumbling palace. While I didn’t watch the film in theaters, I really wish I’d had the opportunity. Even on a small screen, Kumandra was beautiful. And the film’s fight scenes, based on a mix of real Southeast Asian martial art styles and stuck with reality-based physics, rounded out an incredibly fun time — while also giving me lots of time to hope for a Catradora moment. A girl can still have her headcanon, even if that never happens. —Nicole Clark

The Old

Universal Pictures

A big reason I love movies is that I am always surprised by what I see. I also enjoy being enthralled and delighted to hear stories about people I would never have thought of. Let me be clear, folks: I have never seen this in my entire lifeWhat if I had imagined a tale about a beach making you older? Watching M. Night Shyamalan’s The OldIt’s like Michelangelo sketching idly Adam’s CreationOver coffee, a piece of art will be created in your presence over the course of an afternoon. Yes. The Old is based on a graphic novel, and yes, I may have publicly said this movie is “not great” and “kind of dazzlingly stupid.” But consider: All these things can be true at once. The OldIt is so bold, that I seriously considered adding it to my top 10 list. But then, it would get bogged down by thoughts about other movies. Award It must win. Or what do we think? Performances. Give this movie your full attention and shout at me later. —Joshua Rivera

Candyman (2021)

Universal Pictures

Although I’m a big horror movie fanatic, my fear of the unknown made me reconsider. I’ve always been intriguedThe original is the best scary movie, so I decided to start my adventure by watching it. Candyman — which I adored. I’m still wading in the kiddie pool of scary movies, but because I loved the original, I got tickets to see the 2021 CandymanRelease day.

It was thrilling! I watched people murdered on a big screen, and instead of covering my eyes like I would’ve a few years ago, I let myself embrace the scare and be thrilled. The film’s messy end undermines many themes but it has riveting kills. Sure, I still covered my eyes when the main character’s bee sting got gross and inflamed, but I made it through a horror movie in theaters for the first time in my life!!!! There were no more nightmares! 😀 — Petrana Radulovic

The Last Duel

Photograph by 20th Century Studios

After a month or so of overcommitting myself to seeing movies with friends, I realized that I had a strong desire to go to the theater, and an even stronger desire to not end up hamstrung by logistics or other people’s schedules. And so one rainy October afternoon, I treated myself to a 4 p.m. matinee of Ridley Scott’s historical movie The Last Duel — the perfect movie to see completely removed from anyone’s expectations.

My experience was better than I could have imagined. I received enough reward points to purchase a variety of snacks. The theater was completely empty. This was truly an amazing experience, especially in the face of a pandemic. It was my ultimate opinion. The Last DuelAlthough it was mixed reviews, I did enjoy it and wanted it to do more. I wasn’t sure I liked it immediately after, but it’s been one of the movies I’ve thought back on most in this final quarter of the year. The ending makes it hard to solidly recommend without couching it in vague thoughts about “post #MeToo,” and the run time really makes the movie stretch out. But the absolute high of digesting such a complicated, thorny narrative in a theater all to myself is something I’ve been chasing ever since. —ZM

Dune

Warner Bros. Entertainment Photo

Movie theaters are not my thing. I’ll take my nice television and a decent pair of headphones over sitting cheek by jowl next to strangers in a dark room any day of the week. BUT… DuneThis year, it was released. I’m not so much of a curmudgeon that I didn’t want to see that in a theater, even though it was very much available on HBO Max on day of release. I decided to go on a date.

To impress myself I went to the 4DX screening. That meant all the bells and whistles — 3D glasses, fans, strobe lights, and articulated mechanical chairs. It was honestly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in a theater. It’s worth checking out if you can afford it. DuneIn a similar equipped theatre. It is worth it for the ornithopter scene alone. —Charlie Hall

Bad Trip

Image courtesy of Netflix

It was fascinating. Bad TripIt was a very bad time for me personally, and a bad year overall. Though I enjoy Eric Andre’s sense of humor, I wasn’t particularly expecting much from the movie, since I’m not traditionally a fan of hidden-camera “prank” films. It was a shock to me. Bad Trip, but I wasn’t prepared for How it would shock me: by being so freakin’ Heartwarming. Alongside deranged bits involving gorillas suits and Andre’s total lack of shame, there are genuinely affecting scenes of total strangers reaching out to help one another. Andre makes himself the center of jokes and places strangers in an awkward position of having to react to the absurd forms of distress that he is causing. The film made me feel that we had lost our ability to show compassion to one another during the election pandemic. Is this what you want? Bad Trip reveals is that our fellow strangers are willing to help… even when you vacuum your entire outfit off your body. —Clayton Ashley

Malignant

Warner Bros. Pictures

The only way to see was through the glass. It coming. Plus blockbuster turn with the Conjuring, Insidious and Conjuring franchises Furious 7 AquamanJames Wan might have made a fortune by selling chips for another franchise-starter, to help his jumping-scare muscles. He made instead Malignant, a high-emotion giallo stuffed into dingy ’90s direct-to-video pastiche like some kind of horror-movie turducken. Wan peels away layers almost monotonously: Madison, a pregnant actress, is the first victim of domestic abuse. Then she meets another murderer. thenHer psychotic episodes are triggered by Gabriel, her childhood imaginary friend. Theeeeen it’s revealed… well, please, go behold it.

Strung together with a melodramatic cover of The Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind,” reveling in horror tropes to the point of parody, the final twists of MalignantThey are among the most enjoyable lunacy of this year and Marina Mazepa, an acrobatic actress brings them all home with her gruesome ballet. I won’t explain anything more out of fear of spoilers — just get on the Malignant train. Wan placed his nightmare (dream) on screen. For us to all, it’s onscreen —Matt Patches