This year saw movies that were pushed from 2020 and movie fans collectively said “finally!” as the cinemas were re-opened and it was safe to enjoy the big screen.
Here is a list of some blockbusters that we enjoyed in the cinema in 2021:
Free Guy
Video games like Grand Theft Auto and Fortnite come to life in the family action movie Free Guy. We follow the story of an NPC (Non-Player Character) in an open world video game called Free City. In a very Lego Movie opening, Guy (Ryan Reynolds) is a loveable character who wears the same outfit, orders the same coffee and works at a bank that gets robbed every day with his best friend Buddy (Lil Rey Howrey).
Everything seems like it’s working out for the two until Guy sees a new player, Molotov Girl (Millie Comer) and decides to break his every day routine to follow her. We come to realize that Molotov Girl is her game handle and she’s on a mission in Free City to expose the game developer, CEO of Soonami Antwan (Taika Waititi) who stole the advanced AI that created the widely popular game.
Dune
Based on an adaptation of the first half of Frank Herbert’s 1965 classic novel, Dune is set in the distant future in which humanity has evolved and mutated. The narrative involves intergalactic politics, a chosen-one prophesy and destiny.
The imperial family led by patriarch Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) has been tasked with ruling the desert planet of Arrakis which produces “spice”. We follow the brilliant and gifted heir-to-the-throne Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) as he struggles to understand the meaning of his vivid dreams and voices in his head that seem to point to his great destiny. Treachery and warfare ensue, as conflict arises over control of the precious resource “spice”, the commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s potential.
Eternals
The Eternals; Ajak (Selma Hayek), Ikaris (Richard Madden), Sersi (Gemma Chan), Thena (Angelina Jolie), Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry), Sprite (Lia McHugh), Makkari (Lauren Ridloff), Gilgamesh (Don Lee), Druig (Barry Keoghan) and Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) are a diverse team of immortal beings with superpowers who have lived on Earth for centuries guiding humanity and fighting monsters known as Deviants. Eternals a great addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) that non-fanatics can appreciate without watching all the ones that came before.
The Eternals are scattered across the globe and cease being a team until more evolved Deviants start to wreak havoc on planet Earth forcing them to reunite. When tragedy befalls one of their own, it’s up to the team to reunite against the newly freed and seemingly evolved ancient enemies, the Deviants.
The Last Duel
The Last Duel is a story about the alleged rape of Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer) by Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) that takes place in the 14th Century and how Marguerite’s husband Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) tries to get justice for the heinous crime.
The film involves various versions of skewed narratives from each characters’ POV. The men’s versions are misogynistic in their retelling, making the men shine and come off as heroes, while Marguerite’s version of events seem more plausible due to the fact that she doesn’t paint a golden picture.
Spider-Man: No Way Home
No Way Home begins immediately after the end of Spider-Man: Far From Home, when Mysterio revealed Peter Parker’s (Tom Holland) identity. The now infamous teen is living in a new reality that impacts his life and that of his girlfriend M.J (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon).
When M.I.T. denies all three friends college admission, because of the controversy surrounding him, Parker decides to visit fellow Avenger Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to cast a spell and make the world forget his recently revealed identity. The spell doesn’t go as planned and we are met with the classic villains of the Tobey McGuire and Andrew Garfield franchises. It’s up to Peter and friends to send the villains back to their dimension before they do any more damage.
Blockbusters worth mentioning include; Black Widow, No Time To Die, Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
