After watching dozens of different films, our team has determined the 10 best films of the first half of 2021 and is in a hurry to share them with you.
From streaming hits to winners of major world film awards, from family cartoons to festival arthouse — here are the 10 best movies of the first half of 2021 that every film lover should watch. Can you guess who took first place in our top?
10th place — The Mitchells vs. the Machines
The Mitchells vs. the Machines from Sony, which gave us Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, delights with atypical animation in a monopolized world of monotonous big-eyed Disney cartoons. The combination of 3D animation with traditional style suits this film perfectly. And the problem of misunderstanding between fathers and children is a timeless plot. Added to this is the modern problem of being glued to gadgets, as well as the idea that it's okay to be quirky. And all this against the backdrop of an unfolding robo-apocalypse. The cause of the disaster is painfully simple: AI gets offended by its creator for deciding to replace it with a newer "toy." The obvious solution in such a situation is to destroy the whole world.
The film amusingly frames the parallel conflict of fathers and children. In one case, a child leaves home to pursue a passion that the father doesn't understand, and in the other, a creation takes revenge on its "father" (and the whole world) due to lack of attention.
The film is ironic about itself and also jokes with a kind smile about the foundations of the modern internet world. About tech magnates, couples who create ideal images of themselves through social media, about adults' inability to use YouTube. All this is so neatly and ironically woven into the film that you both have fun and have something to think about.
9th place — The Man Who Sold His Skin
A film watched by a handful of festival cinema fans, yet it turned out to be engaging, very audience-friendly, and deserving much more attention. This story about a Syrian refugee who found his calling in selling his body (he got a Schengen visa tattooed on his entire back and was exhibited in galleries) can be seen as a critique of capitalism through contemporary art (witty and provocative, by the way), as a commentary on the irreversible processes of globalization with the inevitable loss of national identity, or as a classic example of a deal with the devil, where in exchange for success and a luxurious life, the hero gives up his soul (in this case, love, relationships with loved ones, and his own self).
Interestingly, this strange but charming film is inspired by the works of the real-life provocative artist Wim Delvoye. Ironically, the art of Kaouther Ben Hania (the film's director and screenwriter) itself was quite successfully capitalized (nominations at the Venice Film Festival and the Oscars). Charming as well, one of the roles is played by devilishly attractive Monica Bellucci.
8th place — Cruella
Cruella, like the first Maleficent film, is a great example of how a classic Disney villainess can be turned into a contradictory character worth watching. Besides the fact that the heroine's story is well-crafted and engagingly told, the film is seasoned with breathtaking costumes and a magnificent soundtrack. That is, it successfully impacts the viewer with visuals and sound, while not forgetting to stimulate the mind. And the confrontation between the hero and the antagonist is so captivatingly shown that you don't immediately know who to root for, as both characters play their game worthily.
Combining a variety of successful finds and the coordinated work of all filmmaking professionals, Cruella manages to appeal to completely different categories of viewers: fashion lovers and music fans, fans of the original story and people unfamiliar with the source material. Craig Gillespie, who already gave us I, Tonya and directed several episodes of the show The Get Down, has shown that he knows how to fully reveal the contradictions of heroines. After all, sophisticated audiences have long been tired of the division into black and white and want living, believable characters. The film has things to criticize, but how can you do that when all your attention is occupied by the battle between charismatic Emma Stone and Emma Thompson?!
7th place — A Quiet Place Part II
truly brought people back to cinemas, because such a film is not suitable for home viewing. And this is reflected in the box office — each week the film broke new coronavirus records.
How A Quiet Place Part II managed to preserve the best techniques and atmosphere of the first part and became louder, more dynamic, more interesting, and better. We tell you more about the sequel and the questions it leaves.
Open materialThe second part deserves a place in the list of the best films of the year because it became even better than the first film. Lots of dynamics, even more sound effects, a well-thought-out expansive post-apocalyptic world, and many monsters. But the main idea here is to show the family's struggle for survival, the correct prioritization, and personal drama.
The film leaves vivid impressions, gives a desire to wait for the next part, and after watching there is something to think about — this is an indicator of truly good cinema.
6th place — Minari
Once again we are convinced that beauty often hides in simplicity. — this is a very simple film, with a predictable course of events and uncomplicated conflicts. But it surprisingly works, including due to good direction and excellent acting — Lee Isaac Chung did an excellent job with the task and at least managed to bring variety to the material offered to him, and Steven Yeun (family head Jacob) and Youn Yuh-jung (grandmother Soon-ja) played quite pleasantly.
At some point, you really start to worry about the fate of the characters — and this is very important for a well-constructed narrative about the hardships of one family. It won't cause catharsis, but it will leave feelings after watching.
5th place — Little Fish
Little Fish is a sci-fi melodrama that doesn't spend too much time on science, but rather, in terms of impressions after watching, reminds of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Viewers are immersed in a world with a fictional disease that causes memory loss and dementia in the entire population of the Earth. And to better show the effect, the film's narrative itself is built on the characters' memories and jumps in time forward and backward. At the same time, you, like the main character, must remember details that will help you reconstruct events. All this looks like one big metaphor for Alzheimer's disease.
Emotions and a beautifully acted story are provided by the duo of Olivia Cooke and Jack O'Connell. They show what it means not to panic, but to do everything for your couple and relationship. The atmosphere is perfectly supported by a musical accompaniment in the style of American indie. is needed to remind us of the power of emotional and psychological bonds that connect us to each other. A film about a global catastrophe in the era of a pandemic, making you believe in the best.
Little Fish is a rare pandemic film that you might like.
Open material4th place — Nomadland
One of the most beautiful "road adventures" in the last couple of years, , reaches another level thanks to masterful cinematography and the brilliant Frances McDormand, whom you want to give all the awards in the world.
This is the case when arthouse beautifully intertwined with mainstream, and we got a wonderful and very simple story that, although it may seem drawn out, is nonetheless worthy of an Oscar.
3rd place — Zack Snyder's Justice League
The Snyder Cut was waited for long, persistently, and fanatically. And it happened. This is a real phenomenon, a sensational film, a film that fans defended. Let's skip the fact that the pandemic and low trust ratings for the studio due to constant failures of franchise films also helped. Warner Bros. simply needed a hit, and finally we have a worthy version of Justice League, not that colorful Frankenstein of 2017. Each character got their own worthy arc with motivations, goals, and character development. Even Steppenwolf was not left out; finally we know why the antagonist is the way he is and how he came to that. Because it's already sickening to watch a character who wants to destroy the whole world just because he's a villain.
gave each one time and attention, and most importantly, you can see with what love the director made this film. You can't even scold the creator for the 4-hour runtime, because the film is watched in one breath, and it's not entirely clear at what point you could pause. You don't want to break such a coherent narrative at all.
The editorial team of the project "After Credits" decided to compile our own top of Zack Snyder films, ranking them from worst to best.
Open materialThe Snyder Cut is the quintessence of Snyder's tricks: generously scattered slow motion, pompous speeches, religious references, play with light and shadows — it's all here. Another question is that the slow-mo could have been a bit more modest, because it's not appropriate in all scenes, but it's silly to slap Snyder on the wrist for this. We are all not without sins.
2nd place — Wrath of Man
As soon as Guy Ritchie steps away from working in "big Hollywood," his works instantly become original, interesting, and damn stylish. Such were last year's The Gentlemen, and such turned out to be . Except that this time there is much less irony, compensated by brutality and masculinity that seep from literally every square centimeter of the screen.
The story of the mysterious H, played by Jason Statham, cannot be called original — firstly, it is a loose retelling of the film Cash Truck, and secondly, it is quite predictable, and towards the end, Guy Ritchie also decided to chew everything up so that even a viewer who spent half the film staring at the ceiling would understand. But in fact, this is not so important when the frame features the breathtaking music of composer Christopher Benstead, which plays one of the most important roles in the narrative, and Jason Statham changes weapons like gloves and convincingly plays with his muscles (not his face, as you understand).
1st place — The Father
What we said about Frances McDormand also applies to Sir Anthony Hopkins — you want to lay all the awards in the world at his feet. This man has reached such heights of mastery that it's hard to believe he is acting rather than living his role. What he shows in front of the camera cannot be explained by good direction or competent camera work alone. His character is a piece of work, but at the same time, it's impossible not to empathize with him, not to feel his confusion and pain.
The story of the film may resonate with you or not — we have seen each of these outcomes. But in any case, it more than deserves a chance. Because if the film does resonate, the reaction will be strong, emotional, and extremely long-lasting.
Best regards, the team of "After Credits"
- Varvara Ulianenok
- Larisa Polshikova
- Valeria Fomina
- Roman Kovalev
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