The COVID-19 pandemic left its mark on the film industry as well. 2020 was not a good year for the film industry which was badly hurt by delays in releases, production stoppages and the closure of cinemas around the world. Luckily, in 2021 the industry has been able to recover the lost ground and has brought us some very interesting releases, both in theatres and on streaming platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etcetera.
After a complicated year, 2021 has been a year full of great releases that have brought us some of the best films of recent years.
-“The Map of Perfect Little Things” (Amazon Prime Video): An adventure that, despite having a juvenile focus, is able to tell a deeply emotional story. Set against the backdrop of a strange time loop and a map that references the Monty Python classic “Time’s Heroes”, this is one of the biggest surprises of the year.
-“The Dig” (Netflix): Based on the true story of the Sutton Hoo archaeological dig, this is an emotional drama with an excellent finish. The story is about a landowner who commissions a digger to unearth a treasure from antiquity. All set against the backdrop of World War II.
-“Palm Springs” (Movistar+): Another story of time loops, although with a more adult touch. It’s a romantic comedy with Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, with an acid tone, but also with a vitalist message, very appropriate to forget about the strange times we are living in.
-“Mortal Kombat” (Movistar+): A new adaptation of the classic fighting game of the same name. The film is adjusted as much as possible to the original games, without skimping on blood and brutality. Undoubtedly, it is a film designed for fans of the video game saga.
-“Cruella” (Disney+ and Movistar+): A reinterpretation of one of Disney’s classic villains, showing us the character from a completely new perspective, with similar touches to what we’ve seen in films like “Birds of Prey.”
-“Dune (Cinemas): The new adaptation of one of the masterpieces of science fiction has the most spectacular cast of the year. A risky and very ambitious bet by Denis Villeneuve that puts us back on the planet Dune and the struggle of the different houses for their resources.
-“Last Night in Soho” (Cinemas): A psychedelic, psychological thriller about a young woman with a passion for fashion (Anya Taylor Joy) who mysteriously finds herself transported back to the 1960s. A visually powerful film.
-“Spider-Man: No Way Home” (Theaters): It has been the film with the highest grossing first weekend of the year. It is the long-awaited end of the Spider-Man trilogy that has managed to satisfy the new fans, but also the nostalgic ones of the old Spider-Man trilogies.
-“Matrix Resurrections” (Theaters): The return of the Matrix saga is full of references to the original trilogy, but features a critical spirit and its own reflections on nostalgia and the state of the genre.
-“Don’t Look Up” (Netflix): With a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Netflix closes out the year with this thriller in which a group of scientists try to convince skeptical humanity that the end is very near. A political and social satire about our relationship with science.
