The Best Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer
Rotten Tomatoes is collecting every new Certified Fresh movie into one list, creating our guide to the best movies of 2021. Among them you’ll find blockbusters (Shang-Chi), documentaries (Lily Topples the World), awards contenders (The Green Knight), the cutting-edge in horror (The Night House).
Movies achieve Certified Fresh status by maintaining a steady Tomatometer score of at least 75% after a minimum number of reviews, with that number depending on how the movie was released. For wide releases (of which there were significantly fewer this year, as you can imagine), the minimum number of reviews is 80. For streaming or limited release movies, that number is 40. And finally, it’s 20 reviews for movies premiering on television. Across all release types, each movie needs at least five of its reviews to be published by Top Critics. Once a movie goes Certified Fresh, the only way to lose it is by dropping below 70%.
After the world-altering year of 2020, critics and audiences and studio heads alike are navigating 2021 with its evolving distribution models and industry standards. So far, streaming continues to deliver the goods straight to the people while theaters have now reopened in earnest, and are delivering some big hits (Free Guy, Black Widow, and yes, Shang-Chi).
Read on for the best movies of 2021, ranked by Tomatometer, and check back often as we update the list!
Newly added: Parallel Mothers, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Memoria, The Novice, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, Boiling Point, Hive.
Movies achieve Certified Fresh status by maintaining a steady Tomatometer score of at least 75% after a minimum number of reviews, with that number depending on how the movie was released. For wide releases (of which there were significantly fewer this year, as you can imagine), the minimum number of reviews is 80. For streaming or limited release movies, that number is 40. And finally, it’s 20 reviews for movies premiering on television. Across all release types, each movie needs at least five of its reviews to be published by Top Critics. Once a movie goes Certified Fresh, the only way to lose it is by dropping below 70%.
After the world-altering year of 2020, critics and audiences and studio heads alike are navigating 2021 with its evolving distribution models and industry standards. So far, streaming continues to deliver the goods straight to the people while theaters have now reopened in earnest, and are delivering some big hits (Free Guy, Black Widow, and yes, Shang-Chi).
Read on for the best movies of 2021, ranked by Tomatometer, and check back often as we update the list!
Newly added: Parallel Mothers, The Tragedy of Macbeth, Memoria, The Novice, Spider-Man: No Way Home, The Lost Daughter, Boiling Point, Hive.
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- DirectorPhilippe FalardeauStarsMargaret QualleySigourney WeaverDouglas BoothA college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.
- DirectorFisher StevensStarsJustin TimberlakeJuno TempleAlisha WainwrightAn ex-convict strikes up a friendship with a boy from a troubled home.
- DirectorJustin ChonStarsJustin ChonAlicia VikanderMark O'BrienAs a Korean-American man raised in the Louisiana bayou works hard to make a life for his family, he must confront the ghosts of his past as he discovers that he could be deported from the only country he has ever called home.
- DirectorCraig GillespieStarsEmma StoneEmma ThompsonJoel FryA live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil.
- DirectorClark JohnsonStarsChristopher WalkenRoberta MaxwellChristina RicciA Canadian farmer takes on a giant corporation after their GMOs interfere with his crops.
- DirectorBarnaby ThompsonStarsOlivia CookeFra FeeRory Fleck ByrneTo avenge her mother's death, Pixie masterminds a heist but must flee across Ireland from gangsters, take on the patriarchy, and choose her own destiny.
- DirectorMona FastvoldStarsKatherine WaterstonVanessa KirbyCasey AffleckSomewhere along the mid-19th century American East Coast frontier, two neighboring couples battle hardship and isolation, witnessed by a splendid yet testing landscape, challenging them both physically and psychologically.
- DirectorKevin MacdonaldStarsTahar RahimNouhe Hamady BariSaadna HamoudMohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
- DirectorAdam WingardStarsAlexander SkarsgårdMillie Bobby BrownRebecca HallThe epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against each other--the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong--with humanity caught in the balance.
- DirectorAgnieszka HollandKasia AdamikStarsAgnieszka MandatWiktor ZborowskiJakub GierszalJanina Duszejko, an elderly woman, lives alone in the Klodzko Valley where a series of mysterious crimes are committed. Duszejko is convinced that she knows who or what is the murderer, but nobody believes her.
- DirectorIvan KavanaghStarsAndi MatichakEmile HirschLuke David BlummWhen a young boy contracts a mysterious illness, his mother must decide how far she will go to protect him from terrifying forces in her past.
- DirectorPhilip GelattMorgan Galen KingStarsRichard E. GrantLucy LawlessPatton OswaltUltra-violent, epic fantasy set in a land of magic follows heroes from different eras and cultures battling against a malevolent force.
- DirectorIan SamuelsStarsKathryn NewtonKyle AllenJermaine HarrisTwo teens live the same day repeatedly, enabling them to create a map of things to remember.
- DirectorJames WanStarsAnnabelle WallisMaddie HassonGeorge YoungMadison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.
- DirectorAneil KariaStarsBen WhishawRyan McKenVictor OlamideSet over 24 hours in London, a man goes on a bold and reckless journey of self-liberation.
- DirectorJed RothsteinStarsAshton KutcherGwyneth PaltrowRebekah Paltrow NeumannAn account of the six-week death spiral that brought down the company's IPO, a behind-the-scenes look at WeWork's frat-boy culture.
- DirectorJoe PennaStarsAnna KendrickDaniel Dae KimShamier AndersonA three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
- DirectorJohn PollonoStarsJon BernthalShea WhighamJordana SpiroEvents spin wildly out of control when three lifelong friends agree to do a favor on behalf of the brash young woman they all adore.
- DirectorKitao SakuraiStarsEric AndréMichaela ConlinLil Rel HoweryThis mix of a scripted buddy comedy road movie and a real hidden camera prank show follows the outrageous misadventures of two buds stuck in a rut who embark on a cross-country road trip to NYC. The storyline sets up shocking real pranks.
- DirectorDavid OyelowoStarsDavid OyelowoAmiah MillerLonnie ChavisA boy sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers.
- DirectorRoseanne LiangStarsChloë Grace MoretzNick RobinsonBeulah KoaleA female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.
- DirectorKourosh AhariStarsShahab HosseiniNiousha NoorLeah OganyanAn Iranian couple living in the US become trapped inside a hotel when insidious events force them to face the secrets that have come between them, in a night that never ends.
- DirectorMichael FimognariStarsLana CondorNoah CentineoJanel ParrishLara Jean's senior year of high school takes center stage when she returns from a family trip to Korea and considers her college plans--with and without Peter.
- DirectorJonathan ButterellDan Gillespie SellsTom MacRaeStarsMax HarwoodLauren PatelSarah LancashireDespite obstacles, 16-year-old Jamie has the courage to fabulously follow his unconventional dream.
- DirectorBen WheatleyStarsJoel FryReece ShearsmithHayley SquiresAs the world searches for a cure to a disastrous virus, a scientist and park scout venture deep in the forest for a routine equipment run.
- DirectorJ BlakesonStarsRosamund PikePeter DinklageEiza GonzálezA crooked legal guardian who drains the savings of her elderly wards meets her match when a woman she tries to swindle turns out to be more than she first appears.
- DirectorCate ShortlandStarsScarlett JohanssonFlorence PughDavid HarbourNatasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.
- DirectorReginald HudlinStarsJay ReevesJavien JacksonThaddeus J. MixsonThe story of Ray-Ray McElrathbey, a freshman football player for Clemson University who secretly raised his younger brother on campus after his home life became too unsteady.
- DirectorZhuang Jie QiongYimou ZhangStarsHewei YuYi ZhangHailu QinIn the puppet state of Manchukuo in the 1930s, four Communist party special agents, after returning to China, embark on a secret mission. Sold out by a traitor, the team find themselves surrounded by threats on all sides.
- DirectorAmelia MosesStarsLauren BeattyGreg BrykKatharine King SoGrey is an indie singer who is having visions that she is a wolf. When she gets an invitation to work with notorious music producer Vaughn Daniels at his remote studio in the woods she begins to find out who she really is.
- DirectorRyan KrugerStarsGary GreenChanelle de JagerBrett WilliamsBarry is a drug-addled, abusive bastard who - after yet another bender - is abducted by aliens. Barry takes a backseat as an alien visitor assumes control of his body and takes it for a joyride through Cape Town. What follows is an onslaught of drugs, sex and violence as our alien tourist enters the weird and wonderful world of humankind. FRIED BARRY is based upon the short film of the same name, which earned 57 official selections and 12 wins at festivals around the world.
- DirectorFrida KempffStarsCecilia MiloccoAlbin GrenholmVille VirtanenA woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
- DirectorIvo van AartStarsKatja HerbersHarry van RijthovenAchraf KoutetA columnist must continuously deal with threats and negative comments on her social-media pages. One day, she has had enough and decides to hunt down her trolls.
- DirectorFrançois OzonStarsFélix LefebvreBenjamin VoisinPhilippine VelgeWhen 16-year-old Alexis capsizes off the coast of Normandy, 18-year-old David heroically saves him. Alexis has just met the friend of his dreams, who opens his eyes to a new horizon of friendship, art and sexual bliss.
- DirectorSarah SmithJean-Philippe VineOctavio E. RodriguezStarsJack Dylan GrazerZach GalifianakisEd HelmsThe story of Barney, an awkward middle-schooler and Ron, his new walking, talking, digitally-connected device. Ron's malfunctions set against the backdrop of the social media age launch them on a journey to learn about true friendship.
- DirectorRicky StaubStarsIdris ElbaCaleb McLaughlinLorraine ToussaintSent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.
- DirectorJosh GreenbaumStarsKristen WiigAnnie MumoloJamie DornanLifelong friends Barb and Star embark on the adventure of a lifetime when they decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time - ever.
- DirectorShawn LevyStarsRyan ReynoldsJodie ComerTaika WaititiWhen Guy, a bank teller, learns that he is a non-player character in a bloodthirsty, open-world video game, he goes on to become the hero of the story and takes the responsibility of saving the world.
- DirectorLee Haven JonesStarsAnnes ElwyNia RobertsJulian Lewis JonesFollows a young woman serving privileged guests at a dinner party in a remote house in rural Wales. The assembled guests do not realize they are about to eat their last supper.
- DirectorKristina LindströmKristian PetriStarsKristina LindströmLuchino ViscontiMario TursiIn 1971, due to the world premiere of Death in Venice, Italian director Luchino Visconti proclaimed his Tadzio as the world's most beautiful boy. 50 years later, that shadow still weighs upon Björn Andresen's life.
- DirectorJustine BatemanStarsOlivia MunnLuke BraceyJustin TherouxViolet realizes that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions, and must do everything differently to become her true self.
- DirectorJoe CarnahanStarsGerard ButlerFrank GrilloAlexis LouderOn the run from a lethal assassin, a wily con artist devises a scheme to hide out inside a small-town police station-but when the hitman turns up at the precinct, an unsuspecting rookie cop finds herself caught in the crosshairs.
- DirectorChad Crawford KinkleStarsBrandy EdmistonLarry FessendenKatie GroshongAfter fleeing a backwoods cult, a woman tries to turn her life around by taking a job in a home for special needs adults, only to discover that she must face her dark past to save a down syndrome girl.
- DirectorIna WeisseStarsNina HossSophie RoisThorsten MertenAnna Bronsky is a violin teacher at the Conservatoire. Against the advice of her colleagues, she imposes the admission of a pupil, in whom she sees a great talent. With a lot of involvement, she prepares Alexander for the end-of-year exam and neglects her young son Jonas, who is also a violinist and ice hockey fan. She moves away more and more from her husband, so fond of him, the French "luthier" Philippe Bronsky. At the approach of audition, Anna pushes Alexander towards performances more and more exceptional. The decisive day, an accident occurs, heavy consequence.
- DirectorSam HobkinsonStarsMisha DefonsecaKaren SchulmanJane DanielMisha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher - who turned detective - revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.
- DirectorDamian Mc CarthyStarsBen CaplanJohnny FrenchLeila SykesA lone drifter suffering from partial memory loss accepts a job to look after a psychologically troubled woman in an abandoned house on an isolated island.
- DirectorChris BaughStarsJack RowanNigel O'NeillLouisa HarlandA crew of hardy road workers, led by a bickering father and son, must survive the night when they accidentally awaken an ancient Irish vampire.
- DirectorLeigh JaniakStarsKiana MadeiraOlivia Scott WelchBenjamin Flores Jr.A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.
- DirectorPablo LarraínStarsKristen StewartTimothy SpallSally HawkinsDiana Spencer, struggling with mental-health problems during her Christmas holidays with the Royal Family at their Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England, decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles.
- DirectorDenis VilleneuveStarsTimothée ChalametRebecca FergusonZendayaA noble family becomes embroiled in a war for control over the galaxy's most valuable asset while its heir becomes troubled by visions of a dark future.
- DirectorDanis GouletStarsElle-Máijá TailfeathersBrooklyn Letexier-HartAlex TarrantA mother joins an underground band of vigilantes to try to rescue her daughter from a state-run institution.
- DirectorCharles OfficerStarsSaul WilliamsThamela MpumlwanaDonisha Rita Claire PrendergastIn a crime-noir about the urban child-soldier, Akilla Brown captures a fifteen-year-old Jamaican boy in the aftermath of an armed robbery. Over one gruelling night, Akilla confronts a cycle of generational violence he thought he escaped.
- DirectorDanielle LessovitzStarsFionn WhiteheadLeyna BloomMcCaul LombardiPaul must confront his white boy realness after arriving in New York and getting involved with explosively divisive groups: the queer ballroom scene and some straight debt collectors, while falling in love with a trans woman.
- DirectorPeter NicksStarsDwayne DavisDenilson GariboLibby SchaafOakland as a tantalizing case study. In a city that struggles with rising crime and health care woes, its public school systems aren't exactly equipped to prepare youth for the travails of young adulthood.
- DirectorCorinna FaithStarsMark SmithMarley CheshamRose WilliamsIn 1974 a young nurse is forced to work the night shift in a crumbling hospital as striking miners switch off the power across Britain; inside the walls lurks a terrifying presence that threatens to consume her and everyone around her.
- DirectorJaco BouwerStarsMonique RockmanCarel NelAlex van DykAn injured forest ranger on a routine mission is saved by two off-the-grid survivalists. What is initially a welcome rescue grows more suspicious as the son and his renegade father reveal a cultish devotion to the forest.
- DirectorPaul VerhoevenStarsVirginie EfiraCharlotte RamplingDaphné PatakiaA 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
- DirectorIlya NaishullerStarsBob OdenkirkAleksey SerebryakovConnie NielsenA docile family man slowly reveals his true character after his house gets burgled by two petty thieves, which, coincidentally, leads him into a bloody war with a Russian crime boss.
- DirectorCary Joji FukunagaStarsDaniel CraigAna de ArmasRami MalekJames Bond has left active service. His peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
- DirectorMélanie LaurentStarsLou de LaâgeMélanie LaurentEmmanuelle BercotA woman who is unfairly institutionalized at a Paris asylum plots to escape with the help of one of its nurses. Based on the novel 'Le bal des folles' by Victoria Mas.
- DirectorDominic CookeStarsBenedict CumberbatchMerab NinidzeRachel BrosnahanBusinessman Greville Wynne is asked by a Russian source to try to help put an end to the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- DirectorRidley ScottStarsMatt DamonAdam DriverJodie ComerThe Knight Jean de Carrouges must settle the dispute over his wife Marguerite by challenging his former friend to a duel to the death.
- DirectorAnthony Scott BurnsStarsJulia Sarah StoneLandon LiboironCarlee RyskiA teenage runaway takes part in a sleep study that becomes a nightmarish descent into the depths of her mind and a frightening examination of the power of dreams.
- DirectorTravis StevensStarsBarbara CramptonLarry FessendenBonnie AaronsAnne, married to a small-town Minister, feels her life has been shrinking over the past 30 years. Encountering "The Master" brings her a new sense of power and an appetite to live bolder. However, the change comes with a heavy body count.
- DirectorKirk DeMiccoBrandon JeffordsStarsLin-Manuel MirandaYnairaly SimoZoe SaldanaVivo, Sony Pictures Animation's first-ever musical adventure featuring all-new original songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda, will take audiences on an epic adventure to gorgeous and vibrant locations never before seen in animation.
- DirectorSean BakerStarsSimon RexBree ElrodSuzanna SonMikey Saber is a washed-up porn star who returns to his small Texas hometown, not that anyone really wants him back.
- DirectorJosh RubenStarsSam RichardsonMilana VayntrubGeorge BasilFeature adaptation of the video game where werewolves attack a small town.
- DirectorPaul SchraderStarsOscar IsaacTiffany HaddishTye SheridanWilliam Tell is an ex-military interrogator living under the radar as a low-stakes gambler. When he encounters a young man looking to commit revenge against a mutual enemy, he takes him on the casino circuit to set him on a new path.
- DirectorKenneth BranaghStarsJude HillLewis McAskieCaitríona BalfeA young boy and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.
- DirectorDavid CharbonierJustin PowellStarsEzra DeweyRob BrownsteinTevy PoeA mute boy is trapped in his apartment with a sinister monster when he makes a wish to fulfill his heart's greatest desire.
- DirectorMia Hansen-LøveStarsVicky KriepsTim RothMia WasikowskaA couple retreat to the island that inspired Ingmar Bergman to write screenplays for their upcoming films when the lines between reality and fiction start to blur.
- DirectorJeymes SamuelStarsJonathan MajorsZazie BeetzRJ CylerWhen an outlaw discovers his enemy is being released from prison, he reunites his gang to seek revenge.
- DirectorDavid BrucknerStarsRebecca HallSarah GoldbergVondie Curtis-HallA widow begins to uncover her recently deceased husband's disturbing secrets.
- DirectorJulia DucournauStarsVincent LindonAgathe RousselleGarance MarillierFollowing a series of unexplained crimes, a father is reunited with the son who has been missing for ten years.
- DirectorKim A. SnyderStarsJaclyn CorinSamantha FuentesX GonzálezStudents at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida speak out against the national gun-violence epidemic after a mass shooting at their school kills 17 people.
- DirectorQuentin DupieuxStarsBenoît PoelvoordeGrégoire LudigMarc FraizeLouis just found the corpse of a man in front of his apartment building. Taken in for custody by Captain Buron, he finds himself on the wrong end of a surreal interrogation. But how can you prove you are innocent when the cops are crazy?
- DirectorCody CalahanStarsEvan MarshAmber GoldfarbAri MillenJoel, a caustic 1980s film critic for a national horror magazine, finds himself unwittingly trapped in a self-help group for serial killers. With no other choice, Joel attempts to blend in or risk becoming the next victim.
- DirectorChris SmithStarsMatthew ModineRoger RignackJillian PetersonReenactments drive this documentary investigating the mastermind behind a scam to sneak the kids of rich and famous families into top US universities.
- DirectorKiyoshi KurosawaStarsYû AoiIssei TakahashiMasahiro HigashideA Japanese merchant who leaves his wife behind in order to travel to Manchuria, where he witnesses an act of barbarism. His subsequent actions cause misunderstanding, jealousy and legal problems for his wife.
- DirectorLili HorvátStarsNatasa StorkViktor BodóBenett VilmányiMárta, a forty-year-old neurosurgeon, falls in love. She leaves her shining American career behind and returns to Budapest to start a new life with the man. But the love of her life claims they have never met before.
- DirectorJamila WignotStarsAlvin AileyCicely TysonRennie HarrisAn immersive portrait of dance pioneer Alvin Ailey, told through his own words and a new dance inspired by his life.
- DirectorAlexandre AjaStarsMélanie LaurentMathieu AmalricMalik ZidiA woman wakes in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there. As she's running out of oxygen, she must rebuild her memory to find a way out of her nightmare.