The Best Movies of 2021, Ranked by Tomatometer
by moviefreak3333-949-623347 | created - 20 Jan 2022 | updated - 21 Jan 2022 | PublicRotten 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.
- Instant Watch Options
- Genres
- Movies or TV
- IMDb Rating
- In Theaters
- Release Year
- Keywords
1. My Salinger Year (2020)
R | 101 min | Drama
A college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.
Director: Philippe Falardeau | Stars: Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, Douglas Booth, Seána Kerslake
Votes: 6,820
2. Palmer (2021)
R | 110 min | Drama
An ex-convict strikes up a friendship with a boy from a troubled home.
Director: Fisher Stevens | Stars: Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, Ryder Allen
Votes: 43,844
3. Blue Bayou (2021)
R | 117 min | Drama
As 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.
Director: Justin Chon | Stars: Justin Chon, Alicia Vikander, Mark O'Brien, Linh-Dan Pham
Votes: 10,466
4. Cruella (2021)
PG-13 | 134 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
A live-action prequel feature film following a young Cruella de Vil.
Director: Craig Gillespie | Stars: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser
Votes: 265,909 | Gross: $86.10M
5. Percy Vs Goliath (2020)
PG-13 | 99 min | Biography, Drama
A Canadian farmer takes on a giant corporation after their GMOs interfere with his crops.
Director: Clark Johnson | Stars: Christopher Walken, Roberta Maxwell, Christina Ricci, Zach Braff
Votes: 3,166
6. Pixie (2020)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Crime, Thriller
To 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.
Director: Barnaby Thompson | Stars: Olivia Cooke, Fra Fee, Rory Fleck Byrne, Pat Shortt
Votes: 5,492
7. The World to Come (2020)
R | 105 min | Drama, History, Western
Somewhere 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.
Director: Mona Fastvold | Stars: Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck, Christopher Abbott
Votes: 11,028
8. The Mauritanian (2021)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Mohamedou Ould Slahi fights for freedom after being detained and imprisoned without charge by the U.S. Government for years.
Director: Kevin Macdonald | Stars: Tahar Rahim, Nouhe Hamady Bari, Saadna Hamoud, Mohamed Yeslem Mousse
Votes: 61,789
9. Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)
PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
The 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.
Director: Adam Wingard | Stars: Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry
Votes: 241,693 | Gross: $100.92M
10. Spoor (2017)
Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Janina 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.
Directors: Agnieszka Holland, Kasia Adamik | Stars: Agnieszka Mandat, Wiktor Zborowski, Jakub Gierszal, Patricia Volny
Votes: 6,044
11. Son (I) (2021)
Not Rated | 98 min | Horror, Thriller
When 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.
Director: Ivan Kavanagh | Stars: Andi Matichak, Emile Hirsch, Luke David Blumm, Cranston Johnson
Votes: 6,385
12. The Spine of Night (2021)
Not Rated | 93 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Ultra-violent, epic fantasy set in a land of magic follows heroes from different eras and cultures battling against a malevolent force.
Directors: Philip Gelatt, Morgan Galen King | Stars: Richard E. Grant, Lucy Lawless, Patton Oswalt, Betty Gabriel
Votes: 2,827
13. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things (2021)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Two teens live the same day repeatedly, enabling them to create a map of things to remember.
Director: Ian Samuels | Stars: Kathryn Newton, Kyle Allen, Jermaine Harris, Anna Mikami
Votes: 27,926
14. Malignant (I) (2021)
R | 111 min | Crime, Horror, Mystery
Madison is paralyzed by shocking visions of grisly murders, and her torment worsens as she discovers that these waking dreams are in fact terrifying realities.
Director: James Wan | Stars: Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, Michole Briana White
Votes: 109,281 | Gross: $13.39M
15. Surge (I) (2020)
TV-MA | 105 min | Thriller
Set over 24 hours in London, a man goes on a bold and reckless journey of self-liberation.
Director: Aneil Karia | Stars: Ben Whishaw, Ryan McKen, Victor Olamide, Jasmine Jobson
Votes: 3,820
16. WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn (2021)
TV-MA | 104 min | Documentary
An 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.
Director: Jed Rothstein | Stars: Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashton Kutcher, Rebekah Paltrow Neumann, Farah White
Votes: 3,763
17. Stowaway (I) (2021)
TV-MA | 116 min | Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.
Director: Joe Penna | Stars: Anna Kendrick, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson, Toni Collette
Votes: 52,509
18. Small Engine Repair (2021)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Events spin wildly out of control when three lifelong friends agree to do a favor on behalf of the brash young woman they all adore.
Director: John Pollono | Stars: Jon Bernthal, Shea Whigham, Jordana Spiro, John Pollono
Votes: 5,030
19. Bad Trip (2021)
Unrated | 86 min | Comedy
This 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.
Director: Kitao Sakurai | Stars: Eric André, Michaela Conlin, Lil Rel Howery, Tiffany Haddish
Votes: 27,456
20. The Water Man (I) (2020)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A boy sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers.
Director: David Oyelowo | Stars: David Oyelowo, Amiah Miller, Lonnie Chavis, Rosario Dawson
Votes: 4,618
21. Shadow in the Cloud (2020)
R | 83 min | Action, Horror, War
A female WWII pilot traveling with top secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress encounters an evil presence on board the flight.
Director: Roseanne Liang | Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Beulah Koale, Taylor John Smith
Votes: 30,597 | Gross: $0.16M
22. The Night (II) (2020)
105 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
An 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.
Director: Kourosh Ahari | Stars: Shahab Hosseini, Niousha Noor, Leah Oganyan, George Maguire
Votes: 3,463
23. To All the Boys: Always and Forever (2021)
TV-14 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Lara 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.
Director: Michael Fimognari | Stars: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Janel Parrish, Anna Cathcart
Votes: 33,259
24. Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
Despite obstacles, 16-year-old Jamie has the courage to fabulously follow his unconventional dream.
Directors: Jonathan Butterell, Dan Gillespie Sells, Tom MacRae | Stars: Max Harwood, Lauren Patel, Sarah Lancashire, Shobna Gulati
Votes: 7,684
25. In the Earth (2021)
R | 107 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
As 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.
Director: Ben Wheatley | Stars: Joel Fry, Reece Shearsmith, Hayley Squires, Ellora Torchia
Votes: 11,642
26. I Care a Lot (2020)
R | 118 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: J Blakeson | Stars: Rosamund Pike, Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Dianne Wiest
Votes: 146,174
27. Black Widow (2021)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Natasha Romanoff confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.
Director: Cate Shortland | Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz
Votes: 426,379 | Gross: $183.65M
28. Safety (2020)
PG | 122 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The 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.
Director: Reginald Hudlin | Stars: Jay Reeves, Javien Jackson, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Corinne Foxx
Votes: 4,774
29. Cliff Walkers (2021)
120 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
In 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.
Directors: Zhuang Jie Qiong, Yimou Zhang | Stars: Hewei Yu, Yi Zhang, Hailu Qin, Haocun Liu
Votes: 3,003 | Gross: $0.15M
30. Bloodthirsty (2020)
Not Rated | 84 min | Drama, Horror, Music
Grey 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.
Director: Amelia Moses | Stars: Lauren Beatty, Greg Bryk, Katharine King So, Judith Buchan
Votes: 1,748
31. Fried Barry (2020)
99 min | Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi
Barry 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 ... See full summary »
Director: Ryan Kruger | Stars: Gary Green, Chanelle de Jager, Brett Williams, Joey Cramer
Votes: 3,046
32. Knocking (2021)
78 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A woman leaves a psychiatric ward after a nervous breakdown, only to start hearing mysterious knocking sounds in her apartment.
Director: Frida Kempff | Stars: Cecilia Milocco, Albin Grenholm, Ville Virtanen, Krister Kern
Votes: 1,702
33. The Columnist (2019)
86 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A 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.
Director: Ivo van Aart | Stars: Katja Herbers, Genio de Groot, Harry van Rijthoven, Achraf Koutet
Votes: 2,272
34. Summer of 85 (2020)
Not Rated | 101 min | Drama, Romance
When 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.
Director: François Ozon | Stars: Félix Lefebvre, Benjamin Voisin, Philippine Velge, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
Votes: 13,357
35. Ron's Gone Wrong (2021)
PG | 107 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
The 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.
Directors: Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine, Octavio E. Rodriguez | Stars: Jack Dylan Grazer, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Olivia Colman
Votes: 40,408
36. Concrete Cowboy (2020)
R | 111 min | Drama, Western
Sent to live with his estranged father for the summer, a rebellious teen finds kinship in a tight-knit Philadelphia community of Black cowboys.
Director: Ricky Staub | Stars: Idris Elba, Caleb McLaughlin, Lorraine Toussaint, Jharrel Jerome
Votes: 9,776
37. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (2021)
PG-13 | 107 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Lifelong 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.
Director: Josh Greenbaum | Stars: Kristen Wiig, Annie Mumolo, Jamie Dornan, Damon Wayans Jr.
Votes: 20,038
38. Free Guy (2021)
PG-13 | 115 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
When 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.
Director: Shawn Levy | Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Taika Waititi, Lil Rel Howery
Votes: 426,013 | Gross: $121.63M
39. The Feast (2021)
93 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Follows 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.
Director: Lee Haven Jones | Stars: Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones, Steffan Cennydd
Votes: 3,761
40. The Most Beautiful Boy in the World (2021)
93 min | Documentary, Biography, History
In 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.
Directors: Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri | Stars: Kristina Lindström, Luchino Visconti, Mario Tursi, Björn Andrésen
Votes: 1,936
41. Violet (II) (2021)
R | 92 min | Drama
Violet realizes that her entire life is built on fear-based decisions, and must do everything differently to become her true self.
Director: Justine Bateman | Stars: Olivia Munn, Luke Bracey, Justin Theroux, Dennis Boutsikaris
Votes: 1,402
42. Copshop (2021)
R | 107 min | Action, Thriller
On 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.
Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Gerard Butler, Frank Grillo, Alexis Louder, Toby Huss
Votes: 38,790
43. Dementer (2019)
80 min | Horror