In 2021, Amazon released a huge number of Amazon Original movies on Amazon Prime Video. In a year when many theatrical releases were delayed or moved to streaming services because of the ongoing pandemic, Amazon have stepped up their game and shown the best that they have to offer. While some of these movies received theatrical releases as well, they could be enjoyed from the comfort of home within a month at most.
Amazon Studios released their very first movie in December of 2015 with Chi-Raq. Since then, the number of Amazon Original movies released each year has grown tremendously with 28 feature films and documentaries releasing from the studio in 2021. Additionally, a wealth of new Amazon Original Documentaries were released in 2021, which were well-received and deserve an honorable mention. Documentaries about entertainers included ones focused on Val Kilmer (Val), Pink (Pink: All I Know So Far), Mary J. Blige (Mary J. Blige’s My Life), and Kid Cudi (A Man Named Scott). LGBTQ+ figures also took the spotlight in Mayor Pete that followed Pete Buttigieg’s campaign for the presidency of the United States, and My Name Is Pauli Murray, which tells the story of the LGBTQ+ lawyer and activist who lived from 1910 to 1985. Finally, Burning takes an unflinching look at climate change and the intense fires that devastated Australia in 2019 and 2020.
With so many offerings on such a wide range of topics, it can be hard to know where to start. The below list will focus on Prime Video's best fictional movies or 2021, including both more popular, well-known productions, as well as some more minor but no less notable releases. To provide a sense of what's really worth watching on the popular streaming service, here are the best Amazon Prime Original movies from 2021.
9. Cinderella (2021)
This Amazon Original takes a new look at the classic fairy tale story of Cinderella. A romantic musical version of the well-known story, Cinderella (2021) stars Camila Cabello in the lead role with a supporting cast including Idina Menzel, Minnie Driver, Nicholas Galitzine, Pierce Brosnan, and Billy Porter in the role of Fabulous Godmother. The fresh take on the old tale is definitely worth a watch and Billy Porter's exploration of the role of the Godmother brings a whole new flavor to the movie.
Cinderella did not receive particularly positive critical reviews and only holds a Rotten Tomatoes score of 42%. Critics felt that some of the performances and dialogue dragged the movie down; however, they also praised Amazon's Cinderella for its upbeat comedic feel and its catchy soundtrack. While the critics might not have enjoyed it, it is still a largely fun experience as reflected by its positive viewing numbers on Amazon's streaming platform. During its streaming debut weekend on Prime Video, Cinderella became the most-watched movie musical of 2021 so far.
8. The Manor
One of Amazon’s horror movies released during October in time for Halloween, the Amazon Original The Manor stars Barbara Hershey as Judith Albright. In The Manor, Judith suffers a stroke and is moved to a nursing home where she begins noticing strange goings-on and the deaths of other residents as she slowly uncovers a supernatural mystery. To be able to leave safely, she seeks to find a way to convince people that she doesn't truly belong there.
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The Manor is the eighth film in the anthology horror film series Welcome to Blumhouse and the final of the four Welcome to Blumhouse movies released on Prime Video in October. While not exactly upbeat, the four movies are shaped around the common theme of finding horror within the institutions of the real world and provide some powerful social commentary. Critics reacted generally positively to the movie, crediting its moral stance but questioning its predictability.
7. Encounter
The Amazon Original movie Encounter was released in theaters on December 3, just one week before it arrived on Prime Video. Encounter struggled somewhat due to being a complex movie that doesn't easily translate to an enticing trailer, but it is definitely worth a viewer's time. Encounter stars Riz Ahmed, Octavia Spencer, Janina Gavankar, and Rory Cochrane. The thriller brings in elements of drama and science fiction as a U.S. Marine takes his two sons on a road trip to save them from a mysterious entity. As the movie progresses, his motivations and mental situation begin to come under question in a tense and well-developed story that keeps the viewer's attention as the tension mounts as to whether there is a supernatural or psychological mystery at the heart of the movie.
Riz Ahmed's captivating performance makes Encounter a must-watch while the narrative helps to instill a healthy sense of caution and skepticism in the audience that might be helpful in their everyday lives. Encounter currently holds a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While some viewers might find it slow-moving, critics have regularly commended the building sense of paranoia that Encounter develops.
6. Annette
Annette is a musical rock opera and psychological drama written by Ron and Russel Mail of the band Sparks. Henry (Adam Driver) is a stand-up comedian who falls for a famous opera singer called Ann Defrasnoux (Marion Cotillard). The couple have a passionate love affair in the public eye, but their lives are turned upside down with the birth of their daughter, a child with an exceptional destiny.
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A bizarre and fantastical experience, Annette begs viewers to put the real world aside and dive into its more experimental narrative. Critics responded positively to the movie with Rotten Tomatoes currently giving it a 71% approval rating. Annette was nominated for several awards and took runner-up in several categories with Adam Driver winning Best Actor from the Florida Film Critics Circle.
5. Birds of Paradise
Based upon the 2019 novel by A.K. Small called Bright Burning Stars, Birds of Paradise is a drama set within a Parisian ballet academy. At the academy, the students compete to win a contract with a ballet company. The plot revolves around a new student at the academy, Kate Sanders, and an established student, Marine Durand. The two share a rivalry and a friendship that develops throughout the movie but is complicated by the death of Marine's brother before the start of the story and much of the story revolves around how the two deal with that situation. The Birds of Paradise cast is led by Kristine Frøseth and Diana Silvers.
An aesthetically impressive ballet movie, the performances Kristine Frøseth and Diana Silvers and the chemistry between them makes this one of Amazon Prime Video's best movies of 2021. Rotten Tomatoes gives Birds of Paradise 60% based on critics' reviews with the worst of the critiques suggesting that the film could do with more depth. As well as being visually stunning and dramatically tense, Birds of Paradise adds to the Amazon Original lineup of LGBTQ+ representation in their content.
4. The Map of Tiny Perfect Things
The Map of Tiny Perfect Things is a science-fiction-based romantic comedy about two teenagers who are caught in the same time loop. Lev Grossman, who wrote The Magicians book series, wrote the original short story of the same name and adapted the story into a screenplay himself. The Amazon Original starts Kathryn Newton as Margaret and Kyle Allen as Mark and sees the two try to map out the perfect moments within the time loop in the hopes of finding a way to end the cycle.
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The narrative might feel familiar (even The Map of Tiny Perfect Things itself references other time loop movies); however, the film manages to give a fresh spin on the story. Newton and Allen play well together and make for an emotional and heartwarming story in what could easily have been lost as a clunky teen romance. Rotten Tomatoes currently gives The Map of Tiny Perfect Things a rating of 77% and it is an easy choice for a heartwarming couples' movie.
3. The Tomorrow War
Chris Pratt's best-known role might be as the MCU’s hero Star-Lord in Guardians of the Galaxy, but he’s branching out into other universes on his own. In Amazon’s Original movie The Tomorrow War, Pratt plays a Green Beret turned biology teacher who is conscripted to fight a war in the future. In a narrative that splits between the movie's present and future, Chris Pratt's character must bring what he has learned in the future back so that he might set about trying to find a way to stop the war before it ever began. The movie also stars Yvonne Strahovski and J.K. Simmons in powerful supporting roles.
The Tomorrow War received middling reviews from critics, only receiving an aggregated 52% from Rotten Tomatoes. The film drew comparisons to Edge of Tomorrow, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Starship Troopers with critics primarily focusing on the positives of the special effects and Chris Pratt's central performance. However, regardless of what critics thought, audiences enjoyed the movie as a fun romp in the form of an Amazon Original. Viewer scores were generally higher than critics and The Tomorrow War topped the charts as one of the most-streamed on-demand movies for several weeks in the summer of 2021.
2. Everybody's Talking About Jamie
Coming in at number 2 is the Amazon Original musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie. In a year filled with new musicals, Amazon managed to make their mark with this movie based on the stage musical of the same name, which was itself inspired by the BBC Three documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. Following Jamie New (Max Harwood) the musical sees one sixteen-year-old struggling to pursue his passion of becoming a drag queen and pushing against the wealth of prejudices that he faces for his career desires.
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Any movie that deals front and center with drag performances and LGBTQ+ culture is bound to fight an uphill battle in certain circles of critics. However, Everybody's Talking About Jamie managed to pull in many positive reviews with Rotten Tomatoes calculating its critical approval score at 79% and its audience score at a similar 71%. Like Cinderella (2021), this Amazon Original musical has plenty of infectious songs throughout. However, it moves higher up the list of best Amazon Original movies in 2021 due to a more consistent power of delivery and a strong and uplifting message that will resonate with LGBTQ+ audiences and other marginalized groups about self-empowerment and actualization.
1. The Electrical Life of Louis Wain
The number one Amazon Original movie from 2021 was The Electrical Life of Louis Wain. Coming to Prime Video late in the year, in November, This biopic combines tense drama and farcical comedy as it follows the life of the English artist Louis Wain. Wain's surreal cat paintings were credited with helping to increase the popularity of keeping cats as pets as, during the Victorian era, keeping a pet cat was considered unusual. Benedict Cumberbatch stars as the artist Louis Wain as he rises to a position of prominence and celebrity as his works appear to echo a possible degenerative brain condition. Cumberbatch is well paired with Claire Foy as Emily Richardson-Wain and the cast is extensively star-studded. An oddly large number of Cumberbatch's fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe alums appear alongside him including Toby Jones, Sophia Di Martino, Olivier Richters, and Taika Waititi. Other notable appearances include the British comedian Asim Chaudry, Richard Ayoade, and peculiarly Nick Cave as H.G. Wells.
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain is a must-watch for all and was received positively by critics and audiences alike. As it stretches from the late 1800s to the 1930s, the movie manages to take what could risk being a dry biopic and creates a poignantly sad piece touched off by an appropriate amount of humor and whimsy. To round out the whole experience, Cumberbatch shows the true extent of his acting talent and he is perfectly coupled with Claire Foy as the two leads and truly help to make The Electrical Life of Louis Wain the best Amazon Original movie to come to Prime Video in 2021.