Like 2020 before it, 2021 was another rather strange year for film, with cinemas having remained shuttered across the UK from January until May.

But that didn't stop it being a terrific 12 months for new releases, with a huge variety of offerings debuting both on streaming services and theatrically – from period dramas like The Dig to blockbusters such as The Suicide Squad.

Of course, perhaps the most high profile of all new films was the long-delayed No Time to Die, with Daniel Craig's final 007 outing having finally arrived in September to largely positive reviews and impressive box office numbers.

Meanwhile, towards the beginning of the year, we saw some great films compete for the best picture Oscar, with Chloe Zhao's Nomadland taking the top spot ahead of contenders such as Sound of Metal and Promising Young Woman.

Read on for our picks of ten of the best from 2021...

Showing 1 to 10 of 10 results

  • The Dig

    • Drama
    • History
    • 2020
    • Simon Stone
    • 111 mins
    • 12A

    Summary:

    Wealthy widow Edith Pretty is convinced that treasures lie beneath the surface of burial mounds on her Sutton Hoo estate. With the Second World War beckoning, she hires amateur archaeologist Basil Brown to excavate the site and he makes a historic discovery: an Anglo-Saxon ship burial.

    Why watch The Dig?:

    In this British drama about the 1938 excavation of an Anglo-Saxon burial ship in Suffolk, Carey Mulligan plays an upper-class widow who invites a working-class archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) to examine part of her estate. Their interplay is engaging in an often fascinating film.

    How to watch
  • The Harder They Fall

    • Drama
    • Action
    • 2021
    • Jeymes Samuel
    • 137 mins
    • 15

    Summary:

    Fearsome outlaw Nat Love learns that his sworn enemy, Rufus Buck, is about to be released from prison. Love gathers together his posse - old flame Stagecoach Mary, fiery-tempered right-hand man Bill Pickett and Jim Beckwourth - intent on hunting down and killing his rival.

    Why watch The Harder They Fall?:

    Boasting an excellent all-black cast, the directorial debut for musician Jeymes “The Bullitts” Samuel blows the dust off the western in violent fashion. Outlaw Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) hunts his parents’ killer (Idris Elba) after he’s sprung from jail.

    How to watch
  • The Suicide Squad

    • Action
    • Comedy
    • 2020
    • James Gunn (2)
    • 132 mins
    • 15

    Summary:

    Supervillains Harley Quinn, Bloodsport, Peacemaker and a rag-tag bunch of cons at Belle Reve prison join the super-secret Task Force X as they are dropped off at the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. James Gunn's comic-book adventure comedy, starring Idris Elba, Margot Robbie and John Cena, with the voice of Sylvester Stallone

    Why watch The Suicide Squad?:

    Idris Elba, John Cena and Sylvester Stallone (voicing a walking shark) battle a ruthless dictator in this action romp, with Margot Robbie as the gleefully homicidal Harley Quinn. Stuffed with cool attitude and comedy, this is joyous fun.

    How to watch
  • Finch

    • Drama
    • Action
    • 2021
    • Miguel Sapochnik
    • 115 mins
    • 12

    Summary:

    Tom Hanks is Finch, a man who embarks on a moving and powerful journey to find a new home for his unlikely family-his beloved dog and a newly created robot-in a dangerous and ravaged world.

    Why watch Finch?:

    Pitched between Cast Away and WALL-E, this post-apocalyptic fable sees avuncular inventor Finch (Tom Hanks) go on a journey with his klutzy robot (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones). The chemistry between man and droid fuels a sci-fi road movie that’s sweet and soulful.

    How to watch
  • Sound of Metal

    • Drama
    • Arts and culture
    • 2019
    • Darius Marder
    • 101 mins
    • 15

    Summary:

    Drama starring Riz Ahmed and Olivia Cooke. Ruben, the drummer in a heavy metal band, begins to experience hearing loss and is told his condition will deteriorate over time. Unable to afford treatment and unwilling to stop playing, Ruben lashes out, driving a wedge between him and his bandmate girlfriend, Lou. Could a community of deaf recovering substance addicts offer a lifeline?

    Why watch Sound of Metal?:

    Riz Ahmed delivers an intuitive performance as heavy-metal drummer Ruben, who joins a deaf commune after his hearing deteriorates while on tour. This study of addiction and self-discovery is a melancholy exercise in empathy, and Ahmed leaves a lasting mark.

    How to watch
  • No Time to Die

    • Action
    • Thriller
    • 2020
    • Cary Fukunaga
    • 157 mins
    • 12

    Summary:

    Spy adventure starring Daniel Craig, Rami Malek and Léa Seydoux. After narrowly surviving an attempt on his life, James Bond believes his lover, Madeleine Swann, has betrayed him. Five years later, he is drawn out of retirement and back into her life when a new global threat - a deadly biological weapon - emerges. But with Bond's nemesis, Blofeld, behind bars, who is the mysterious figure intent on using this terrifying new technology?

    Why watch No Time to Die?:

    In Daniel Craig’s last hurrah as 007, he’s lured out of retirement to thwart the spread of DNA-specific weaponry that’s fallen into the hands of Rami Malek’s supervillain. Craig plays a weary Bond dogged by regrets — with solid assistance from paramour Léa Seydoux and Ana de Armas as a CIA agent.

    How to watch
  • Promising Young Woman

    • Drama
    • Thriller
    • 2020
    • Emerald Fennell
    • 114 mins
    • 15

    Summary:

    Oscar-winning thriller starring Carey Mulligan. Haunted by a traumatic incident from her time at medical school, 30-year-old Cassie spends her evenings ensnaring predatory men in clubs and teaching them some harsh life lessons. When she discovers an opportunity to bring a man from her past to justice, Cassie gets to work enacting the ultimate revenge plot.

    Why watch Promising Young Woman?:

    This acid-tongued, deviously plotted revenge fantasy earned Oscar nods for Carey Mulligan and writer/director Emerald Fennell. Mulligan’s promising young woman feigns drunkenness in bars and surprises men who try to take advantage.

    How to watch
  • Black Widow

    • Action
    • Sci-fi
    • 2020
    • Cate Shortland
    • 134 mins
    • 12

    Summary:

    Natasha Romanoff is on the run from US Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross. She goes off-grid and resurfaces in Norway, aided by smitten private contractor Rick Mason. Natasha's past gate-crashes this Scandinavian seclusion and she reunites with 'sister' Yelena.

    Why watch Black Widow?:

    The first solo feature for the female superspy is an exhilarating adventure that expands on her origins. Joining Scarlett Johansson is Florence Pugh as assassin Yelena, Rachel Weisz as mysterious Melina and David Harbour as the Red Guardian, a boorish Soviet super-soldier.

    How to watch
  • Everybody's Talking about Jamie

    • Comedy
    • Lifestyle
    • 2020
    • Jonathan Butterell
    • 115 mins
    • 12A

    Summary:

    Musical based on a true story, starring Max Harwood. Sheffield teenager Jamie longs to go to his school prom in drag. While he faces opposition from his disapproving teacher and mocking schoolmates, Jamie is backed by his supportive mum Margaret, his best friend Pritti and his mentor Hugo, a veteran drag artiste.

    Why watch Everybody’s Talking about Jamie?:

    Packed with dance and razzle-dazzle performances, this version of the West End smash never puts a glittery stiletto heel wrong. Max Harwood is teenager Jamie, who dreams of going to the prom in drag, with Richard E Grant as his mentor.

    How to watch
  • Nomadland

    • Drama
    • 2020
    • Chloé Zhao
    • 107 mins
    • 12A

    Summary:

    Road movie starring Frances McDormand. Following the death of her husband and the loss of her job, a sixty-something Nevadan sells her belongings and buys a van, which she uses to travel the States while working odd jobs. Along the way, she meets a number of fellow travellers and starts to embrace America's "nomad" communities.

    Why watch Nomadland?:

    A journey across America’s West unfolds with majesty in Chloé Zhao’s Oscar-winning drama. Reeling from the tragedy of losing her home and her husband, free-spirited Fern (Frances McDormand) hits the road and finds a sense of community with people similarly cast adrift. Transcending narrative conventions, Nomadland salutes the resilience of humankind and is genuinely unforgettable.

    How to watch
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