Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2021!

Happy New Year, everyone, and welcome to 2021! It’s a new year for movies that hopefully will not be as bad as last year. With vaccines rolling out, I hope that we can all get back to the movie theater experience safely and in full force.

But for now, we are in the midst of a second wave, and there’s a new, more contagious strain of the virus going around, meaning we’re not ready to get back to normal yet. I have paused my AMC A-List, and I’ll only be reviewing VOD/streaming movies for now.

Nevertheless, we have an exciting year of movies ahead, and there are some great films that we will hopefully get to see this year. These are my top ten.

10. The Suicide Squad

While DC’s first attempt at a Suicide Squad film failed miserably, I have nothing but high hopes for this standalone sequel. This film will have James Gunn at the helm, who you may know as the man behind the Guardians of the Galaxy films.

On top of that, this movie boasts a star-studded cast, including Margot Robbie, John Cena, Idris Elba, Viola Davis, Pete Davidson, Taika Waititi, and Sylvester Stallone. I cannot wait to see how Gunn approaches these characters, and hopefully, we get a superhero movie with color, humor, and wit.

Release: August 6, 2021 (theaters, HBO Max)

9. No Time to Die

To my memory, this was the first major film delayed due to the pandemic, and it has now been pushed back an entire year. Nevertheless, I remain very excited to see the newest installment of the James Bond franchise. This series has many interesting things to offer, and it’s always nice to see what Daniel Craig has up his sleeve.

I doubt that the film will retain its release date, as the film must make back at least a fraction of its $250 million budget at the box office, which cements it as one of the most expensive productions ever made. Hopefully, we get news on this Bond film soon.

Release: April 2, 2021 (theaters)

8. The Matrix 4

Many would agree that The Matrix is one of the greatest sci-fi action films of all time, with its iconic bullet-time sequences and action scenes we remember to this day. The sequels were a bit of a mixed bag, ending on a note that doesn’t seem to open up the possibility of a sequel.

And yet, Lana Wachowski, one of the creators of the original trilogy, is returning to direct this film, which will bring back Keanu Reeves as Neo, Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, and some more famous actors. This film has the potential to be the Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol of the series.

Release: December 22, 2021 (theaters, HBO Max)

7. A Quiet Place Part II

It was a nasty shock when this movie was pulled out of theaters mere days before it was set to be released, but this year, we will hopefully get to see the sequel to the 2018 horror film, A Quiet Place. This movie will star Emily Blunt, and it will bring in new characters portrayed by Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou.

This is a sequel I’m excited for because I love the first movie, and I think John Krasinski is proving himself to be a fine screenwriter and director beyond his acting abilities and charming “Jim face.” And honestly, this film deserves to be watched in a theater full of people trying their very hardest not to make a sound.

Release: April 23, 2021 (theaters)

6. Free Guy

I’ve been excited to see this movie for over a year. This is an action-comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as an NPC in a video game world who decides to take control of his life and become the action hero. This movie looks like Ready Player One meets The Truman Show, and it looks like a hell of a good time.

Reynolds’s comedic sensibilities are always welcome, and this movie looks like an action-packed thrill ride that I cannot wait to see in theaters.

Release: May 21, 2021 (theaters)

5. F9

This may not be the most popular opinion, but I am a major fan of the Fast & Furious saga. This is a series that gets more and more ridiculous with each installment, crashing cars into every rule of physics, and I’m all here for it.

F9 looks as if it will continue the trend, boasting insane action setpieces, and it will be bringing in John Cena as Jakob, Dom’s long-lost brother. Lucas Black will also be returning as Sean Boswell from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, and from what I’ve seen, this looks like a fantastic time at the movies.

Release: May 28, 2021 (theaters)

4. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Why am I excited to see Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings? Well, Marvel is finally upping their game with diversity, and this will be the first superhero movie with an Asian cast. You don’t see too many films with Asian-American headliners, and I’m very excited to see what this movie has to offer.

The film will introduce the Mandarin (not Aldrich Killian from Iron Man 3) and give us more on the Ten Rings and given Shang-Chi’s skill set, we should be getting some incredible martial arts sequences and a charming performance from Simu Liu.

Release: July 9, 2021 (theaters)

3. Black Widow

I have been eagerly anticipating a Black Widow movie for a while now. Set between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, this movie looks like an incredible, action-packed spy thriller that will give us greater insight into Natasha Romanoff’s backstory.

This film has been delayed multiple times due to the pandemic, and that has just made me more excited to see what this movie can give us.

Release: May 7, 2021 (theaters)

2. Spider-Man 3

After the devastating cliffhanger of Spider-Man: Far From Home’s mid-credits scene, I couldn’t help but be excited to see the next movie in the series. It appears as if this film will have Peter Parker on the run, battling a few familiar villains and possibly opening up the multiverse.

Doctor Strange will appear in this film, as will Jamie Foxx as Electro, reprising his role from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Alfred Molina will be portraying Doctor Octopus for the first time since Raimi’s Spider-Man 2. With rumors surrounding Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's return, this could be the cinematic experience of the year.

Release: December 17, 2021 (theaters)

1. Mission: Impossible 7

A film that has hit the headlines lately for Tom Cruise’s outburst on the crew for violating safety protocols, Mission: Impossible 7 is without a doubt my most anticipated movie of 2021. Christopher McQuarrie returns to write and direct the seventh installment in this long-standing action spy franchise.

The movie will bring back the same team of heroes as the last film while also bringing Hayley Atwell and Pom Klementieff in new roles. As Mission: Impossible — Fallout is one of my favorite action films of all time, I cannot wait to see what Cruise does to top his prior stunts.

No matter what happens, this should be a thrilling time at the movie theater.

Release: November 19, 2021 (theaters)

And those are my ten most anticipated movies of 2021!

I’m excited for the new year of possibilities. I’ll have reviews for some VOD/streaming movies soon, but until then, stay safe and keep watching movies.