(Photo by Macall Polay/©Warner Bros.)
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 (Godzilla vs. Kong), documentaries (Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry), awards contenders (Minari, Judas and the Black Messiah, The Father), and the cutting-edge in horror (Come True, The Queen of Black Magic).
Movies achieve Certified Fresh status by maintaining a 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 written 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 (Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar) while theaters begin to reopen in earnest, ready to deliver the biggest hits of the summer (A Quiet Place Part II, In the Heights).
Read on for the best movies of 2021, ranked by Tomatometer, and check back often as we update the list!
Newly added: Luca, Caveat, Summer of 85, In the Earth.
#100
Adjusted Score: 74.579%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#99
Adjusted Score: 76.684%
Critics Consensus: Although it traffics in familiar territory, Palmer is elevated by worthy themes and a strong ensemble led by an impressive Justin Timberlake.
#98
Adjusted Score: 83.137%
Critics Consensus: The Mauritanian takes a frustratingly generic approach to a real-life story that might have been inspirational in other hands, but Tahar Rahim’s performance elevates the uneven material.
#97
Adjusted Score: 90.262%
Critics Consensus: Delivering squarely on its title, Godzilla vs. Kong swats away character development and human drama to deliver all the spectacle you’d expect from giant monsters slugging it out.
#96
Adjusted Score: 80.182%
Critics Consensus: While not François Ozon’s best work, Summer of 85 serves as a beguiling, bittersweet ode to teen love and its lingering after-effects.
#95
Adjusted Score: 78.135%
Critics Consensus: With ingeniously gross hidden-camera bits that often find their unsuspecting marks at their best, Bad Trip turns out to be a surprisingly uplifting ride.
#94
Adjusted Score: 76.87%
Critics Consensus: Spoor stylishly taps into a deep well of anger to deliver an unusual yet largely effective revenge thriller with environmental and feminist overtones.
#93
Adjusted Score: 77.254%
Critics Consensus: Pixie borrows shamelessly from multiple like-minded heist thrillers; fortunately, Olivia Cooke’s outstanding lead performance makes for a great getaway vehicle.
#92
Adjusted Score: 79.242%
Critics Consensus: Pacing problems prevent Stowaway from fully engaging, but it’s distinguished by its thoughtful, well-acted approach to a story built on an excruciating moral dilemma.
#91
Adjusted Score: 79.137%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
#90
Adjusted Score: 79.093%
Critics Consensus: Its characters’ time-loop journey is a little bumpy and fairly familiar, but heartfelt charm and likeable leads make A Map of Tiny Perfect Things worth following.
Directed By:
#89
Adjusted Score: 81.303%
Critics Consensus: Part creature feature, part war movie, and part social commentary, Shadow in the Cloud doesn’t always blend its ingredients evenly — but it’s frequently pulpy fun.
#88
Adjusted Score: 80.046%
Critics Consensus: Diminishing returns have set in for this trilogy, but To All the Boys: Always and Forever has just enough of the original’s effervescent charm to serve as a worthy conclusion.
Starring:
#87
Adjusted Score: 86.28%
Critics Consensus: A searing swipe at late-stage capitalism, I Care A Lot is an exhilarating pitch black comedy with a wicked performance from Rosamund Pike.
#86
Adjusted Score: 76.965%
Critics Consensus: Percy vs Goliath teeters toward heavy-handed messaging, but Christopher Walken’s work in the central role helps keep this fact-based story upright.
#85
Adjusted Score: 83.673%
Critics Consensus: In the Earth’s bleak kaleidoscope of horror is a hallucinogenic meditation on the residual pandemic fears that haunt humanity.
#84
Adjusted Score: 85.114%
Critics Consensus: Bright, colorful, and unabashedly silly, Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar reaffirms that Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig are still as fun — and funny — as ever.
Starring:
#83
Adjusted Score: 81.65%
Critics Consensus: Savagely funny and viscerally unsettling, The Columnist takes the unbridled vitriol of social media to its bloodily over-the-top conclusion.
#82
Adjusted Score: 80.919%
Critics Consensus: Fans of uplifting sports dramas will find Safety in this skillfully told fact-based story about an athlete overcoming adversity.
#81
Adjusted Score: 84.253%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and solidly directed, Concrete Cowboy lassos old-fashioned uplift with its story of a father and son in a little-seen corner of American culture.
#80
Adjusted Score: 81.651%
Critics Consensus: The dramatic heft and dread of The Night delivers haunting psychological frights — and an impressive feature directorial debut for Kourosh Ahari.
Directed By:
#79
Adjusted Score: 81.574%
Critics Consensus: A bizarrely memorable sci-fi/comedy hybrid, Fried Barry may be an acquired taste, but it certainly isn’t chicken.
#78
Adjusted Score: 82.944%
Critics Consensus: Stylish and exciting, Cliff Walkers sees director Zhang Yimou trying his hand at the spy thriller genre with generally impressive results.
#77
Adjusted Score: 84.295%
Critics Consensus: A supernatural horror story grounded in real-world trauma, The Power marks writer-director Corinna Faith as an emerging talent to watch.
#76
Adjusted Score: 83.919%
Critics Consensus: An effective spine-tingler despite clear budget constraints, Caveat suggests a deliciously dark filmmaking future for writer-director Damian Mc Carthy.
Starring:
Directed By:
#75
Adjusted Score: 83.856%
Critics Consensus: Akilla’s Escape occasionally loses sight of its strongest assets, but solid acting and a smart story make this a neo-noir worth watching.
#74
Adjusted Score: 83.839%
Critics Consensus: Although Port Authority frustrates with its inaccurate portrayal of the culture it attempts to represent, it remains an absorbing and well-acted drama.
#73
Adjusted Score: 86.403%
Critics Consensus: Jakob’s Wife gives genre legend Barbara Crampton an opportunity to carry an old-school horror story — and she bloody well delivers.
#72
Adjusted Score: 84.944%
Critics Consensus: Offering a hauntingly lush style and plenty of gore, Bloodthirsty successfully captures the nightmarish darkness behind being hungry like the wolf in the quest for fame.
#71
Adjusted Score: 94.388%
Critics Consensus: Nobody doesn’t break any new ground for the genre, but this viscerally violent thriller smashes, shatters, and destroys plenty of other things — all while proving Bob Odenkirk has what it takes to be an action star.
#70
Adjusted Score: 91.032%
Critics Consensus: Occasionally uneven but bold and viscerally effective, Censor marks a bloody good step forward for British horror.
#69
Adjusted Score: 88.712%
Critics Consensus: Well-acted and visually striking, Come True offers an eerily effective reminder of how the sleeping subconscious can be fertile ground for horror.
#68
Adjusted Score: 93.002%
Critics Consensus: The Courier delivers a rousingly effective old-school spy adventure elevated by a thrilling fact-based story and Benedict Cumberbatch’s nervy central performance.
#67
Adjusted Score: 90.198%
Critics Consensus: Violation presents a powerful depiction of one woman’s trauma — and its uncomfortably gripping aftermath.
#66
Adjusted Score: 88.784%
Critics Consensus: Led by Ezra Dewey’s standout performance, The Djinn serves up a scary, sleekly effective cautionary tale about being careful what you wish for.
#65
Adjusted Score: 92.662%
Critics Consensus: Undine draws on folklore for a dark fantasy whose murky storytelling is often offset by the enchanting romance at its core.
#64
Adjusted Score: 89.298%
Critics Consensus: Its title may be unwieldy, but Preparations to Be Together for an Unknown Period of Time looks at the nature of love with commendable clarity.
#63
Adjusted Score: 89.207%
Critics Consensus: Operation Varsity Blues uses a unique stylistic blend of documentary and re-enactments to compellingly piece together the details of a torn-from-the-tabloids scandal.
#62
Adjusted Score: 91.021%
Critics Consensus: Oxygen gets the white-knuckle maximum out of its claustrophobic setting, with director Alexandre Aja and star Mélanie Laurent making this a must-watch thriller for sci-fi fans.
#61
Adjusted Score: 90.199%
Critics Consensus: Spurts of dark humor gush out of I Blame Society’s satirical approach to filmmaking and celebrity culture, prodded by sharp societal observations from writer-director-star Gillian Wallace Horvat.
#60
Adjusted Score: 93.082%
Critics Consensus: Spurred on by an excellent Toni Collette, Dream Horse has a comfortably crowd-pleasing gait that makes the most of the story’s familiar formula.
#59
Adjusted Score: 97.324%
Critics Consensus: Slight but suffused with infectious joy, the beguiling Luca proves Pixar can play it safe while still charming audiences of all ages.
Directed By:
#58
Adjusted Score: 92.579%
Critics Consensus: A slow-burning crime drama anchored by a solid central performance from Eric Bana, The Dry offers gripping thrills for genre fans.
#57
Adjusted Score: 90.934%
Critics Consensus: For viewers tuned into Quentin Dupieux’s frequently absurd wavelength, Keep an Eye Out offers another delightfully off-kilter triumph.
#56
Adjusted Score: 90.965%
Critics Consensus: The Oak Room contains a taut, spooky tale that proves southern gothic can flourish in the snowy north.
#55
Adjusted Score: 93.861%
Critics Consensus: Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions.
#54
Adjusted Score: 107.296%
Critics Consensus: A boldly provocative, timely thriller, Promising Young Woman is an auspicious feature debut for writer-director Emerald Fennell — and a career highlight for Carey Mulligan.
#53
Adjusted Score: 93.092%
Critics Consensus: Moffie uses one South African soldier’s story to grapple against a series of thorny questions — with rough yet rewarding results.
#52
Adjusted Score: 90.872%
Critics Consensus: True Mothers uses an intractable conflict to explore the bonds of parenthood with director/co-writer Naomi Kawase’s usual sensitivity and grace.
#51
Adjusted Score: 103.389%
Critics Consensus: A nerve-wracking continuation of its predecessor, A Quiet Place Part II expands the terrifying world of the franchise without losing track of its heart.
#50
Adjusted Score: 92.069%
Critics Consensus: The Queen of Black Magic mixes buried trauma with supernatural horror to produce a dark blend that genre fans will savor.
#49
Adjusted Score: 92.106%
Critics Consensus: A striking debut from director/co-writer Dea Kulumbegashvili, Beginning grapples convincingly with complex ideas while offering a brilliant showcase for star Ia Sukhitashvili.
#48
Adjusted Score: 96.268%
Critics Consensus: Together Together explores love and parenthood from unexpected angles, capturing a broad spectrum of emotions through Patti Harrison and Ed Helms’ starring performances.
#47
Adjusted Score: 93.358%
Critics Consensus: Tough but stirring, Little Fish uses one couple’s pandemic love story to illustrate the strength of human connection in trying times.
#46
Adjusted Score: 92.56%
Critics Consensus: It’s hard not to hear echoes of similarly desperate stories, but Holler drowns them out with strong performances and palpable empathy.
#45
Adjusted Score: 93.651%
Critics Consensus: Final Account falls shy of the definitive statement suggested by its title, but the belated reckoning on display remains chillingly valuable viewing.
Starring:
#44
Adjusted Score: 93.207%
Critics Consensus: Days of the Bagnold Summer draws on well-rounded performances from its leads to fill in the familiar outlines of its coming-of-age story with gentle humor and tender insight.
#43
Adjusted Score: 95.811%
Critics Consensus: A profoundly uplifting portrait of the refugee experience, Limbo is distinguished by its offbeat tone — and overall impressive work from debuting director Ben Sharrock.
#42
Adjusted Score: 94.977%
Critics Consensus: The Killing of Two Lovers unites deft direction and an artfully assembled cast in service of a powerful story.
#41
Adjusted Score: 93.293%
Critics Consensus: A refreshingly optimistic look at urban community life, The Outside Story is further distinguished by a layered leading performance from Brian Tyree Henry.
#40
Adjusted Score: 94.088%
Critics Consensus: A rich blend of thrilling horror and sharp social commentary, Lucky acts as a bloody good calling card for director Natasha Kermani and writer-star Brea Grant.
#39
Adjusted Score: 95.575%
Critics Consensus: Some Kind of Heaven could have gone deeper into its subject, but it remains a breezily entertaining look at some interesting people.
Starring:
#38
Adjusted Score: 93.812%
Critics Consensus: An enchanting debut for writer-director-star Suzanne Lindon, Spring Blossom captures first love with fittingly delicate beauty.
#37
Adjusted Score: 95.119%
Critics Consensus: All Light, Everywhere poses thought-provoking questions about our view of objective reality — and the implications for our growing reliance on surveillance technology.
#36
Adjusted Score: 95.386%
Critics Consensus: Lapsis binds economic anxiety to an unsettling sci-fi story set in the not-too-distant future, with smartly inventive results.
#35
Adjusted Score: 97.586%
Critics Consensus: About Endlessness sees writer-director Roy Andersson surveying the human condition with equal parts striking clarity, tenderness, and deadpan existential wit.
#34
Adjusted Score: 96.973%
Critics Consensus: A darkly humorous revenge thriller with satisfying depth and a dash of savory quirk, Riders of Justice makes another compelling case for Mads Mikkelsen as an all-purpose leading man.
#33
Adjusted Score: 97.035%
Critics Consensus: A blunt yet visceral depiction of society’s treatment of the elderly, The Amusement Park sees George A. Romero exploring a different — yet still chilling — type of terror.
#32
Adjusted Score: 96.74%
Critics Consensus: Stray takes a patient, meditative look at the lives of Istanbul’s stray dog population — and uncovers truths of the human condition in the process.
Starring:
#31
Adjusted Score: 97.796%
Critics Consensus: Like the show whose groundbreaking creation it commemorates, Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is as enlightening as it is purely entertaining.
Starring:
#30
Adjusted Score: 95.944%
Critics Consensus: Test Pattern surveys the aftermath of a woman’s assault — and uncovers the many ways in which personal trauma can be compounded by systemic injustice.
#29
Adjusted Score: 106.196%
Critics Consensus: Another gorgeously animated, skillfully voiced entry in the Disney canon, Raya and the Last Dragon continues the studio’s increased representation while reaffirming that its classic formula is just as reliable as ever.
Directed By:
#28
Adjusted Score: 95.81%
Critics Consensus: Gripping and clear-eyed, In the Same Breath captures history as it’s being written — and governmental failures as they amplify worldwide tragedy.
Starring:
#27
Adjusted Score: 96.012%
Critics Consensus: The rare film that captures the passion that drives the mastery of creative pursuits, The Disciple reaffirms writer-director Chaitanya Tamhane as an emerging master of his craft.
#26
Adjusted Score: 96.989%
Critics Consensus: Plan B doesn’t overplay its timely message — and it doesn’t have to, thanks to a sharp, funny script and the sparkling chemistry between its charming stars.
Starring:
Directed By:
#25
Adjusted Score: 97.199%
Critics Consensus: A rare opportunity to look back at history being made, The Human Factor offers an engrossing behind-the-scenes look at efforts to end generations of bloodshed.
#24
Adjusted Score: 97.475%
Critics Consensus: The Reason I Jump’s moving personal perspective succeeds in providing an authentic understanding of its subjects’ journeys.
#23
Adjusted Score: 109.787%
Critics Consensus: An electrifying dramatization of historical events, Judas and the Black Messiah is a forceful condemnation of racial injustice — and a major triumph for its director and stars.
#22
Adjusted Score: 98.884%
Critics Consensus: Gunda takes an absorbingly meditative look at farm life from the animals’ perspective, tacitly posing questions about our relationship to food along the way.
Starring:
#21
Adjusted Score: 99.375%
Critics Consensus: Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry offers an enlightening — and sometimes uncomfortable — look behind the scenes of a young star’s ascension.
#20
Adjusted Score: 107.535%
Critics Consensus: Lights up for In the Heights, a joyous celebration of heritage and community fueled by dazzling direction and singalong songs.
#19
Adjusted Score: 100.535%
Critics Consensus: An affecting profile of screen legend Rita Moreno, Just a Girl is at once a sharp critique of the industry’s crushing inequities and a beautiful homage to an artist who never backed down despite the odds.
#18
Adjusted Score: 98.714%
Critics Consensus: The Human Voice unites Pedro Almodóvar and Tilda Swinton for a short film whose rich rewards are belied by its abbreviated length.
#17
Adjusted Score: 99.088%
Critics Consensus: A slim-cut slice of bizarre horror, Slaxx effectively balances quirk with gore — and has the good sense to get out before its oddball premise starts showing its seams.
#16
Adjusted Score: 99.447%
Critics Consensus: A remarkable feature debut for director/co-writer Filippo Meneghetti, Two of Us tells a deceptively complex love story while presenting a rich acting showcase for its three leads.
#15
Adjusted Score: 100.96%
Critics Consensus: The Truffle Hunters explores a world most viewers will know nothing about — with delightfully savory results.
#14
Adjusted Score: 98.768%
Critics Consensus: A movingly personal work from writer-director Maria Sødahl, Hope sees stars Bræin Hovig and Stellan Skarsgård powerfully portraying a turning point in one couple’s long love story.
#13
Adjusted Score: 98.965%
Critics Consensus: A deft and illuminating journalistic investigation, Assassins depicts the mechanics of North Korean politics to a chilling effect.
#12
Adjusted Score: 99.386%
Critics Consensus: Apples explores human identity from a surreal and often humorous perspective, with peculiar yet ultimately thought-provoking results.
#11
Adjusted Score: 99.43%
Critics Consensus: The Paper Tigers blends action, comedy, and heart to produce a fresh martial arts movie with plenty of throwback charm.
#10
Adjusted Score: 102.612%
Critics Consensus: A ruefully funny calling card for debuting director Emma Seligman, Shiva Baby transcends its sitcom setup with strong performances and satisfying insights.
#9
Adjusted Score: 104.556%
Critics Consensus: Eye-catching and energetic, The Mitchells vs. the Machines delivers a funny, feel-good story that the whole family can enjoy.
#8
Adjusted Score: 108.622%
Critics Consensus: Led by stellar performances and artfully helmed by writer-director Florian Zeller, The Father presents a devastatingly empathetic portrayal of dementia.
#7
Adjusted Score: 111.085%
Critics Consensus: Led by arresting performances from Steven Yeun and Yeri Han, Minari offers an intimate and heart-wrenching portrait of family and assimilation in 1980s America.
#6
Adjusted Score: 103.429%
Critics Consensus: MLK/FBI presents a sobering overview of the American intelligence community’s efforts to discredit and destroy a leader of the civil rights movement.
#5
Adjusted Score: 100.965%
Critics Consensus: A clear-eyed look at an extraordinary subject, Mayor makes essential viewing out of one politician’s quest to preserve dignity in the midst of bureaucracy.
#4
Adjusted Score: 101.121%
Critics Consensus: Led by Noée Abita’s outstanding central performance, Slalom offers a moving account of oppression and abuse in the guise of mentorship.
#3
Adjusted Score: 101.298%
Critics Consensus: A slow-burning descent into desperation, Identifying Features uses one shattered family’s ordeal to offer a harrowing look at the immigrant experience.
#2
Adjusted Score: 101.604%
Critics Consensus: Quo Vadis, Aida? uses one woman’s heartbreaking conflict to offer a searing account of war’s devastating human toll.
#1
Adjusted Score: 103.586%
Critics Consensus: A raw, fly-on-the-wall recounting of hospital life in Wuhan in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, 76 Days is an engrossing and potent documentary – and a surprisingly comforting portrait of humanity.
Starring: