The year 2021 was fantastic for independent films and opened the door for much more outstanding independent cinema to come after it.
As we approach the end of 2021, it is safe to assume that most moviegoers have seen or at least heard of “Zack Synder’s justice league,” “The Novice,” and “Don’t look up” are the names frequently used by people.
A select few influential films receive more attention during awards season, while many lower-profile films go unnoticed.
Thanks to the many streaming services that have taken over, independent films fared better when the epidemic closed theatres worldwide and derailed plans for popular blockbusters.
Here listed the top 15 movies released by 2021 that rocked the media.
Many excellent independent films have been released, and this 2021 season is a great time to catch up on them.
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021)
Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021) is a superhero film set to be released in 2021. The film is the DC Extended Universe’s sixth episode and will be the second installment of the Justice League series.
The film has been developing since 2013 when Warner Bros. hired Zack Snyder to direct a Superman solo film and a Batman solo film, collectively known as “The Batman” In 2015, Snyder was hired by Warner Bros.
To co-write a Justice League film script with screenwriter Chris Terrio and direct the project.
With plans to assemble a group of metahumans to defend the globe from an impending threat of cataclysmic proportions, Bruce Wayne joins forces with Diana Prince to ensure that Superman’s final sacrifice is not in vain.
The mission turns out to be more challenging than Bruce had anticipated, as each of the recruits must battle the ghosts of their pasts to overcome the obstacles that have prevented them from joining forces and creating an unprecedented league of heroes.
With their powers combined, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Cyborg, and The Flash may be too late to stop Steppenwolf, DeSaad, and Darkseid from carrying out their terrible plans to save the world.
Where to watch – HBO Max, Blu-ray, and digital
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
After learning his identity as Spider, Peter asks Doctor Strange for help.
Peter is forced to discover what it means to be Spider-Man in real life when a spell goes awry and terrifying alien foes appear.
The entire globe learns Peter Parker’s true identity.
Peter asks Doctor Strange for assistance in a desperate attempt to hide his identity as Spider-Man from the public.
The magic fails miserably, shattering the multiverse and releasing horrific villains that have the potential to end the world.
Finally, When Parker is reminded of Jones’ injuries, he decides against getting in touch with his buddies attending MIT.
He pays his respects to May’s grave and is accompanied by Hogan, a new acquaintance. Parker goes into a new apartment alone and starts GED prep to maintain his new way of life.
When he receives a criminal alert on his phone, he puts together a less complicated Spider-Man suit.
He resumes his heroics unhindered, living up to May’s values of responsibility and community duty.
Where to watch – Spectrum TV, STARZ, ROW8, Prime Video, Redbox., Apple TV, or Vudu
The Novice (2021)
The Novice is a Christian film that was released in the year 2021. It was written by Michael Landon Jr. and directed by Michael Landon Jr. The film stars Jaden Smith, a novice monk at the fictional Abbey of Gethsemani, Kentucky.
The Story revolves around a novice monk named Thomas, who has been living at the Abbey of Gethsemani for five years and is about to take his vows as a monk when he doubts his faith and his choice to become one of them.
The Story’s climax happens when Thomas goes on an outing with Father Francis, an older monk who tries to help him through his doubts about being a monk by showing him around New Orleans and taking him back to where he grew up.
Where to watch – Paramount Plus, The Roku Channel, Spectrum TV, Showtime Anytime, SHOWTIME, Vudu, Apple TV, or Prime Video
Mass (2021)
The movie Mass (2021) focuses on the battle for survival in a city where the population has been reduced to a few hundred.
The Story revolves around the protagonist, one of the few people still living in the city.
He lives in an abandoned apartment building, exploring this open world and scavenging for food.
In this post-apocalyptic world, he discovers that people are still alive outside the city and sets out to find them.
It is difficult because the film was based on actual occurrences.
The parents think that by getting together, they would be able to find some answers to their problems, but they quickly discover that some of those answers may be out of grasp.
Where to watch – Hulu, Prime Video, Redbox., Vudu, or Apple TV
CODA (2021)
CODA (2021) is a movie directed by the director of “Blade Runner 2049.” It is a story of an ex-soldier who has lost his daughter in a drone attack. John Stockwell and written by Brian Duffield.
The movie’s protagonist, Jack, is an ex-soldier who has lost his daughter in a drone attack. After being discharged from the army, he joins the ranks of the anti-drone resistance movement to take revenge on those responsible for her death.
Ruby, 17, is the sole individual with hearing and a CODA (child of deaf adults) in her deaf household.
Her daily activities include translating for her parents (Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur) and helping her Father and older brother work on the children’s struggling fishing boat each morning before school (Daniel Durant).
However, when Ruby joins her high school’s choral club, she discovers a talent for singing and soon finds herself captivated by her duet partner Miles (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo).
Ruby is persuaded to attend a prominent music school by her enthused, tough-love choirmaster.
Still, she soon finds herself divided between her responsibilities to her family and pursuing her own goals.
Where to watch -Apple TV
Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
It is a story about Judas, the Black Messiah.
The narrative is delivered from Judas’ viewpoint, a disciple of Jesus.
The film shows how Judas became disillusioned with Jesus and eventually betrayed him.
It shows how Three days after being crucified, Jesus arose from the dead.
This Story is about Judas, the most famous historical traitor, who Jesus redeemed. The Story starts with Judas’s death and resurrection.
He is then allowed to save himself and humanity from the forces of evil- a task that he accepts.
The protagonist of this book is Judas Iscariot, who plays a significant role in Christianity as one of the twelve apostles and Jesus’s betrayer.
The Story begins with his death, where he encounters God and chooses to live on earth for a time as an agent of God’s will.
Judas was given a chance to redeem himself and save humanity from evil forces-a task that he accepted.
Where to watch – ROW8, Prime Video, Vudu, Redbox. or Apple TV on your Roku device
The Night House (2021)
The Night House is a novel about a family of five who moves into a new house. The family soon discovers that the house has secrets of its own.
It is based on a horror plot written by Stephen King.
The Story follows the life of a woman named Amanda, who is married to an abusive man named John. One day, she has an accident and wakes up from her coma to find that she lives in a different world with no children, no violence, and no pain.
She soon realizes that John has followed her into this new world, so she must decide whether to stay in this new world or return to her old one – with John as her husband.
Where to watch – Disney+ Hotstar
The Father (I) (2021)
The Father (I) (2021) is about a father who has lost his son. The Story is about how this man copes with his loss and tries to rebuild his life without his child.
The Father’s son was in the army and died in the line of duty.
The film explores the emotions that arise for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease from there rather than through the eyes of their loved ones point of view of their loved ones.
His daughter divorces because she needs to bring her Father into her flat to live with them.
Then she had to travel to France because she met another guy, but this is a shock to the ailing old man and causes disorientation and memory loss to the point that he is sent to a mental institution to receive proper care in his dying days.
Because of the way Anthony Hopkins portrays his part, the audience is moved to tears by the idea that any of us may grow up to be Anthony.
Where to watch – Spectrum TV, The Roku Channel, STARZ, ROW8, Redbox., Prime Video, Vudu, or Apple TV
Nightmare Alley (2021)
Nightmare Alley is a movie about a struggling writer who moves to Hollywood in the hope of becoming successful.
The Story starts with the protagonist, George Hallen, who moves to Hollywood hoping to become successful. He gets a job as a copywriter for an advertising agency and falls in love with his secretary, Betty.
He soon finds out that he has been assigned to write the advertisement for “Nightmare Alley,” which is about a carnival and its carny workers.
His boss tells him that he must take care of “Nightmare Alley” by giving it some life and beauty to sell better.
The protagonist does not want to do this because he knows this will be dishonest and unethical, but he has no other means of earning a living, so he agrees to do it anyway.
A few days later, George’s boss tells him they need another copywriter because George is too busy with “Nightmare Alley.” The protagonist decides to quit his job instead.
Where to watch – HBO Max, Hulu, ROW8, Prime Video, Vudu, Apple TV, or Redbox
King Richard (2021)
King Richard (2021) is a film based on G. K. Chesterton’s book of the same name. In the dystopian future depicted in the movie, the government and all its institutions are corrupted and morally bankrupt, and a dictator oppresses the people.
The film follows the protagonist, King Richard, as he struggles to protect his family, friends, and country from those who would destroy them.
King Richard (2021) is directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Darren Aronofsky (screenplay), Nathan Parker (screenplay), and G. K. Chesterton (novel).
Where to watch – Amazon prime
Don’t Look Up (2021)
The movie is set in the future, where people cannot look up from their screens. The Story is about a woman who breaks the rules, looks up, and sees a beautiful sky.
The movie starts with a voiceover of a man who talks about how people in the future are not allowed to look up from their screens.
There are strict rules and punishments for those who break them. The Story starts with introducing characters, including the protagonist, Rachel, her husband, Matt, and their daughter, Grace. Matt is an architect, and Rachel is an assistant at his office.
They live in a high-rise apartment building with no windows or doors to go outside.
There’s no need for them to go outside because they have all the entertainment they want on their screens, which society expects from them.
Rachel’s life changes when her daughter Grace looks up from her screen one day while playing games at home on her screen.
Where to watch – Netflix
Riders of Justice (2021)
Riders of Justice is a Danish action thriller directed by Anders Thomas Jensen and written by Jensen and Nikolaj Arcel.
The film follows a group of vigilante bikers who team up to take revenge on the people responsible for a bomb attack that killed the bikers’ loved ones.
This movie is so awesome because of this.
Even though this is ostensibly an action comedy, it is far more than that. First, it is humorous, which sets it apart from your typical man-seeking retribution story.
Nobody is a comedy, but this has a nasty dark comedy twist that makes it seem like only something beyond America can toe the line between being darkly humorous and touching. Furthermore, Mads is not the lone lead in this film. Not only do a spouse and a father lose a loved one in the movie, but also the people attempting to end this terrible deed.
Where to watch – Amazon prime
Malcolm & Marie (2021)
Malcolm & Marie is a 2021 American psychological drama film written and directed by Sam Levinson, starring Zendaya and John David Washington.
The film follows a filmmaker (Washington) and his girlfriend (Zendaya) as they return home from a movie premiere and wait for a critical response to his latest film. The film was shot in black-and-white during the COVID-19 pandemic and was released on Netflix on January 29, 2021.
Malcolm and Marie’s message, not the film’s soul, make it a riveting watch.
The film forces us to look past a couple scurrying through the home and see that an undervalued lady has found her voice thanks to its excellent acting, rich dialogue, and gorgeous single-setting production.
Marie claims that the movie is based on her experience with depression, addiction, and eventual sobriety.
But as the Story progresses, it becomes evident that their relationship has serious flaws.
Where to watch – Netflix Official Site
The Last Duel (2021)
The Last Duel is a 2021 American Eric Roth wrote the screenplay for the historical drama movie directed by Ridley Scott.
And Ben Affleck, based on A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Jonathan Sumption.
The Last Duel is a dramatic and thought-provoking drama set amid the Hundred Years War that examines men’s omnipotent power, the frailty of justice, and the bravery and courage of one woman determined to stand alone in the service of truth.
The movie dispels long-held misconceptions about Jean de Carrouges and Jacques Le Gris, two friends who became enraged rivals in France’s final officially sanctioned duel based on historical events.
Carrouges is a well-respected knight renowned for his courage and prowess in battle.
Le Gris, a Norman squire, is one of the most esteemed lords in court due to his brilliance and oratory skills.
Marguerite, Carrouges’ wife, refuses to stay after Le Gris accuses her of being brutally abused, an accusation he rejects.
The Last Duel was distributed by 20th Century Studios on December 25, 2020, in the United States.
Where to watch – Disney plus Hotstar
The Harder They Fall (2021)
American Western The Harder They Fall was set in 2021, a revenge film directed by Jee-Woon Kim from a screenplay by Nick Cuse and Darius Marder.
It stars Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, Zazie Beetz, and Joel Edgerton, a film’s cast and crew.
The plot follows a young outlaw who, upon learning that the man who killed his Father years ago is about to be released from prison, sets out on a quest for revenge.
He must contend with the man’s henchmen and his demons along the way.
The entire endeavor feels like a lark or an indulgence until it wipes the smug grin from its face, adopts the dramatic features of its central tale, and becomes a severe romance, a family tragedy, and a relatively non-story about how violence begets greater violence, whether it’s witnessed in a saloon, on dusty roads, or in the seclusion of a family home.
The Harder They Fall (2021)
The movie was made available on Netflix on June 2, 2021.
Reviews for The Harder They Fall were generally positive, praising its direction, acting, and writing.
Many also lauded the film’s exploration of revenge, justice, and morality themes.
Where to watch – Netflix