MXDWN Movies Most Surprising Films of 2021

Tyler Justin Pruyn December 31st, 2021 - 3:00 PM

2020 was probably the most surprising year of all-time. If anyone predicted how that year would have gone, they would be lying. However, 2021 was still reasonably surprising too. And while one could harp on the year itself, here at MXDWN Movies we are more interested in the year in film. There are many surprising films that have come out this year, some for better and some for worse.

Here is our list for the most pleasant and most disappointing surprises for films in 2021. This list was created by votes from all of our writers and editors at MXDWN Movies, it is also not a ranked list and therein is not in any particular order.

Pleasant- Power of the Dog

“I did not think I would like The Power of the Dog as much as I did. I do not usually enjoy the Western genre, but this film exceeded my expectations. The general story in this film was a delight to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch’s work was unmatched in this film. He created a compelling cowboy character with a rough exterior; however, he was filled with affection to give, as the film progressed, towards Kodi Smit-McPhee’s character. McPhee’s performance was also amazing! His mannerisms and facial expressions were perfect. The patriarchal atmosphere where a man cannot show the slightest inkling of societally deemed “femininity” is also wonderfully shown here. The costume design, production design, cinematography, and the script were my favorite parts!” –Nicole Dwyer

“The Power of the Dog sneaks up on you in a way that you won’t expect. It looks at a glance (or at least by its marketing materials) as a cross between drab indie and depressing western, but the ultimate reveal will knock you off your feet as you realize how perfectly each piece of the story was rendered and spooled out.” –Raymond Flotat

Disappointing- Spider-Man: No Way Home

While it is our number one movie of the year, a few of our writer’s were a tad disappointed with Spider-Man: No Way Home.

“I really wish I loved Spider-Man: No Way Home, but I honestly walked away a little depressed. Its principle selling-point, the crossover of all live-action Spider-Men from across universes, only reminded me of what it was like when the character of Peter Parker was relatable and dealing with day-to-day challenges like holding a job and passing his classes. The first act satisfied this for me, as Peter, Ned, and MJ nervously applied to colleges, but once the multiverse opened and recognizable Spider-Man IP flooded the screen, I began to forget where I was, why I liked this iteration of Spider-Man and if I ever did. Some returning characters were admittedly fun to see, but ultimately I felt they detracted from our actual protagonists, and their own universes for that matter.” –Max Mulderrig

“I am in the minority, but Spider-Man: No Way Home is for sure my most disappointing movie of the year. It just feels more like fan service than an actual movie, which was fun in the theater, but for the future of this incarnation of Spider-Man, a tad disappointing.” –Tyler Justin Pruyn

Pleasant- The Card Counter

“I had little to no interest in watching The Card Counter. In fact, I haven’t heard much of it before or after I saw it. Paul Schrader’s direction was my main incentive, and while he has penned some of the best screenplays in film history, his directorial efforts don’t live up to his written back catalogue. Against all odds, this turned out to be a pretty good find this year. Of course, Oscar Isaac and Willem Dafoe never disappoint, but I never thought I’d see Tiffany Haddish acting in a serious movie, let alone a good one. I find card games an incredibly boring subject for a film, and Schrader cleverly avoids lengthy poker scenes, in favor of a thrilling revenge story.” –Nacho Pajín

Disappointing- Last Night in Soho(SPOILERS)

“I was very excited for Last Night in Soho, but it did not meet my expectations. I was intrigued by the story and the concept, but the film did not deliver what I wanted it to. After the plot twist with Miss Collins being Sandie, the film went downhill. The chaos, narrative, and performances beyond that point were all subpar. Before that point, there were a few aspects I could nitpick, but they did not take away too much from my viewing experience. For example, Terence Stamp’s character was a little too on the nose and persistent at points. If he was more subdued, an added layer of mystery would be there. All in all, this movie was not terrible, but it definitely missed my expectations.” –Nicole Dwyer

“The most disappointing movie of the year was Last Night in Soho. The film was not terrible, but did not meet expectations and the hype surrounding it. The storyline fell flat and had a very disappointing ending. The visuals, acting, and soundtrack did not disappoint, but these aspects unfortunately could not make up for the poor writing.” –Lauren Vander Tuig

Pleasant- Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City

“There isn’t a person in this world that can convince me that Resident Evil from 2002 is a good movie. It is complete trash and after five sequels, a reboot was announced with a notable horror director attached to the project. The result was a movie that featured suspense, genuine scares, and actually respected the source material from the video game that it was based off of. Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City isn’t a perfect film, nor a great one, but is a step in the right direction for making video-game movie adaptations work. I love the style, the references to the ’90s, and the sheer sense of fun that this movie offered, none of which was seen in the 2002 film. When comparing this reboot to the 2002 film, Welcome to Raccoon City is gold while the 2002 version is a tin can laying deep a galvanized garbage can in a poor neighborhood.” –Rick Rice

Pleasant- West Side Story

“I had very low expectations going in, as the 1961 film is both one of my all-time favorites and the thing that started my infatuation with the works of Stephen Sondheim. Turns out I should have had more trust in Steven Spielberg. Easily the best American film in at least five years, West Side Story manages to breathe new life into classic material without ever losing sight of just what made it so iconic in the first place.” –Joshua Goodstein

Disappointing- The Many of Newark

“Prequel films are always a difficult bet to make by studios. On the one hand, there’s a pre-established fanbase who is guaranteed to watch the film and enjoy it solely because it’s a beloved IP. On the other hand, prequel films almost never live up to the expectations based on the caliber of the originals. The Many Saints of Newark, although a decent film, just could never have lived up to the precedent that The Sopranos set. It could have used more time to create something that would have been very solid and enjoyable to The Sopranos fanbase, but it suffered the same fate as many other prequels.” –Eric Johnson

Both- Godzilla vs. King Kong

“Godzilla vs. Kong was definitely the most surprising to me because I don’t typically watch monster films as I get nightmares. I watched both Godzilla and King Kong movies respectively when I was young and let’s just say I haven’t watch them again until Godzilla vs. Kong. I had no intention of ever seeing this movie but what drew me to this film thought the trailer was watching Godzilla and King Kong fight it out. I wanted to know or I should say I needed to know who would in a fight Godzilla or King Kong? Getting watch these giant monsters slug it out was probably the highlight of the entire film for me. At first I thought it was just going to be a film where they put the two giant monsters in a city and watch them fight. Boy, was I wrong. The blend was done effortless and creatively. I couldn’t have asked for more from the film.” –Cassandra Reichelt

“The hype was there, the table was set, and the result was an abysmal failure. How is it possible to make a movie that was somehow was far inferior to the 1962 monster classic? Famed horror director Adam Wingard’s talents are nowhere to be found in this film and it appears that this was a studio directed project with only one goal in mind- bring the bare minimum to the screen. Featuring an incoherent plot, idiotic characters, an overblown runtime and you have a movie that only serves to have the special effects take over. Sure, the battles were fun to watch, but everything else could been cut leaving the movie to be only twenty minutes and even then, the movie still would’ve sucked. The comedy was poorly written and the disastrous treatment of Mechagodzilla is just unforgivable. This movie nearly put me to sleep and left me feeling eager to watch the 1962 original just to bring a smile to my face.” –Rick Rice

Disappointing- Space Jam: A New Legacy

“I don’t understand this need to reboot, remake, or create sequels of 80s and 90s classics. LeBron James may be the best basketball player of his generation but he is terrible at acting. He doesn’t have even half the charm or charisma Michael Jordan had in the OG Space Jam. Warner Bros just tossed every IP it owns into the film. It was such a disappointment.” –Jose Pedro Eichenseer

Both- The Green Knight

“‘The Green Knight seemed like A24’s chance to make a remarkable medieval epic, but despite its convincing performances and original production design, it falls short narratively (its source material isn’t enough for a two-hour movie) and even the CGI feels incredibly cheap at times.” –Nacho Pajín

“The Green Knight. A24 studios just keeps making great films whether it’s drama, sci-fi or in this case fantasy. As a fan of the fantasy genre, The Green Knight should be the new golden standard of how the genre should be done. Entertaining, with a good story and breathtaking CGI. ” –Jose Pedro Eichenseer

Pleasant- tick, tick… BOOM!

“tick, tick… BOOM! proved to be the most surprising movie of the year. I did not have high hopes for this movie due to its nature as a Netflix musical. The acting and storyline was genuine and beautiful. Andrew Garfield carried the film on his back and was amazing to watch. Despite my original prejudgement, tick, tick… BOOM! deserves significant recognition.” -Lauren Vander Tuig