Last year the entertainment industry was hit hard by the pandemic as many highly anticipated films slated for release in 2020had to be delayed well into 2021or, worse, canceled entirely. As such, moviegoers were excited to come out in droves for the eventual 2021 releases. In fact, the year 2021 saw an 81.4% increase in worldwide box office statistics compared to that of last year. The postponements seem to make them even more coveted. While it was a sad situation for the year 2020, it certainly did bolster the catalog for 2021.
Movies—in particular action movies—are a great escape from reality, and everyone needs a little break from reality now and then (especially from our current reality). With adrenaline coursing through them, viewers get to seek vicarious thrills through their favorite on-screen characters. The year 2021 brought with it some interesting characters to follow, including aformer assassindisguised as an average joe, an Oklahoma farmer with a secret past, a mystical superhero, and a medieval knight seeking vengeance for his wife. It also brought with it another chapter for our favorite web-slinger, cybercriminals, and secret agent. Here are the top 10 action movies of 2021.
Related:These Standalone Action Movies Deserve Sequels
10No Time to Die
For the final time, Daniel Craig reprises his role as James Bond in the action-adventureNo Time to Die.Having left active duty, Bond gets roped into a new assignment when Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) an old CIA friend needs Bond’s assistance tracking down a dangerous new villain.
9Jungle Cruise
The Disney action-adventureJungle Cruiseis based on the Disney theme park ride of the same name. It follows the tale of scientist Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) on the search for an ancient tree with healing powers. Lily is convinced the tree will change the face of medicine. As such, she commissions a boat through the jungle for her and her brother with skeptical steamboat skipper Frank Wolff (Duane Johnson). The plot thickens when it is clear that the three travelers are not the only ones in search of the highly sought-after tree.
8The Last Duel
The Last Duelis adapted from the 2004 bookThe Last Duel: A True Story of Trial By Combat in Medieval Franceby Eric Jager. The screenplay is by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. Matt Damon stars as Jean De Carrouges a knight who avenges his wife Marguerite (Jodie Comer) after she accuses Jean’s friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) of sexually assaulting her. The movie is interesting in that it shows each of the three characters' perspectives of the events before the duel itself takes place.
Related:The True History Behind “The Last Duel”
7The Matrix Resurrections
Keanu Reeves, Carrie Moss, and Jada Pinket Smith reprise their roles for the fourth installment of the Matrix Franchise,The Matrix Resurrections. The movie is set 20 years afterThe Matrix Revolutions, where Neo a.k.a Thomas Anderson (Reeves) has settled into normalcy. Early on in the film, he begins having flashbacks of a life he can’t remember and eventually finds himself back inside the Matrix. Once inside the Matrix, Neo must assemble a group of insurgents to fight a new (and more advanced) enemy.
6The Suicide Squad
InThe Suicide Squad, the stand-alone sequel to 2016’sSuicide Squad,intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) creates two teams of supervillains once again, with a promise to reduce their prison sentences. This time we see the ragtag crew on the island of Corto Maltese and are given the mission to stop an anti-American regime responsible for a top-secret experiment dubbed “Project Starfish”.
5The Harder They Fall
The star-studdedThe Harder They Fallis produced by Jay Z and as such has an excellent soundtrack that scores the action with style. This out-of-the-box action western stars Jonathan Majors as outlaw Nat Love. When Love finds out Rufus Buck (Idris Alba) his arch-nemesis is getting out of prison he arranges a posse to track him down, hell-bent on revenge. Buck, however, has a crew of his own and they aren’t going down without a fight.
4Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Shang-Chi (Sim Liu) plays a kung fu master who is commissioned by his father, leader of the mysterious Ten Rings organization to find a mythical village with his sister. During their mission, Shang-Chi must face the past that he had hoped to leave behind him. WhileShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Ringsdoes set up a bit of backstory from hundreds of years ago, the majority of the movie fits into theMCU timeline, shortly after the events ofAvengers: Endgame.Asequelto the popular movie has already been confirmed.
Bob Odenkirk stars as former assassin Hutch Mansell that has settled into suburban life inNobody. One night on the bus he sees some men assaulting a woman and intervenes by severely beating the men. This incident opens up a door to Hutch’s past, and danger inevitably follows.
2Old Henry
Old Henryis an action-western starring Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Dorff, and Trace Adkins. When a farmer named Henry (Nelson) and his son take in an injured stranger and save his life, outlaws come looking for the man. When Henry steps in to save the drifter he reveals gun-slinging skills no one expected of the farmer. This brings Henry’s past into question. Tim Blake Nelson gives anoutstanding performancein this character-driven action film.
1Spider-Man: No Way Home
InSpider-Man: No Way Home,Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is dealing with the consequences of his identity being revealed. No longer able to separate his two lives and protect his loved ones, Spider-Man enlists the help of Doctor Strange. The action-packed third installment of MCU’s Spider-Man sets up an epic battle with returning foes from 5 of the previous Spider-Man movies including all three chapters of Sam Raimi’sSpider-Mantrilogy, and Marc Webb’sThe Amazing Spider-Manduology.
