Despite the growing success of online-streaming, I still savor my experiences in the theater, and those are the movie events I want to look back on. So, here’s my personal ranking of all the 2021 movies I saw in the theater this year, which means some other really good (and bad) films from 2021 won’t make the countdown. Again, this is my own personal opinion, these films aren’t ranked by the quality of the picture, but simply by how each left their impression on me. I saw 10 theatrical movies in total this year, and here's my personal
ranking of each one from least to favorite.
#10 “Percy
Jackson: Sea of Monsters”
The Percy Jackson books are some of my all-time
favorite young adult adventure novels, and they absolutely deserve adaptions on
par with the “Harry Potter” movies … but these “Percy Jackson”
movies unfortunately continue to be rather underwhelming. While I wouldn’t call
“Sea of Monsters” a waist of time … it just left me feeling empty, and with
no interest to ever watch it again … which is the last thing I’d want from an adaption
of one of my most beloved book series. Maybe one day I’ll get an adaption
worthy of Percy Jackson … but I regrettably don’t see much of a future for this
series.
#9 “The
Investigator”
When a struggling teacher loses his faith, he looks to his
students for guidance, resulting in an investigation to discover proof of Jesus
Christ. When it comes to religious themed drama’s, they can be very hit-or-miss,
and I felt “The Investigator” hit a complicated middle ground. It’s competently
made, well-acted, and doesn’t feel as overly “preachy” as other films in the
genera, but it’s unfortunately not going to be a very memorable experience either.
I’ve seen a number of faithfully inspiring drama’s that have left an impact and
stuck with me for years, but this one simply did its job, and will quietly … regrettably
… fade away.
#8 “The
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug”
We return to Middle Earth for another round
of traveling, adventure, and some memorable set-pieces to boot … as well as one
of the greatest Dragons cinema will ever have to offer! Unfortunately, while I did
find this a step-up from its predecessor, I also found it needlessly long, and chalk
full of unnecessary new additions that weren’t in the source material. While
this movie wasn’t nearly as disposable as Percy Jacksons latest effort, it’s
still a far cry from the high standards of the first three “Lord of the
Rings” films. Honestly, I still feel one Hobbit movie would have been
enough, but the way things have been needlessly stretched out … I just don’t
see these films leaving the same impact.
#7 “World
War Z”
Right at the height of our current zombie craze comes a Blockbuster
to deliver some big screen thrills and chills. This actually marks my first
time ever seeing a zombie movie in the theater. While inferior to its literary source
material, “World War Z” succeeds in bringing a zombie epidemic to life
on a far grander, global scope then what we’ve seen before, and features some
truly epic zombie attacks. Brad Pitt delivers a committed performance, the
thrills are genuine, and again, it was just exciting to see zombies on this
grand a scale. It’s by no means a horror classic, but a perfectly welcome
addition to the genre all the same.
#6 “Thor:
The Dark World”
The God of thunder is back, and this time we’re finally
treated to a fantasy adventure in his world … with no shortage of action and mayhem
along the way. Oh … and of course Loki is back too, and his scenes with Thor
are solid gold. While the story is nothing special and the hummer could be
dialed down a little, “Thor: The Dark World” is still a highly enjoyable
fantasy adventure, with an expanded mythical universe, lots of creativity, and
some power house action scenes.
#5 “Star
Trek: Into Darkness”
“Star Trek” is one of my all-time favorite
long running franchises … and a new movie will always pleas me on some general
level. This one regrettably will rank lower on the Trek totem pole, as I felt it
frustratingly squandered so much potential in favor of fun laser shooting space
mayhem. There are thankfully still some really good character themes, and
dilemmas that balanced the films thrilling action scenes. Also, the film is
still bursting with breath taking visual effects, and a fair amount of energy
that never dies. I could have also done without some similarities to "The
Wrath of Khan", but like I said, there's just enough smart twists and
turns for this film to hold its own in the series.
#4 “The Hunger
Games: Catching Fire”
I was lucky to have previously read the Hunger
Games Book series well before the first movie, and “Catching Fire” was
always my favorite … as such, the “heat” was on for a cinematic adaption. In
short … I loved this movie, and felt it surpassed the high bar of its
predecessor. The action is more daring, the locations are more creative, the
themes more provoking, and the characters … oh, the characters feel more
layered and richer than before. In a year of subpar book adaptions … this one
met my standards, and delivered something special.
#3 “Iron
Man 3”
It’s the last … and my new personal favorite of the Iron Man
movies by a mile! Personally, it’s the man behind the armor who I’ve always preferred,
and this movie wisely stirps him of his suit, so the man can shine in all his
glory. With that said, it’s still got it’s share of armored suit spectacles …
including one hell of an awesome climax! Thanks to some great character themes,
combined with all the charismatic hummer that you'd expect from these films,
plus some stellar action scenes, and a plot that's full of smart twists and
turns ... I found this a worthy conclusion to Iron Mans solo films … and it’s absolutely
one of my new favorite Marvel movies.
#2 “Frozen”
Just when it seemed Disney was running on fumes, they finally delivered an
animated picture worthy of being labeled a classic! While the attention given
to this movie may backfire, I can’t help but sing praise for this film … with its
memorable new songs, gorgeous design, wholesome story, and excellent cast of
characters. It’s the first sign in years that Disney is capable of producing massive
crowd-pleasing animated pictures again, and as a long time Disney fan … it’s
such a joy to receive a new classic in our modern age.
#1 “The
Wolverine”
I know I’m a minority on this, but Wolverine has always been my
favorite of the X-Men by far, and I’ve always felt he deserved a good solo
adventure. His first effort didn’t work so well, but I’m happy to say … I
adored this second Wolverine venture. In general, I love martial arts cinema,
and it’s awesome to see Wolverine in Japan, almost like a guest superhero in
one of my favorite action genera’s. The locations are beautiful, the action
scenes thrill, and are brilliantly staged. It’s also just the right pace that
never feels rushed, yet it still gives me that extra kick. Plus, it’s a deeper
character themed story revolving around a hero rediscovering his worth after
losing everything he initially fought for. It makes “The Wolverine” a
worthy standalone action flick, one that the classic hero has always deserved,
and it’s absolutely the movie I enjoyed the most this year.
So,
concludes 2013 … and may the thrill of the theater stick-around next year!
