Last year, like 2020 before it, was another strange one for the movie industry. If 2021 wasn’t a complete return to normality, it was a reminder of the enduring power of cinema, and the magic of watching great content in the comfort of your own home, even in the most difficult of times.
That’s why Rolling Stone is set to discover Australia’s 25 Favourite movies of 2021, and it will be no mean feat narrowing the competition down. For as long as movies have existed, so too have opinions about movies, and whether or not the latest films are in fact better than the last cinematic masterpieces that graced screens around the world.
Of course, opinions are subjective, and while it seems like an impossible task to truly discover what the best movies of the year are, that’s exactly what Rolling Stone hope to do with their upcoming poll. This one won’t be left up to the world’s critics however: rather, it’ll be up to readers to have their say in order to help create the ultimate list of 2021’s best movies.
And readers will have a tough time deciding the 25 best movies of 2021. The beginning of the year brought us the Australian box office hit, The Dry, starring Eric Bana, while some true masters returned to our screens, like Steven Spielberg (West Side Story), Ridley Scott (The Last Duel) and Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza). The MCU was in full-swing with Spider-Man: No Way Home and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Denis Villeneuve’s latest science fiction epic Dune dominated online discussion in a way few movies have done since the pandemic; 2021 also saw audiences bid goodbye to Daniel Craig as James Bond in No Time to Die.
Put simply, cinema proved to be just as vital and alive as ever before, and there was no shortage of great films premiering, both on the big screen and in homes, in 2021. All of the above movies and more will battle it out to be crowned the best of the year. Whether it’s a critically-acclaimed gem, pulse-pounding action, a dazzling all-dancing musical or an intimate character drama, anything released last year is eligible for nomination.
Powered by AHEDA, the Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association, voting for the upcoming list begins on January 17th and runs until January 25th, with readers able to vote for their top three movies of the year. The results will then be shared out on January 27th, starting at number 25 and counting down until February 7th when the full list will be revealed.
So take a look back into your Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-ray and DVD collection, cast your mind back to those seminal movie moments you experienced last year, pick out your favourites and vote below. Those who vote can then choose to enter the competition by answering in 25 words or less the simple question ‘What was your favourite film of 2021 and why?’. The winner gets a brand new 55” Sony Bravia XR OLED TV, valued at $2,795, to make your at-home movie viewing experience in 2022 even better.
