Awards Radar Staff Top Ten Lists for 2021

As we transition away from 2021 and into 2022 (minus awards season coverage, of course) a perfect end point is to share what everyone on staff thought of the movies. Yes, it’s time for the Awards Radar staff to chime in with their top ten lists. You fine folks already know my ten favorite films of the year (found here), but what about everyone else? Well, now you can see the lists, in all of their glory. They’re quite diverse, too, highlighting all that cinema had to offer in 2021. So, give them a gander, let us know who had the list you love most, and be sure to share your Top Tens as well!

*Special Citation – Zack Snyder’s Justice League (The film made multiple lists initially but there was disagreement on its eligibility, so it gets this quick little mention up top)

Here now are the ten best films for 2021 from the Awards Radar staff:

Joey Magidson

10. The Tender Bar

9. Pig

8. Zola

7. The Suicide Squad

6. Belfast

5. Mass

4. CODA

3. The Worst Person in the World

2. Spencer

1. Red Rocket

Steven Prusakowski

10. Parallel Mothers
(tie) Riders of Justice

9. Nine Days

8. The Killing of Two Lovers

7. Pig

6. The Worst Person in the World

5. The Mitchells vs The Machines

4. Licorice Pizza

3. The Green Knight

2. The Power of the Dog

1. CODA

Myles Hughes

10. The Tragedy of Macbeth

9. The Mitchells vs The Machines

8. tick, tick… Boom!

7. Riders of Justice

6. Spencer

5. In the Heights

4. Licorice Pizza

3. Dune

2. The Suicide Squad

1. Drive My Car

Max Joseph

10. Encanto

9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

8. Licorice Pizza

7. King Richard

6. The Mitchells vs The Machines

5. tick, tick… Boom!

4. In the Heights

3. West Side Story

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

1. Mass

Ryan McQuade

10. In the Heights

9. A Hero

8. Pig

7. The Power of the Dog

6. Titane

5. Dune

4. Licorice Pizza

3. C’mon C’mon

2. Drive My Car

1. The Green Knight

Mitchell Beaupre

10. Test Pattern

9. The Power of the Dog

8. The Card Counter

7. Days

6. The Worst Person in the World

5. A Hero

4. Memoria

3. Drive My Car

2. Petite Maman

1. Titane

Paloma Bennett

10. Last Night in Soho

9. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

8. Dune

7. The Suicide Squad

6. Spider-Man: No Way Home

5. Black Widow

4. tick, tick… Boom!

3. The French Dispatch

2. Licorice Pizza

1. Nightmare Alley

Adriano Caporusso

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home

9. tick, tick… Boom!

8. The Worst Person in the World

7. Last Night in Soho

6. Don’t Look Up

5. Dune

4. In the Heights

3. The Suicide Squad

2. West Side Story

1. Licorice Pizza

Niki Cruz

10. tick, tick… Boom!

9 Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It

8. The Last Duel

7. Passing

6. Encanto

5. CODA

4. Spencer

3. Bruised

2. In the Heights

1. C’mon C’mon

Miles Foster

10. Pig

9. Blue Bayou

8. No Time to Die

7. Licorice Pizza

6. Red Rocket

5. Don’t Look Up

4. Zola

3. Spider-Man: No Way Home

2. Dune

1. Spencer

Abe Friedtanzer

10. Poupelle of Chimney Town

9. C’mon C’mon

8. Together Together

7. How It Ends

6. Licorice Pizza

5. Dune

4. Encanto

3. The French Dispatch

2. Belfast

1. CODA

Robert Hamer

10. Malignant

9. West Side Story

8. Pig

7. The Power of the Dog

6. Prayers for the Stolen

5. Dune

4. Passing

3. Red Rocket

2. Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy

1. The Lost Daughter

Chris James

10. Red Rocket

9. Summer of Soul

8. West Side Story

7. Dune

6. CODA

5. In the Heights

4. The Worst Person in the World

3. Parallel Mothers

2. Flee

1. The Power of the Dog

Matt Passantino

10. Spider-Man: No Way Home

9. Red Rocket

8. The Beta Test

7. In the Heights

6. Procession

5. Spencer

4. Passing

3. Parallel Mothers

2. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

1. Pig

Caillou Pettis

10. Mass

9. Malignant

8. The Last Duel

7. Last Night in Soho

6. No Time to Die

5. West Side Story

4. Bo Burnham: Inside

3. The Night House

2. Dune

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Shane Slater

10. The Lost Daughter

9. The Green Knight

8. Flee

7. In the Heights

6. The Worst Person in the World

5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

4. Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry

3. Pig

2. The Rescue

1. The French Dispatch

Amy Smith

10. Petite Maman

9. The Suicide Squad

8. The Green Knight

7. Flee

6. Nine Days

5. Spencer

4. In the Heights

3. Mass

2. Drive My Car

1. Dune

Amanda Spears

10. Annette

9. The Green Knight

8. Being the Ricardos

7. Dune

6. In the Heights

5. The Tragedy of Macbeth

4. The Lost Daughter

3. CODA

2. The Power of the Dog

1. Belfast

Casey Tinston

10. We Broke Up

9. Paper Spiders

8. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

7. Black Widow

6. Spiral: From the Book of Saw

5. Encanto

4. Don’t Look Up

3. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

2. Spider-Man: No Way Home

1. tick, tick… Boom!

Kendall Tinston

10. Spiral: From the Book of Saw

9. The Suicide Squad

8. Free Guy

7. Paper Spiders

6. Encanto

5. Don’t Look Up

4. Mass

3. Bo Burnham: Inside

2. CODA

1. tick, tick… Boom!

Maxance Vincent

10. Eternals

9. The Hand of God

8. Encanto

7. Maria Chapdelaine

6. Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar

5. Wrath of Man

4. In the Heights

3. West Side Story

2. Benedetta

1. Titane

Bradley Weir

10. CODA

9. Last Night in Soho

8. Dune

7. Drive My Car

6. King Richard

5. The Harder They Fall

4. Red Rocket

3. Don’t Look Up

2. The Power of the Dog

1. Spencer

Benjamin Wiebe

10. Malignant

9. tick, tick… Boom!

8. No time to Die

7. Encanto

6. The Matrix Resurrections

5. Dune

4. CODA

3. The Green Knight

2. The Mitchells vs The Machines

1. Belle

Brandon Winchester

10. Nightmare Alley

9. Candyman

8. The Last Duel

7. The Power of the Dog

6. Dune

5. Summertime

4. Prime Time

3. Drive My Car

2. C’mon C’mon

1. Mass