Our 10 Favourite Movies of 2021 (So Far)

We’re already half way through 2021, if you can believe that, and it’s time to reflect on all the movies released so far.

With the landscape dramatically changing as a result of COVID-19 we’ve entered a world of increasingly-crunched windows between theatrical releases and their home entertainment availability. We’re also seeing powerful streaming platforms like Netflix, Stan and Prime Video purchasing the rights to theatrical-quality movies and releasing them directly onto their services. At Fetch we love consuming movies and TV shows any way we can, and by aggregating content into one place we have made it easier for you to watch what you want, wherever it is available.

Endorsement can be a powerful thing and without further preamble, check out the Fetch editorial team’s 10 favourite movies of the year so far (listed alphabetically):

A Quiet Place Part II

The sequel to A Quiet Place follows the Abbott family as they continue their silent fight for survival, and venture into the outer world for resources, and to find other survivors. The diligent use of editing and sound delivers a louder and bolder pursuit of survival. The performances are great, a new setting is refreshing and the scares are jumpier! – Frankie

Coming Soon to the Fetch Movie Store

Another Round

Four high school teachers consume alcohol on a daily basis to see how it affects their social and professional lives. Obscure? Very!

The results are altogether stressful, humorous, gratifying and sad. Vinterberg’s film is about living life and appropriately conveys all it’s beauty and emotional depth. This is all encapsulated by previous gymnast and dancer, Mads Mikkelsen’s final, joyful dance scene. – Frankie

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar

What do you get when two lifelong friends leave their small town for the first time ever to embark on a seaside adventure at an over-the-top vacation hotel? You get 106 minutes of hilarious gags, surreal imagery and unexpected songs. Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar is the comedy of the year for two very real reasons: 1) There’s nothing like it, and 2) Jamie Dornan’s unexpected turn as a lovestruck henchman who gets caught up in Barb & Star’s wacky fantasy.

Go in expecting silly fun, come out feeling good about yourself the world. – Adam

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

Bo Burnham: Inside

This extraordinary achievement is a real one-man show. Inside is written, directed, filmed, edited and stars actor-director Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade, Promising Young Woman) from his home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Inside offers an introspective personal analysis of Burnham’s hiatus from comedy after his last special, favouring bleak-humour that is both hard-hitting and hilarious, while commentating on the immediate state of the world through an array of catchy pop-tunes, elaborate story-telling techniques and technical wizardry.

Feeling appropriately claustrophobic – unable to leave his house, the remnants of prior days of production (twisted cables, scrunched up balls of paper and discarded dinners) litter the floor – and yet as if anything is possible creatively, this is an original and unforgettable experience. – Andrew

Watch now on Netflix.

Corpus Christi

A released convict convinces an entire Polish village that he is the new priest in town and not only shocks and surprises all with his unique preaching style, but finds personal redemption and public adoration through the journey.

Billed as a drama, this award-winning gem is actually a humorous fish-out-of-water crowd pleaser with a heavy heart and serious, but very human and relatable themes. What’s most amazing about Corpus Christi is that it’s based on true events. – Adam

But or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

David Byrne’s American Utopia

Legendary musician David Byrne and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee are a match made in Heaven and American Utopia is a joyous and invigorating concert movie. It is a filmed version of Byrne’s acclaimed Broadway show that rivals Talking Heads’ Stop Making Sense (a collaboration between Byrne and the late Jonathan Demme).

Starring the titular performer, along with 11 musicians from around the world who are using only wireless portable instruments, the show features Talking Heads classics (from Burning Down the House to Born Under Punches), along with some of Byrne’s more recent musical contributions. Celebrating creative collaboration, while presenting powerful political messages, American Utopia brings a once in a lifetime experience to your living room. – Andrew

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

Minari

A beautiful and intimate story of an immigrant family trying to achieve the American dream by growing Korean vegetables on an Arkansas farm. Both comedic and dramatic, the award-winning performances are captivating. Especially delightful is the relationship that blossoms between young David and his hilarious grandmother. – Frankie

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

Nomadland

Not much can be said that hasn’t already been lavished upon this Best Picture winner. Nomadland may mean different things to different people, depending on where you come from, where you are at in your life and where you stand on the meaning of life itself. Yep, it’s that deep…if you want it to be!

Nomadland can also be enjoyed as a beacon of light for cinema itself. The acting, directing and overall visual tone is unique and so refreshing in our Marvel-obsessed movie landscape that it stands alone. Bound to be remembered as a true masterpiece, and a touchstone of the pandemic era. – Adam

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

The Kid Detective

The Kid Detective is a dark comedy that confidently handles an unusual blend of tones, telling a story of one man’s journey to realize untapped childhood potential. Abe Applebaum (Adam Brody), a once-celebrated kid detective, has continued to solve his hometown’s same trivial mysteries into his 30s in between hangovers. That is until his latest client (Sophie Nelisse) brings him his first real ‘adult’ case.

There are some bizarre twists and turns to this murder mystery, and it is clear that writer-director Evan Morgan loves hard-boiled detective stories and is having fun fusing those conventions with a modern setting. Adam Brody, who has had a number of interesting roles since he broke out in The O.C, is perfectly cast as this rather unusual character. – Andrew

Buy or rent now in the Fetch Movie Store

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Energetic, richly detailed and inventively animated, this is an outstanding theatrical-quality family adventure-comedy.

When the Mitchells embark on a family-bonding cross-country road trip – Katie is off to film school and her proud parents and younger brother commit to accompanying her on the journey – the last thing they expect is to be humanity’s best hope of saving the world from a technological revolution.

A top-tier voice cast including Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph, Abby Jacobson and Olivia Colman creates a good time for all. – Andrew

Watch now on Netflix

Great movies that just missed the cut include the Disney animated adventures Raya and the Last Dragon and Luca, offbeat indie gem The Climb, Aussie outback crime thriller The Dry, moving historical drama The Dig, ambitious blood-curdler, The Empty Man and Steven Sodberbergh’s Queen Mary 2-set comedy Let Them All Talk. While the first half of 2021 won’t be going down as one of the greatest 6 months of movies ever released, there are still plenty of movies well worth your time. Hopefully we have inspired you to seek out the above and we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.