My Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies for 2021

Happy New Year, everyone. And a new year means new movies to look forward to, or in this case a bunch of carryovers from last year. 2020 left us with a good amount of unreleased movies, but with the current shift by big studios like Disney and Warner Bros. to online streaming (not to mention talks of a coronavirus vaccine being closer than we think), there's more likelihood that a good chunk of those movies would finally get to see the light of day.

All that is to say that my list of Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies for 2021 looks a lot like my list for 2020. But I'm fairly optimistic (read: hopeful) that these films would not only get released in one form or another this year, but that they'll live up to expectations as well. Because there's nothing worse than having to wait an extra year for something that turns out to be less than stellar. So in the spirit of that optimism, here are my Top 10 Most Anticipated Movies of 2021.

10. F9

While I don't consider myself the biggest fan of the long-running Fast and the Furious series, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at the very least curious to see what ridiculous new heights they intend to take the series for its ninth outing. There's even talk of taking the action to space, which sounds par for the course given the current trajectory of the franchise as a whole. But with Tokyo Drift favorites like Han said to be making a return, and the addition of another wrestling icon into the mix, the film promises to be tailor-made for fans and the morbidly curious alike.

9. Morbius

So I originally had the Venom sequel, Venom II: Let There Be Carnage, taking this particular slot on my list from last year. But in the absence of any trailers or new information about that movie (aside from a change in release dates), my interest has drifted towards the other forthcoming Sony Pictures superhero movie, Morbius. And with Jared Leto taking on the role of the brilliant scientist turned vampire, and Michael Keaton believed to be reprising his role as Vulture from Spider-Man: Homecoming, I'm eager to see how the movie ties into the larger Sony Spider-Man universe.

8. Raya and the Last Dragon

Pixar will continue to churn out some quality family entertainment this year when Raya and the Last Dragon hits both theaters and Disney+. This is following the truncated release of Onward at the start of the pandemic, as well as the more recent debut of Soul this Christmas. Initially slated for a November 25th release last year, the movie would be joining its growing library of content on Disney+ on March 5th, through a premier access model similar to the one used for the release of Mulan a few months ago.

7. Ghostbusters: Afterlife

As much as I tried to enjoy the 2016 all-female reboot of Ghostbusters, it was glaringly obvious that the movie paled in comparison to the high benchmark already set by the original two films. Thankfully, Ghostbusters: Afterlife looks like the massive course correction that the franchise needs right now. And by course correction I am referring to the mere fact that the movie's trailer doesn't even seem to acknowledge the existence of that other movie.

6. Coming 2 America

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall would be reprising their roles from the 1988 comedy film, Coming to America, in its aptly titled sequel, Coming 2 America. Originally scheduled for an August 7th release, the film was eventually picked up by Amazon amidst the pandemic and it is currently set to debut on Amazon Prime Video on the 5th of March. The original film was such an endearing hit with Eddie Murphy fans and fans of comedies in general, so much like Bill and Ted: Face the Music managed to do last year, this one is also hoping to recapture some of that old magic.

5. Black Widow

Having gone more than a solid year without any new MCU movies, all eyes are currently on Black Widow to offer the much-needed superhero fix fans so crave. The year-long delay might end up working in the movie's favor, since it also offered fans an equally-needed respite after both the climactic Avengers: Endgame and the Phase 3 closer, Spider-Man: Far from Home. And with other MCU films like Shang-Chi, The Eternals and the next Spider-Man movie all slated for release this year, this one should hopefully help kickstart what is already shaping up to be a packed Phase 4.

4. No Time to Die

Daniel Craig's final outing as James Bond (hopefully) comes out this year in the form of the 25th film in the franchise, No Time to Die. It is hard to believe he has been playing the character for more than 14 years now, twice as long as Pierce Brosnan's tenure as the character. Those initial protests we all had when he was originally cast seem decidedly foolish now, but I still can't help but wonder who would be taking up the mantle next, and what direction the series as a whole might be heading into, two question that would hopefully get answered by the end of No Time to Die.

3. The Suicide Squad

DC fans got their first look at the forthcoming Suicide Squad sequel/reboot, The Suicide Squad, during last year's DC FanDome event. And if that sneak peek was anything to go by, the film looks like it would be taking the franchise into a wild, new direction. The film is being helmed by James Gunn of Guardians of the Galaxy fame, so we can expect some of the humor from that other film to be reflected in this one. It also brings back fan favorite characters like Harley Quinn from the first movie, while also introducing a fresh rooster of DC baddies that include King Shark, Peacemaker and Bloodsport.

2. Dune

The first part of Denis Velleneuve's adaptation of the novel, Dune, was delayed from its original December 18th date, all the way to October 1st this year (bumping the forthcoming Robert Pattison Batman movie in the process). And while it was a bit disappointing that it didn't manage to stick to that release date, we did get our first look at the movie through a trailer that was released in October last year. The film looks like it would have the director's flair for breathtaking visuals, as well as the source material's epic scale, on full display. And with a simultaneous release currently being planned on HBO Max, this is one I'd definitely opt to see on the big screen.

1. A Quiet Place Part II

A part of me is still kind of pained that I didn't get to see A Quiet Place Part II last year. This is especially true considering how close we had gotten to the film's release date before the pandemic hit with full force. The rest is history at this point, but I'd be lying if I said any of my excitement for the movie had waned since then. Which is why it holds the distinction of being my most anticipated movie for two years in a row. Hopefully things work out better for the film's release this time around, and we finally get to see it in theaters or on video-on-demand.

Overall, 2021 looks like it could be a solid year for movies, looking at the current slate of films expected to release within the year. But the truth remains that we are still very much in the middle of a global pandemic, so some release dates are subject to change while some movies might even get pushed further into 2022. In the absence of such changes though, what movie(s) are you looking forward to the most in 2021?