When it comes to action movies, 2021 has been going pretty well so far. Out of all
those theatrical releases and streaming debuts, however, it's hard to know which are the cream
of the crop. Have no fear, though — these are the best action movies of 2021 so far.
In March 2021, after much demand from the franchise's fans, DC and Warner Bros. released
director Zack Snyder's original vision for the Justice League's first live-action film.
Following the 2017 release of Joss Whedon's much-derided Franken-movie, no one knew quite
what to expect from this new take on Snyder's original vision. But the end results are strong,
featuring more fleshed out story arcs for each member of the team and a villain with more
relatable motivations. But Zack Snyder's Justice League truly delivers with its action scenes.
To die-hard Snyder fans, the director's talent for action will come as no surprise. For anybody
who hadn't yet experienced his particular brand of artfully framed, gleefully ridiculous action,
however, Justice League is a superb demonstration of what he does best.
The setup for Godzilla vs. Kong is simple: Godzilla attacks humanity unprovoked,
so the humans call upon Kong to lead them to a source of energy that can defeat him.
During the journey, the Terror of Tokyo crosses paths with the eighth wonder of
the world — and they throw down to see who gets to be king of the monsters.
While the movie received mixed reviews on release, critics have largely praised its
Kong on Zilla action. Director Adam Wingard's previous movies, You're Next and The Guest,
married a number of genres with some seriously effective action scenes.
And Wingard's greatest success in Godzilla vs. Kong is his keen ability
to plot out those fight scenes and make every punch, bite, and nuclear breath blast count.
And sure, the critics have taken issue with Godzilla vs. Kong's plotting and character
development, but that's not really the point of this movie, is it? As a wise man once said:
"Let them fight."
Watching an action movie can sometimes feel like visiting a familiar diner.
You know the menu, you know what you like, and you know what not to order.
So when a movie like Nobody comes along, any fan of the genre knows they're in for a very
specific viewing experience. Produced by one half of the John Wick brain trust, David Leitch,
and starring funny man Bob Odenkirk, Nobody nonetheless proved to be certifiably awesome.
This movie brings such relish to what it is attempting,
from the performances to the fight choreography to the plot itself,
that it easily stands out in the long line of action-thriller franchises that came before it.
Most of that success is due to Odenkirk himself — who, in a stroke of genius, plays Hutch Mansell
like a recovering addict; one who has gleefully broken a long, cold-turkey run of non-violence.
Throw in a wonderful supporting cast and some deft direction from Ilya Naishuller,
and you've got one of those rare movies that truly transcends the tried-and-tested formula.
World War 2 is having a bit of a genre moment right now, and movies blending extreme war
violence with sci-fi/horror action have become a cottage industry — think 2018's Overlord or
The Outpost franchise. What makes Shadow in the Cloud unique to this niche category,
however, is its perspective and focus on the women in the war effort.
Shadow tells the story of Chloe Grace Moretz's Flight Officer Maude Garret, and the secret
mission that has her hitching a ride on a B-52 bomber in the midst of Japanese occupied airspace.
The first half of the movie basically confines Moretz to the bottom turret of the plane.
Her isolation is in one of the worst places to be in an aircraft — outside and underneath it. Pair
that with the sexist verbal abuse she receives from the male crew over the radio, and the movie
builds a highly specific brand of suspense not often seen on the silver screen. But things
really get crazy when spoiler-heavy details reveal themselves, allowing the movie to dive
into some B-movie action that wouldn't feel out of place in an empty movie theater in the 1980s.
If you haven't already, give this one a shot — it's as silly as anything and well worth a watch.
The Fast and the Furious movies aren't about car chases. They aren't about wild stunts,
either, or muscled-up dudes punching each other. Okay, so maybe they're about those
things a little — but at the end of the day, this franchise is all about one thing:
"I don't have friends. I got family."
That's especially true in F9, in which everybody's favorite street
racer Dominic Toretto butts heads with his estranged brother, Jakob. Obviously,
the result is a whole bunch of car chases, wild stunts, and muscled-up dudes punching each other.
Luckily, F9 is also one of the best installments in a truly wild and incredible franchise.
It hails the return of Justin Lin, the director who reinvigorated the series with Tokyo Drift
and created a new direction for the franchise with parts 4,
5, and 6. Here, the filmmaker expertly blends the melodrama with the spectacle,
giving long-time fans of the franchise everything they want and more. If you're looking for a fun,
fast-paced, and heartfelt time at the movies, F9 is the perfect action film for you.
Cinematically speaking, 2021 has been a fantastic
year for Zack Snyder. In addition to wowing critics and fans alike with his
unadulterated take on Justice League, the man gave Dave Bautista a machine gun, sent him to Sin City,
and had him shoot down a whole bunch of zombies. Talk about peak action cinema.
Army of the Dead takes place in a world where a zombie uprising has been confined to Las Vegas.
The undead shuffle past slot machines, poker tables... and a vault filled with $200 million.
And so zombie-killing veteran Scott Ward is hired to assemble
a team of mercenaries to make their way into Vegas and retrieve the cash.
If they succeed? It's the ultimate jackpot. If not? Well, you know...
Things get complicated when it turns out the government plans on nuking Vegas off the face of
the Earth. Things get even more complicated when Scott's estranged daughter tags along. And things
get even more complicated when the zombies reveal themselves to be far more than your ordinary
ghouls. Army of the Dead: it's silly, it's loud, it's gory. What more could you possibly want?
It took way too long for Natasha Romanoff to get her own movie — but now that Black Widow is here,
it turns out the final result was definitely worth the wait. This Marvel action flick
works as a prequel, picking up right after the airport battle in Captain America: Civil War.
After betraying Team Tony and letting Steve Rogers escape,
Natasha is on the run, trying to lay low and figure out her new, post-Avengers life.
But when the super spy crosses paths with her adoptive sister, Yelena Belova, she
realizes it's time to take care of some unfinished business. Before long, she has reunited with her
old adoptive family to take down some villains and blow some stuff up. You know, the usual.
More than anything, though, Black Widow is about what it means to come
from a fractured family — and it's also a surprisingly thoughtful look at guilt,
as Natasha is still struggling to wipe all that red from her ledger. In addition to
those engaging themes and some impressive action scenes, Johansson gives a fantastic performance,
bolstered by a hilariously goofy David Harbour and a charmingly snarky Pugh.
It's a sad farewell to Natasha herself, but at least Marvel has sent her off in style.
Let's be honest — the original Suicide Squad wasn't great.
"So that's it, we're some kind of suicide squad?"
It has a lousy 26% critical score over on Rotten Tomatoes, and even the audience score
is a lackluster 59% — the lowest in the DCEU so far. So why is the sequel any different?
In a sentence: it's all down to the magic of James Gunn. The director who made everyone
fall in love with a talking raccoon and a dancing tree was the perfect guy to shepherd
this ragtag band of antiheroes to success. And sure enough, with The Suicide Squad,
Gunn injects the DC universe with a heavy dose of quippy, crazy, gory fun.
Of course, Gunn hasn't totally forgotten about the original film, as he's brought over some of
the best characters from the first installment — but he also brings in a whole new rogues' gallery,
none of whom are guaranteed to make it even to the movie's halfway point.
As for the plot, the titular squad is sent down to a South American island to stop a nefarious scheme
called "Project Starfish." And yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. By the time it's all said and
done, Gunn has offered up a Dirty Dozen-style war movie with plenty of gags, plenty of guts,
and a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score. The only lingering question… When's Part 3?
When you think about legendary action stars, there are any number of names that might jump
to mind. But what about Karen Gillan? She's Nebula in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,
Ruby Roundhouse in the Jumanji franchise, and famously cut her teeth in the world of Doctor
Who. But with Gunpowder Milkshake, Gillan truly proves her action star bona fides.
This action thriller finds Gillan playing Sam, an assassin working for a mysterious organization
called the Firm. But when a dangerous mission goes south, Sam decides to
turn on the Firm and protect an 8-year-old girl, drawing the wrath of her employers.
If you love the worldbuilding of the John Wick franchise,
then Gunpowder Milkshake will be right up your alley. It also features some of the
craziest action scenes you'll see all year, and shines a spotlight on the ladies, too,
with women supporting women as they batter down bad guys and mow down hit-men. Filled to the brim
with neon visuals and madcap violence, Gunpowder Milkshake is a genuine treat for the senses.
It's a tale as old as time... or at least as old as 1993. Somebody finds themselves trapped
in the same day, and no matter what happens, they wake right back up on the very same morning and
repeat the same 24 hours all over again. Groundhog Day properly kicked off the time
loop genre, but a number of movies have played with the concept over the years.
None, though, were quite so action-packed as Boss Level.
Starring the world's most underrated action star, Frank Grillo, Boss Level finds Roy Pulver stuck
in a particularly painful time loop. Every day, he gets killed. No matter what he does,
he wakes up and then, at some point or another, he wounds up dead. Naturally, this doesn't
sit well with Mr. Pulver, and he sets out to crack some skulls, evade his imminent death,
and figure out how he got trapped in this crazy day. With some solid direction by Joe Carnahan
and a great villainous turn from Mel Gibson, Boss Level is a fun spin on a familiar premise.
Who are the greatest actor-director combos of all time? Well,
you've got Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune , of course,
and John Ford and John Wayne. Or maybe you'd say Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. And sure,
they're all great. But Toshiro Mifune never had a gunfight with Post Malone, did he?
Enter Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham. From Snatch to Lock,
Stock, these two action icons have made some of the craziest,
most intense movies of all time. And, in 2021, they treated us to Wrath of Man.
The movie stars Statham as Patrick Hill, a security guard who keeps crooks from
knocking off armored trucks. He's the new guy on the job, but he's surprisingly good at it...
a little too good, in fact. Naturally, Hill's co-workers begin to suspect there's more to
this rookie than meets the eye, and soon enough, it's revealed that something sinister is going on.
Forget the plot, though — Wrath of Man is, most importantly, filled with gunfire and explosions,
and features Statham at his action star best here. And sometimes that's all you need.
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