2021 gifted us plenty of superb movies and TV shows on Netflix, Amazon Prime and more – here are our top picks of the year.
2021 is almost over – how did that happen, by the way!? – and, just like other years that preceded this one, it’s been another stellar 12 months for the world’s bigges streamers. Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max continued to pump out movies and TV shows that were lapped up by fans and critics alike. And, with Disney Plus and Apple TV Plus increasing their respective outputs – some of which were equally well received as their competitors’ catalogs – there’s never been a better time to be a film and TV aficionado. And there’s been something for everyone, too. From unexpected global hits like Squid Game to fantasy genre fare in The Wheel of Time, and productions that celebrate representation in CODA to blockbuster movies including Dune,2021 was full of top-quality content. Before the next wave of streamer-specific movies and TV shows arrive, TechRadar’s entertainment team felt it was only appropriate to say goodbye to 2021 by selecting our favorite films and TV series of the past year. Below, you’ll find our picks for the Best Movie, Best TV Show, and Best Documentary or One-off Special for the five biggest streaming services around. Thanks for sticking with us in 2021, enjoy the read (feel free to agree or disagree) and we’ll see you in 2022. It’s fair to say that 2021 wasn’t a great year for Amazon and original movies. Having invested heavily in serialised content, the studio left Prime Video subscribers with a meagre selection of sci-fi adventures and action flicks that couldn’t match the equivalent movies produced by its streaming rivals. The best of them, in our opinion, was Michael Pearce’s Encounter, which proved an intriguing and at-times poignant deep dive into the psyche of a paranoid veteran. It follows estranged father Malik Khan (Riz Ahmed) on a mission to save his two young sons from an extra-terrestrial infection sweeping the Earth – though there’s a lot more to Encounter’s premise than meets the eye. This one is definitely worth a watch if you like movies that keep you guessing. In stark contrast to its sparse film offerings, Amazon’s TV catalog has never been stronger than it was in 2021 – which made choosing one show all the more difficult. We could have gone for the streamer’s big-budget fantasy series in The Wheel of Time, sci-fi miniseries Solos, or young adult drama Panic. But, in the end, we had to pick Invincible, Amazon’s R-rated animated adaptation of Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker’s beloved graphic novel series. Not only does it have one of the best casts of any TV series, but Invincible is also a wonderfully animated series full of heart, humor and gratuitous violence. Episode 1’s shock ending, coupled with that brutal and tearjerking season 1 finale, dominated TV fan discussions for weeks. And, with season 2 on the way, we’re hoping for more of the same. Oh, and plenty of top tier memes, too. Documentaries that focus on a particular actor or director are a dime a dozen these days – but few are as intimate and absorbing as Val, a 2021 docufilm that focuses on the life and career of Top Gun and Batman Forever star Val Kilmer. With plenty of footage (which Kilmer shot himself) included, Val gave us a uniquely personal peek behind the curtain of one of the biggest actors of the 1980s and 1990s. From his childhood and his first major acting gig, to showing his homemade movies and his battle with throat cancer, Val is a fascinating deep dive into Kilmer’s life. It’s raw, authentic and pretty moving all round. One of the year’s best films (which should have earned a lot more attention than it did), CODA – which stands for Child of Deaf Adults – follows high school student Ruby (Emilia Jones) as she navigates the pressures of education, adulthood and living with a completely deaf family. This Apple exclusive stars Locke and Key’s Jones in the lead role, and deaf performers Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant as her parents and brother, respectively. It paints an authentic, moving picture of everyday life for those living in unique circumstances and, in our view, it’s as good as 2019’s Sound of Metal. Not only that, but it’s also the best Apple original movie of 2021 for us. You’ll laugh, cry and maybe even learn something – add it to your watchlist for 2022 (if you haven’t seen it already). In another universe, Foundation or Invasion may have taken first place on our Apple TV Plus show podium. But, just like its first season won our hearts in 2020, Ted Lasso season 2 is our favorite Apple TV series of the year. And with good reason. It builds on the foundations that the soccer comedy-drama’s first outing but, equally, season 2 isn’t afraid to explore the darker side of its characters. From Ted’s panic attacks and Coach Beard’s disenchantment following one particular defeat, to Sam’s loyalties being torn and Coach Nate’s villainous turn, Ted Lasso has matured into one of the best shows around.
