20 best shows and movies of 2021 according to Netflix
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(Photo by Kirsty Griffin/Netflix)
As of December 31, 2021
What’s trending on Netflix? How about all of 2021?
The most popular shows and movies on Netflix, based on subscriber viewing habits, are in the service’s navigation menu, but that’s only part of the story. Fans also spend time reading their favorite Netflix series and movies and their critical reputation here at Rotten Tomatoes. We’ve compiled a list of the top 20 movies and shows on Netflix US that our visitors have read about here in 2021. List
Also recommended:
• The best Netflix shows and series to watch
• The best Netflix movies to watch right now
Korean drama squid game topped Rotten Tomatoes’ list of Netflix’s most popular titles in 2021, ahead of the streaming giant’s best films like Star Movies. red noticein which Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and Ryan Reynolds teamed up for a heist story.
Latest releases of 2021 like fantasy series season 2 Witcherpolitical satire Don’t look up starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence and Benedict Cumberbatch dog power we had many opportunities to catch up with previous releases of the year and get into the top ten. It has been impressive to watch them rise and we have updated the rankings of the list as of December 31st to account for their continued growth into the end of 2021. Don’t look up took 2nd place (previously 4th place), Witcher under No. 4 (previously 5) and dog power under number 7 (previously 9).
While traffic to the main pages of most TV titles propelled them to the list, some titles such as Sinner is a four-season USA Network series streaming three seasons on Netflix, and a two-season French drama. Lupine made the list with traffic to its first season pages, proving once again that Netflix is the place to go to find titles that have been around for a while.
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Is your favorite Netflix show or series on the list of the top 20 Netflix? Let us know in the comments what you’ve been watching on Netflix in 2021.
#twenty
Adjusted score: 94999%
Critics’ opinion: Featuring beautifully-chosen performances by Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan against the backdrop of a beautifully filmed English countryside. Excavations brings treasures of historical drama.
Summary: An excavator and his team discover a wooden ship from the Middle Ages while digging up a burial ground on… [More]
# 19
Adjusted score: 100106%
Critics’ opinion: Well played and beautifully done white tiger turns the strengths of the source material into a dark, compelling drama.
Summary: Balram Khalwai (Adarsh Gurav) narrates his epic and dark humor about his rise from a poor peasant to a successful entrepreneur in modern India… [More]
# eighteen
Adjusted score: 97217%
Critics’ opinion: He is not as brave and fearless as his characters, but The harder they fall imbues its well-worn template with style, vigor and a fantastic cast.
Summary: When criminal Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) learns that his enemy Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) is being released from prison, he… [More]
#17
Adjusted score: 106721%
Critics’ opinion: Attractive and energetic Mitchells vs. Machines tells a funny, sweet story that the whole family will enjoy.
Summary: Young Katie Mitchell embarks on a journey with her proud parents, younger brother and beloved dog to start her… [More]
Adjusted score: -one%
Critics’ opinion: Omar Sy effortlessly reaches every mark in Lupinea thrilling spy thriller that lives up to its source material and then some.
Adjusted score: -one%
Critics’ opinion: Cleverly unpredictable and led by a powerful performance from a talented cast, darkly compelling Sinner quickly retracts the hooks and does not let go.
Summary: A ragtag team of bounty hunters pursue the galaxy’s most dangerous criminals; they will save the world for the right… [More]
Summary: A criminal mastermind known as “The Professor” plans to pull off the biggest heist in history… [More]
#12
Adjusted score: 83619%
Critics’ opinion: Guilty is yet another Americanized remake that overshadows the original, but its premise is still solid enough to sustain a tense, well-acted thriller.
Summary: The film takes place over the course of one morning in an emergency control room. Call Operator Joe… [More]
#eleven
Adjusted score: 36139%
Critics’ opinion: A milky and intricate thriller that drowns in its frenzied homages, woman in the window the audience will close the curtains.
Summary: Anna Fox (Amy Adams) is an agoraphobic child psychologist who is constantly on the lookout for a picture of the perfect family… [More]
Summary: What would you do for love? For a brilliant bookstore manager who crosses paths with an aspiring writer,… [More]
Summary: The arrival of a charismatic priest brings wonders, mysteries and new religious fervor to the dying city… [More]
#eight
Adjusted score: 90128%
Critics’ opinion: A burning blow to the late stage of capitalism, i care a lot is a thrilling pitch-black comedy with a vicious performance by Rosamund Pike.
Summary: With a shark-like self-assurance, Marla Grayson (Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike) is the professional, court-appointed guardian of dozens of elderly people… [More]
#7
Adjusted score: 111908%
Critics’ opinion: Brought to life by an all-star ensemble led by Benedict Cumberbatch, dog power reaffirms writer/director Jane Campion as one of the finest directors of her generation.
Summary: Strict, pale-eyed, handsome, Phil Burbank is brutally seductive. All the romance, strength and fragility of Phil is stuck in the past… [More]
#6
Adjusted score: 44926%
Critics’ opinion: red noticeThe film’s big budget and top-notch cast add up to a brilliantly competent comedy whose bland ingredients only disappoint mediocre results.
Summary: In a world of international crime, an Interpol agent is on a mission to hunt down and capture the world’s most wanted art… [More]
#5
Adjusted score: 82419%
Critics’ opinion: Ambitious, ultimate zombie heist mashup, army of the dead brings Zack Snyder back to his genre’s roots with a gory splash to match.
Summary: ARMY OF THE DEAD, directed by Zack Snyder (300, Zack Snyder’s Justice League), is set in the aftermath of a zombie outbreak that… [More]
Summary: The Witcher Geralt, a mutated monster hunter, is struggling to find his place in a world where humans often find themselves… [More]
Summary: The origins of two legendary League champions, set in the utopian Piltover and the downtrodden underground of Zaun…. [More]
#2
Adjusted score: 70971%
Critics’ opinion: Don’t look up aims too high for his disjointed barbs to constantly land, but Adam McKay’s star-studded satire achieves its goal of collective denial.
Summary: Kate DiBiasky (Jennifer Lawrence), an astronomy graduate student, and her professor Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio) make a startling discovery… [More]
Summary: Hundreds of penniless participants accept an invitation to participate in children’s games for a tempting prize, but the stakes… [More]
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