Year in review: The best sci-fi/fantasy films of 2021

“A Quiet Place” was a rare blockbuster not based on original property, but it was worthy of a sequel. While it’s a horror film, we can’t forget that it’s also science fiction in nature. After all, the villains of the film are aliens. Aliens that you have to be very quiet around.

It’s a giant red dog! What’s more science fiction than that? For the first time we got a “Clifford” movie that featured live-action mixed with animation, and the big red dog has been a favorite for generations. As far as a Clifford movie goes, this was about as good as it was going to get.

You may not have heard of it, but “Cryptozoo” is a fantasy animated film for adults that won the Innovator Award at Sundance. The film has a notable cast, led by Lake Bell and Michael Cera. It’s about trying to capture a Baku, a mythological Japanese creature that eats dreams.

Unfortunately, this isn’t as fantastical as some science fiction films. However, Adam McKay’s latest politicized comedy still counts as sci-fi. It also has quite the cast, led by Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as astronomers find out about an approaching comedy that could doom Earth.

The biggest sci-fi film of the year was “Dune.” While the movie turned out to only be the first half of the epic story, it was still a massive film in scope and spectacle. While David Lynch’s film didn’t work, this latest adaptation seems like it will make the most out of the beloved sci-fi novel.

Disney’s latest animated effort enters the realm of the supernatural. It involves a sentient house and a family with supernatural powers, save for Mirabel, our protagonist. As this is a Disney movie, you can probably guess the kind of lessons that are learned. That’s not knocking it, though, because Disney knows how to make a solid family animated film, and this one was largely liked by critics.

“Eternals” didn’t work for everybody, but if we are talking science fiction, this entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe is worth mentioning. It completely changed the scope of the MCU. For fans of the sci-fi genre, “Eternals” provided a lot of cool stuff and made the world of Marvel even more epic. Plus, it was directed by Best Director winner Chloe Zhao.

Not every horror movie falls under the umbrella of sci-fi or fantasy, but supernatural ones do. Netflix released three “Fear Street” movies in 2021, all set in a different time frame. The best of those was the first one, which was set in 1994. It’s part slasher flick, part supernatural film, and perfect for fans of the R.L. Stine book series.

We thought the “Ghostbusters” reboot was a totally solid film, but “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” returned to the world of the original two films. That ramped up the nostalgia, which worked for a lot of people, and while we wish the film had had a little more comedy, it was still a worthwhile addition to the franchise. After all, it’s not like “Ghostbusters II” was all that good.

Sometimes, you just want to see a giant, radioactive lizard fight a gigantic gorilla. “Godzilla vs. Kong” recognizes that. They focused less on the human character than the prior films in this series, letting us enjoy multiple, mega-fight scenes. This was the top monster movie of the year.

This fantasy film is based on the famed story about Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It’s tied to Arthurian legend, but David Lowery’s movie is much more focused on atmosphere. It’s strange and ethereal. Don’t go in expecting a ton of action. Instead, “The Green Knight” is all about the vibe.

This is a Mark Wahlberg action film, so approach it at that level. What gives it a little extra boost is the sci-fi element. Also, the fact Chiwetel Ejiofor is in the cast. An action-thriller about people who live multiple lies and reincarnate? That’s an interesting premise.

Pixar isn’t firing on all cylinders like it was in its heyday, but every Pixar movie has its merits. The latest effort from the animation giant is “Luca,” which is about a sea monster who can appear human on land. It’s almost like “The Little Mermaid,” but without a reggae crab.

The first “Matrix” movie was top-notch and really changed the game. Then, we got a couple of sequels that were…fine. Maybe what we needed was more time. “The Matrix Resurrections” breathes fresh life into the franchise, while also giving us what we want in the return of Keanu Reeves as Neo. Returning to the Matrix proved to be entirely worthwhile.

It’s a sci-fi film. It’s a comedy movie. It’s an action flick. It’s a family story. “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” is all of that and more. Oh, and it’s animated too. Now, being a lot of things doesn’t make a movie good, but fortunately “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” proved to be quite good.

“Raya the Last Dragon” was supposed to be a 2020 release for Disney but ended up getting pushed to 2021. Either way, it would have made this list. It’s a fun fantasy adventure story that, of course, involves a dragon. Speaking of which…

Marvel’s “Shang-Chi” involves dragons just like “Raya.” Also, both movies have Akwafina in the cast. This one is live-action, though, and also a fine martial-arts movie. Honestly, we wish there had been a little less of the fantasy elements, but you couldn’t have told this story without them. That would have been a shame, as “Shang-Chi” was a fine addition to the MCU.

Getting superpowers from being bit by a spider is sci-fi enough as is. However, “No Way Home” takes sci-fi to the next level. The multiverse hit the MCU in a big way, which gave us a chance to revisit Marvel movies of old. This time, though, it was centered on Tom Holland’s Spider-Man, who we think is the best version of the web-slinger so far.

Speaking of Spidey, Venom started as a Spider-Man villain. Now, he (and Eddie Brock) are at the center of the strangest comic book universe in existence. Tom Hardy seems to be having a ton of fun going completely bananas in the role, and Venom is even more out there in this movie as well. Throw in Carnage and, well, you get a movie that has to be seen to be believed.

A low-budget, horror-comedy about werewolves? That’s right up our alley. Sam Richardson leads the cast, and if you like horror comedies this is about the best you were going to get in 2021. Plus, it has that fun supernatural element to it.