Of course you have Under the Silver Lake, with its Lynchian storytelling. Then you have a film like The Lighthouse, which was brilliant for being so comically mysterious. The Lobster is another possible pick for being the most inscrutable A24 picture. But, for my money, the company's most enigmatic movie is 2021's The Green Knight.

Retelling the 14th century poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the film is sometimes maddeningly enigmatic, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It's currently streaming on Netflix. So, here's why you should give it a watch if you haven't seen it already.

The Story Is Slow-Paced And Challenging…But In A Good Way

There are some A24 pictures that never let up when it comes to pacing, like Uncut Gems, which is so anxiety-inducing that it might literally make you sick to your stomach. Or, what about a film like the Academy Award-winning, Everything Everywhere All at Once, which, prior to Marty Supreme - which is another pulse-pounding movie - was the highest grossing A24 movie ever? Anybody who sees any of these flicks might think A24 is all about making fast-paced movies.

However, anybody who’s seen a lot of the films will tell you that that’s not always the case at all. In fact, some movies, like Past Lives, take their sweet time in telling their story, and no movie in the catalogue probably takes its sweet time like The Green Knight, which I’ve heard several people call “slow,” “plodding,” and even “boring.”

However, I don’t think that could be further from the truth. The story concerns King Arthur’s nephew, Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) accepting a challenge on Christmas night from a mysterious, wooden adversary known as the Green Knight. The titular character is actually summoned to the hall by Gawain’s mother, and he decrees that any knight who lays a blow upon him will receive his green axe, but that the striker must receive a blow of equal measure.

Gawain, who just wants the spoils, decapitates the Green Knight with Excalibur, but the Knight picks up his head, and tells Gawain that he has one year to get his own head lopped off. Thus begins Gawain’s journey. The story takes its time, but it challenges you to decide what you would do in a similar situation, given the circumstance.

Dev Patel Gives Possibly His Strongest Performance As Sir Gawain

I’ve been following Patel’s career ever since I first saw him in the excellent Slumdog Millionaire…and then the far less impressive, The Last Airbender, and I have to tell you. It’s been a real treat watching his acting prowess blossom. For example, to see him go from a comedy/drama like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, and then to an action thriller like Monkey Man (which he also directed!) years later has almost given me whiplash.

Well, in between that period, he did The Green Knight, and it’s by far my favorite performance of his. In the story, Gawain is both hardheaded, but also cowardly. He’s manly, but also callow. In other words, he is multifaceted. We first meet his character in a brothel (manly) getting chastised by his mother (not manly). When he faces off against the Green Knight, he shows great courage, but when he has to actually follow through on his promise to get his own head lopped off, he wavers.

And, I don’t know if this would really work if Patel didn’t show both sides to this character. He is, in a way, like many young men who want to be something great, but are then too scared to see it through. When he goes on his quest to meet the Green Knight a year later, he is constantly on the fence about whether he should even have to do this, since it’s quite frankly insane to go off on a suicide mission.

Patel perfectly plays this duality of man, and I think it’s the finest performance I’ve ever seen from him. It’s just that good!

The Cinematography Is Jaw-Dropping At Times

One thing that all of the people who told me this movie was “boring” also told me was that at least it was nice to look at, and it is! In fact, sometimes, it’s jaw-droppingly nice to look at, as the cinematography here, by Andrew Droz Pelermo, really sets you in a time and place.

This makes sense, because the cinematographer worked with the director, David Lowry, before, for the movie A Ghost Story, which also makes you feel like you’re in a certain time and place. However, the beautiful thing about The Green Knight (and I guess A Ghost Story as well), is that the story feels big and ambitious in scope, but also small.

In A Ghost Story, the tale mostly takes place in a house, but also bounces back far into the past, and in The Green Knight, we get the smaller scale of King Arthur’s Round Table, but also the countryside, where we see things like talking foxes and giants.

All the while, it’s visually arresting. You can tell the landscapes go off into the far-off distance, but everything still feels close and personal. It makes this world feel vast, but also claustrophobic at times, which is no small feat.

And That Ending!

I’m not going to spoil the ending for you here since I really do want you to watch the movie, but much like the enigmatic quality of the film itself, the conclusion is also quite perplexing. How perplexing, you ask? Well, so much so, that we even wrote a whole article about The Green Knight ending analyzing what it might mean.

Now, here’s what I advise you to do. I advise that you watch the movie, mull over what you think the ending MIGHT mean, then see if there are any other people who have seen the film. If they have, invite them over for dinner, and discuss the ending. After you’ve done all that, THEN read what we think the ending MIGHT mean, because it’s certainly up for interpretation.

Now, some people may HATE the ending, because it isn’t clear cut, nor (do I think, at least) is it meant to be. You have to remember, this story is based on a 14th century poem. So, while the movie uses the basic premise of the poem as a template, it goes off on its own path and forms its own identity. In that way, the film works as a companion piece if you’re familiar with the story, but also works on its own if you aren’t.

I’ve heard people say that it has a happy ending, and I’ve heard people say that it has a sad ending. Why don’t you check it out and decide for yourself?

In The End, It Makes You Remember Why You Love A24 Movies In The First Place

I’m a film nerd, so what that essentially means is that I love A24 movies. While I haven’t seen all hundred or so films from the company, I’ve seen most of the major ones, and The Green Knight is a reminder as to why it’s such a prestigious and beloved independent film company in the first place.

The Green Knight is complex, uncompromising, and unlike a vast majority of the films you’ll find from the major studios.

It tackles an ancient tale, and makes it modern. And, while there are fantastical elements, it still manages to feel grounded.

So, if you have a Netflix subscription, give it a watch!

No, it’s not the various encounters with the Green Knight that bookend the film. Nor is it the strange and off-putting sequence with the Lord and Lady that tend to the young knight. Instead, it’s a brief yet unforgettable meeting with a young scavenger picking through the corpses of fallen soldiers.

Sir Gawain’s Encounter With The Young Scavenger Is Straight-Up Bone-Chilling

Not long after Sir Gawain’s journey gets underway, he stumbles upon the fallout of a major battle between two unknown parties. Riding amongst the dead and their belongings on his quest to find and confront the Green Knight, he has a chance encounter with one of the most unforgettable characters in the entire movie: Barry Keoghan’s scavenger.

From poking around the dead bodies to talking about nature swallowing up the dead to bouncing between glee and sorrow from the sight, the young stranger is unstable, and his nature is straight-up unsettling. You don’t know anything about him, but you know he can’t be trusted. So, when he gives Gawain directions for a forest chapel, it doesn’t take long to come to the realization that this is someone who can’t be believed.

As pointed out in CinemaBlend’s Green Knight review, the battlefield-roaming stranger has sinister intentions, and his offer of help is nothing more than him setting a trap for what is probably his latest victim. Gawain foolishly walks into the trap, leading to a more violent and less ambiguous meeting with the scavenger and his gang, who strip him of everything and leave him for dead.

We Don’t Know Anything About The Scavenger, And That Makes This So Much More Unsettling

What has always drawn me to this scene, and this character in particular, is that we know nothing about him and learn nothing about him before the Green Knight ending. Though Gawain later retrieves the axe the young scavenger stole from him, the character is never seen or heard of again. This brings me to some big questions I’ve long had about the boy and his appearance.

With the movie having multiple scenes that blend reality and fantasy, and Gawain being forced to overcome a series of tests to prove himself, could this whole interaction be nothing more than a hallucination? Or is this another test of the young knight’s virtues to prove himself worthy? Or is the boy a living, breathing person who’s been broken and desensitized by the cruelty and violence of the world?

I’m still trying to make sense of this encounter, but it remains such a bone-chilling and unforgettable scene all these years later. If you’ve been meaning to revisit The Green Knight, it’s currently streaming with a Netflix subscription.

Harry Potter Franchise

I mean, if you know me, you know I love the Harry Potter franchise and no matter what, I will stand by it until the end of time – even if the author sometimes makes me want to cringe. Either way, the Harry Potter movies are some of the best out there, and the worldbuilding that has expanded from this series has only made it that much better.

The Lord Of The Rings

I don’t think I could do a fantasy adaptation list without mentioning The Lord of the Rings movies. Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings is the kind of fantasy that only comes once in a lifetime, and the moment you get into these movies, you’ll never be the same.

The Wheel Of Time

Based on the novel series of the same name, The Wheel of Time is the kind of high fantasy that has so much going on with it that you’re going to need an entire glossary of terms to keep up with the worldbuilding. But there’s no denying that this series is a fun one – and one of the best shows to watch on Amazon.

Shadowhunters

Based on The Mortal Instruments novels by Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters is all about a girl who finds out on her eighteenth birthday that she comes from a long line of Shadowhunters, human-angel hybrids whose job is to hunt down demons. It’s just as wild as you could probably imagine.

His Dark Materials

Based on the novels by Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials is the kind of fantasy drama that truly takes it to another level. It’s the kind of fantasy series that I really don’t want to dive too heavily into because it’ll reveal so much. Still, the main premise is about a teenager looking for a lost friend and finding out things related to her life that she never would have imagined. The fantasy is ever-changing, as they move from several different worlds, which is so cool.

The Sandman

If you’re looking for a fantasy drama with a tinge of the supernatural, then The Sandman is the show for you. The series, hailing from Netflix and based on the comic book of the same name, follows the personification of Dreams, who is captured for a century and then breaks out, aiming to restore his power.

Game Of Thrones

I have to put Game of Thrones on here. How could I not put this series? From the Game of Thrones cast to the heartbreaking deaths we witness, the shocking Game of Thrones moments, this series has it all if you’re looking for an intense fantasy show that will keep you hooked for eight seasons straight – even if the last one isn’t that great.

Outlander

While Outlander isn’t the typical fantasy I would put here, it’s still a fantasy nonetheless. Based on the novels of the same name, Outlander follows the story of a WWII nurse who somehow travels back in time and falls in love with a Highland warrior. Yes, that is the plot, and yes, it’s just as swoon-worthy as you can imagine. It’s one of the best Starz shows, for sure.

A Discovery Of Witches

For all the ones out there who love witches, you have to check out A Discovery of Witches. Based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches follows a historian who must work together with a vampire in order to protect a bewitched manuscript from the hands of evil monsters.

Wicked

Out of every movie I was imagining to put on here, Wicked was one I knew had to appear. This movie, based on the Broadway musical and, in turn, based on a novel about the wicked witch called Wicked, the film follows the life of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba, and how she was actually once friends with Glinda the Good Witch. Truly such an iconic piece of cinema.

Once Upon A Time

If you love all those incredible Disney movies but want to see them in an adult way, then Once Upon a Time is the series for you. Many of the episodes and characters are based on classic fairy tales. The series is all about a boy discovering that the people who live in this new town they traveled to are actually all storybook characters.

Percy Jackson And The Olympians

While I’m toeing the line between Greek mythology and fantasy, I still believe these novels are more fantasy than anything else, and Percy Jackson and the Olympians are the best adaptations of them. The series is about a young man who finds out he is a demi-god, the son of Poseidon, and must go on a quest to retrieve Zeus’ lightning bolt to prove his innocence and restore order.

Attack On Titan

As much as Attack on Titan has traumatized me with its heartbreaking deaths, at the end of the day, it is a dark fantasy anime because this world most certainly does not exist. The series mainly follows Eren Yeager, a recruit of the Scout Regiment, who aims to explore beyond the three walls of their human civilization and take down humanoid Titans who seek to kill them. But there's A LOT more about this series that you will never expect – so go into it with an open mind. It’s based on the manga with the same name.

The Green Knight

Based on Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, this movie is a visual masterpiece, and I need more people to watch it. The film, starring Dev Patel, follows a young man named Gawain who travels to face the titular Green Knight, a giant, green humanoid of a man who challenges those who come across him.

Locke & Key

Based on the novel of the same name, Locke & Key is a fantasy drama that follows the lives of three siblings who discover several keys throughout their new home that lead to mysterious doors. They unknowingly unlock gates that bring in dangerous entities that turn their lives upside down. While it’s not as crazy of a fantasy, it’s still a fun one with some cool visuals.

The Witcher

The Witcher is based on the novels of the same name and primarily follows the story of Geralt of Rivia. This monster hunter is known as a “witcher,” and his time was spent not only protecting the princess of Cintra but also running into horrors you could never imagine. Some of these monsters, man…they are a lot.

Sweet Tooth

Based on the novel of the same name, Sweet Tooth mainly follows a boy who is a deer hybrid after a virus has killed most of the world’s population. In this story, he looks to find his mother after his father passes, taking him on a fantastic journey.

The Hobbit

If you like The Lord of the Rings, chances are, you’re going to like The Hobbit. The movies are a prequel to famous films, and they follow Bilbo Baggins as he travels across the realm to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from a dragon that has overtaken it. This is J.R.R. Tolkien, so you know it’s going to be an intense fantasy.

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina

While The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina takes place in the modern day, there are plenty of moments in this that make it stand out as a fantastical fantasy series. Based on the comics of the same name, it follows Sabrina, a witch who, on her sixteenth birthday, must decide between leaving her mortal life behind to fully become a witch or leaving that to embrace her friends.

Arcane

Hands down, Arcane is one of the best shows on Netflix to binge-watch. The series, based on the video game franchise League of Legends, takes you into the worlds of both Piltover and Zaun, an overcity and the underground one beneath, where two sisters are separated by years of tragedy and are thrown into a magical conspiracy you could never imagine.

House Of The Dragon

If you liked Game of Thrones, you’ll probably enjoy House of the Dragon. Based on Fire and Blood by George R.R. Martin, the new series follows the life of the Targaryen family tree, mainly during the time of the Dance of Dragons, where two Targaryen heirs fight for the throne and cause thousands of deaths.

Good Omens

Based on the novel of the same name, Good Omens is a hilarious fantasy comedy that follows a demon and an angel who are representatives of heaven and hell – oh, and they just so happen to be friends despite coming from two completely different sides. And now, they must work together to prevent Armageddon and the Antichrist.

My Lady Janes

My Lady Jane, based on the novel of the same name, follows the titular character as she is convinced to marry a lord while also trying to vie for the throne of England – oh, and people in this world just so happen to possess the ability to take animal forms, so…there’s that fantasy twist. Seriously, this show is wacky but fun all the same, and it's a cute fantasy romp.

The Chronicles Of Narnia

I have to put The Chronicles of Narnia movies on here, even if there have only been three, but these films seriously take you to another world on a different level. The series is obviously based on the novels of the same name and follows the lives of siblings who discover that there is a whole other world on the opposite end of their wardrobe back home.

One Piece

Okay, before you get mad, I am not going to recommend the anime to you because trying to catch up with that will take you years. However, I will recommend the Netflix adaptation. The series, based on the manga of the same name, follows Monkey D. Luffy, a wannabe pirate who builds a crew to find a famous treasure in order to become King of the Pirates—oh, and he also has awesome magical powers that are crazy.

The Golden Compass

Based on Northern Lights by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass is actually another adaptation of His Dark Materials, but it takes a lot more of a deep dive into fantasy. The main character, Lyra, travels by sea to the North in order to search for kidnapped children. It’s an epic fantasy.

Wednesday

While Wednesday certainly took the world by storm when it first came out, it’s still a fun, dark fantasy to watch. Based on the Addams Family franchise, the series follows Wednesday Addams as she attends a fantasy academy with all kinds of beasts, only to find out that her father is connected to a murder that occurred years ago, and now she must solve it herself.

The Princess Bride

Based on the novel of the same name, The Princess Bride follows a farmhand who travels across the land with some friends to rescue his beloved. The film is a comedy at its core, with hilarious moments and fun fantasy aspects, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants something light for an afternoon.

A Series Of Unfortunate Events

Based on the novels by Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the lives of recent orphans Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. They struggle to find a permanent foster home as they are relentlessly hounded by Count Olaf, who seeks to claim their parents' fortune. This fun series has so many twists and turns, and the fantasy aspects are fun.

Warrior Nun

Based on the comic Warrior Nun Areala, this fantasy drama will have you on the edge of your seat. The series follows the life of a former quadriplegic orphan who discovers that she has powers now and must join an order of warrior nuns to fight against demons. Yes, this is a crazy premise and one that is perfect for dark fantasy.

Shadow And Bone

Based on the novels of the same name, as well as Six of Crows, the series follows the story of Alina Starkov, who, after believing herself to be powerless, finds out that she is a Grisha with a powerful ability that could save her world. While there are only two seasons, it’s a fun one to follow.

Cursed

Based on the book of the same name, Cursed is a one-season fantasy series that reimagines the King Arthur story. The series follows Nimue, a heroine who goes on a quest with Arthur to bear an ancient sword to Merlin. Arthur takes her on an adventure filled with beasts and magic.

While these are just some of the most fun fantasy adaptations out there, all of these are great picks, and there are so many others, too, that I didn’t even have the chance to write down. It’s time to escape.

We all deserve to be seen on the big and small screen, and characters like these open more doors for this community that makes up 25 percent of the population of the world. From regency romance to a Marvel superhero, we’re celebrating some recent great South Asian characters in movies and television. Check it out: 

Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) - Bridgerton

Bridgerton became the talk of the ton in 2020 when the Netflix series became the most successful original TV show for the streaming service. For the recent Season 2, Julia Quinn’s The Viscount Who Loved Me was adapted for television with its lead Kate played by British-Indian Sex Education actress, Simone Ashley. For the romance, the character was altered slightly to be Kate Sharma instead of Sheffield, with her and her family’s backstory being from India. The 2022 season seamlessly infused Indian culture into Kate and her sister Edwina’s identity whilst also ushering in an Indian lead of a romance set in the Regency era and for a very mainstream series. 

Ruben Stone (Riz Ahmed) - Sound Of Metal 

When it comes to South Asian actors being considered for award season buzz, oftentimes the storylines have been around starring in a story about and set in their home country such as 1982’s Gandhi and 2008’s Slumdog Millionaire. Riz Ahmed changed this when he received an Oscar nomination for Sound Of Metal, becoming the first Pakistani actor and first Muslim actor to be included in the Best Actor category. In the drama, Ahmed plays a drummer in a metal band and drug addict who loses his hearing and must join a shelter for deaf recovering addicts. Ahmed’s incredible performance included the actor learning American Sign Language and how to drum like a pro. 

Dev Shah (Aziz Ansari) - Master Of None

After Aziz Ansari ascended into popularity on Parks and Recreation as the sarcastic and entrepreneurial Tom Haverford, the comedian created his own series in Netflix’s Master of None. The show, which he also starred in and wrote, really showed the actor’s personal perspective as an actor and Indian-American immigrant through a somewhat fictional lens. One especially memorable episode is called “Indians on TV” where he touches on how Indian actors are often expected to be stereotypes with heavy accents. In the most recent season of the show, Ansari took a step back from starring to highlight Lena Waithe’s character while he showcased his impressive directorial approach. 

Lucy Gulliver (Geraldine Viswanathan) - The Broken Hearts Gallery

The romantic comedy is a beloved genre, but over the years it has been plagued with the same faces and tropes over and over again. In 2020, though, Aussie actress Geraldine Viswanathan got to shine as the lead of The Broken Hearts Gallery alongside Stranger Things’ Dacre Montgomery. In the movie, Viswanathan plays a young woman who recently suffered a breakup and decides to start a gallery devoted to fallen relationships. The movie delivers a quality and unique rom-com that allows its half-Indian (of Tamil ancestry) main character / actress to lead the type of movie that has gone to white actresses over the years, and without her identity having to be her core personality trait, either.

Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) - Blinded By The Light

Blinded By The Light premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before becoming a beloved (yet underrated) dramedy in 2019. The movie, directed by Gurinder Chadha, who previously made history as the helmer of Bend It Like Beckham, is about the son of Pakistani migrant parents, Javed, who falls in love with Bruce Springsteen’s music and uses it as an inspiration to write his own poetry. The story is inspired by the life of journalist Sarfraz Manzoor, who co-wrote the Blinded By The Light script. The movie and the character of Javed show how music can speak to and connect with anyone, including an immigrant kid who feels otherwise like an outsider in his life. 

Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) - The Mindy Project 

After Mindy Kaling wrote for and portrayed Kelly Kapoor on The Office, the comedian pitched her own comedy to FOX, The Mindy Project. She created, produced and starred in the series about a gynecologist’s attempts to balance her personal and professional life. The series that aired for six seasons brought Indian representation to television in a big way, with Kaling becoming the first Indian American to have her own TV show on a major network, and in a way that wasn’t solely focused on her ethnicity, but addressing the life of a working career woman, and later, motherhood.  

Sheriff Hassan (Rahul Kohli) - Midnight Mass

Mike Flanagan’s incredible Netflix horror franchise continued in 2021 with an original series called Midnight Mass, which served as an existential discussion about faith alongside its scares. Among the cast was the groundbreaking character of Sheriff Hassan, played by Rahul Kohli (previously in The Haunting of Bly Manor and iZombie). He played the island’s sheriff, who is a Muslim who struggles with his teenage son to fit into the town’s predominantly Catholic population. Within the series, Midnight Mass beautifully represents a South Asian Muslim family and their difficulties in the western world as all the spooky things take place. 

Rhea Kumar (Avantika Vandanapu) - Spin

Disney Channel is known for propelling young stars into mega stardom, such as Zendaya, Miley Cyrus, and Zac Efron, with their original films and TV shows. In 2021, the network made a massive move in representation by releasing the new DCOM, Spin, which is about an Indian-American teen who works at her tight-knit family’s restaurant, but realizes her true passion is to be an EDM DJ. The movie highlights Indian culture in a beautiful way and allows its young star, Avantika Vandanapu, to shine in a breakout performance. 

Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) - Quantico

Another network television win for a great South Asian character is Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ leading role in the ABC series, Quantico. The Indian A-lister moved to the American market to star in the thrilling drama about an FBI agent who becomes the prime suspect of a terrorist attack. It’s another first, with the actress becoming the first Indian actor to lead a primetime drama on American TV. But, Chopra Jonas also did so by playing a charismatic, badass, and intriguing character during the series’ three seasons. 

Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) - The Green Knight

Medieval epics have always been led by white men, but David Lowery’s 2021 adaptation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight gave Dev Patel a unique role in that space. The existentialist storyline allowed Patel to deliver a meaty performance that comments on the hero’s journey in a refreshing (yet taxing) trudge to meet the Green Knight. Patel’s performance is one of the best of 2021 and should have really gotten more Oscar recognition. 

Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) - Never Have I Ever 

Following Mindy Kaling’s The Mindy Project, she moved behind the scenes completely to create Never Have I Ever, a coming of age Netflix series. It stars newcomer Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who hails from Canada and was born to Tamil parents. It is loosely based on Kaling’s childhood experiences, as it follows an Indian-American Tamil high school student dealing with the sudden death of her father, who decides to change her social status, though it does not come easy. The show is much like a lot of high school series in a lot of ways, but it also adds the layers of her grappling and balancing her Indian-American identity as well. 

Kingo (Kumail Nanjiani) - Eternals 

After Kumail Nanjiani made waves as a Pakistani-American comedian, writer, and actor in projects like Silicon Valley and The Big Sick, he was cast as the first South Asian superhero in Marvel’s Eternals. Not only does the movie include a big-screen Bollywood dance sequence, but Nanjiani got super ripped to take on the role because he wanted to make sure the first Pakistani superhero “could hang with Thor and Captain America.” Kingo is an Eternal and flashy actor who continued this breaking of stereotypes and continues to show Hollywood that South Asian actors have range and can fit in all genres far and wide.  

In just the past few years, there’s been an uptick in South Asian representation and a lot of different firsts for its large population in the framework of Hollywood. Here’s to more great South Asian characters in the years ahead. We’ll look out for more examples of them in new TV shows and upcoming movie releases. 

I also believe that with his growing popularity, his newfound fans will be eager to take a look at some of the talented actor’s earlier, lesser-known work or even revisit a few favorites they may not have initially realized he was a part of at the time. Allow us to point you in the right direction with the following list of great Barry Keoghan movies (and one TV show) you can stream and / or digitally rent now, starting with the aforementioned, blockbuster epic that nudged him further toward the A-list.

Eternals (Disney+)

A diverse group of ageless, heroic beings whom each possess their own unique super powers are forced to reunite after a thousand years apart, and hiding in plain sight, when their ancient enemy - a race of creatures known as the Deviants - reemerge to wreak havoc on Earth.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: As previously mentioned, Barry Keoghan made his comic book movie debut as the mind controller Druig, who is just about the most hot-headed and cynical member of the titular superhero group in 2021’s Eternals - one of the most visually stunning Marvel movies yet, from Academy Award-winning co-writer and director Chloé Zhao.

Stream Eternals on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Eternals on Amazon.

Dunkirk (Netflix, HBO Max)

Hundreds of thousands of young soldiers originating from the Allied armies of the United Kingdom, Belgium, and France are left stranded and desperate for rescue on the beaches of a French port town and become surrounded from the sea and air by the German Army.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In 2017, before trying his hand at acting in comic book movies, Barry Keoghan was directed by someone well-versed in the genre - The Dark Knight Trilogy helmer Christoper Nolan - in his technically masterful, fact-based thriller, Dunkirk, in the somewhat brief, but impactful, role of a fictional English teenage civilian named George, who aspires to help his country.

Stream Dunkirk on Netflix.
Stream Dunkirk on HBO Max.
Rent/Buy Dunkirk on Amazon.

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (Netflix)

Years after a routine operation unexpectedly turns fatal, a surgeon (Colin Farrell) meets the late patient’s teenage son (Barry Keoghan) and befriends him, practically making him a member of his family, only to come to the horrific realization that the seemingly innocent young man may actually be a threat to them all.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In the same year that he made his memorable appearance in Dunkirk, Barry Keoghan gave, arguably, the most memorable, but undeniably most chilling and definitive, performance of his career yet in the A24-produced The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which might also be the most disturbing effort from Greek co-writer and director, Yorgos Lanthimos.

Stream The Killing Of A Sacred Deer on Netflix.
Rent/Buy The Killing Of A Sacred Deer on Amazon.

Stay (Tubi, Peacock, IMDb TV)

When a Canadian woman (former Orange is the New Black cast member Taylor Schilling) makes the unexpected discovery that she is pregnant, her older, Irish boyfriend (two-time Emmy nominee Aidan Quinn) does not take kindly to the news, forcing them to reconsider what they truly want in life and whether or not their otherwise blissful romance can survive the decision.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: Years before playing another badgering youth with more sinister intent in The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Barry Keoghan played an Irish teen named Sean Meehan who pesters his way into the life of Quinn’s curmudgeonly adult lead in 2013’s Stay - a drama that examines the choices we sometimes have to make for the ones we love and our willingness to commit to them.

Stream Stay on Tubi.
Stream Stay on Peacock.
Stream Stay on IMDb TV.
Rent/Buy Stay on Amazon.

Trespass Against Us (Showtime)

After a heist unexpectedly goes wrong, a man (Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender) tries to protect himself and his family from capture by the authorities while struggling to break free from the damaging influence of his veteran criminal father (Brendan Gleeson).

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In 2016, Barry Keoghan shared the screen with fellow European-born, Hollywood heavies Michael Fassbender and Brendan Gleeson in Trespass Against Us - the feature-length debut of Adam Smith that boasts an impressive combination of dysfunctional family drama and intense crime thriller, with some shades of dark comedy. 

Stream Trespass Against Us on Showtime.
Rent/Buy Trespass Against Us on Amazon.

American Animals (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Tubi, Pluto TV)

Four sharp, male college students decide to take on the roles of their favorite characters from cinematic crime thrillers and hatch a bizarre plan to rob their own campus library in 2004 Kentucky.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In 2018, Barry Keoghan shared the screen with another Marvel movie star (X-Men movies’ Quicksilver and WandaVision cast member Evan Peters), as well as Blake Jenner and Jared Abrahamson in another heist flick called American Animals - a unique hybrid of a dramatization and a documentary analysis of the actual crime that inspired it, featuring interviews with the real people involved.

Stream American Animals on Amazon Prime.
Stream American Animals on Hulu.
Stream American Animals on Tubi.
Stream American Animals on Pluto TV.
Rent/Buy American Animals on Amazon.

Black ‘47 (Amazon Rental)

A Irish member of the British Army (James Frecheville) returns to see his family at home, where he bears witness to the brutal hardships plaguing his country during the time of the Great Famine, and vows to something about it, in 1847 Ireland.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: Also in 2018, Barry Keoghan shared the screen with yet another former Marvel movie star (Captain America: The First Avenger’s Red Skull actor Hugo Weaving), as well as famed Oscar-winner Jim Broadbent and other power-house talents, in Black ’47 - a stunning, violent tale of historical fiction from director Lance Daly.

Rent/Buy Black ‘47 on Amazon.

Chernobyl (HBO Max)

Employees at a nuclear power plant in the northern Ukraine risk their lives to contain a disaster and prevent further damage after a huge explosion erupts in 1986.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In 2019, Barry Keoghan played yet another fictional character in a dramatization of a devastating historical event (namely a Russian named Pavel, who volunteered to help clean up in the aftermath of the crisis) in two episodes of Chernobyl - an HBO original limited series that offers a brutally graphic recreation of the infamous tragedy from creator Craig Mazin.

Stream Chernobyl on HBO Max.
Buy Chernobyl on Amazon.

The Shadow Of Violence (Netflix)

As he is trying to reconnect with his ex-lover in an effort to be closer to his son, a former boxer (Cosmo Jarvis) who has gained a reputation in Ireland as the brutal enforcer for a family of notorious drug dealers has his loyalty tested when they ask him to commit an unspeakable act.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: Executive produced by his Trespass Against Us co-star, Michael Fassbender, 2019’s The Shadow of Violence (also known as Calm with Horses) is another intense crime thriller starring Barry Keoghan as a young man on the wrong side of the law who works closely with Cosmo Jarvis’ Douglas “Arm” Armstrong on his increasingly violent assignments.

Stream The Shadow Of Violence on Netflix.
Rent/Buy The Shadow Of Violence on Amazon.

The Green Knight (Showtime)

After battling a bizarre warrior of imposing size with green skin (The Witch’s Ralph Ineson), King Arthur’s rebellious nephew (Dev Patel) is cursed with a prophecy that, in order to protect himself, sets him off on a quest that sees him face haunting spirits, bloodthirsty giants, unmerciful thieves, and his own personal demons.

Why it’s worth checking out if you like Barry Keoghan: In writer and director David Lowery’s thrilling, A24-produced, 2021 retelling of a classic, medieval fantasy tale, Barry Keoghan makes a couple of appearances in The Green Knight cast, as a scavenger who robs Dev Patel’s Sir Gawain, that are as memorably menacing as they are brief, much like his mysterious, unofficially named role in a certain comic book movie released in 2022.

Stream The Green Knight on Showtime.
Rent/Buy The Green Knight on Amazon.

Before his completely unrecognizable turn in The Batman, Barry Keoghan almost made his DC Comics adaptation debut as the title character of FX’s series based on Y: The Last Man, before dropping out to star in Eternals. I would consider that a smart move considering how the show was cancelled before completing its first season, unfortunately. The actor will next reunite with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for Martin McDonough’s The Banshees of Inisherin and is currently filming the Apple TV+ miniseries Master of the Air. 

The only non-white actors in the running for a performance Oscar this year are King Richard’s Will Smith and The Tragedy of Macbeth’s Denzel Washington in the Best Actor category (both of which have been recognized by the Academy before) alongside first-time nominees Ariana DeBose and Aunjanue Ellis in the Best Supporting Actress category. Now let’s take a look at great performances the Oscars overlooked. 

Colman Domingo (Candyman/Zola)

Let’s start with a Best Supporting Actor that was not among those picked by the Academy, but absolutely deserves to be recognized for his performances. Colman Domingo. The more “award season” pick is Zola, but the more I think about it, Domingo also pulled off an incredible performance in Candyman as well that I'd also pick over a couple of this year’s other nominees. In Zola, Domingo gives an affecting performance as a man on a stripper road trip (based off a real Twitter thread) as his character of Abegunde "X" Olawale takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotion and intensity as the secrets of the plotline are uncovered. 

Additionally, Domingo is an absolute highlight in Candyman as William "Billy" Burke, a Cabrini-Green resident who forwards the Candyman legend through Yayha Abdul-Mateen II’s character. All around, Domingo is proving again and again he’s one of the best actors working today and deserves more recognition for his work. Hopefully when TV nominations come around he’ll get some love for his role on Euphoria as well. 

Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car) 

The Oscars have clearly been making an attempt to recognize more foriegn films in recent years, especially with the historical 2020 Academy Award moment when Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite won Best Picture. Ahead of this year’s telecast, there’s a key international feature being recognized, Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car. But how do you recognize that film without its guiding lead performance, Hidetoshi Nishijima?

The Japanese actor carries a huge weight in the drama about an actor/director as he mourns a profound loss throughout the three-hour film. The performance is very internal and stoic, which is especially difficult for an actor to communicate to audiences. As crowded as this year’s Best Actor category is, Nishijima’s role in Drive My Car is something special. You can check out the movie now with an HBO Max subscription. 

Dev Patel (The Green Knight)

Throughout Oscar history, only a few actors of Indian descent have nabbed an acting nomination. Merle Oberon in 1935, Ben Kingsley four times between 1983 and 2004 (including his win for Gandhi) and Dev Patel in 2017 for Lion. The actor should have earned his second nomination this year (this time in the Best Actor category) for his role in The Green Knight. 

David Lowery’s perilous journey through the legend of Sir Gawain asks a lot of the actor as 90 percent of the film puts the focus on his character. Dev Patel plays a reluctant protagonist who must face the elements as he travels to meet the Green Knight along with driving an emotional narrative that subverts long held tropes about what it means to be a hero. 

Taylour Paige (Zola)

The Best Actress category this year is jam-packed with talent including Jessica Chastain, Olivia Colman, Penélope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Kristen Stewart’s memorable performances, but it’s clearly skewed toward not only the experiences of white women, but privileged white women (with the exception of Cruz). It’s too bad the Academy overlooked Taylour Paige’s performance as a part-time stripper in Zola. 

Along with the wild based-on-a-true-story road trip movie being entertaining, it also highlights the very real threats that Zola got mixed into. In Zola, the stripper becomes wrapped into the world of sex work and other dangerous activities she did not want to be part of, and it's made more real through Paige's performance. 

Ruth Negga (Passing) 

Rebecca Hall’s Passing adapts a classic ‘20s novel about the topic of “racial passing” in 1920s Harlem through the narrative of two old friends Clare and Irene, played by Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson. Both actresses deserved more recognition for their work on this film, not only at the Oscars but during award season in general. Ruth Negga plays Clare Bellew, a Black woman who lives as a white passing woman during the era, with a white husband and all. 

Things change for Clare when she spots her childhood friend Irene passing for white at a club and they strike up a conversation. Negga’s performance is very unique in that there’s a restraint about the character, who seems to be very much putting on a mask through her demeanor to fit into being white passing. The audience watches as she lets loose a bit with Irene’s social circles. Overall, Negga represents a huge part of history and continued uncomfortableness to be in one’s skin, especially as a light-skinned Black woman. 

Tessa Thompson (Passing) 

The second performance in Passing that the Oscars overlooked was with Tessa Thompson. Whereas Ruth Negga plays a woman in passing, Thompson’s role as Irene is more reserved and quieter, but just as powerful. Irene sometimes lives in passing, but typically lives out a life as a Black woman. She’s a more passive character than Clare, but both women’s arcs and dynamics drive the powerful story that is Passing.

Jennifer Hudson (Respect)

The final pick here is the most surprising snub because everything about it seems to scream Oscar nomination. Jennifer Hudson has long been attached to playing Aretha Franklin in a biopic. Before the Queen of Soul died in 2018, she picked Hudson to play her and all these years later it came together with Respect. The actress and singer beautifully transforms into Aretha in this film that takes her from being a shy preacher’s daughter to a powerhouse. 

Experts fully predicted Hudson to be nominated for her second Oscar with Respect, and yet she was snubbed this year from the Best Actress category. It’s especially shocking because most performance nominees award actors portraying well-known people. 

Despite these performances not getting a voice in this year’s Academy Awards, you can tune into the Oscars when they air on ABC on Sunday, March 27. 

I’m sure that you have heard King Arthur legends for many years - and so have people in Hollywood. From TV shows to movies galore, we've practically seen every story there could be about King Arthur, whether that be through the TV show Merlin, some hilarious comedies, or more. Here are the best Arthurian legend movies and TV shows that are streaming (or available to rent) right now. 

Merlin (2008-2012)

There are many King Arthur series out there for your enjoyment, but my personal favorite has always been Merlin. This reimagining of the classic tale of the powerful wizard follows several seasons of witchcraft, wizardry, and more, as Merlin learns who he is and where he must go - Camelot, to serve the (then) prince, Arthur, and his group of men, with his magical powers. 

Merlin is sort of what I think a Harry Potter TV series would be like. It further expands on the legend of Merlin and everything the wizard is capable of, while also providing some valuable character buffs in terms of story for its main cast. I personally love what they do with Arthur in this, moving him from sort of a jerk of a prince to a friend of Merlin who would have his back. It’s such a great story, and I wish it had gotten more than just five seasons. 

Stream Merlin on Netflix. 

First Knight (1995)

If you want a traditional King Arthur retelling, First Knight is the one for you. Lancelot, one of King Arthur’s most trusted knights and friends, falls in love with King Arthur’s betrothed, Guinevere. Now, it's his feelings for his love vs the respect he has for Arthur - as he deals with a threat to the other Knights of the Round Table. 

This is probably one of the most bare bones King Arthur stories for you to watch, but it’s such a great one. First of all, Sean Connery is a fantastic King Arthur. I mean, honestly, one of his best roles. While the film lacks in certain elements, I feel that his work, overall, really saves it, as he delivers a compelling performance. Plus, the set design is also really cool, and transports you back to a time of knights and princesses easily. 

Stream First Knight on Netflix.
Rent First Knight on Amazon.

Monty Python And The Holy Grail (1975)

I mean, you knew this was going to be on the list. Monty Python and the Holy Grail is one of the most classic British comedies of all time, and has been admired for decades. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table go on a normal quest to look for the Holy Grail and gain its powers. However, they run into distractions, obstacles, and much more, getting more ridiculous with each and every turn. 

I could go on for hours about why Monty Python and the Holy Grail is such a fantastic movie. I mean, the Terry’s (Gilliam and Jones) knocked it out of the park, creating not only a hilariously quotable film, but one that has decent set design, great battle sequences, and so many fun jokes you’ll be crying from tears of laughter. I mean, who could forget that Bridge of Death scene? Has me laughing every time. 

Stream Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Netflix.
Rent Monty Python and the Holy Grail on Amazon.

The Fisher King (1991)

This isn’t the most standard Arthurian adaptation, but it’s still a great one. Starring Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges, The Fisher King uses aspects from the classic quest for the Holy Grail, following a man who is searching for some sort of sign to continue after royally screwing up his life. He takes solace in helping a homeless man find his life again, knowing that if he can help others he might be able to come to terms with what his past.

The Fisher King isn’t a normal Arthurian adaptation, but I think it’s one of the best for that reason. When I say it uses aspects from the classic Grail quest, I don’t mean he is searching for the physical object - rather that the main character (played by Bridges) is looking for redemption, because if he is able to come back from the mistakes of his past, he’ll be able to move on to a new life. If he can do that, then he can be the ‘Fisher King,’ who is often the owner of the Holy Grail in Arthurian legend. 

It’s a beautiful story, and one you should definitely watch. Plus, he and Williams are a great pairing and should have been in more movies together. There’s more as to what the “Grail” is in the movie, but I don’t want to spoil it for you. 

Rent The Fisher King on Amazon.

Camelot (1967)

I feel like Camelot a places where you know the name, but might not know the story and the bloodshed of it. That’s what Camelot is. Focusing on several Arthurian legends rather than just a couple, the classic fantasy movie, Camelot, follows King Arthur as he battles against his once former friend, Lancelot, and the many trials that he has had to go through as the leader of his kingdom. 

Camelot is another one of those classic movies that I feel really stand out amongst the rest. When you think of classics, this is what you think of. It’s charming in every sense of the word, with a great cast, and really good musical numbers. Honestly, I think this is one of those classic movie musicals that deserves a remake nowadays, as it could be seriously well done on today’s movie screens. 

Rent Camelot on Amazon.

King Arthur (2004)

Another unusual retelling of the Arthurian legend, King Arthur does show the typical characters of Arthurian legend, such as the King and his men, but this story takes place in the Roman Empire, and follows Arthur as a Roman army officer, and tells how he came to rule. 

King Arthur is certainly something. And, that’s a good thing. While I’m not a huge fan of the complete overhaul of the story, I can support how they still made it work. The characters are quite convincing, thanks to some excellent performances from Kiera Knightley, Clive Owen, and more. Do I think it’s the best King Arthur adaptation? No, but I do think that it gets a lot of flack for no reason for its creative decisions. Also? The fight sequences are cool as hell. 

Stream King Arthur on Hulu.
Rent King Arthur on Amazon.

The Sword In The Stone (1963)

Disney used to adapt all the classics, and King Arthur was one of them. In this Disney animated film, The Sword in the Stone follows the legendary figure, Arthur, as a young boy, who is just starting to learn his way in the world. With the help of Merlin, he begins to grow and become the knight he always dreamed of - starting with finding that legendary sword in the stone. 

I mean, it’s Disney. You can’t really go wrong with this one. It’s a classic Disney film for a reason, and while it’s not talked about as much as some of their other movies, it’s still one of their best. I always loved Arthur in this, especially as a child, because it showed no matter where you grew up or where you came from, greatness could come from everywhere. If you want to introduce your kids to Arthurian legends, start here. 

Stream The Sword in the Stone on Disney+.
Rent The Sword in the Stone on Amazon.

Excalibur (1981)

This is definitely one of the most famous King Arthur adaptations out there. Excalibur isn’t really even about King Arthur himself, but about the sword that the legendary leader wields. We follow the story of how this ancient sword came into existence, and how it has truly shaped Arthurian history. 

Whenever I ask my mother about the best Arthurian movies, she always says Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Excalibur. The first one, obviously, for its funny moments, but this one for its genuinely super interesting story. We always hear about the story of King Arthur and what happened after he got the sword, but very rarely do we get to know the story of before, when he was just a young boy and his father wielded the weapon, and the horrors that occurred. It’s so cool and enthralling, and you’ll enjoy it from beginning to end. 

Rent Excalibur on Amazon.

The Kid Who Would Be King (2019)

One of the more recent additions to this list is The Kid Who Would Be King. In this adventure film filled with fantasy fun, we follow a young boy who finds Excalibur, but as soon as he pulls it from the ground, an evil witch who wants to destroy the whole world and everyone who exists, wakes up. Now, it's up to the boy and his friends to try and stop her before she kills everyone. 

The Kid Who Would Be King is so freaking underrated and I hate that it is. This deserved so much more hype than it got. The acting is fantastic - Rebecca Ferguson as a villain is truly terrifying - the sets are super cool, the costume design is everything, and it all molds together so well in a really cool modern fantasy. I wish it didn’t do so poorly at the box office. It deserved a bigger audience. 

Stream The Kid Who Would Be King on Disney+.
Rent The Kid Who Would Be King on Amazon.

The Green Knight (2021)

Last, but certainly not least, we have The Green Knight. This recent Arthurian adaptation doesn’t focus on King Arthur, rather, his nephew, Sir Gawain. We follow his adventures as he travels across the land in search of the titular Green Knight, a fighter covered in scales that shine of emerald who tests men's power, in order for Gawain to use the knight’s famed weapon - a green axe. 

The Green Knight is so good it hurts. Like, I wish we got more of this. I wish this movie was four hours long. The Green Knight cast is so talented, there's amazing set design, and some fantastic visual effects that had me staring at the movie screen in awe. I mean, the ending alone is just so good. I refuse to spoil anything. Just watch it. Now. 

Rent The Green Knight on Amazon.

Hopefully, you've found some new favorite Arthurian films (or TV series) to binge. Now, I’m going to go rewatch The Green Knight.  

Including both theatrical and streaming releases, I watched over 100 new films that were released since January, and with a bunch of pruning and swapping I’ve culled together my list of the 10 best movies of 2021. A number of excellent films didn’t make the cut (you’ll find my honorable mentions at the bottom), but these, in my personal opinion, are the greatest of the great.

10. Swan Song

There is an extent to which fiction has taught us to fear technology. Stories about the future have certainly demonstrated the magic inherent in advancement, but simultaneously it is regularly held up to exemplify mankind’s arrogance and is depicted as a gateway to downfall. Because of this, I went into Benjamin Cleary’s Swan Song with specific expectations about how it would handle a plot centering on a terminally ill man being replaced with a clone, unbeknownst to his friends and family… but then I was delightfully surprised.

Cleary demonstrates an awareness of this kind of expectation, and he plays with it in incredible fashion – unfolding a science-fiction drama that is filled with both tension and emotion. It’s a challenging project for Mahershala Ali, playing two characters who have a fair amount of face-to-face time, but every moment of his turn is beautiful, awesome, and subtle.

9. Nightmare Alley

Any project made by a filmmaker coming off a Best Picture win at the Academy Awards earns inherent curiosity. The clout of winning the prestigious trophy often provides the opportunity to attempt something one is particularly passionate about. In the case of Guillermo del Toro, he has followed up the remarkable The Shape Of Water with Nightmare Alley, and it’s a phenomenal neo-noir venture from the exceptional writer/director.

Bradley Cooper is at the top of his game as the dangerously ambitious Stanton Carlisle, but the real show-stopper in the cast is Cate Blanchett, who was born to play a femme fatale of this caliber. The world depicted by del Toro is not at all one you want to live in, but it’s fascinating and compelling all the same.

8. The Night House

I had one of my stranger cinematic experiences of 2021 watching David Bruckner’s The Night House, in that I saw it in a screening room all by myself. Typically I prefer to watch horror movies with a crowd, as it’s fun to feel the energy of the room after a big scare – but in this case it felt like a personal 4D theater. Like Rebecca Hall’s Beth, I was all alone, and it perfectly enhanced the haunting themes of the story and the main character’s feelings of isolation. It wasn’t just how I watched it, though: the film is in and of itself outstanding, and the best example of its genre from 2021.

There are a couple of moments in The Night House that sufficiently freaked me out far more than horror movies typically can, and the same can be said for the conclusions that it reaches in its meditations on death, mourning, and the afterlife. Rebecca Hall is phenomenal – both capturing the dramatic complexity of a person dealing with loss, and expressing an amazing sardonic attitude that adds surprising moments of levity.

7. The Green Knight

From Ain’t Them Bodies Saints to A Ghost Story to Pete’s Dragon, writer/director David Lowery is a filmmaker who surprises every time out by always delivering something different, and that’s almost a shame because after The Green Knight I would be satisfied seeing him continue to make medieval dramas for the rest of his career. Remaining unflappably faithful to the era depicted, it’s one of the most gorgeous movies of the year as well as a rich approach to the classic hero’s journey navigated with an excellent performance by Dev Patel.

There is a great complexity to The Green Knight’s structure, as it plays out a series of vignettes while occasionally manipulating time, but it is ceaselessly fascinating and awe-inspiring. The movie also features one of my favorite endings of the year, as it sums up everything that the film is trying to stay, and successfully stuns you as the credits start to roll.

6. The French Dispatch

While it’s not exactly common, I always enjoy seeing a filmmaker I like take on an anthology project, as it generally provides them an opportunity to flex a number of different storytelling muscles in one go – and it’s always fun to see the range on display. Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch is as wonderful an example as one can give of this, as it’s an end-to-end delight that feels like five movies in one.

The film hits a high point early, as the second article, “The Concrete Masterpiece” is equal parts clever and hilarious, but every chapter is weird and fascinating in its own way, and textbook Wes Anderson material. The writer/director’s entire filmography is worth celebrating, and The French Dispatch is one of his best.

5. Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar

Josh Greenbaum’s Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar is a comedy so phenomenal that I actually felt compelled to double-check it prior to writing to finalizing this ranking. When I first watched the film back in February, I became breathless from laughing so hard, and 10 months later I became curious to see if it the movie was really as really as funny as I remembered it. Not only did I confirm my original sentiments, but I bumped the movie up two places.

It’s hard to know what to make of Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar after its first few minutes, featuring a Barbara Streisand sing-a-long and the setup of a bizarre supervillain plot – but as soon as Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo’s titular characters arrive on screen the movie is unceasing hilarity that constantly surprises with its unrepentant weirdness. Not only am I excited to rewatch it over and over again in the years to come, but proselytize it at every opportunity.

4. Dune

Denis Villenueve’s Dune is admittedly not a complete movie. As advertised from the start of its development, it’s an adaptation of only the first half of the book on which it is based, and the full arcs of its narrative and characters won’t be completed until Dune: Part Two arrives in 2023. Even with that being said, however, it still exists as one of the great cinematic accomplishments of the year, and a stunning execution of a spectacular vision.

The original sci-fi epic by author Frank Herbert was long deemed unadaptable in its full scope and scale, but Denis Villeneuve has dismissed that notion by perfectly capturing every ounce of the book’s spirit and intention on the big screen. It’s both brutal and beautiful, and a gift for the senses, inviting your eyes to widen beyond physical capacity and melodiously rapping on your ear drums with Hans Zimmer’s genius score. It’s a remarkable work to behold, and a successful sequel will only enhance its greatness further.

3. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Up until this month, I can’t say I was all that impressed by the output of Marvel Studios in 2021. While I did very much enjoy the Disney+ series Loki, I was let down by various parts of WandaVision, The Falcon And The Winter Soldier and What If, and not particularly blown away by Black Widow, Shang-Chi, or Eternals. This month, however, delivered us Hawkeye (the best yet of the streaming shows), and Jon Watts’ Spider-Man: No Way Home: one of the best blockbusters that the franchise has produced.

As much as I love the way the movie opens up the multiverse and re-explores the big screen history of the wall-crawler, what I truly love about Spider-Man: No Way Home is its spectacular advancement of the Tom Holland incarnation of the eponymous hero – the movie serving as an amazing capstone to what turns out to be an unexpected origin trilogy for the character. It’s everything that you want it to be, and leaves the hero in a intriguing place for future stories.

2. I Care A Lot

In movies about bad people doing bad things to other bad people, there is typically at least one character with whom audiences can connect emotionally – recognizing them as a relative innocent caught up in a terrible world. J. Blakeson’s I Care A Lot doesn’t bother with that formality. Instead, it’s a film that is solely about soulless monsters and criminals who are only out for themselves and those that they personally care about… and while you might imagine it would be hard to connect with such a story, it’s a remarkable experience watching them bite and claw at each other for an hour and 58 minutes.

Rosamund Pike's Marla Grayson is so deliciously fucked up that she would send Gone Girl’s Amy Dunne running up a tree – but she is surrounded by a perfect ensemble who are all at the top of their game (appearing in only a couple of scenes, Chris Messina delivers one of my favorite performances of the year). As is the case with most con movies, it’s best to know as little as possible, but once you watch it, you immediately want to watch it again.

1. Licorice Pizza

Paul Thomas Anderson is clearly fascinated by 1970s Los Angeles. A third of his filmography now has used the setting as a backdrop for his storytelling – which makes a fair amount of sense when you consider that it was the world in which he grew up. Given what we’ve seen, hopefully it is something that he continues to do for the rest of his career as a filmmaker, because the three films represent some of the best work he has ever done. Boogie Nights and Inherent Vice are brilliant (the latter being previously ranked as my favorite film of 2014), and Licorice Pizza is another genius addition to the canon.

Unbound by structure, the movie drops the audience into the lives of Cooper Hoffman’s Gary Valentine and Alan Haim’s Alan Kane, and it’s a joyful experience watching their admittedly bizarre friendship grow and evolve through various enterprising ventures and ambitious undertakings. Licorice Pizza is gorgeous, passionate, honest, and enrapturing filmmaking, and the best movie of 2021.

Honorable Mentions: Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers, Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter, Morgan Neville’s Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad, Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, and Joe Wright’s Cyrano.

This year did feel like a return to a standard release calendar, at least compared to 2020. And when scanning the landscape of viable candidates, there were a lot more than 10 movies I wanted to single out. But these are the 10 movies I saw this year, both in theaters and on select streaming services, that changed me, moved me, and will stay with me for years to come. Starting with a movie that we never thought was going to see the light of day.

10. Zack Snyder’s Justice League

This choice is a celebration of so many historic factors, it had to make the list. Fans told fables about the legendary “Snyder Cut” of Justice League, then took to social media to fight Warner Bros., toxic film reporters, and a skeptical pop-culture community who bought into the fallacy that the movie didn’t exist. The best part about Zack Snyder’s Justice League? The movie was fantastic, a drastic improvement over the theatrical cut that ends up being the best DCEU movie ever released… which almost wasn’t released.  

9. I Care A Lot

A vicious, pitch-black comedy written and directed by J Blakeson, I Care A Lot stashes some delicious twists up its sleeve as it tells the engrossing story of an ice-cold con artist (Rosamund Pike) who takes advantage of the elderly by obtaining legal guardianship over them. Pike is both sinister and brilliant, as expected, but the movie excels as the story escalates because Pike’s character lays claim to a woman she should have left alone. Go into I Care A Lot knowing as little as possible, and enjoy this whip-smart roller coaster ride peppered with stellar performances from actors sinking their teeth into a script with a heart of coal. 

8. The Green Knight

An epic medieval fantasy that over delivers, even by the standards set by David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story). The director adapts the 14th century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight into an imaginative, provocative tale of bad choices, second chances, legacy, and environmentalism. What? Yes, Lowery’s text is so rich in symbolism that you can translate Sir Gawain’s journey through numerous lenses… and one definitely pertains to our relationship with the planet. Beyond the literal text, Lowery’s visuals and Dev Patel’s performance make The Green Knight one of the year’s most unforgettable features.

7. Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar

The opening scene of the wickedly hysterical Barb and Star alert us to the fact that we’re in for something unexpected. In case you haven’t yet seen this film, I can’t tell you what you are in store for. But I can promise you that co-leads Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who penned the screenplay, have concocted one of the wackiest, most self-aware spoofs since the first Austin Powers movie, packed to the brim with scream-out-loud gags that are as funny as they are bizarre. But it’s 50 Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan, cutting loose in ways we never thought possible, that steals every ounce of this enjoyable show.  

6. Dune

It’s Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Blade Runner 2049) doing large-scale science-fiction. You shouldn’t need any more of a recommendation to immediately dig into Dune: Part One. But Dune also seamlessly adapts one of the seminal novels of this genre, transporting audiences to the surface of the distant planet of Arrakis while also plunging us into the royal drama of House Atreides as they fulfill destinies, colonize worlds, and fight to stave off antagonists. The only thing preventing this masterful epic from making it a few notches higher on my Top 10 list is the fact that it’s half of a compelling story, ending on a cliffhanger that, thankfully, Villeneuve will be able to conclude with his excellent, A-list cast. 

5. CODA

I love it when a movie lives up to its insane hype. Usually, films generate buzz at early festivals like Sundance or SXSW, and when larger audiences finally get a chance to watch, we are left scratching our heads at what was so special about the feature. Every once in a while, though, we get a special, heartwarming gift like CODA, which justifies all of the praise it received in the beginning of 2021, and held on to make my Top 5. Welsh actress Emilia Jones lights up the screen as Ruby, the only member of a deaf family who’s able to hear. Will she leave home to study at a special music school, or stay home to care for her relatives. Coming-of-age stories hit the sweet spot when done right, and CODA had me crying my eyes out with a mixture of melancholy and joy. 

4. The Father

There’s nothing more satisfying than a world-class actor servicing a gripping script, which is precisely what we get out of Anthony Hopkins in The Father. The film was released early enough in 2021 to contend for the bizarro Academy Awards, which made adjustments to include more features. And the brilliant drama about an elderly man succumbing to his dementia earned well-deserved Oscars in those two categories: Best Actor, and Best Screenplay. Hopkins is brilliant, suffering from the confusion brought on by his dementia while also keeping us guessing about how much of this is real. And since it was released this year, it qualifies for this list.

3. Belfast

Ninety-seven minutes of pure bliss. Kenneth Branagh’s black-and-white treasure box is a heartfelt ode to his childhood on the politically charged streets of the close-knit Belfast neighborhood, where films, comic books, and the colorful stories spun by his family members (Ciaran Hinds and Judi Dench, both delightful) help young Buddy (Jude Hill) escape the doldrums of life. Belfast honors the bonds of family, as well as the mild pains associated with first loves. And Belfast really soars once co-star Jamie Dornan launches into “Everlasting Love,” easily the second-best Dornan song sequence of the year (after “Edgar’s Prayer” from Barb and Star).

2. Tick, tick… BOOM

Andrew Garfield’s so talented, it makes me angry. Seriously, I turned to my wife halfway through the opening rendition of “30/90” and stated, with all due respect and sincerity, “Man, fuck this dude.” Because what can’t he do? By playing Broadway playwright Jonathan Larson in his earliest days of creative uncertainty, Garfield gives the performance of the year, connecting with both the material and the imaginative direction of the equally brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda to deliver a triumphant celebration of Larson, of the theater community, of struggling in your 20s as you chase whatever dream you hold on to, and of the power of movie musicals. In a year filled with them, tick, tick… BOOM was the head of the class, and one of the most enjoyable times I had at the movies all year.

1. Spider-Man: No Way Home

If you know anything about me, you know that Spider-Man is my favorite fictional character, in any medium. I grew up collecting his stories in weekly comic books. I devoured his appearances in animated programs, and on The Electric Company. And I’ve worshipped at his cinematic altar ever since Sam Raimi brought him to life in 2002. (Hell, I’m writing a book about Spider-Man’s Hollywood history, so yeah… I’m a fan). Even knowing all that I know about the wallcrawler, I’m still shocked beyond belief that Spider-Man: No Way Home exists. Literally, all of the boxes Marvel needed to check just to make a movie like No Way Home possible are mind-blowing. But it’s the effortless way that director Jon Watts balances a worthy Tom Holland sequel with the elements that honor the franchise’s legacy, producing the most surprising and satisfying Spider-Man film, ever. This was my favorite movie of 2021.

The movie, which stars Dev Patel as the young and unproven Gawain, who becomes trapped in a deadly game with the mysterious knight, is one of the most fascinating releases of the year, and stories behind the making of the transfixing A24 cinematic spectacle are just as, if not more, interesting. Below, we will break down some of the more impressive behind the scenes facts about The Green Knight and how its biggest moments came to be.

David Lowery Decided To Adapt The Green Knight, Wrote The Script, And Started Shooting All Within A Span Of 11 Months

With the scope of the story and level of detail seen throughout The Green Knight, you would assume that it was a project long in the works, and one that went through an extensive pre-production period, but that couldn’t be any farther from the truth. 

In a July 2021 interview with IndieWire, director David Lowery revealed that while he had read Sir Gawain and the Green Knight earlier in life, he didn’t become obsessed with the idea of making an adaptation of his own until 11 months before cameras started rolling. At one point in this process, Lowery considered shooting in Texas instead of across the pond, but as he re-read the poem once more, he knew he had to get as close to original location as possible.

When Planning Out The Green Knight Character, David Lowery Wanted Him To Sound Like A Weed Being Uprooted With Each Movement

One thing David Lowery knew he and his crew had to get right with The Green Knight was the sound design of the titular knight, especially since the character is supposed to be of the earth and not mankind. When sitting down with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, Lowery explained that he wanted Ralph Ineson’s character to sound like he was uprooting himself from the ground with each step, and so he went to sound designer Johnny Marshall and asked him to make the Green Knight sound like roots being pulled from the ground.

Ralph Ineson Wore Wooden Contacts To Give The Green Knight An Earthy Look

When he was first planning out The Green Knight, David Lowery considered using puppets or CGI to bring the mysterious knight to life, but eventually decided to cast Ralph Ineson to take on the role. 

In the Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making of The Green Knight featurette that accompanied the movie’s home release, it was revealed that Ineson would undergo hours of makeup and prosthetic applications each day during shooting, but that’s not even the craziest part. To make the character look as if he was made from the Earth, Ineson wore wooden contact lenses. And, somehow, Ineson was able to have a spark in his eye when he toys with Gawain during their second and final confrontation.

David Lowery Changed A Core Character From The Original Poem So He Could Contribute To The Talking Fox Lexicon

Even though The Green Knight is a fairly faithful adaptation of the source material, there were several changes made to the story during the planning process. One of those is the inclusion of the talking fox that accompanies Gawain on his journey to the Green Chapel. 

In the Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making of The Green Knight featurette, David Lowery revealed that the fox was partially added in as a replacement for the servant character that accompanied the hero in the final leg of his quest, because he thought Gawain should complete the journey alone. Another reason was the fact that Lowery wanted to contribute to the talking fox lexicon, taking inspiration from Wes Anderson’s The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Lars Von Trier’s Antichrist.

Dev Patel Convinced David Lowery To Have Gawain Behead The Green Knight With King Arthur’s Excalibur

In the original story, Sir Gawain decapitates the Green Knight with the knight’s own axe, but David Lowery changed it in the script so that the hero would use King Arthur’s legendary sword Excalibur to do the deed. During a conversation with Variety, Lowery admitted that he went back and forth with the decision, and at one point was close to going back to using the axe. However, Dev Patel stepped in:

David Lowery went on to say he was instantly sold and made note of Dev Patel’s investment and conviction in the role.

David Lowery And His Production Team Used Matte Paintings To Fill In Certain Shots

Not only was David Lowery inspired by the original text when working on The Green Knight, he also drew inspiration from classic movie making techniques, specifically matte painting. In a Vanity Fair scene breakdown, Lowery revealed that during the Green Knight’s arrival at the Christmas feast, he and his production team used matte paintings to extend the shot beyond what they are able to construct on set. This also included painting in extras, as they didn’t have a lot of actors on set at any given time, and this technique allowed the team to stretch them out.

The Camera Obscura Scene With Gawain Was Pulled Off By Projecting An Image Of Dev Patel Onto A Wall

One of the more fascinating scenes in The Green Knight is the one where the Lady (Alicia Vikander) uses a camera obscura to make a ghostly portrait of Gawain. This scene is even more remarkable when you learn that the production team didn’t use CGI to make the upside down image of Dev Patel’s character appear on the screen, but instead a rather practical technique. 

In the Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making of The Green Knight featurette, it is revealed that someone took a portrait of Patel and then projected the image through a hole in the door so that it would shine on the wall and produce the desired effect.

The Christmas Feast Scene Was Filmed Last Because It Took The Entirety Of The Production To Construct The Set

The scenes in King Arthur’s grand hall in the beginning of The Green Knight were actually the last to be filmed, as it took nearly the entire length of production for the set to be built. In the making of featurette, David Lowery and set designer Jade Healy revealed that the full set, which featured the Round Table, high ceilings, stone floors, and faux stone walls, wasn’t actually completed until the day they began shooting the Christmas feast.

Joel Edgerton Watched Clips Of Famous British Actors Drunk On Talk Shows To Prepare For His Role In The Green Knight

Joel Edgerton’s mysterious and strangely affectionate The Lord is one of the most peculiar characters in all of The Green Knight, and the actor’s inspiration for his portrayal makes his performance all the more captivating. When speaking with CinemaBlend ahead of the film’s release, Edgerton admitted he had quite a way of coming up with his preparations:

So, maybe that explains The Lord and why you can never really tell where he stands on things through his brief time in The Green Knight.

The Green Knight Was A Vegan Production And Included Leather Made From Fungus And Tree Bark

There are some impressive costumes featured throughout The Green Knight from the titular knight himself to Gawain’s various robes. These become even more impressive when you learn that every article of clothing seen in the movie was vegan. In the featurette, it is revealed that not only was faux leather used throughout the production, but the costume designers also used leathers made from fungus, and barkcloth, which, as the name suggests, is made from tree bark. 

The Green Chapel At The End Of The Green Knight Was Shot As-Is And Didn’t Need To Be Dressed Up For Shooting

The final confrontation between Gawain and the Green Knight at the end of the movie takes place in the Green Chapel, a building that is slowly being destroyed and consumed by the natural world around it. In the Practitioners of Magic: Visual Effects featurette accompanying the home release of The Green Knight, it is revealed that the scene was filmed in an old church on the side of the road in rural Ireland and that the production team didn’t have to have to make any changes before shooting it as-is. It is also revealed that the location scout initially didn’t want to film the scene there.

David Lowery Made The Green Knight Slower And ‘Weirder’ During The Year-Long COVID-19 Delay

Before the COVID-19 pandemic came and changed practically everything about the world, David Lowery was preparing to release The Green Knight at SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March 2020. When the festival (and countless others like it) was cancelled, so was the premiere, and Lowery was left with more than a year to tinker with what was at one time a finished product. 

When sitting down with CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, Lowery admitted that the one-year delay actually helped make the movie better, as it gave him an opportunity to make a slower and weirder cut. And, while he admitted that the movie was never going to be a fast-paced action adventure, Lowery was able to extend shots and allow the movie to breathe more.

Well, hopefully this all makes you want to go back and watch The Green Knight for the second, third, or even tenth time. But, before you do that, check out what's left of CinemaBlend's schedule of the 2021 new movie releases.

David Lowery, director of The Green Knight (starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander), joins the show! We discuss the extremely long process of editing the movie and how the pacing of the film changed over time in post-production, the sound and character design of The Green Knight and more. 

Marvel has dropped two massive trailers for their upcoming 2021 slate with Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on the horizon. We break down our thoughts on the Eternals' first full-length trailer, and Spider-Man: No Way Home’s first look which included the appearance of Alfred Molina's Doc Ock and a tease of Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin.

Timestamps (Approx. Only)

00:11:39 - Weekly Poll

00::13:23 - David Lowery Interview

00:44:20 - Marvel’s Eternals Trailer

00:51:11 - Spider-Man: No Way Home Trailer Talk

01:09:31 - Flag Day Review

01:15:33 - No Man of God Review

01:17:35 - Candyman Review

01:30:15 - BREAKING: Venom 2 Delayed?

01:41:25 - Outro

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Unlike Craig Gillespie's Cruella and Cate Shortland's Black Widow, Disney made the decision not to make Free Guy one of their hybrid theatrical/streaming releases, and it seems that the strategy is successfully getting butts in seats. There were predictions last week (from Deadline, for example) that suggested the movie would be very fortunate to make as much as $20 million in its first three days, but the movie wound up demolishing those expectations with its $28.4 million haul. You may notice that total isn't much bigger than the amount that James Gunn's The Suicide Squad took in last weekend, but context explains why one is viewed a success and the other a disappointment. For starters there is the budget, as the DC Comics blockbuster cost at least $60 million more to make according to reported numbers; but far more significant is the fact that it's a comparison between established IP and an original feature.

Soon, however, Free Guy will itself be considered part of Disney's family of intellectual properties, as the studio has already expressed their satisfaction with the movie's performance. Late Saturday night, following on the heels of an impressive opening night, Ryan Reynolds announced to his followers on Twitter that interest in a sequel was already being expressed – though when exactly we may get a Free Guy 2 is unclear. The film itself still has a road ahead of it to become profitable (it may have cost less to make than The Suicide Squad, but it still carries a nine-digit price tag), but it appears to be on the right path.

With the market still depressed by the continued existence of COVID-19 (especially now due to the increasing Delta variant numbers), Free Guy will need to demonstrate some legs in order to be totally successful – and there will be a lot of industry eyes on it next week looking at its performance. This summer has seen a rough pattern emerge surrounding the biggest blockbuster releases, the issue being major profit drop-offs from weekend-to-weekend. Both Black Widow and Malcolm D. Lee's Space Jam: A New Legacy saw ticket sales fall off to the extreme after respectively winning box office crowns domestically, and while a number of analysts have blamed this on their hybrid distribution models, one can't ignore that Justin Lin's F9 suffered a similar fate in late June/early July without being available on streaming.

Will Free Guy be able to join F9, John Krasinski's A Quiet Place Part II, and Darren Lynn Bousman's Spiral: From The Book Of Saw as one of the few titles to keep the top spot two weekends in a row in summer 2021? We'll have to wait and see.

Staying on the subject of Hollywood blockbusters that have seen extreme falloff from one Friday-to-Sunday to the next, it's with extreme disappointment that we also have to report that The Suicide Squad is the latest movie to fall victim to the trend. Those who regularly follow box office news know that in normal times productions keep their fingers crossed that they will only see a 40 percent dip in box office in a sophomore weekend, but the latest film from the DC Extended Universe has become one of a handful of titles this summer to suffer far worse fates. The $7.5 million the James Gunn movie has made since this past Friday translates a 71 percent drop, which is not anything anybody related to or rooting for the film was hoping to see. It's possible that it is doing tremendously well streaming on HBO Max – getting high traffic and boosting subscriber numbers following a week of building buzz – but we have no idea if that's the case because the streaming service doesn't make a habit of releasing statistics.

Obviously part of the reason why The Suicide Squad dipped in the rankings is because this weekend saw a trio of notable new releases – and while Free Guy successfully beat out all of its competition, Rodo Sayagues' Don't Breathe 2 and Liesl Tommy's Respect had decent openings. In the case of the former, the numbers don't look all that great when you consider that Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe made about $16 million more in its opening frame back in 2016, but independently it is more than on track to be profitable on paper thanks to the production's low budget (it's relatively inexpensive to shoot a movie that really only has two locations and films in Serbia). Respect was a bit more pricy to make, costing $55 million according to Variety, but it's also not exactly a title that you expect to open massive during the summer season. Could it have done better had United Artists decided to delay the release date until deep into awards season? Possibly, but that wasn't the road taken (it's worth noting that the schedule isn't exactly wide open).

Sitting right among the new releases and holding on tight to the Top 5 is also Jaume Collet-Serra's Jungle Cruise, which has done a solid job thus far avoiding the summer 2021 curse (despite the fact that it is presently available both in theaters and on Disney+ via Premier Access). The film didn't precisely have the most amazing second weekend, still falling 55 percent, but that's amazing compared to the other aforementioned blockbusters this season. Holding on to third place and only dropping one spot in the rankings, the movie has not only made $81.2 million to date domestically, but also $21.7 million abroad for a worldwide total of $138.6 million.

Looking ahead, we have another mixed bag of releases set to hit the big screen on Friday that should provide something for everybody. If you're looking for scares David Bruckner's The Night House should be your go-to; for action you can enjoy Martin Cambell's The Protege; for families there is Cal Brunker's Paw Patrol: The Movie; and those looking for a sci-fi mystery can take in Lisa Joy's Reminiscence. Our box office column will be back next Sunday to examine how things shift in the Top 10, so be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend then.

You too may have thought The Green Knight might defy A24’s wild-ending reputation for a more straightforward adaptation of an Arthurian legend this time, yet here we are. Now that we’ve witnessed the long and treacherous journey with Dev Patel’s Sir Gawain, it’s time to pick ourselves up, screw our heads back on top of our shoulders and ponder The Green Knight ending.

David Lowery’s unique take on the 14th century poem has Dev Patel’s Sir Gawain going on a dark journey to meet The Green Knight one year after accepting a challenge in front of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, that becomes deadly by Gawain’s swift head-slicing. Let’s talk through what goes down and what that ambiguous ending could mean.

What Happens At The End Of The Green Knight

The Green Knight follows Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) on a quest to return the challenge set by The Green Knight one year prior. As the challenge states, the blow that a knight lands on the tree-like knight will need to be returned in his Green Chapel and will earn its challenger his magical green axe. However, since Sir Gawain decides to decapitate the Green Knight, the returned blow means his own beheading.

After an exhausting journey, Gawain comes across a Lord (Joel Edgerton), who offers to house him until his day comes on Christmas morning. It’s there where he rests, also in the company of his Lady (Alicia Vikander) and a blindfolded old woman. In his quarters, the Lady presents Gawain with a green girdle between some seduction. She claims she made it, yet it’s the same girdle made by his mother he lost earlier in the film. Apparently, as long as he wears the girdle no harm can come of him. And he wears it around his waist as he enters the Green Knight’s chapel, not before receiving a random kiss goodbye by the Lord.

When he enters the chapel, the Green Knight wants to complete the challenge by beheading Sir Gawain, but he flinches before the axe and does not want to die. Gawain decides to flee the challenge and return home to Camelot. Gawain becomes king, and his lover back home Essel (also Alicia Vikander) has his child but he abandons her to marry a noblewoman. The ending goes forward in time, seeing Gawain’s adult son dying in his arms during battle before his own family and kingdom against him, Gawain is beheaded as an old man alone in his castle.

But wait… then we learn this future was only a dream. We return to Gawain’s place below The Green Knight at the Green Chapel. Instead of running, Gawain takes off the green girdle and accepts his fate and The Green Knight then chops his head off.

What Was The Green Knight’s Game?

So, Sir Gawain travels to the ends of the Earth and it leads to his death? That’s it? The pointlessness of his hero's errand kind of is the point though isn’t it? Dev Patel’s character wanted to prove he had a story to tell on the Knight’s round table, but he let his sword lead his actions instead of his brain when he decapitates The Green Knight at the beginning of the film. The challenge was not to offer the toughest blow, it was to land a single blow (anywhere!!) on the Green Knight to which he’d need to return a year later. Sir Gawain made the challenge tougher on himself and it ends in his own death.

The other layer to The Green Knight’s game is it seems to have been all orchestrated by his mother Morgan le Faye (played by Sarita Choudhury). As the Knight approaches the Round Table she can be seen crafting the spell with her associates in another location. Truthfully, the entire “game” seems to be one Morgan le Fay testing her son to become a man of honor or one of disgrace.

What Did The Original Arthurian Legend Mean?

To take Morgan le Fay's fool's errand for her son a step further, we can turn to the original Arthurian legend from the 14th century the movie is based on. In the text, Morgan le Faye straight up explains that it was her the whole time behind Sir Gawain’s journey at the very end of the story. In The Green Knight, it is presented in a more ambiguous manner.

In Arthurian tales, King Arthur and Morgan le Fay are always in opposition and creating The Green Knight gives the enchantress a way to commentate on the issues with the King’s men seen as “honorable”. The original story is one of tension between the Christian organization of the knighthood and the majestic world Morgan le Faye belongs to. And I believe each of the mystical figures Sir Gawain comes in contact with is Morgan le Faye further testing her son. The headless woman, the fox, the Lady and the Lord, they are all pawns that belong to the mysticism side of the world that are warning Sir Gawain against accepting the fate of an “honorable” knight.

The Green Knight Deromanticizes The Hero’s Journey

Outside of what The Green Knight means in the context of Arthurian Legend is its broader meaning to us as an audience as we see the narrative unfold. The Green Knight reads as quite an existentialist story about the inevitability of death and it being up to each of us to decide how we’d like to be when the axe metaphorically comes for us. We see when Sir Gawain goes after honor he ends up with a longer life full of material happiness in terms of having a wife, a crown on his head and an empire to call his own. But, it’s not a good life for him. Gawain decides the better way to go is to truly complete the challenge and fulfill the honor within himself.

At the same time, writer/director David Lowery is taking the idea of the hero’s journey and subverting it in a way that echoes the themes of The Green Knight. When we see often Arthurian legends and Knights going on epic quests depicted on film, it’s typically seen as exciting and fun. Sir Gawain’s is not. The whole movie is exhausting! The Green Knight is deromanticizing the idea of the hero’s journey because chasing after honor for others leads to the unhappy life we see in his dream.

How The Writer/Director Explains The Green Knight Ending

To wrap things up, let’s turn to David Lowery’s own reading of The Green Knight ending. When speaking to USA Today, the writer/director shared his intentions with the conclusion:

So the truly aspiring hero’s journey is a man after his own self worth all along. What did you think about The Green Knight ending? Vote in our poll below.

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Let's be blunt: this past weekend was a serious bummer for the box office. James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is the best blockbuster we've seen released this summer, replete with a fantastic adventure and phenomenal ensemble of characters, and buzz has been building up for weeks – but now that the numbers are in, they disappointing. The DC film did manage to become the latest feature to earn the title "Number One Movie In North America," but the ticket sales don't properly represent the quality of the movie, and there is now a lot of rumination going on in the industry figuring out why that is. Check out the full Top 10 below, and join me after for analysis.

Given that The Suicide Squad was made for a reported budget of $185 million, according to Variety, these results are obviously not ideal – and not to beat a dead horse, but they look particularly bad compared to what David Ayer's Suicide Squad did back in 2016 (the critically reject and subsequently disowned film made $133.7 million in its first three days). Of course, there are a number of factors that the new release had to deal with that its predecessor didn't, both externally and as part of the studio's distribution strategy.

The big and unignorable element in play is the on-going pandemic. COVID-19 numbers were going down a month ago, allowing for record-breaking hits like Justin Lin's F9 and Cate Shortland's Black Widow, but the surge of the Delta variant has changed the national outlook and is making a bigger impact on our daily lives. It's little surprise that movie-going activity would be affected, and it seems to be represented in the box office figures for The Suicide Squad.

That external, uncontrollable influence very much intersects with the other major one in play: the film's availability via streaming. Like all of the other titles on Warner Bros.' slate in 2021, The Suicide Squad has been released in theaters and on HBO Max simultaneously, with the film hitting the subscription service for a 31 day engagement starting at 7:00pm PST last Thursday. As has been discussed at length in previous installments of this box office column, the allure of that format's convenience is always going to be powerful – even with blockbusters best seen on the biggest screen possible – but that convenience is only more appealing as the country's issues with COVID continue.

Unfortunately, we don't have a clear sense of precisely what kind of draw The Suicide Squad had digitally because Warner Bros. has not released the numbers – which isn't exactly atypical. In the last few weeks, Disney has publicly released the opening weekend Disney+ earnings for Black Widow and Jaume Collet-Serra's Jungle Cruise, but those titles were available for a premium price (Premier Access on the service costs $29.99). The new releases on HBO Max are free for subscribers, so success would have to be quantified by number of streams and/or the number of new subscribers lured to the service, and the studio has not announced either. Having them, especially in context of some of their other titles released this year, would help us get a much better perspective on the performance of the James Gunn movie, but we're just left guessing instead.

The Hollywood Reporter has a statement from HBO Max chief Andy Forssell, who says that The Suicide Squad is the "second most viewed film over an opening weekend on HBO Max" in 2021, but we don't really know what that means by itself. According to the trade, Simon McQuoid's Mortal Kombat is the number one title in that specific category, and it earned slightly less than the DC film in its first three days, with a total of $23.3 million.

In modestly better news, Jungle Cruise – now in its second week – managed to do something that F9, Black Widow, and Malcolm D. Lee's Space Jam: A New Legacy couldn't do: avoid a 60 percent weekend-to-weekend plummet. All three of those movies saw a crazy drop of 67 percent or more in their respective sophomore Friday-to-Sundays, but the adventure film starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt successfully fared better (it still fell a not-super-great 55 percent, but a smaller drop is a smaller drop). Exactly why it was able to pull off this feat, especially while being available via Disney+ and being just as family friendly as the Space Jam sequel, is unclear, but the performance will have us closely watching it throughout August to see what kind of legs it is able to grow.

What's a solid angle for Jungle Cruise in this box office report, however, does not look great for David Lowery's The Green Knight. The new film from A24 received laudatory reviews, and it had a solid opening that saw it earn $6.8 million (one of the best among releases from the studio), but it fell a few rungs down the ladder in terms of rank in the Top 10 and 62 percent weekend-to-weekend. With a reported budget of $15 million, it still has a distance to go before it becomes profitable on paper, so we'll see if it can hold on through August before eventually going to digital.

Last thing of note is that this may be our last weekend seeing F9 in the domestic Top 10, the blockbuster having now fallen from eighth place to tenth place. It's still earning nine figures in ticket sales, and has more than $170 million thus far in North America. Worldwide it has made $661.4 million, making it the fifth highest grossing title in the Fast and Furious franchise, having the $630.2 million made by Justin Lin's Fast Five in 2011.

Looking ahead to next week, theaters will be seeing three new wide releases arriving, including Shawn Levy's Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds, Rodo Sayagues' horror sequel Don't Breathe 2, and Liesl Thomas' Aretha Franklin biopic Respect. Next Sunday I'll be back analyzing the performance of all three as well as the rest of the Top 10, so be sure to head back here to CinemaBlend then.

The Green Knight is a showcase for Dev Patel, who plays Gawain, the young man who goes on a journey of self-discovery to find the movie's title character. Ralph Ineson, who plays The Green Knight, understands why fans of the film can’t get enough of Patel, and he has high praise for his co-star. Ineson discussed his experience working with Patel and how he feels about his performance, telling Polygon:

Ralph Ineson praised Dev Patel for one of the best performances he has witnessed while working with someone. Patel’s Gawain is a complex character; a feckless young man who isn’t a knight and has something to prove, but is also very vulnerable and afraid of the consequences of his actions and his mortality. He plays someone who matures through this journey and learns hard lessons about himself in the process. Ineson got to see Patel work up close and personal and was clearly struck by his performance.

Ralph Ineson went on to say Dev Patel is also helped by the fact that he’s so handsome. Ineson is definitely a member of the Patel hive and understands fans' thirst towards Gawain. The Green Knight is an excellent showcase for Dev Patel and has fans excited for what’s next for the actor.

The Green Knight is based on a 14th-century poem and Arthurian legend, and David Lowery recently revealed the five films that inspired his medieval fantasy. The film also stars Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider), Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible - Fallout), and Erin Kellyman ( The Falcon and the Winter Soldier). Joel Edgerton gives an inspired performance in The Green Knight and says clips of drunk actors inspired his performance.

The Green Knight has everyone wanting more Dev Patel, so look through our list of the best Dev Patel movies and TV shows and where to stream them to quench your thirst. Patel delivered a great performance in one of the summer's most critically acclaimed movies, and I cant wait to see more of him.

The Green Knight really impressed most critics, including CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, who gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 in his review and named it one of the “best of 2021.” It also opened No. 2 at last weekend’s box office behind Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Now let’s get to what fans are saying about the A24 release.

The Green Knight Is A 2021 Fan Favorite

Overall, it seems the public is mixed on The Green Knight. It’s the kind of movie you either really vibe with or don’t like at all. On social media, a ton of fans represented the positive end of what the Arthurian legend has to offer, with this Twitter use sharing this:

For context, Little Women came out in late 2019, so this is high praise for the David Lowery film! The fan also shared he is “levitating with joy” about his viewing of The Green Knight. To echo the high praise, another viewer of the film shared his love for the summer release with more rounds of applause:

The Green Knight was also delayed a year by A24 after its initial 2020 release was moved due to the pandemic. But because it debuted in theaters only, those who went out to see it were really keen on the theatrical experience as well. As another fan pointed out, it was their first trip out to a movie since lockdown, and it was worth the price of admission for them.

The A24 movie clearly has a lot of happy fans, but there’s a variety of experiences that were told via social media reactions as well.

So Many People We Confused And Conflicted About It

Then there were the fans who were just trying to figure out what they were watching. The Green Knight is quite the cerebral experience, and everything you see on screen doesn’t matter as much as the themes they represent. It’s not for someone who just wants to sit back and relax without thinking deeply. One Twitter user especially encapsulated the experience watching the A24 film:

One viewer shared an unhinged meme featuring one of the characters from Madagascar to bring across her thoughts on The Green Knight, and the movie apparently had her “losing her mind,” later also adding that the movie made her “feral.”

It’s definitely an interesting movie to check out with a crowd of people because of the many reactions it spawns from viewers. Another fan shared her eavesdropping on other moviegoers, who had a completely different opinion from her seat-mates:

Not unlike the recent horror release Old, The Green Knight isn’t necessarily a movie you can trust another person to assure you that you’ll have the same experience. It’s a wild card. Some people love that kind of moviegoing affair, but it certainly will turn off others too.

The Dev Patel Of It All Was A Hot Sell

The Green Knight is a deep movie, but going out to see it was all about the eye candy for a lot of moviegoers in its first week in terms of its lead actor. As one viewer shared, they are incredibly content to stare at Dev Patel for the entirety of the film:

A lot of people are into Dev Patel. Before the movie even hit theaters, early viewers raved over Dev Patel in particular, with one early viewer sharing that “Dev Patel can cut off my head any time he likes.” A sect of fans have named the season “Dev Patel Summer” in honor of the actor looking absolutely beautiful in his flowing black hair and knight armor:

Even people who didn’t like the movie could enjoy the Dev Patel of it all. The 31-year-old British actor made famous by his 2008 performance in Slumdog Millionaire has become a bit of an icon thanks to The Green Knight.

And there’s a lot of scenes with Dev Patel in The Green Knight. Just about all of them actually. So if you’re a fellow Patel fan, this is the medieval movie for you.

There Are A Lot Of Thoughts About The Green Knight Ending

To wrap up (without spoilers I promise), let’s talk about some of the reactions to the ending, because it’s a huge talking point when it comes to The Green Knight. The A24 movie's conclusion was a make-it-or-break-it scene for viewers of the film, as one Twitter user shared:

For some people, the ending just messed up the experience for them. It’s not your typical ending and it’s definitely controversial. Another person went on to criticize the ending, and A24 as a studio, for going out of its way to “confuse” people:

How you react to The Green Knight’s ending will have a lot to do with if the movie overall worked for you. It’s the point that had a lot of moviegoers giving up on it. At the same time, it’s the kind of ending that’s really fun to dissect with friends after watching it together or go down a Arthurian legend rabbit hole too. To each their own:

As a whole, there are a lot of opinions on The Green Knight. It’s definitely not universally loved or understood, but from a filmmaking standpoint, many can appreciate David Lowery’s vision, even if it seemed too ambitious for some. The Green Knight is playing in theaters now. It’s your turn: have you seen it and what did you think of the movie? Vote in our poll and keep track of what movies are coming next with CinemaBlend’s 2021 movie release guide.

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This past week, the ongoing war between theatrical and digital added a surprising and huge new wrinkle. Scarlett Johansson has filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company, and at the center of the whole conflict is the studio's decision to release Cate Shortland's Black Widow in theaters and on Disney+ (via Premier Access) simultaneously. The case should wind up having some massive implications when it comes to the battle between the big screen and streaming, and in the months ahead it's a development we'll be keeping a close eye on – but this week we have another example of Disney putting out a hybrid release with Jaume Collet-Serra's Jungle Cruise, and once again the results are a tad mixed.

Check out the full Top 10 chart, and join me below for analysis!

When Black Widow was released in early July, the audience split between domestic cinemas and at-home viewing favored the former ($80 million vs. $60 million), but the numbers are now in for the latest Disney+ Premier Access title, and Jungle Cruise has performed basically evenly in both distribution models. As you can see above, the studio is reporting that $34.2 million was brought in via ticket sales in North American theaters, and it has been announced that the film made approximately $30 million online. This suggests that movie-goers were a bit more inclined to watch Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt's theme park ride-inspired adventure in their living rooms/bedrooms compared to the latest title from the Marvel Cinematic Universe – and that may be an important thing to keep in mind as tracking continues in the weeks ahead.

What Disney needs to be concerned about is a massive second week drop-off, which is something we have seen a few times this summer (both Black Widow and Justin Lin's F9 fell 67 percent in their sophomore weekends, and last week we saw Malcolm D. Lee's Space Jam: A New Legacy fall 69 percent. The heavy suggestion to be taken from the day-and-date theatrical/streaming release titles is that anyone really excited to see the film in its opening weekend will head to the big screen, but that those willing to wait are going to opt for the more convenient option. If Jungle Cruise is already seeing about half of its audience already opting for the few clicks on a remote instead of a trip to the local cineplex, that may spell trouble in its next Friday-to-Sunday.

We'll also have to wait and how Jungle Cruise's performance in foreign markets winds up bolstering its box office performance. Disney is reporting that the movie has thus far made $27.6 million overseas... and it's hard not to notice that number is considerably smaller than the $40 million estimate by Deadline late last week. It should be noted that the movie did outpace the trade's conservative domestic prognostication (they predicted a $25 million start), but the actual sum total taken in from global theatrical release is still about $4 million short of what was expected.

At the end of the day will Disney be able to call Jungle Cruise a win? It's a bit hard to say. There have been expressed high hopes that this film would be a success on the level of fellow theme park ride adaptation Pirates Of The Caribbean, but there has long been question about whether or not that would even be possible. Having gone through production in 2018 with a $200 million-plus budget (according to The Hollywood Reporter), the movie was originally slated to be released in October 2019, but then it got shifted to 2020 and got caught up in the constantly evolving COVID-19 scheduled shuffle (and you can be sure that all of those delays have added to the marketing and publicity costs). Taking all that into consideration, and then looking at the $90 million total it made in the last three days, it certainly seems to have a long road ahead of it.

Those Jungle Cruise figures are a bit of a bummer, but there are some bright spots to be seen in this weekend's Top 10 chart. For example, you may have noticed that this is only the second weekend since the start of the pandemic that we have seen at least 10 films make more than $1 million (the last time was over the July 4th holiday). As far as the overall health of the industry goes, that's something to celebrate, especially because what's featured in the box above is a list of very diverse titles.

On that note, David Lowery's The Green Knight managed to make a nice splash in its first weekend, managing to just barely outpace M. Night Shyamalan's Old and take second place with $6.8 million earned in ticket sales domestically. It's not exactly a record setter, but it is one of the best single weekend performances on the big screen by an A24 film, putting it in the same league as Ari Aster's Midsommar and Hereditary, and Josh and Benny Safdie's Uncut Gems. Despite its impressive scale and beautiful design, the new release cost less than $22.5 million to make, so it will be interesting to follow in upcoming weeks and see what kind of legs it shows. It has received very positive reviews, and we'll have to wait and see if/how that translates to buzz.

Coming in last among the new releases and in fifth place overall is Tom McCarthy's Stillwater. The movie was a hit at the Cannes Film Festival a few months ago, but it doesn't appear that it's play to be counterprogramming to Jungle Cruise alongside The Green Knight has quite worked out. It performed up to trade predictions, and it's playing in fewer locations than its direct competitors, but it's still a middle-of-the-pack result. Given McCarthy's award season cred, having earned an Oscar for 2016's Spotlight, would it have been better suited as a fall release? It's possible, though the schedule for the fall season is definitely packed tight with big films.

On the subject of looking ahead, this Friday will see the arrival of this summer's latest big blockbuster, as James Gunn is set unleash The Suicide Squad (both in theaters and on HBO Max). How will it perform, and what will its presence do to all of the other movies currently playing on the big screen? Be sure to come back here to CinemaBlend next Sunday to find out.

Below is a rundown of the best Dev Patel movies and TV shows from throughout his career as well as everywhere you can rent and buy them digitally or physically and streaming. With a list that includes some great Wes Anderson movies and one of the best films of the 2000s, there’s a lot to unpack here.  

The Green Knight (2021)

David Lowery’s The Green Knight, an adaptation of the epic poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, was one of the most fascinating movies of 2021, as well as one that featured a tremendous performance by Dev Patel. The actor’s take on Gawain, the less-than-noble nephew of King Arthur who tests his courage in a journey to face the Green Knight, is impressive, to say the least.

From Gawain’s first interaction with Ralph Ineson’s legendary figure to his final confrontation at the Green Knight’s forest chapel for the ultimate test of bravery, Patel plays the role masterfully and provides one of the best retellings of an Arthurian legend to date. 

Stream The Green Knight on Prime Video.
Rent/Buy The Green Knight on Amazon.

The Wonderful World Of Henry Sugar (2023)

Why it took so long for Dev Patel to be featured in a Wes Anderson movie is anyone’s guess, but the actor and director made up for lost time with their 2023 Netflix movie, The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar. This 39-minute short film, which features a handful of Anderson’s frequent collaborators, as well as new additions to his roster, takes one of Roald Dahl’s more peculiar stories and transforms it into an experience like no other.

Though the short centers on Benedict Cumberbatch’s titular character and his quest to learn how to see without using his eyes to get an upper hand at gambling, it’s Patel’s portrayal of Dr. Chatterjee and John Winsont, particularly his cadence during various monologues, that steals the show. The confidence and speed of Patel’s delivery is something to behold and almost intoxicating. 

Stream The Wonderful World of Henry Sugar on Netflix.

Poison (2023)

In addition to appearing in The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Dav Patel also had a meaningful role in Wes Anderson’s 2023 short film, Poison, again an adaptation of a Roald Dahl story. In this quirky and incredibly detailed short, Patel takes on the role of a man named Woods who attempts to save a companion named Harry (Benedict Cumberbatch), who claims to have been bitten by a poisonous snake.

Patel’s narration, and the way he works within the construct of a Wes Anderson production, carries the short film and again brings up the question as to why it took so long for these two to work together. It’s short, sweet, and brilliant.

Stream Poison on Netflix.

I Lost My Body (2019)

Jérémy Clapin’s 2019 animated film, I Lost My Body, follows a severed hand as it embarks upon a perilous journey to find and reunite with the rest of its body. That body, which belongs to a man named Naoufel, is voiced by Dev Patel in the English dub of this French production, another riveting and transfixing performance by the talented actor.

Though the film lost to Toy Story 4 in the Best Animated Feature category at the 92nd Academy Awards, it’s very much an imaginative and ambitious experience that is more than deserving of any praise it received. The voice performances, combined with the exceptional animation and moving story, make this a must-watch.

Stream I Lost My Body on Netflix.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

Danny Boyle’s 2008 Best Picture winner, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), a Mumbai teenager who finds himself on his country’s version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. When accused of cheating on national television, Jamal begins to reflect on the decisions and life events that led up to this moment.

Winner of eight (out of ten) Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Slumdog Millionaire is anchored by Dev Patel’s star-making performance of a young man who finds himself in a position that defies explanation. And while Patel wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, he did receive a great deal of other accolades and praise for his performance.

Rent/Buy Slumdog Millionaire on Amazon.
Buy Slumdog Millionaire on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Lion (2016)

Garth Davis’ 2016 biographical drama Lion sees Dev Patel take on the role of Saroo Brierley, who at 5 years old, got separated from his brother on a train that ended up taking him thousands of miles across India. Years after being adopted by John (David Wenham) and Sue Brierley (Nicole Kidman in one of her best movies), a fully-grown Saroo traces his steps through Google Earth and sets out to find his family after all this time.

At times heartbreaking and others inspirational, Lion is a movie that will have you on the edge of your seat with one hand on a box of tissues. In a movie that is filled with great actors like Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, Dev Patel is in a league of his own as a man determined to reconnect with his mother and brother. It’s easy to see why Patel was nominated for so many awards, including an Oscar, for his emotional performance.

Stream Lion on Pluto.
Stream Lion on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Lion on Amazon.
Buy Lion on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Newsroom (2012-2014)

As the title implies, Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama The Newsroom spends three seasons with the anchors, producers, and researchers of the fictional ACN 24-hour news channel and how its major players deal with some of the bigger moments of the early 21st Century.

Possibly one of the best collections of actors ever assembled for a show about a media outlet, The Newsroom cast is full of great actors from top to bottom. And while Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer receive the lion’s share of the praise, it’s Dev Patel’s Neal Sampat who steals the show. Often the moral center of the show’s major storylines, Neal consistently challenged the status quo and helped his employees open their eyes and hearts to new ideas and beliefs.

Stream The Newsroom on Max.
Buy The Newsroom on Amazon.
Buy The Newsroom on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)

Directed by John Madden, the 2012 British comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel follows a group of retirees played by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, and Bill Nighy who find themselves questioning their decision to spend their golden years in India after their luxurious retirement facility is anything but luxurious or peaceful. Looking to make the most of the situation, the group enlists the services of Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) who finds himself in over his head like the rest of them.

If anything, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is an unofficial test for Dev Patel as it sees him stand toe-to-toe with some of the most talented and prolific actors of all time, especially his scenes with Maggie Smith. While it touches on some serious issues, the movie has a joyful and vibrant tone that makes it the perfect movie to revisit time and time again.

Rent/Buy Best Marigold Hotel on Amazon.
Buy Best Marigold Hotel on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Personal History Of David Copperfield (2020)

Based on one of Charles Dickens’ most beloved books and characters, Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield follows the iconic literary figure on a series of exciting and fun adventures set in Victorian Era England.

Nominated for multiple awards, including Golden Globe consideration for Dev Patel’s portrayal of David Copperfield, the movie has a remarkably upbeat and optimistic tone, one that is honestly a breath of fresh air. It would be easy for an actor to get lost in the shuffle considering who’s on screen with them — Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw — but here comes Patel with his youthful demeanor and scene-stealing charisma at every turn.

Stream The Personal History Of David Copperfield on Hulu.
Buy The Personal History Of David Copperfield on Amazon.
Buy The Personal History Of David Copperfield on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Modern Love (2019)

Based on the New York Times column of the same name, the 2019 Amazon anthology series Modern Love features a collection of different stories of love, heartbreak, new beginnings, and the next chapter for various residents living and loving in New York City.

The episode titled “When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist” tells the story of Joshua (Dev Patel, who was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award), the founder of a dating app whose interview with a reporter by the name of Julie (Catherine Keener) quickly turns to his personal history with finding love. Modern Love is a must-watch for anyone looking for something to watch after going through the best movies on Amazon Prime.

Stream Modern Love on Amazon.

Hotel Mumbai (2018)

Anthony Maras’ 2018 action thriller Hotel Mumbai, which is based on the 2008 terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of 175 people and injured hundreds more, tells the story of the staff and guests at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel as the building is under siege by a group of armed combatants. What follows is a deadly, intense, and emotional fight for survival even in the face of certain death.

Dev Patel’s portrayal of a man who can remain calm in a situation as dire as a terrorist attack is truly something to behold and should be talked about more. Although not as noteworthy as some of his other performances, Patel’s ability to pull off a range of emotions all while being resilient at every turn is something else.

Rent/Buy Hotel Mumbai on Amazon.
Buy Hotel Mumbai on Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Man Who Knew Infinity (2016)

Directed by Matthew Brown, The Man Who Knew Infinity follows self-taught mathematics genius Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel) as he battles higher education, racism, and a devastating illness to become one of the most well-respected mathematicians of all time.

It’s hard to not like Dev Patel in any performance and that’s especially the case in The Man Who Knew Infinity. With a balance of brains, charisma, and determination, Patel’s portrayal of one of the giants of the math world is enough to turn this into one of the best biopics of our time.

Stream The Man Who Knew Infinity on AMC+.
Stream The Man Who Knew Infinity on Tubi.
Rent/Buy The Man Who Knew Infinity on Amazon.
Buy The Man Who Knew Infinity on DVD on Amazon.

Skins (2007-2008)

And then there is Skins (the original British version, not the American remake) which featured Dev Patel in his first on-screen role. During the teen drama’s first two seasons, Patel appeared in the Skins cast as Anwar Kharral, a Pakistani Muslim who does everything his religion forbids including engaging in premarital sex, recreational drug use, and eating pork.

Anyone who wants to see where Dev Patel came from in terms of acting should definitely check out Skins as it shows off the actor’s charm and acting abilities at such a young age.

Stream Skins on Hulu.

The list of the best Dev Patel movies and TV shows will certainly only get longer and longer as the years go by, especially with the actor having several projects in the works. And while we don’t yet know exactly when we’ll see Patel on the big screen (or on our TV sets), there are some promising 2024 TV shows and exciting upcoming movie releases that are worth checking out.

Epic medieval fantasy films have always been some of my favorites, and honestly, it was about time that one finally came out in the theaters after so long without any releases. The Green Knight fulfills that need for me, with plenty of stars lined up in its cast.

But who exactly are the stars of The Green Knight? From Dev Patel to Alicia Vikander, to Joel Edgerton, it seems that The Green Knight is packed with familiar faces. Here is where you might have seen the cast before.

Dev Patel (Sir Gawain)

Dev Patel, who portrays Sir Gawain, is someone you for sure have seen somewhere in Hollywood at one point or the other. Back in 2008, his breakthrough was playing Jamal Malik in the Academy-Award-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. Afterward, he went on to star in several different types of films, of all genres, including the romantic comedy, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as well as its sequel, the sci-fi film, Chappie, the biopic film, The Man Who Knew Infinity and portrayed the famous David Copperfield in The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Dev Patel also had a leading role in Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama series, The Newsroom, back in 2012 until 2014. The Green Knight epic was the perfect way to bring him into the world of fantasy.

Alicia Vikander (Lady/Esel)

Alicia Vikander portrayed Lady/Esel, and has appeared in plenty of things you may have seen. From 2008-2010, she portrayed Josefin Bjorn-Tegebrandt in the drama series, Andra Avenyn, and then went on to make her film debut later on in Pure. From there, she went on to have roles in Anna Karenina in 2012 and portrayed Queen Caroline Mathilde in A Royal Affair.

In 2014, she starred in both Testament of Youth and Ex Machina, both of which helped her achieve more recognition. A year later, she starred in The Danish Girl, a role that would win her an Academy Award. Alicia Vikander has also dipped her toes into the action realm as well, having a supporting role in Jason Bourne, as well as the lead role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, with a sequel potentially on the way. I can’t wait to see what this actress has coming up next after The Green Knight.

Joel Edgerton (Lord)

I’ve always felt like I’ve seen Joel Edgerton in so many films, and I can assure you, you have as well. Joel Edgerton, who portrays Lord, has been in plenty of popular movies. One of his earlier ones was portraying young Owen Lars in both Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Afterward, he went on to have roles in King Arthur, the Academy-Award winning film, Zero Dark Thirty, the period piece The Great Gatsby, the Netflix original film, Bright, and the action film, Red Sparrow. Most recently, he appeared in the Netflix original film, The King, alongside several of his The Green Knight co-stars.

Joel Edgerton has also been on the small screen for some time as well. Way back in 2001 until 2002, he portrayed Will McGill on The Secret Life of Us. Most recently, he had a role in the limited series, The Underground Railroad, on Amazon Prime.

Edgerton is actually going to be reprising his role as Owen Lars in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ original Star Wars show, so keep an eye out for that if you’re a Star Wars fan.

Sarita Choudhury (Mother/Morgan Le Fay)

Portraying Mother/Mother Le Fay, Sarita Choudhury has been all over the map in terms of films and television. With a career that dates back as early as the 1990s, Choudhury has been in several movies. She made her debut in Mississippi Masala, and then would appear years later in A Perfect Murder, and 3 A.M.

In 2004, she would star in Spike Lee’s She Hate Me and portrayed Anna Ran in Lady in the Water, a thriller film by M. Night Shyamalan. From 2014 to 2015, she also appeared in The Hunger Games franchise, portraying Egeria in both The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. And she appeared alongside Tom Hanks in A Hologram for the King, and the British drama, The Last Photograph.

Choudhury also has had several recurring roles on television, including spots on Blindspot, Homeland, Little Fires Everywhere, and more. She had a main role as Kith Lyonne on the Netflix series, Jessica Jones. I can only imagine where else she will take her talents after The Green Knight.

Sean Harris (King Arthur)

Sean Harris is the perfect actor to play King Arthur in The Green Knight. Sean Harris has been around for some time, but you’ve most likely seen him in several action movies, namely The Mission Impossible series. He had appearances in both Mission Impossible – Rogue and Mission Impossible – Fallout. Harris also starred in Prometheus as Fifield, and Phillip in Possum. He, as well, had a main role in the Netflix original film, The King.

Harris has also had some time on television as well. From 2011 – 2013, he portrayed Micheletto Corella on The Borgias and had a role in the miniseries Southcliffe. After The Green Knight, I can’t wait to see what Sean Harris does next.

Kate Dickie (Queen Guinevere)

Another character from the King Arthur legend, Queen Guinevere, Kate Dickie portrays her in The Green Knight. One of Dickie’s most famous roles prior to The Green Knight was portraying Lysa Arryn in the HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones, and portraying Lex in the BBC series, Tinsel Town.

However, Dickie has also done plenty in film as well, including roles in Prometheus alongside Sean Harris, Filth, the horror film, The Witch, and a part in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After The Green Knight, Kate Dickie will be bringing her acting skills to the historical drama, The Northman, so keep an eye out for her to pop up soon in theaters once again.

Barry Keoghan (Scavenger)

Known as the Scavenger in The Green Knight, Barry Keoghan has been in some big hits prior to his portrayal. He’s most known for his role in Dunkirk, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. He also had a role in Calm with Horses, and in the RTE drama, Love/Hate, where he portrayed Wayne.

Keoghan also had a recurring role in the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, and historical drama serial, Rebellion. Keoghan will have a role in the upcoming The Batman in 2022 and will portray Druig in Marvel’s The Eternals– the best of both superhero worlds. You’ll certainly be seeing more of him soon.

Ralph Ineson (Green Knight)

Ralph Ineson portrays the Green Knight in the titular movie, The Green Knight, and this actor has been around the block for some time. He portrayed William in The Witch alongside Kate Dickie, Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones, and had a role in the last three Harry Potter films, where he played Amycus Carrow. He also had a minor role in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as a Ravager Pilot.

Ineson had a role in the BBC drama series, Goodnight Sweetheart, a part in drama series, Playing the Field, and had a role as Chris Finch in the original, The Office, which is what the American show was based on. Alongside Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson had a role in the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, where he played Nikolai Tarakanov. Ralph Ineson has plenty coming up after The Green Knight, including The Northman mentioned earlier, so it won’t be long before he most likely pops up on your movie screens once more.

Erin Kellyman (Winfred)

While her role isn’t as big in The Green Knight, Erin Kellyman portrayed Winfred, and this young actress honestly has a bright future ahead of her, in my opinion. While she hasn’t done as much as some of her co-stars yet, her resume is still impressive. She had a role as Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story and had a recurring role in the British sitcom, Raised by Wolves.

Later on, she went on to portray Eponine Thenardier in the BBC adaptation of Les Miserables. In 2021, Kellyman portrayed Karli Morganthau in the Disney+ Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After her role in The Green Knight, in 2022, she is going to be in another Disney+ fantasy series, Willow.

This whole cast makes me want to see if they’re going to pop up in any of the movies on the 2021 movie premieres. Which cast member did you enjoy the most in The Green Knight?

David Lowery’s The Green Knight is one of the great triumphs that you’ll see on the big screen in 2021, with the film’s writer/director continuing to prove himself as one of the excellent visual storytellers in the medium. Based on the Arthurian epic Sir Gawain And The Green Knight, the movie is an adventure that transports the audience back to the 6th century with gorgeous cinematography, effects and production design as it follows its protagonist’s spectacular, honor-seeking quest. It’s a remarkable piece of cinema – which is why it’s totally unsurprising that Lowery found inspiration for making it from a collection of classics.

As a recent invitee to participate in Alamo Drafthouse’s Guest Selects program, David Lowery has recorded a video revealing the key films that he kept in the back of his mind as he was making The Green Knight. Coming from a mix of eras and genres, the movies in the list make for a diverse collection, with titles that you’d otherwise never expect to hear mentioned in the same discussion – but the filmmaker has his reasons for each one, as you’ll discover outlined below…

Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)

Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, Bram Stoker's Dracula is unquestionably one of the most ambitious attempts ever made at bringing the classic vampire story to the big screen, and it made quite an impression on David Lowery when it first opened. He couldn’t actually see it at the time, as he was only 11 years old, but he says he became completely obsessed with it regardless. While there isn’t much that directly links the movie to The Green Knight (beyond being a period piece), Lowery kept it in mind during the making of his Arthurian epic because of the boldness that is represented in its style – from the camera work to the costume design. Said Lowery,

The Dark Crystal (1982)

Thanks to its use of practical effects and on-location shooting, The Green Knight possesses a kind of handmade quality that you don’t typically see from modern mainstream Hollywood films – but it wasn’t just the concept of craft that had David Lowery keeping Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s The Dark Crystal in mind during the making of the film. In the video he talks about the puppet-centric film as a Shakespearian epic” and adulates the pacing of the story and the “cohesiveness” of the world. Lowery explains,

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)

As you’ll find continuing to read this feature, David Lowery leaned hard on the movies he loved growing up for inspiration on The Green Knight, but he does give credit to one film that was made before he was born – specifically for a key technical aspect. Lowery is enchanted by the spectacular close-up shots featured in Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion Of Joan Of Arc, and that’s especially true because of Dreyer’s willingness to ignore his gorgeous sets in favor of using his camera to milk every ounce of emotion:

Marie Antoinette (2006)

Sofia Coppola'sMarie Antoinette is the most modern film highlighted by David Lowery, and his reasoning is fascinating. Coppola’s movie about the notorious French queen is famously anachronistic, filtering 21st century elements into the 18th century story, and while that’s not something that The Green Knight does at all, the 2006 release was still something that Lowery kept in the back of his mind. Why? Because it reminded him that respecting history isn’t necessarily about factual accuracy, but instead emotional truth. Said Lowery,

Willow (1988)

Finally, we have Ron Howard’s Willow, which David Lowery directly associates with his desire to become a filmmaker at a young age, despite the fact that his first big viewing saw him “flee the theater in terror.” (He apparently had a vomit phobia, and couldn’t deal with the scene where “baby Elora Danan barfs in Burglekutt's face.”) Not only was the 1988 movie inspirational for The Green Knight for the way in which it blends both new and old filmmaking techniques, but it even wound up being a practical part of his preparation for the new release. Lowery explains,

You can watch David Lowery discuss all of these films in depth and talk about how they inspired The Green Knight by clicking play on the video below.

The Green Knight, starring Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Sean Harris, Sarita Choudhury, Joel Edgerton, and Ralph Ineson, arrives in theaters this Friday, July 30.

Sixteen years after George Lucas’ Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith, Joel Edgerton is preparing to make his return to the Star Wars universe. The actor is set to reprise his role as Owen Lars in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+, and while little is known about what we’ll see from the character in the story, fans are generally excited to see him come back. Surely Edgerton himself is anticipating it as well – though as he waits for his first day on set, he has some reservations about the specific way in which the show is being shot.

Like Disney+’s The Mandalorian, the production of Obi-Wan Kenobi will be utilizing the advanced digital backlot called StageCraft, developed by Industrial Light & Magic, and while audiences have been dazzled by results we’ve seen from the nascent technology, Joel Edgerton has some worries about how it might clash with the way he prefers to work. As featured in the video at the top of this article, I recently had the chance to interview the actor during the virtual press day for the new movie The Green Knight, and during our conversation he expressed his thoughts about working on the new Star Wars series. Said Edgerton,

George Lucas used a lot of green screen in the making of both Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith, so Joel Edgerton certainly knows what he is talking about here – but it’s also worth noting that StageCraft is definitely a step above simple chroma key. The setup uses a powerful game engine that allows filmmakers to project environments on LED walls that performers can actually see while on set, and that respond to the angle of the camera. That being said, it’s still not “real,” and actors still have to make special adjustments for the production.

The subject very naturally came up in conversation because Joel Edgerton’s newest movie, David Lowery’s The Green Knight, is one that was shot on-location and was made with a strong emphasis on practical effects. For his part in the Arthurian epic, Edgerton plays the lord of a spectacular manor that transports the viewer back to the sixth century – and being embedded in all of the authentic production design meant that every ounce of the actor’s imagination could be dedicated to his performance rather than be distracted by the environment. He explained,

While Joel Edgerton hasn’t been on set just yet, Obi-Wan Kenobi is now in production, though a release date has not yet been announced. We’ll keep you posted about all of the latest updates as they come in – but in the more immediate future you should do yourself a favor and go see The Green Knight, which hits theaters this Friday, July 30.

As audiences will discover this weekend, it will be a sincere challenge for any new release coming out in the rest of 2021 to match the visual richness of The Green Knight – but it won’t just be the awesome aesthetics that impress. Writer/director David Lowery is a filmmaker who understands the power and potential impact of subtle detail across all aspects of the art form, and it’s what allows his work to shine in many vibrant ways. This very much includes the way in which he works with his actors, and this is perfectly illustrated by the surprising reference material that he gave to Joel Edgerton in the making of the movie.

I had the chance to interview Edgerton and Dev Patel earlier this month during the virtual press day for The Green Knight (as featured in the video atop this article), and my question for the actors at the outset was about the character-centric conversations that they had with David Lowery prior to production. Edgerton, who plays the nameless The Lord in the film, surprised me with his response, and his revelation of where he got inspiration for his performance. Said the actor,

You might not necessarily consider that 20th century talk shows with slurring, venerable guest stars would be specific reference material for a beloved Arthurian legend brought to life on the big screen, but it’s David Lowery’s impressive creative thinking that makes him such an excellent filmmaker, and the choices Joel Edgerton makes in his performance are fantastic.

In the movie, Dev Patel stars as Sir Gawain, the nephew of King Arthur (Sean Harris) and a Knight of the Roundtable desperate to prove his mettle. When a fantastical Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) interrupts a Christmas banquet and offers the room a challenge, Gawain eagerly volunteers and accepts the specific terms: if he is able to land a single blow, he will win the Green Knight’s glorious axe – but in one year’s time he must seek out the man/tree hybrid and receive the same blow in return.

Sir Gawain has multiple encounters on his way to the Green Chapel, the location where he is meant to meet the Green Knight, and this includes a multi-night stay on a palatial estate owned by the aforementioned unnamed The Lord (Joel Edgerton) and The Lady (Alicia Vikander). The Lord is ultimately one of the kinder individuals who Gawain meets on his quest, albeit a bit… silly, and knowing what Edgerton was aiming for as reference only makes his wonderful turn easier to love.

After a long wait caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, audiences will finally be able to experience The Green Knight for themselves this weekend, as the movie is opening in theaters nationwide (and you really should see it, because it’s excellent). Stay tuned for more from my interview with Dev Patel and Joel Edgerton here on CinemaBlend, and check out our 2021 Movie Schedule to learn about all of the films coming out between now and the end of the year.

If the world hadn’t been thrown into disarray last year by the COVID-19 pandemic, the A24 film The Green Knight, starring Slumdog Millionaire and Lion’s Dev Patel, would have been released in theaters on May 29, 2020. Instead, like so many other movies, The Green Knight was pulled from the schedule, but after over a year of waiting, it’s finally set to come out this Friday, July 30 in the United States. But bad news, people in the United Kingdom: the plan for The Green Knight to come out on August 6 has been scrapped.

As reported by Deadline, The Green Knight has been removed from its UK theatrical slot by Entertainment Film Distributors in response to the country’s current coronavirus problems. Although the UK lifted most of its COVID-related restrictions on July 19, this coincided with a surge of delta variant cases, promoting worries of the country going into another lockdown. That being said, movie theaters in the UK remain open, according to the BBC, the number of new coronavirus infections has been declining over the last week. Still, evidently the EFD felt it was best to play things safe given how precarious are right now, as it doesn’t want The Green Knight’s theatrical performance to be majorly disrupted.

As of this writing, it hasn’t been announced yet what The Green Knight’s new UK release date will be, so it’s hard to say whether it will be delayed simply by a few weeks or if UK moviegoers might have to wait until towards the end of the year to see it. But at least The Green Knight is a long-completed product, whereas there have been many UK movies and TV shows in the midst of production that have been forced stop rolling cameras due to coronavirus concerns. These include the Game of Thrones prequel House of Dragons, Bridgerton Season 2 and Netflix’s Matilda musical.

Based on the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Green Knight sees Dev Patel playing Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew and a Knight of the Round Table. Gawain embarks on a quest to confront the movie’s eponymous, monstrous character, played by Game of Thrones’ Ralph Ineson. The cast also includes Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Kate Dickie, Barry Keoghan and Erin Kellyman. Behind the scenes, David Lowery of Pete’s Dragon and The Old Man & the Gun fame directed the movie, wrote the script and edited it.

Given how much critical praise has been directed at The Green Knight over the last week (not to mention the thirsting over Dev Patel in his latest role), I can imagine there are plenty of UK moviegoers who are disappointed that they’ll have to wait even longer for its release. But as noted earlier, for now, UK theaters haven’t shut down, and the next major motion picture to arrive over there is James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad. It comes out in the UK this Friday, whereas US audiences have to wait until August 5 for its arrival on both the big screen and HBO Max. So in this instance, people stateside are the ones feeling left out, albeit temporarily.

Don’t forget to read CinemaBlend’s review of The Green Knight and keep checking back here for more coverage about the movie. You can also learn what the latter half of year has in store cinematically with our 2021 release schedule.

The Green Knight’s Dev Patel and Joel Edgerton discuss their upcoming A24 film with CinemaBlend’s Eric Eisenberg. Uncover the stars' inspiration behind their portrayals, and why they love filmmaker David Lowery’s incredibly authentic set pieces - even more than a Star Wars set for one of them!

Video Chapters

00:00 - Intro

00:07 - Dev Patel and Joel Edgerton’s Inspirations For Sir Gawain and The Lord

01:30 - Dev Patel On What It Was Like Shooting With Such Authentic Arthurian Set Pieces

02:26 - Joel Edgerton’s Concerns About Filming Obi-Wan Kenobi After Working On The Green Knight

You can see The Green Knight in movie theaters on July 30.

We saw reactions of the film from critics on social media last week, and they were overwhelmingly positive. Now critics have started to share their official reviews of the fantasy epic before it arrives in theaters this Friday, July 30, so let’s check out what they’re saying.

Let’s start with the CinemaBlend side, as usual. Eric Eisenberg thought The Green Knight was absolutely stunning, rating it 4.5 out of 5 stars. He was impressed with so many different aspects of the film, from Patel’s “amazing” performance that showcases his incredible talent, to the outstanding ensemble cast, to the spectacular CGI work. Eisenberg gave special recognition to Lowery’s direction and the gorgeous cinematography that transports the viewer into the story, saying:

Hoai-Train Bui from SlashFilm is absolutely singing the fantasy flick’s praises. She, like Eric Eisenberg, also commended Lowery’s “mesmerizing” direction, but she gave more attention to Patel’s performance in her review. She noted that the camera practically “worships” Patel, saying that the movie “knows that Patel is a heartthrob, and if you didn’t believe it before, you would now.” (And people are certainly thirsting over Patel in this film) Bui said:

Dev Patel is certainly gaining a lot of praise for his performance in The Green Knight. Robert Daniels of Polygon considers Patel’s role as Gawain his “career-defining performance.” Daniels also commended Lowery’s grasp on the source material and “dazzling” direction, as well as the cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo. While he did note that the pacing was a little overwhelming at times, Daniels’ review was positive overall, and said:

Matt Donato of WhatToWatch also applauded Lowery’s direction in the epic, noting that he emphasized showing (via imagery) over telling. Donato enjoyed the film overall, but his main critique was that it was simply “too much movie” at times, with too many “directionless” elements that caused the fantasy flick to run too long. Donato said:

Simon Abrams of TheWrap had several things to say about The Green Knight, and not many of them positive. While he did enjoy bits of Palermo’s cinematography and the costume designs from Malgosia Turzanska, he argued that Lowery’s storytelling was too confined. Abrams thought that the side characters were too vague and, contrary to the previous critics, thought Patel’s performance was just “fine enough.” He said:

Overall, reviews for The Green Knight seem to be mostly positive. You'll soon be able to form your own opinion of the A24 epic, as it releases in theaters this Friday, July 30.

In the meantime, check out our summer release guide to plan your next movie-going experience.

Given Lowery’s track record, it’s not surprising in the slightest that his cinematic take on an Arthurian fable is something truly special to behold, but that in no way undercuts the magnitude of the accomplishment. The Green Knight is all at once thrilling, gorgeous, and haunting, featuring its own special take on a classic tale that will have your jaw agape while watching and your mind spinning as you walk away.

Adapted from the 14th-century poem “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,” David Lowery’s movie introduces its Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) as a character more uncouth than one typically expects from a Knight Of The Roundtable – but as the nephew of the beloved King Arthur (Sean Harris) he believes that he has something to prove, and is anxious for his opportunity to have his defining adventure and demonstrate his mettle. This desire is brought into focus during a Christmas banquet when he is unable to recount a tale to entertain the monarch… but then the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) arrives.

A flora/human hybrid unlike anything anyone has ever seen, The Green Knight suggests what he calls a “Christmas game” to the stunned hall. The fantastical being offers to give his spectacular, mighty axe to anyone who can strike a blow against him, but said individual must then seek him out in one year’s time at a place called The Green Chapel to have the blow returned in kind. When none of the other knights accept the challenge, Gawain jumps at what he sees as his chance to become a hero –Arthur even going as far as to let him use Excalibur. Unexpectedly, the Green Knight lays down his axe and offers his neck to his opponent, and Gawain impetuously strikes and decapitates the stranger.

Gawain is then left shocked as he watches The Green Knight pick up his own head, laugh, and announce, “One year hence” before riding away on horseback.

The next 12 months are a series of revels as Gawain is celebrated as a legend for his defeat of The Green Knight, but come the next Christmas he begins to grapple with the reality of what he must do. Taking the axe he won, an enchanted sash from his mother, Morgan Le Fay (Sairta Choudhury) that promises no harm will come to him, and saying goodbye to the woman he loves (Alicia Vikander), he sets out to the Green Chapel – encountering character-testing conflicts as he makes the journey.

Every frame of The Green Knight makes you want to leap into the screen.

The Green Knight opens with a stunning shot of a crown slowly floating down on to Gawain’s head, with fire engulfing both cranium and coronet when it lands, and it’s ultimately a perfect visual introduction\, as that moment sets the bar for an experience that is a cascade of gorgeous shot after gorgeous shot. The movie is transportive in its period authenticity, expressed through brilliant set design and atmosphere, and any cinephile will be challenged to not fall in love with David Lowery’s awesome and ambitious experimental uses of his camera – like when a slow clockwise spin moves the setting through time to show a possible future, before a slow spin back returns to the action. Blended with the pristine editing and chapter-driven structure, it feels less like a film and more like the experience of falling into the original text.

Furthermore, it feels like a rare modern gem that makes exceptional use of both practical and visual effects – successfully adding a fantastic production value to the epic, as well as a stunning scope. The gorgeous design of the haunting titular antagonist and the make-up team’s work bringing it to life is singularly an artistic achievement, the likes of which we don’t typically see in indie productions. Likewise, the CGI work is spectacular, as not an ounce of the verisimilitude is lost as Gawain witnesses the trek of a group of giants; the effects work is too great, and you’re too lost in the fantasy for that to happen.

Dev Patel delivers an amazing performance as a flawed and hungry Sir Gawain.

What the striking cinematography and detailed effects work help bring to life in The Green Knight is a compelling and meaningful character study that plays in the classic tradition of the hero’s journey. Dev Patel’s iteration of Sir Gawain is a wonderful and complex one, as Patel has rakish charm and effortless charisma, but he also very much challenges the audience not to like him as he casually flaunts all of his flaws. In challenging the eponymous foe, he believes that he has shortcut to greatness, but instead he finds a road that tests his honor and courage – and the experience unfolds as a gripping transformation that keeps you locked in and questioning what will happen when Gawain and The Green Knight have their second showdown.

The Green Knight is very much a showcase for Dev Patel’s immense talent, but he is ensconced in a fantastic ensemble cast – its members popping up through the series of vignettes that play out as segments of Gawain’s expedition. Barry Keoghan is the standout among the supporting players, playing a young battlefield-roaming stranger with sinister intentions, but also delivering wonderful turns are Erin Kellyman, playing a ghost whom Gawain helps find peace, and Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander (in a dual role) as an charming and mysterious lord and lady who give the protagonist shelter as he makes his final approach to the Green Chapel.

David Lowery executes his own vision of the Arthurian legend, and it's special to behold.

The story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a story with a fantastic legacy, having famously been translated by none other than J. R. R. Tolkien, but David Lowery is able to leave his own special stamp on the material with The Green Knight, and it’s a stunning piece of work. Featuring deep themes and an excellent structure that, at moments, bends and morphs time, it’s a movie that is not only incredible to watch play out once, but demands to be rewatched for further examination. It’s a special film from a special talent, and one of the best of 2021 so far.

Dev Patel first became known for his acclaimed performance in Slumdog Millionaire, before going on to other projects like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Chappie. But it seems that The Green Knight will see the 31 year-old actor become a bonafide R-rated sex symbol, as those lucky enough to see an early screening can't stop talking about how handsome he is. As one journalist posted on Twitter,

While The Green Knight seemingly has a ton going for it, but it seems that much of the conversation is surrounding just how attractive Dev Patel looks in his latest role. And since Game of Thrones has been gone for a few years, the audiences are thirsty for some new medieval heart throbs. Luckily, Patel seems prepared to do just that.

Indeed, there is something dreamy about long-haired Medieval characters that are both deadly and attractive. We've seen this trope play out countless times over the years, although Dev Patel is helping to break ground as an actor of Indian descent. Although when it comes to Patel's physical appearance, the discourse is primarily about what a stone cold fox the actor is. As another journalist who attended a Green Knight screening shared,

While many other early reactions got more specific about the contents of The Green Knight, Dev Patel's attractiveness seems to be an ongoing theme. One person who saw an early screening for the delayed blockbuster touched on various aspects of David Lowery's upcoming flick, while also expressing love for Patel in a...colorful way. Check it out below.

Of course, Dev Patel isn't the only familiar face that makes up the cast of The Green Knight. Joining him are other established actors, including Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, and Barry Keoghan. Another journalist pointed out the pedigree of the cast, as well as the fact that they all get to give a smooch to the extremely handsome Dev Patel throughout the course of the movie's 125-minute runtime. Check it out below.

Since the internet is the way it is, there were also a ton of memes that came out as a result of Dev Patel being a total smoke show in The Green Knight. One fan took the time to poke fun at another big screen heartthrob: Dune actor Timothée Chalamet. Because with Patel finally getting the attention he deserves, some feel that Patel should be getting as much love, or more, than Chalamet. As they put it,

Luckily for moviegoers, it won't be long before they can see The Green Knight, and fall in love Dev Patel's medieval looks. The delayed blockbuster will arrive in theaters on July 30th, more than a year after its original plan. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.

Everyone loves a good medieval fantasy film, right? The upcoming blockbuster The Green Knight from A24 is just that. From director David Lowery comes a bold spin of the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight that follows the story of Sir Gawain (played by Dev Patel), King Arthur’s nephew, who journeys to confront the Green Knight, a gigantic tree-like creature and tester of men. Along with Patel, the movie features Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, and Sean Harris.

The newest trailer for The Green Knight made our jaws drop, so now we're even more excited to see this movie. We don’t have much longer to wait, as the fantasy epic is heading to theaters on July 30. The social embargo has been lifted and critics are starting to share their thoughts on social media, so let’s check them out.

Hoai-Tran Bui from Slashfilm definitely enjoyed The Green Knight, and specifically applauded Lowery's direction. She called the fantasy epic a "mesmerizing, transporting, magnificently bizarre journey that is one of the rare movies to really appreciate how sexy Dev Patel is." I mean, sign me up! Bui said:

People really seem to be enjoying Dev Patel's performance in this epic. Shannon McGrew, member of the Hollywood Critics Association, thought his performance in this fantasy flick will be career-defining. She called The Green Knight "magnificent," and specifically commended the stunning visuals, saying:

Barry Hertz from The Globe and Mail thought that the long wait for this movie was worth it (it was originally supposed to premier at South by Southwest last year). He also commented on Patel's performance, saying:

Joanna Robinson from Vanity Fair is just outright obsessed with The Green Knight. She called it a nostalgic throwback, a classic A24 horror movie (that we have all come to expect from A24, let's be honest), and a "classically challenging David Lowery story." Here's what Robinson tweeted:

That classic A24 creepiness was noted in Nerdist's Kyle D. Anderson's tweet, as well. He called the medieval fantasy film a "haunting" adaptation of the Arthurian legend that really shows the creepiness in those stories. He also commended some aspects of the movie that we haven't read from other critics, such as the costumes and Daniel Hart's music. Anderson said:

People really seem to be enjoying The Green Knight! We'll soon have official reviews, and then we'll be able to see the fantasy film for ourselves when it releases in theaters on July 30.

In the meantime, plan your next movie-going experience with our summer movie release guide.

From The Lord of the Rings to Matilda, anyone can enjoy some magic, dragons, and fantastical adventures every once in a while. With that in mind, here are the best fantasy movies and sagas currently streaming and/or available for rent.

The Lord Of The Rings Saga (2001 - 2003)

If you haven’t heard of The Lord of the Rings, I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under. This famous Academy-Award-winning franchise follows a group of heroes, who are sometimes a bit reluctant to step into that role, as they step out into the world to save it from evil. It’s based on the novels by J.R.R. Tolkien.

This saga is famous for a reason. Not only is the story compelling, filled with plenty of fantasy adventure along the way with dragons and magic, but the visual effects are breathtaking. Even now, two decades after the first movie arrived in theaters, I still stand in awe whenever I watch the Battle of Helm’s Deep. Directed by the brilliant Peter Jackson, the fantasy world surrounding this astonishing series will take your breath away. We’ve even taken the opportunity to rank The Lord of the Rings movies.

Stream The Lord of the Rings saga on Max
Rent/Buy The Lord of the Rings saga on Amazon.

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is a perfect early example of the fantasy worlds that Studio Ghibli can create. It takes place in the late Muromachi period of Japan and follows a young Emishi prince and his involvement with the humans and the gods who control the forest.

Studio Ghibli movies are filled to the brim with wonderful color and beautiful animation, but Princess Mononoke has plenty of fantasy elements added in there as well to make the film feel even more vibrant. Hayao Miyazaki has some of the best-animated films out there in my opinion, and Princess Mononoke is certainly near the top of our ranked Hayao Miyazaki list.

Stream Princess Mononoke on Max.
Rent/Buy Princess Mononoke on Amazon.

Edward Scissorhands (1990)

If you’re looking for a romance unlike any other, Edward Scissorhands is the way to go. The film follows a young man named Edward who’s built and brought to life by a man who dies before he finishes his creation, leaving Edward with scissors for hands. But soon, he finds comfort in a family that takes care of him, and he falls in love with their daughter.

Edward Scissorhands is exactly the kind of movie I think about when it comes to fantasy romance. There’s plenty of fantastical moments in there, but the romance is the main plot line - the fantasy only adds to it. Not only that, but it’s also one of the best Christmas’ movies out there, and one of Johnny Depp’s best characters.

Stream Edward Scissorhands on Disney+.
Rent Edward Scissorhands on Amazon.

The Witches (1990)

Starring Anjelica Huston, The Witches is the dark fantasy that will have you not only laughing but on the edge of your seat. The movie, based on the novel of the same name, tells the story of a boy and his grandmother who work together in order to prevent a group of evil witches who seek to turn little kids into mice.

This film is just a fun time. The movie didn’t do incredibly well at the box office when it initially released, but man, it has become a favorite of mine over the years, and a favorite of many others. Huston’s performance is one of her best, and the movie is hilarious with its fantasy aspects. I just love it.

Rent/Buy The Witches on Amazon.

The Princess Bride (1987)

You want to talk about classic fantasy, look no further than the iconic The Princess Bride. Adapted from the novel of the same name, The Princess Bride follows Westley, a farmhand who, with the help of some companions along the way, must rescue his true love, Princess Buttercup, from Prince Humperdinck.

The film is loved by many fantasy lovers for its solid story and fun fantasy aspects, but for me, it’s always been the awesome cast featured in this film. With big stars like Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Andre the Giant and so many more, it’s worth a watch for anyone, even if fantasy isn’t your favorite genre. The comedy will keep you going no matter what.

Stream The Princess Bride on Disney+.
Rent/Buy The Princess Bride on Amazon.

Cinderella (2015)

Out of all of the Disney princess live-action movies that have been released over the last decade, I have to say that Cinderella is my favorite. Starring Lily James as the titular character, this retelling of the classic fairytale is a dream come true. We follow Ella, a young woman who gets the chance of a lifetime to attend a ball – and there, through the help of her animal friends, she meets a prince so sweet.

I mean, it’s Cinderella, what more could you ask for in a fantasy? Obviously it’s not as intense as some of the others on this list, but if you’re looking to introduce your child to fantasy and you don’t want it to be completely animated, then this Cinderella is a great way to do so – also, Cate Blanchett’s performance as Lady Tremaine is stupendous.

Stream Cinderella on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Cinderella on Amazon.

Ella Enchanted (2004)

This jukebox musical movie will get you off your feet. Ella Enchanted stars Anne Hathaway and follows the story of Ella, a girl who was “gifted” obedience as a baby by a fairy, but in reality, it just makes her do anything anyone ever tells her to do. She decides to find that fairy that get this gift taken away from her so she can live freely.

Ella Enchanted is one of those films that will forever be a comfort movie to you after the first time you watch it. Anne Hathaway is always a charming actress to follow in any of her roles, but there’s just something about her as Ella that always brings a smile to my face. The fantasy aspect is fun, with plenty of kooky magic, but you’ll fall for the relatable characters and the cute love story more.

Stream Ella Enchanted on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Ella Enchanted on Amazon.

Highlander (1986)

Featuring Christopher Lambert in one of his best roles, Highlander is the epic high fantasy that once you watch it, you’ll love it for the rest of your life. The series follows a Scottish man who is actually an immortal, a person who will live forever unless he is beheaded, and how he and the other Immortals fight for centuries until only a few remain – and of course, this final battle happens in the middle of New York city in 1985.

This movie is just wacky from beginning to end but in the best way, because it really is an original idea that we don’t see that often. Taking place over multiple centuries and introducing plenty of new characters, Highlander is one of those movies that has gained a lot of fame over the last few decades, and has a strong fanbase even now.

Stream Highlander on Amazon Prime.
Rent/Buy Highlander on Amazon.

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Guillermo del Toro has always been a master of horror and fantasy, as well as visual effects and so much more, but did you know that can use that in fantasy too? Pan’s Labyrinth, directed and produced by del Toro, tells the story of our world intertwining with a mythical one, five years after the Spanish Civil War, where everything is centered on an overgrown labyrinth.

I really can’t get into the plot of this film without giving much away, for those who haven't seen it, but trust me when I say that Pan’s Labyrinth is considered a classic in cinema for a reason. The make-up, special effects, animatronics, and CGI alone could carry this film even if the story wasn’t good, but it’s truly an immersive and fantastical tale of fantasy, mixed in with several real-world elements like fairy tales and mythical creatures.

Stream Pan’s Labyrinth on Tubi.
Rent/Buy Pan’s Labyrinth on Amazon.

Mary Poppins (1964)

Mary Poppins is arguably one of the most known Disney movies of all time. Starring Julie Andrews in one of her best films, the movie tells the story of a family who needs a nanny to take care of their children. In comes Mary Poppins, the perfect nanny there is.

There’s a lot to love about Mary Poppins. The fantasy aspects are so much fun, the music is great, the animation is fun, and the dance sequences are energetic. There’s a reason why this movie ended up becoming a major hit with musicals. While they did create a sequel with Emily Blunt years later, the original will always reign supreme.

Stream Mary Poppins on Disney+.
Rent/Buy Mary Poppins on Amazon.

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) 

You’ve seen him once already on this list, but I knew I had to include this fantastic film one way or another. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a retelling of the classic story of Pinocchio, a little wooden boy that comes to life after his maker, Guiseppe, loses his son.

This movie… hits, man. Yes, you will love the fantasy elements – I mean, it’s Guillermo del Toro, he knows how to make a great dark fantasy movie. You will even think some of the music is catchy. But, you stay for the emotions that this film brings up, because I swear to you, it will make you cry. It made me cry several times. It even won the 2023 Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Stream Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio on Netflix.

Enchanted (2007)

Think of all the Disney princess movies, and then think of a film that parodies them in the best way but still features a fun love story. That’s Enchanted, starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey. The movie tells the story of a young woman who finds herself thrown into the human world and learns to survive in the scariest place she’s ever encountered – New York City.

Enchanted is a lovely time. Rewatching the movie is always a blast, but even if you’ve never seen it, it’s worth the hour and a half to check it out. The music itself is so much fun, and you’ll be on your feet in no time for this sweet fairytale. There’s even a sequel that was released in 2022, but I personally believe that the first is better.

Stream Enchanted on Disney.
Rent/Buy Enchanted on Amazon.

Where The Wild Things Are (2009)

Based on the novel of the same name, Where The Wild Things Are follows a young boy who feels lonely in the world and runs away from home, only for him to sail to a strange island that is inhabited by “Wild Things,” who decide to make Max their king, but there’s much more behind these creatures that Max doesn’t know.

I think anyone will relate to Where The Wild Things Are in some way or another. Obviously the fantasy aspect of this film is great. The usage of CGI mixed in with animatronics and puppetry is really a work of art and the fact that this film received such little box office attention is such a crime. But the real theme of the movie is what people relate to – being thankful for the life you have, and learning to grow in more ways than one.

Stream Where The Wild Things Are on Max.
Rent/Buy Where The Wild Things Are on Amazon.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

I mean, I can’t have a fantasy list without mentioning one of the first big-time movies. The Wizard of Oz is all about Dorothy, a young woman who is whisked away to a wonderful world of color after her home is hit by a tornado. It’s up to her, plus some friends she meets along the way, to find her way back home and avoid the Wicked Witch of the West.

The movie itself is fantastic and has inspired many bodies of work after it, including the musical Wicked, which is filled with amazing music and is receiving a two-part Wicked movie adaptation. Judy Garland’s voice is beautiful to listen to any day of the week, and no matter how many fantasy movies you might have seen, the transition from black and white to color in this film is one of the best scenes in cinema. A true masterpiece. It’s a classic movie that is available to stream.

Stream The Wizard of Oz on Max.
Rent/Buy The Wizard of Oz on Amazon.

The Green Knight (2021)

The Green Knight is a fantasy film unlike any other. The main story follows Gawain, a man from the legends of King Arthur, as he travels across the land to fulfill a request.

I don’t want to say too much about The Green Knight or risk giving too much away. Let’s just say not only is it one of the best fantasy movies, but it’s one of the best movies about King Arthur out there. The cinematography is out of this world, the acting impeccable, and the story is so freaking good. It’s genuinely one of the best movies I think I have ever seen, and if you haven’t gotten the chance to see it, do yourself a favor and watch it.

Stream The Green Knight on Amazon Prime.
Rent/Buy The Green Knight on Amazon.

Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away is a different type of fantasy film. This Academy-Award winning movie follows the story of Chihiro, a young girl who mistakenly enters the world of Kami after her parents are turned into pigs.

As a child, I don’t think I ever quite understood this story as much as I do now. Not only does Spirited Away have stunning animation and really cool fantasy elements with the inclusion of magic and sorcery with the witches and spirits here, but the story is also fantastic. There are several messages of what true love is like, friendship, and the ability to believe in oneself. Hayao Miyazaki knocks it out of the park again on this one.

Stream Spirited Away on Max.
Rent/Buy Spirited Away on Amazon.

The Neverending Story (1984)

Based on the novel of the same name, The Neverending Story is the fantasy film that kids my age and the generation before grew up with. The movie follows a young boy who discovers a book that takes him into the biggest quest of his life – trying to stop a dark force from taking over a magical land.

The Neverending Story is able to craft fantasy extremely well, while also hitting emotional points you wouldn’t quite expect from a movie catered to older children and teenagers. There are scenes that will cause you to sob for hours on end in this film, even if you have seen it before – and if you know, you know.

Rent/Buy The Neverending Story on Amazon.

Matilda (1996)

Directed by Danny DeVito, Matilda is based on the novel of the same name by Roald Dahl, and follows the story of a young girl with telekinetic abilities who uses her powers to confront both her horrible family and the terrible principal of her school, fighting back with magic and kindness.

I’m the biggest supporter of Matilda, and while I’ll be the first to recommend the 2022 musical Matilda on Netflix, I will also fully recommend this one as well because it’s great. For children, they’ll love the main character and her sweet nature and how she never loses her smile or her wit. For adults, you’ll love the magic and the sheer resilience that Matilda has. There’s something for everyone.

Stream Matilda on Netflix.
Rent/Buy Matilda on Amazon.

The Pirates Of The Caribbean Movies (2003 - 2017)

Are you ready to be a pirate? Because I sure am. The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise has several movies in it, but they all mainly follow the incredible, drunk pirate, Jack Sparrow, on his miscellaneous and dangerous adventures across the sea,

There’s a lot I could say about this franchise. While the movies are entertaining in many ways with its fantasy aspects, I’d say there’s even more than that which is awesome. The fight scenes are badass, but the best part is no doubt Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. The actor fully embodies the role and becomes the pirate.

Stream the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Disney+.
Rent/Buy the Pirates of the Caribbean movies on Amazon.

Damsel (2024)

Starring Millie Bobby Brown, Damsel is one of the latest Netflix original films which will take you on the ride of your life. The movie follows a young woman who is betrothed to Prince Henry, a prince of a neighboring kingdom, to help her own home, but after the wedding, she is sacrificed to a dragon. It’s up to her to find her way out and survive before the dragon gets her next.

I’ve loved Millie Bobby Brown for a long time, and I love strong female characters in fantasy because it feels like we don’t get enough of them, so when I saw Damsel, I knew I had to put it on this list. The film can be predictable at times, but it’s still a ton of fun with some great costumes, an interesting story, and a fun performance from Brown. It’s a movie I’d recommend for a fun little afternoon.

Stream Damsel on Netflix.

The Harry Potter Movies (2001 - 2011)

I can’t make a list like this and not mention Harry Potter. In this famous movie saga, we follow Harry Potter, the boy who somehow survived the killing curse, “Avada Kedavra,” when he was a baby. Now, it’s up to him, his friends, and any other allies along the way to somehow stop the darkest wizard of all time, Voldemort.

This is the epitome of fantasy, that and The Lord of the Rings. There’s nothing quite like Harry Potter. The friendship of Harry, Ron, and Hermione is one that can never be forgotten, but the side characters are just as amazing as well. The mythical creatures are innovative and unique, such as Buckbeak the Hippogriff, and the world-building within J.K. Rowling's story is absolutely phenomenal. It’s hard to believe that places like this come from one author’s head, but it’s all here. There’s so much upcoming for the world of Harry Potter that it’s almost a must to re-watch this fantastic series.

Now’s the time to stream the movie before the Harry Potter Max reboot comes out - and maybe obsess over Daniel Radcliffe’s best films.

Stream The Harry Potter saga on Peacock.
Stream The Harry Potter saga on Max.
Rent/Buy The Harry Potter saga on Amazon.

With all these wonderful fantasy options, I wouldn’t be surprised if you were whisked away to a magical world not that long from now. Whichever you choose either way will surely have you intrigued for days – or possibly even years – to come.

Are you ready for the busiest summer at the movies ever? The forecast projects that to be a strong possibility as many 2021 summer movies, such as the Marvel movies’ long-awaited solo flick Black Widow, John Krasinski’s thrilling sequel A Quiet Place Part II, or The Forever Purge, the fifth installment of the anarchist horror franchise, were initially intended to be 2020 summer movies. Thus, there is much, much more to keep up with, which is why we compiled this quick guide to the most anticipated upcoming summer movies to keep on your radar this year, starting with one you can catch in the privacy of your own home.

Army Of The Dead (May 21, 2021)

For fans of Zack Snyder’s DC movies still hoping to see him return to his roots as a disciple of George A. Romero, one of the biggest upcoming Netflix movies promises just that. Dave Bautista leads a team of mercenaries looking to pull the ultimate heist in one of the last safe places in Las Vegas after an outbreak of reanimated flesh-eaters in this action-packed hybrid of Dawn of the Dead with Ocean’s Eleven and an extra helping of Call of Duty’s zombie level. Find out how to watch Army of the Dead streaming and in theaters, and learn more about Army of the Dead here.

Cruella (May 28, 2021)

Before kicking off its series of live-action remakes of its own animated classics, Disney beat themselves to the punch with 101 Dalmations, starring Glenn Close, in the 1990s. Instead, I, Tonya director Craig Gillespie’s new effort in this line-up takes a cue from Maleficent and explains the origins of the spotted pups’ worst nightmare: Cruella de Vil, as played by Academy Award winner Emma Stone in her early days in the fashion industry. Learn more about Cruella, which will also be available as a premium option to stream on Disney+, here.

A Quiet Place Part II (May 28, 2021)

One of the most anticipated upcoming horror movies of the year is a hard one to keep quiet about, but audiences will have no other choice. The story of a family (led by Emily Blunt) forced to live in silence in order to survive a world overrun with ravenous aliens that hunt on sound continues in writer and director John Krasinski’s sequel to his hit thriller A Quiet Place from 2018. Learn more about A Quiet Place Part II here.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (June 4, 2021)

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga reunite as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren for their darkest case yet. The 1981 trial of a man claiming he was demonically possessed when he murdered his landlord serves as the basis for the third of the Conjuring movies and eighth installment of the Conjuring Universe movies overall. Learn more about The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It here.

Vivo (June 4, 2021)

Lin-Manuel Miranda has lent his musical talents to many major motion pictures in recent years, including the Star Wars movies and the Academy Award-nominated Moana from Disney Animation. The multi-talented artist voices the titular cuddly animal in a new animated musical premiering exclusively on Netflix. Learn more about Vivo here.

The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (June 16, 2021)

After becoming friends through the events The Hitman’s Bodyguard, hired protector Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) and hired gun Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) team-up again in an attempt to rescue Kincaid’s wife, Sonia (Salma Hayek). Director Patrick Hughes returns to helm this follow-up to his hit action comedy from 2017. Learn more about The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard here.

In The Heights (June 18, 2021)

Before Hamilton made creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda a household name, he was already a Tony-winning Broadway hero as the star and creator of this hip-hop infused tale of diverse New Yorkers with dollar signs in their eyes. Musician and Hamilton actor Anthony Ramos assumes Miranda’s original lead role for the star-studded film adaptation from Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu. Learn more about In the Heights here.

Luca (June 18, 2021)

A young boy (Jacob Tremblay) finds adventure and friendship with a girl (Emma Berman) on the Italian Riviera while hiding the fact that he is secretly a sea monster in disguise. The Pixar movies’ latest “fish out of water” story, also the feature-length directorial debut of Italian-born animator Enrico Casarosa, will be exclusively available to steam on Disney+. Learn more about Luca here.

Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway (June 18, 2021)

Now that the newly married Thomas (Domnhall Gleeson) and Bea (Rose Byrne) have allowed Peter Rabbit (James Corden) and his family to stay on his garden, the boisterous bunny has grown bored his life. This propels him to seek new adventures in the big city in this sequel to the surprise hit and very loose adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s famous book from 2018. Learn more about Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway here.

F9 (June 25, 2021)

The fast and furious family who live their lives a quarter mile at a time are at it again and for the ninth round. This time, the threat is Dom Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) estranged brother, Jakob (John Cena), whom Cipher (Charlize Theron) has roped in to help achieve her latest act of revenge. Learn more about F9 here.

The Tomorrow War (July 2, 2021)

Chris Pratt leads a star-studded team of experienced combatants drafted into a fight for humanity’s future that will literally take them into the future. The intriguing sci-fi action flick, which we hope will be one of the best movies on Amazon Prime upon its exclusive premiere, is the first live-action effort from The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay since 2002. Learn more about The Tomorrow War here.

The Forever Purge (July 2, 2021)

The intention of the Purge was to give people an outlet for their sociopathic tendencies just once a year, but what if the chaos never stopped? The latest installment of the Purge movies - Blumhouse’s conceptually clever franchise of politically motivated thrillers - sets out to answer that question. Learn more about The Forever Purge here.

Black Widow (July 9, 2021)

In typical MCU fashion, it appears the devastation of Natasha Romanoff’s death in Avengers: Endgame was only meant to be temporary. The former assassin turned superhero played by Scarlett Johansson finally gets her moment in the spotlight in this solo movie that takes place in between the events of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Learn more about Black Widow here.

Space Jam: A New Legacy (July 16, 2021)

In 1996’s Space Jam, Michael Jordan returned to the court to help Bugs Bunny and the Looney Tunes avoid intergalactic imprisonment. Current Los Angeles Lakers point guard LeBron James must follow in Jordan’s footsteps in order to rescue his son from a world where all of Warner Bros’ intellectual properties seem to co-exist in this long-awaited sequel. Learn more about Space Jam: A New Legacy here.

Old (July 23, 2021)

Gael García Bernal plays a man vacationing with his family on a beach where they find themselves aging much quicker than they should be. I am curious what sort of twist director M. Night Shyamalan puts on this adaptation of an inventive, horrifying French-Belgian graphic novel. Learn more about Old here.

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania (July 23, 2021)

Actor Brian Hull fills in for Adam Sandler as the voice of Count Dracula in what is predicted to be the fourth and final Hotel Transylvania movies installment. Celebrated animator Genndy Tartakovsky returns as writer and producer, along with previous Hotel Transylvania cast members Andy Samberg and Selena Gomez, for the latest adventure featuring classic monsters. Learn more about Hotel Transylvania: Transformania here.

Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins (July 23, 2021)

In the latest live action movie based on the popular G.I. Joe action figures, the team’s anonymous, sword-wielding martial artist commando known only as Snake Eyes gets his own prequel spin-off. The character, previously portrayed by Darth Maul actor Ray Park in the first two G.I. Joe movies, will be played by Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding. Learn more about Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins here.

Stillwater (July 30, 2021)

Academy Award winner Matt Damon stars as an oil driller from Oklahoma who travels to France after his estranged daughter (Abigail Breslin) is accused of murdering a fellow student while studying abroad. This tense crime drama from Spotlight director Tom McCarthy is loosely based on infamous trial of Amanda Knox. Learn more about Stillwater here.

Jungle Cruise (July 30, 2021)

In his latest adventure into the wild, Dwayne Johnson’s lowly riverboat captain is enlisted by ambitious researcher Emily Blunt on a quest to find to find the Tree of Life. The action-packed, period fantasy from Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam director Jaume Collet-Serra is also the latest time Disney turned one of their own theme park rides into a movie. Learn more about Jungle Cruise here.

The Green Knight (July 30, 2021)

From Pete’s Dragon director David Lowery comes this retelling of the 14th Century fantasy poem Sir Gaiwan and the Green Knight produced by A24. Dev Patel plays Gaiwan opposite Ralph Ineson as the mysterious titular warrior. Learn more about The Green Knight here.

The Suicide Squad (August 6, 2021)

Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and other bad guys from the Suicide Squad cast return to do some more “good,” along with a few new, bizarre reinforcements, under Amanda Waller’s order (Viola Davis). Guardians of the Galaxy director takes over for David Ayer to helm this “rebootquel” to his Oscar-winning DC supervillains extravaganza from 2016. Learn more about The Suicide Squad here.

Free Guy (August 13, 2021)

A bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) becomes an unlikely hero for his doomed, crime-ridden city after learning that he is actually an NPC in a popular video game. Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, and Taika Waititi are also featured in the supporting cast of this unique action comedy from director Shawn Levy. Learn more about Free Guy here.

Respect (August 13, 2021)

In August 2018, we lost one of the most talented and influential singers in music history, Aretha Franklin, at the age of 76. Nearly three years later, the story of her groundbreaking career comes to life, as portrayed by Academy Award winner and fellow songstress Jennifer Hudson. Learn more about Respect here.

Paw Patrol: The Movie (August 20, 2021)

In the long-running hit Nickelodeon show for young children called Paw Patrol, a boy named Ryder leads a team of playful puppy dogs dedicated to protecting their seaside community of Adventure Bay. Now, a star-studded Paw Patrol: The Movie cast (including Dax Shepard and Kim Kardashian) lead the pups’ first big screen adventure. Learn more about Paw Patrol: The Movie here.

The Protégé (August 20, 2021)

High-ranking assassins Anna (Maggie Q) and Rembrandt (Michael Keaton) have been competing against each other for the most high-paying jobs for years. However, when Anna’s former mentor, Moody (Samuel L. Jackson), is suddenly murdered, the rivals reluctantly team up and return to Vietnam to find Moody’s killer in this exciting espionage thriller from Casino Royale director Martin Campbell. Learn more about The Protégé here.

Candyman (August 27, 2021)

In 1992, renowned horror writer Clive Barker introduced the terrifying legend of the Candyman (played by Scream King Tony Todd) into cinematic history. Co-writer and producer Jordan Peele and director Nia DaCosta bring the legend back from the dead in this unique new vision starring Aquaman 2’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and WandaVision cast actor Teyonah Parris. Learn more about Candyman here.

Does this list look like Summer 2021 will be jam-packed enough for you? If so, is there one particularl summer movie you are most excited for?

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