Year in review: The best action movies of 2021

This was a big year for Zack Snyder. In addition to his cut of “Justice League” coming out in all its overwrought glory, he also had a Netflix film. Part heist movie, part zombie flick, it’s as over-the-top and stylized as any Snyder project. In this realm, though, it just works better.

After all these years, Scarlet Johansson’s Marvel staple got her own film. Also, Florence Pugh and David Harbour were along for the ride with their big, broad Russian accents. “Black Widow” was worth the wait, though. It’s smaller in scope than a lot of Marvel movies – Natasha doesn’t have superpowers after all – but it was a fine (presumed) sendoff for the character.

“Copshop” is a lean, mean action film. It’s directed by Joe Carnahan, who did movies like “The Grey” and “Smokin’ Aces.” It stars Gerard Butler and low-budget action movie staple Frank Grillo. If you like gritty action movies, this one is for you.

“Dune” is effectively the opposite of “Copshop.” It has a huge budget and it shows on the scene. The movie is full of stars, and the camera lingers on them in vast, expansive landscapes. David Lynch’s attempt to adapt “Dune” was kind of a flop, but Denis Villeneuve seems like he’s off to a better start. Let’s see if he sticks the landing in part two.

While some were a bit disappointed in the ninth film in the “Fast and Furious” lineage, you can’t have a list of the top action movies of the year without “F9.” No action movie was more bombastic. Cars go into space. Dead characters come back to life. Vin Diesel does his Vin Diesel thing. It’s still a “Fast and Furious” movie, and that always has its charms to its diehard audience.

Kong bows to no one. Sure, it was funny when Rebecca Hall said that in the trailer – and in the movie – but it is a good indicator of the level that “Godzilla vs. Kong” is operating on. It’s not trying to plus up the monster movie. All it wants to do is deliver you Godzilla and King Kong duking it out with each other and other threats. We got that, and we enjoyed every second of it.

A hitwoman meeting up with her estranged (also hitwoman) mother to take on some baddies in a stylized action film? That could be a little cheesy. It could also easily devolve into back-patting over doing an action film starring women. Fortunately, “Gunpowder Milkshake” largely avoids any potential missteps and having Karen Gillan as the star definitely helps.

This sequel is an improvement upon “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.” It leans into the comedy a bit more, largely because Ryan Reynolds is dedicated to his schtick at this point. A little extra Salma Hayek helps give the movie a boost as well.

It’s a Liam Neeson action film. We probably don’t need to say more, right? OK, we will. It’s about truck drivers taking on frozen lakes and icy roads. The tension is palpable throughout the movie.

Once again, Disney has turned one of its rides into a quality action movie. The dynamic duo of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt is at the center of “Jungle Cruise,” which could maybe use a little less of the supernatural element but is still a rollicking flick. Plus, Jesse Plemons and Paul Giamatti chew the scenery in a fun way.

We never expected to see another “Matrix” film. Honestly, after the sequels, we weren’t necessarily looking forward to it as well. Then, we saw the trailer for “The Matrix Resurrections.” It brought the excitement back to the franchise. Of course, it also had to deliver on the promise of the trailer, which it very much managed to do.

Animated movies can be action films too. Of the animated action movies of 2021, “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” was the best of the bunch. A family takes on technology gone rogue, like a lighter, funnier version of “The Terminator.” Also, without the time travel, and with more jokes about a dog.

Finally, Daniel Craig got to say goodbye to James Bond. He did it in epic fashion. “No Time to Die” was a true farewell to this era of Bond, and it was a fitting sendoff to Craig’s tenure. For all his grousing about the role, Craig seemed engaged in his performance, and he did a fine job yet again.

Seeing Bob Odenkirk go from the “Mr. Show” guy to Saul Goodman was impressive enough as is. Then, Odenkirk surprised us again. He got a chance to be a full-on action star, something of a “John Wick” clone, but not in a bad way. “Nobody” showed that Odenkirk could indeed carry an action movie, proving as adept with his fists as his quips.

For dumb fun in the action realm, the “Resident Evil” series has delivered several times over. However, there was reason for concern about the seventh film in the series, and not just because it’s hard to mine material for seven movies. This is a reboot of the franchise with whole new actors and a new story. Fortunately “Welcome to Raccoon City” keeps the energy of the franchise going, but with a level of freshness from the reboot as well.

Shang-Chi wasn’t necessarily a known MCU character, but that didn’t stop this movie from being the highest-grossing film in North America. A martial arts movie paired with the epic nature of the MCU was something we had been waiting for. “Legend of the Ten Rings” delivered, minting a new star in Sima Liu.

Hey, Marvel is at the forefront of the action-movie realm. Naturally, a few MCU movies were going to end up here. “No Way Home” brought plenty of mind-bending science fiction, but also plenty of action, of course. When they first rebooted Spider-Man yet again, we were skeptical. Three movies into the Tom Holland run, we’re happy they did.

After two Marvel movies, here’s a DC film. One that is dripping in guts and gore. James Gunn’s film is definitely a hard-R, even outpacing a movie like “Deadpool.” That being said, it’s not entirely gratuitous and vulgar for vulgarity’s sake. It’s as funny and action-packed as it is brutal.

Chris Pratt has lent himself to a couple of franchises, but this time he had the chance to try and make an original blockbuster. Unfortunately, the pandemic kept it out of theaters. Still, we got Pratt, J.K. Simmons, and some comedic actors dealing with time travel and aliens, showing Pratt doesn’t need the help of Marvel or “Jurassic Park.”

“Venom” was a completely bonkers movie. The sequel took it to the next level. Tom Hardy did his best to chew as much scenery as possible in the original. Once they realized how much that worked, Hardy was given carte blanche to go even further in “Let There Be Carnage.” Also, Woody Harrelson is there to ham it up as well. “Venom” knows what people want from it, and they are happy to deliver.