Chloé Zhao’s best director Oscar, an unforgettable turn by Joanna Scanlan and Céline Sciamma’s flawless fairytale stood out, but the year belonged to Bond…Kitty Empire’s best pop and rock of 2021Read the Observer critics’ review of 2021 in full hereAs cinemas once again struggled with the closures, cancellations and uncertainties of the pandemic, the biggest film story this year was surely the long-delayed release of No Time to Die. Originally slated to open in early 2020, Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 became the first high-profile release to announce a major Covid-related postponement.
For many
UK cinemas, the new November 2020 opening date became a mast to which to tie their hopes of recovery – hopes that were crushed when the release date was pushed back again, to April 2021, and then again to autumn. So when Craig’s Bond swan song was finally unveiled at the Albert Hall at the end of September, the sense of relief was palpable – not least because the film didn’t disappoint.