Death to 2021 (2021 TV Special) User Reviews

Same but less eventful

[romneyranjo · 6/10 · 27 December 2021]

I'm not sure if it's because 2020 had a far worse tale to share or this film felt too repetitive? They used the same formula but had fewer laughs. Not to say it's uninspired or disinteresting - it's definitely a fun mockumentary to watch. I was just hoping for more?

My issue is for a movie that mentions diversity a lot, there doesn't seem to be much in the movie in terms of country. They made it feel like all the events revolves around how U. S. and U. K. and it's people see the world. It would be interesting to add perspectives from other citizens of the world.

• Here's to hoping we don't get another sequel for 2022 cause that would mean, the world went through another hell ride.

We are the hyper liberals, we are so liberal we're anti liberal but still very anti conservative.

[tris-miles · 5/10 · 29 December 2021]

Not as funny as last year's and definitely more left wing. Everyone has an agenda, even Netflix. It has its humour, and it's clever narrative on climate change, Covid and the royals. But still, Netflix, please believe in something bigger. Please believe that, similar to the Chinese government, you are hypocrites, promoting socialism and equality for all mankind, but actually closet conservative capitalists, raking in a huge profit for the few and far between.

Same Formula but a little less interesting

[bazookamouth-221-898097 · 6/10 · 27 December 2021]

I thought it was very entertaining with the footage of the year and the interviews although I found this time Hugh Grant as the pompous professor and Diane Morgan as dimwit Gemma tended to get on my nerves and both had to much screentime and neither were very funny. Others however Cristin Milioti (Kathy Flowers) , Stockard Channing and Tracey Ullman characters were quite funny. Its was very watchable.

Actually funnier a year on

[speculatrix · 7/10 · 28 December 2021]

2022 is just days away as I write this. Netflix promoted this in their popular stream.

I think this will split opinion, much like the satirical "don't look up", people will love or hate it.

I found it funnier than "death to 2020", and didn't expect to find this as funny as I did, but the last four years of the state of the world have become quite surreal, and U. S. politics especially so. Laughing at it is a good "pressure relief valve". There's something to offend everyone!

Funny but still pushing one side of the narrative

[snehakakroo · 6/10 · 28 December 2021]

I was watching this hoping for them to make fun of both sides which they did to some extent but then again started adding handfuls of propaganda for seasoning. I am here for it but wish they had brought out the ridiculousness of both sides not just been presenting one side as irrational and the other as wise and progressive which its not and this comes from someone who is removed from the politics of this region and is a neutral observer.

Better than 2020, Still Lacks UK Delivery

[deepfrieddodo · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

A repeat of quality of Death to 2020, Charlie Brooker's writing is still brilliant, but again isn't as hilarious when performed by US actors. Having Fishbourne as narrator seems a good draw, but ultimately isn't as scathing or as well-timed as Brooker (in his Yearly/Weekly Wipes). Unfortunately Netflix always skews to the US and ignores the UK talents that made the show great in the first place.

US and UK centric, heavily focusing on the former, the main events of 2021 are summarised and put into context, with varying degrees of humour. Diane Morgan easily provides the standout character, who is hilarious in her delivery.

Important and sensitive topics are covered well with a level of explanation hidden below the cartoonish characters. Not as good as Brooker's previous reviews, but better than 2020 and still worth watching.

Prequels for some year MUST BE DONE

[Faisal_KK · 7/10 · 3 January 2022]

Based on this Climate change is the most concern event in 2021 COULDN'T AGREE MORE.

I love the character which representing each group.

I wish the sequel even better 2022 be nice.

balancing review bombs

[discolouredbuttflaps · 10/10 · 12 January 2022]

This is a 7.5/10 comedy for me. However, seeing how rightards and other people who are allergic to facts review bombed this title, I've decided to do the opposite to balance it out. Throwing a temper tantrum in a movie review site because you got called out by a comedy movie is literally the most pathetic thing a pre-teen can do. Oh wait, these are growna$$ people? Lol. Yeah we are done for.

Less witty and funny than original, but still good

[samuelroberts-11378 · 7/10 · 8 January 2022]

The first Death To mockumentary was hilarious and was just a breath of fresh air after such a horrific year.

This time around, it just lacked that cutting edge and wit that the original had, and it seemed to take itself a little more seriously the second time around. It was missing key cast members from the original, potentially limiting its comedic value and uniqueness.

The highlight of the first one was Hugh Grant, but this time he isn't laugh-out-loud funny, though he's still good.

Overall, I think 2020 was such an easy year to rip into and to relate too, because we were all practically in the same boat. But 2021 was different for many people, and I just feel that this sequel lacked that relatability and strong comedic value that it had in the original. Still good though.

Fantastic cast struggles to make terrible writing funny

[thomasshahbaz-52541 · 3/10 · 30 December 2021]

Where is Charlie Brooker? This is like watching someone copy his previous work but not understanding why it was actually funny.

Sad.

Maybe this in itself is deliberate, making 2021 just that little but more grim.

Bring back the end of year Wipe!

Scathingly Brilliant!

[WpgJetsFan80 · 8/10 · 31 December 2021]

Such a hilarious take on a crazy year that started with muricans acting up on the 6th of January. Cristin Milioti, Stockard Channing, Hugh Grant, Tracy Ullman absolutely killed their performances in this film. Lol I Loved it.

Netflix has effectively made time capsules obsolete

[njevelina · 7/10 · 28 December 2021]

Netflix has effectively made time capsules obsolete. Love it. Not as good as the 2020 version, but slap-in-the-face equal-opportunity-offender of all! Wish it was longer and had a bigger cast.

It wasn't entertainment, it was political sniping "disguised" as entertainment

[Kilroy5150 · 3/10 · 3 January 2022]

After the first 5 minutes being dedicated to sniping the right i turned the damn thing off. While i'm for neither side, i don't like political sniping films and this more than qualifies. It's pathetic how far one side will go to attack the other and i've seen the left do it far more than the right ever will in a decade. It's another sub-genre of "Trump attack films". Andm, considering the clown we have as a president now, these morons didn't bother to look at the "entire" view of things.

It's funny, but not for true comedic reasons. It's funny because it's so blindly obvious these people spent the whole film attacking things/people they didn't like, not actual comedy.

Not as good as 2020

[targetlad72 · 7/10 · 29 December 2021]

More USA based than last year's. Great cast again, special mention though for Stockard Channing' casting. She's always good to see.

This program however is a reminder to Charlie Brooker, do something!

Farther to the Left than the Right, but!

[stevejohnpeel · 6/10 · 28 December 2021]

It's lots of attacks on the Right by the Left. That said, it was quite enjoyable lol and actually shows the Left for what they really are and how they think.

Not as fresh as the first one, but still funny

[wellthatswhatithinkanyway · 7/10 · 3 February 2022]

STAR RATING: ***** Brilliant **** Very Good *** Okay ** Poor * Awful

Following on from 2020, the year that changed everyone's way of existence, came 2021, that trailed in its aftermath. Opening in the throes of the second wave of the deadly pandemic, with everywhere forced to lock down again, after Trump's defeat in the presidential elections, scores of violent protesters descended on Capitol Hill, before Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president. A few months after, the world mourned the death of Prince Phillip, bringing the Harry and Meagan saga in to the spotlight, which is featured along with other pop culture/cultural events throughout the year.

After the tumultuousness of 2020, it seemed reasonable that it was the year of all years that people would want to see the back of. It had started like any other, but had proceeded in to a year of total devastation and uncertainty, and so a short, sharp satire entitled Death to 2020 seemed to everyone's mindset. 2021, though opening pretty despairingly, gradually grew more optimistic, and ended fairly positively, and so the novelty isn't quite as strong. All the same, this unexpected follow up film from Jack Clough and Josh Ruben still hits mostly the right notes.

There's a pretty obvious left wing slant to it, which will gain it detractors from those who lean to the other side, but it's swipes at the absurdity of the right and their insane conspiracy theories and behaviour are still right on target, most notably Tracey Ullman's conservative pundit Madison Madison, Cristin Millioti's detached soccer mom Kathy Flowers and Hugh Grant's turn as the stuffy, unprogressive Tennyson Foss (who's against gender pronouns, but still insists on having OBE on the end of his title!) On the other side of this is Diane Morgan's return as the dim 'average person' Gemma Nerrick, as well as Laurence Fishburne's soothingly deadpan narration. What's surprising is the major world events it omits, such as the World Cup, with England entering the finals.

It's not as inspired or cathartic as the first one, but it's still funny (sometimes hilariously so) and reminds us in the most uplifting way that the last year at times was just as terrible as the one before it. ***

What a year.

[IQ42 · 7/10 · 3 January 2022]

It's a satire about some of the major (political) events of the year. From the various evolutions of Covid to the retreat of the soldiers in Afghanistan to the Olympics to TV shows such as Squid Games.

This was quite a year again and this film was quite funny, giving a nice way of letting the year go in revue.

Let's see what footage we'll be giving them in 2022...

I do miss Charlie Brooker's Screen Wipes but these will do

[andycottier · 8/10 · 27 December 2021]

Same characters as last year, a few new faces but if you liked last year's you'll like this I'm sure.

Worthy of an hour of your time to smirk at what the US (especially) was up to this year.

Great satire.

[garneragency · 7/10 · 7 January 2022]

The amount of people that don't understand this movie is a satire, is surprising. Either way, this movie was funny. If you enjoy the old satire movies like Kentucky Fried movie. You will enjoy this movie.

PS this is not a documentary.

The Blind Spot

[stubbornpanda · 4/10 · 28 December 2021]

The media has this year again shown itself to be empty of substance and void of any in depth examination and I was really looking forward to a programme having real guts in its examination of people and subjects. Death to 2021 continued the narrative everyone already hates - a biased one.

Fox News is awful, CNN is awful, neither have anything to do with news - If a satire programme cannot see its own bias towards either of these ideologies, the blind spot becomes the comedy.

Comedy can really bring people together when it shines a light on the absurdities we are all subjected to all the time, especially after a year like this one. This was missed.

Hugh Grant and Diane Morgan are still great but this was a real wasted opportunity.

South Park seems to be the only programme having a real go at showing corporate and political craziness on both sides.

It's brilliant

[serdaraltin · 10/10 · 27 December 2021]

Satire, at it's finest! Cast is really great, script is witty and clever. Diane Morgan, Stockard Channing and Cristin Milioti are scene stealers for me.

"Many turned to TV for escape, as you are doing now"

[BrunoRatesTheMovies · 6/10 · 28 February 2022]

You have to laugh at it all otherwise, we will cry, cry, cry. This was a dark reminder of all that has happened this year and I really didn't want to relive any of 2021! I guess Bark Multiverse was too Meta to bring back this year. Can't wait for the 2022 movie next year to round off the tragic trilogy!

Hate to complain

[michelleoverton · 2/10 · 29 December 2021]

This year end review was pretty pathetic. I wanted to laugh but so many of the comments just not funny. Appreciated the actors efforts but it was drier than SNL humor.

Pale comparison to when Charlie did these himself

[rafhatefools · 6/10 · 20 January 2022]

Just not that funny or interesting. The few chuckles I let out almost felt forced as I tried to enjoy this. I appreciate the sentiment and efforts and risks taken by all involved.. But it wasn't funny.

Some Laughs to be Had but it Pales in Comparison 2020

[CANpatbuck3664 · 6/10 · 17 January 2022]

While I'm not going to argue that 2021 was just as messy and soul-crushing as the year previous, there's just as much of a chance to create something funny out of our collective pain. Despite the critical beating it took, Death to 2020 was a real find for me. I laughed consistently and heartily throughout and recommended it to anyone who would listen. We have a different directors and a different lead writer here but they still find some worthwhile jokes and they play with the format enough to differentiate it from the previous one. New characters were created and they brought back enough of the old cast to keep that familiarity. Was it just as memorable? Not really, but I did get more than a few laughs out of 2021.

Some of the cast returns from 2020 and they're all consistent and funny in bunches. Samson Kayo and Hugh Grant got the most laughs out of me, I didn't like Joe Keery or Diane Morgan as much. I'm not sure if it was their performances or the material (more on that later). Cristin Milioti was more disturbing in this one (deservedly so with who she was portraying). I felt bad for Lucy Liu and William Jackson Harper, they're both talented actors but there's just little to nothing there for them. Snook Austin and Zero Fournine just feel like a knockoff characters of Dash Brackett and Bark Multiverse from 2020.

As much as I didn't like Death to 2021 as much as 2020, I don't want to criticize it too heavily. It has the same mockumentary makeup as the original, the cast is game and although the first had funnier material, I wasn't bored or annoyed by this movie. Something just didn't gel, this one felt darker and less jovial than the first entry. I can't blame the filmmakers for that, it certainly seems like the world is getting more cruel and less hopeful with each passing day. So while it doesn't fail the audience, 2021 just isn't as entertaining for whatever reason.

Death to 2021 is fine by itself and if you haven't seen the first, hopefully you'll get your time's worth out of it. But I enjoyed 2020 so much that I couldn't help but be a little disappointed. I'd recommend checking out the original instead but if you're set on a viewing, you could certainly do worse.