The 21 (2024)

The 21 Review

The 21 is a 2024 animated short film directed by Tod Polson. It’s a pretty well made and important flick.

In 2015, 21 men were kidnapped, held captive and tortured by ISIS terrorists in Libya. They were given a chance to obtain freedom by converting to Islam, but all of them refused. Eventually, they were beheaded on a Libyan beach. This is one of those movies that are more important than truly great. The film is well made across the board, but it’s hardly unique or impressive at anything that it does. The narration is familiar and it needed that one or two scenes that are truly moving.

With that being said, The 21 still benefits from a very interesting animation style that perfectly fits the Christian themes and subject of the story. The character designs were quite interesting. This style is by far the most intriguing aspect to a film that would otherwise be quite standard. The ending is definitely heartbreaking and the imagery truly horrifying, but the rest of the flick wasn’t as impactful.

The 21 has a very important story that is well told. The animation is terrific. The movie is impactful in its ending, but otherwise not as strong or as memorable.

My Rating – 4