I haven’t even seen close to all the movies that came out this year; I haven’t even seen the majority of them. However, I saw enough to make a top 10 list (32 movies, to be precise). As usual, please keep in mind that I have bad tastes, so if you think I chose bad picks for my list… you’re probably right, but also… who honestly can name 10 great movies that came out this year?
10. Beast
Why is this movie on my top 10 best list? Well, frankly because 2022 delivered so few good movies and because I did actually have fun with Beast. I’ve seen people online complaining that this movie gets repetitive and that not enough happens to even keep the movie going for 90 minutes… and they’re right. All that being said, I think Idris Elba gives a good performance (though his character is more than a little cliched) and the inherent idea of him and his daughters trying to survive against a giant, man-eater lion is enough fun that this movie was worth watching.
9. Rescued by Ruby
I only watched this movie because Grant Gustin (star of the Flash TV show) was in it and I wanted to see what he did with a role other than the one the CW gave him. It’s a corny, overly sentimental movie… but it is competently made, and that puts it over a lot of other movies that I saw this year. This isn’t necessarily my preferred genre, but if it’s yours, I think you would enjoy this movie. It’s not a film I’m liable to ever re-watch, but for the week in spring that I sat around in bed too sick to go to college, it was a decent way to pass the time.
8. Enola Holmes 2
I’m clearly not the target demographic of this film series, as it’s definitely aimed at girls five-ten years younger than I am. As such, while I’ve been reasonably entertained by both Enola Holmes films, I’ve inevitably gotten bored with each of them, as both have been over 2 hours long. However, the sequel was an improvement over the first film with more action and a slightly darker tone. It’s an interesting take on the Sherlock Holmes universe and this one had a decent enough plot and an ending with more tension than you’d ever expect, that I was entertained for most of the movie, especially when the action scenes were in full swing.
7. Don’t Worry Darling
I understand why everyone hated this movie. I really do. It’s confusing and messy and the twist undermines the story. However… most (if not all) of the actors give good performances, which is surprising given all the rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions between them. The main reason I include this film on my list, however, is because of its atmosphere. The score, combined with the editing/cinematography made what could have been a boring movie surprisingly tense (even creepy at times). Don’t Worry Darling is not a well-written movie, but it's a well-made movie from a cinematic perspective. That’s more than I can say for the majority of what I’ve seen this year.
6. The Black Phone
I’m not a huge horror fan, but this is a good entry into the genre, even for someone as critical of it as I am. It’s atmospheric and creepy, but it doesn’t spend all of its energy/focus on scaring us instead of developing the characters as so many horror films do. The characters have motivations and personalities and the child actors even give good performances (though of course, it’s Ethan Hawke who delivers the best performance). It’s by no means a masterpiece, but it is a good movie.
5. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
This movie, while also not a masterpiece, has a good enough premise that the filmmakers would’ve had to actively try to make it bad for it to be a failure. The inherent humor in seeing Nicolas Cage play himself in a movie that references his ‘unique’ collection of work, while ironically giving him a plot in which he takes on an ill-advised job because he needs money insured that this film would be entertaining. It’s not a film I’m in a hurry to rewatch, but I could see myself watching it again years down the line… and that’s something.
4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Glass Onion didn’t turn out to be the cinematic masterpiece that Knives Out was, as it got a little too goofy at times and the ending was a little too over-the-top, but it was still a good movie. A fun mystery film with a good protagonist at the center and good performances from the majority of the cast, Glass Onion managed to keep me entertained even with longer run-time and, while it didn’t live up to the first one, I’m still excited to see where the franchise goes from here.
3. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Wakanda Forever had an almost impossible task before it, with the tragic death of the first film’s star, Chadwick Boseman two years prior to its release. This real world tragedy does make the film more sad to watch, the storyline incorporates, centering it around T’Challa’s family grieving over his death. It also adapts some of the best parts of great Black Panther comics, which is growing increasingly rarer in comic book films these days. While a little light in the action department for its nearly three-hour runtime, this movie still tells a great, captivating story.
2. The Batman
I don’t think this film is the cinematic masterpiece that everyone else does. Personally, it doesn’t come close to the Dark Knight. But, in a world where no other Batman film has, this might still be my second favorite Batman movie. It has a great atmosphere and tells a perfectly contained, standalone story, similar to the classic Batman films from the 80’s and 90’s (though much darker and more intelligently written). Unlike some, I don’t think this movie revolutionized super-hero movies or even Batman movies, but I do think it deliver a good Batman story to the big screen, and that was enough for me.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
I had no expectations ahead of this film. I enjoyed the original Top Gun for what it was, and planned to watch this simply because it had Tom Cruise in it and I think he’s a good actor. However, Top Gun: Maverick proved to be better than I could’ve ever imagined. It barely relied on nostalgia, and was simply a great action movie with amazing visuals utilized through practical effects. Rather than trying to cash in on nostalgia or tell some epic, grand story (or set up a larger universe/world), Top Gun 2 just told a really good story and did so with a lot of style. In a year filled with sub-par movies, Top Gun: Maverick proved to be a breath of fresh air and beat out the rest of the competition to be the best movie of 2022.
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