The Best Movies of 2022
A Reflective Essay Written by Victor DeBonis
There were several events in entertainment and outside of it that made for an interesting year in 2022. And, I can say with joy that, as far as movies go, 2022 was a great year in general. Several performers and filmmakers made terrific comebacks in their work, while well-known artists demonstrated more of their talents with storytelling and craftsmanship this year. It was also a year in which newer talents also had moments to shine and shared their creative voices with the rest of the world in fantastic ways. This was helped all the more by the fact that, this time around, more people came to theaters during the summertime and for the blockbuster titles, and, while there is still a debate amongst others as to whether going to the theaters or viewing media through streaming is a better way of experiencing media, theater-going, financially, made a stronger return to form this year with several titles making impressive box-office returns. Today, I’ll take time to acknowledge what were the best films that came out from a year that thrived from creativity in film.
A few quick rules before we get started:
1.) I have not seen every new movie that was released in 2022. Nobody else has, either. If you see any film that isn’t on this list that you consider to be one of this year’s best, please feel free to let me know in the comments below.
2.) My opinions can change on some movies over time, so keep in mind that none of these are absolutely set in stone.
3.) If you’re going to leave a comment or make a suggestion, please be respectful to me and to each other. The Internet can be a hard place to voice how one truly feels, and you can do your part in helping it be better by communicating in a constructive, meaningful, and respectful way.
4.) This list is just my personal opinion. Don’t get offended if you don’t see anything on this list. We all have different experiences and emotional reactions to what the film medium has to offer, and what I loved the most from it will most likely differ from what you and others loved the most from it. Again, make like Bill and Ted, and be excellent to each other, especially when sharing your thoughts about movies and other media.
Before we get started on the Top 10, here are some short and sweet honorable mentions for 6 movies that are also quite good from this year and definitely deserve attention as well:
Barbarian- a horror film that takes many twists and turns in the best ways with some decent commentary and great performances from Georgina Campbell and Justin Long)
Decision to Leave- a compelling Korean thriller that is a slow burn and can be tricky to follow at times with all of the twists but surrounds a romance from one of the most intriguing relationships in a movie from this year
Glass Onion- Rian Johnson does a fantastic follow-up to “Knives Out” that demonstrates incredible chemistry from its cast and delivers solid thoughts on how far one’s wealth can rob some people of their goodness and how far a connection or friendship can go when pushed too far. This might possibly be better than the first film, and the mystery knew how to keep the audience on its toes in ways that will make for interesting re-visits to this film.
Pearl- Mia Goth gives quite possibly the best horror performance that I’ve seen all year in this disturbing movie about some people’s desperate search for fame and the depths to which a bad family or time can ruin someone. The movie also works as an allegory for how much a pandemic can mentally wound people, and it ends on one of the most chilling final shots that I’ve seen in a very long time. Goth gives one of the most memorable monologues from movies in 2022, and I can’t wait to see what director Ti West does next.
Scream(2022)- Directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett bring new life to one of my favorite horror franchises and help it make an impressive return to form with excellent performances from newer and older actors and staging moments with the killer that play with expectations and breathe with suspense from how they’re filmed and presented. Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera are great in their roles, and it was nice to see Neve Campbell at it again on the path to try to take down the killer, and I loved seeing what they did with Courtney Cox and David Arquette’s relationship in this one. This film made the horror and “Scream” fan that I am vastly satisfied.
And, finally, there’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” Legacy sequels are hard to make great in today’s era of film, but, if you’ll excuse the pun, this movie pulls it off with flying colors and then some. The flying scenes are amazingly shot and make you feel as though you’re part of these planes swooping through the clouds, and Tom Cruise gives one of his best performances as a legendary pilot who hasn’t lost his cockiness but holds a maturity and subtle hurt from the tragedy of his own past. What could’ve been a quick cash-grab was turned into a meaningful tale about doing good for the path of others ahead and one of the best blockbusters of the year and a gold-standard example of how to do an amazing legacy sequel.
Finally, we move onto the list proper.
10. “Turning Red”
When it comes to ideas for a studio that most people are familiar with, such as Pixar, it can be harder to help the more unique voices shine all the more. That’s one reason of why director Domee Shi’s directorial feature debut is so wonderful and earned itself a place as probably one of my new favorite films from this studio. The idea of mystical powers or a mystical creature used to represent adolescence has been done numerous times before, but the way that Shi uses her story to voice the journey of a teenager’s path through the ability to transform into a giant panda helps this movie feel so distinct and alive. “Turning Red” is humorous, heartfelt, and tells its tale with a fierce energy and speed that reminded me of Edgar Wright’s work and is unlike anything that I’ve seen from Pixar before. There are also moments in which the exaggerated facial expressions or speed of scene transitions reminded me of some media from Japanese animation, which made me as an anime lover happy.
The movie also takes time to meaningfully dive into themes about relationships with one’s parent vs. relationships that go outside of it and what it means to set your own path from what’s been done before, and every emotional moment receives its time to sincerely shine. The relationship between the mother and the daughter is wonderfully explored from showing them as best friends to gradually showing how that bond is trying to find its way through the emotional and personal changes that the main character is experiencing on her journey. The climax alone is probably the best that I’ve seen from Pixar since “Inside Out” and it’s easily one of the studio’s best moments, in general. Pixar, please show more different stories from unique and talented artists, such as this.
9. “Nope”
Jordan Peele is one of those recent filmmakers who, similar to Mike Flanagan, played a part in helping me gradually grow to love the horror genre because he provided an example of how a talented writer or artist with the camera could use a monster or terrifying story to voice deeper ideas. With “Nope” he reminds me once more why, as a director and screenwriter, he continues to surprise in the best ways and encourage audiences to reflect more with the tale and action on-screen. Hilarious in certain scenes and absolutely heart-pounding with its terror in others, “Nope” serves partly as a sincere love letter to the hard work and talent of animal trainers, special effects, and other underdogs of film who are not recognized as much as, say, a producer or director. Yet, it also works to superb effect as a tale about entertainment and spectacle and the haunting consequences that can occur when some entertainers take their craft too far or with little discipline.
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer have terrific chemistry as a humorous, witty sibling duo that takes on the task of going after the UFO object invading their isolated home, and the movie also boasts excellent cinematography, which allows this deserted area to look astonishing with every detail. There are also moments that legitimately made me think of Spielberg’s earlier science fiction and horror movies in regards to how suspense and wonder were reflected through the filmmaking. The scene in the middle of the movie with a chimpanzee, in particular, is one of the most intense and well-filmed moments that I’ve seen all year, and I still find myself on occasion reflecting on it. This might possibly be my new favorite movie from Peele.
8. “The Menu”
From the first frame, “The Menu” held my interest and never once lost it. It’s a vicious satire on those who become too self-absorbed from their own wealth, fame, and greed, and to the extent to which they destroy themselves and their connections with others in the process from them. It is also a movie that annihilates arrogant people who try way too hard to impress others with who they are or how much money they have or what their career is like. Unsettling in some scenes and absolutely hilarious in others, “The Menu” takes no prisoners when tackling its targets, and it does so with razor-sharp wit and takes the narrative in paths that I never expected. The audience that I saw it with and their reactions to what was on-screen made for one of the most fun experiences that I had in the theater this year. Anya Taylor-Joy works wonderfully as a blunt yet intelligent voice of reason amidst an absurd crowd, and Ralph Fiennes is chilling to the bone with a blistering remark or a stare that is covered with disgust. All of the actors, however, bring excellent work to this script, and the less that you know going in, the more of a wild, entertaining time that you have. In a time in which comedy is harder to spot or do proper justice, here’s an example of recent satire done as well as one could ask for.
7. “The Black Phone”
One of the things that I loved the most about 2022, movie-wise, was that there was an impressive amount of solid or great movies that came from the horror genre. And, my personal favorite from the bunch was “The Black Phone.” Based on a short story written by Joe Hill, “The Black Phone” is a suspenseful tale about a kidnapped boy trying to outwit a menacing abductor. My heart was pounding its loudest during some of the scenes in this movie, and most of the scares, including jump scares, were earned with great direction that knows how to build up to them. Ethan Hawke plays the villain of the film with a believably menacing presence with a voice that breathes with cruelty and terror, and the child actors, particularly Mason Thames and Madeleine McGraw as the brother and sister of the movie, are fantastic in their performances. Thames and McGraw express fright, anger, heart, and raw determination to their core, and director Scott Derrickson tells this tale with moments of genuine sincerity and hope fighting to find their way through an ominous situation and brutal environment. Perhaps, one of the things that makes this film work the most is the connection between Thames and McGraw’s characters. They are written as best friends who will occasionally make sarcastic remarks about one another but ultimately care about each other and are protective of each other (especially amidst their abusive home and setting), and the determination of the girl to find her brother made for a story that was equally terrifying and moving in all the right places. I can’t wait to see what Derrickson does next.
6. “Tar”
It has been a while since I’ve seen a recent movie that was a compelling character study, and director Todd Field’s movie, “Tar” delivers that and more. In the film, there are interviews and conversations with the main character, Lydia Tar, that I was utterly fascinated by. Much of that comes from Cate Blanchett’s performance as the main character, which is simply phenomenal. Blanchett has always been an incredibly gifted actress, and, in this film, she conducts and speaks with absolute charisma, intelligence, and passion to such a degree that it is hard not to want to see what happens next in her path, despite not necessarily agreeing with the actions that she does, later, in the film. “Tar” is an intriguing look at a complicated artist and person as well as a chilling, cautionary tale about how one’s power and ego can lead to one’s downfall, especially when abused. It also serves superbly as a passionate ode to music and a story that dives into the responsibility that one must take on when demonstrating her authority and love for what they do.
5. “Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Pinocchio’”
There is no secret that there is no shortage of retellings of Carlo Collodi’s classic story, “Pinocchio.” If I’m being frank for a moment, I wasn’t too eager to see, yet, another version of the tale when it was released, later, in the year, despite being directed by one of my favorite filmmakers, Guillermo del Toro. So, you can probably imagine my surprise when I finally viewed the movie and was simply blown away by what he and co-director Mark Gustafson have accomplished. The stop-motion animation, by itself, is absolutely amazing to look at. It is staggering to think of how much time, work, and heart went into designing every moment and possible detail to bring this movie to life, and every person that helped animate this movie deserves all of the kudos. Outside of that, the voice acting is wonderful, especially from Gregory Mann, Ewan McGregor, and Christoph Waltz, and the screenplay (co-written by Del Toro and Patrick McHale who created the memorable mini-series, “Over the Garden Wall”) creates intriguing characters whose motivations and emotions lead you further into wondering how the story will flow from them. Furthermore, this version wisely ventures beyond telling the narrative that we’re familiar with, and it increasingly presents itself as a simultaneously moving and dark tale about the balance of life and death as well as the destruction that a fascist government brings upon others and the importance of obeying the people who will genuinely lead you down a good path and away from wickedness. In my eyes, though, the movie also works at its best as a story about grief and the significance of moving forward and appreciating what life has to offer as part of one’s healing. This movie is one of the few from this year that made me tear up a bit. On a personal note, it played a part in genuinely helping me reflect about what it means to move onward from loss in ways that were greatly beneficial to me, and I want to thank this movie so much for assisting with that in this regard. This movie is right up there with “Shape of Water” and “Pan’s Labyrinth” and it’s, without a doubt, the best animated movie of 2022.
4. “The Batman”
Anyone who knows me rather well will vouch that I am a diehard fan of the character, Batman. He is probably my favorite character in fiction and still remains my favorite fictional hero and is genuinely inspiring to me to this day, particularly when it comes to specific stories and versions. And, I won’t lie. I was eager to see this film, but I also shared a bit of the hesitation that others had when I found out that they were going to do yet another movie based on seeing how the Dark Knight came to be the hero that he is. All of my concerns were unwarranted because director Matt Reeves astonished me and others by bringing a unique vision of Batman while also still honoring and reflecting what makes this character so inspiring and meaningful to others. Robert Pattinson gives the best live-action performance of the character that I’ve seen that is only next to Michael Keaton. I’ve never seen a version of the Dark Knight before who appears this wounded and vulnerable, echoing the idea that he’s still trying to process the tragedy that occurred to him and how he should use his superhero identity, and Pattinson perfectly captures all of this while still demonstrating incredible strength and ferocity. Gotham City has never looked more menacing, but it still looks amazing. In certain places, the sheer griminess of the city reminded me of watching 70’s crime dramas and thrillers in the best ways a la “Taxi Driver” and “The French Connection.”
“The Batman” feels less like a total superhero film and more like a hardcore detective story and serial killer mystery that has superhero moments used in all the right places. It even takes time to show in its story that even the most heroic and inspiring people in our lives are still very much human, and I loved that. On top of all that, Michael Giacchino’s score (especially the theme) is incredible, the action scenes are thrilling, and the relationship between Batman and Catwoman in this movie is written to fantastic effect by showing them as two figures with complicated pasts who are looking out for one another and are trying to do good by helping others who are lost or mistreated. I honestly wouldn’t mind seeing a spin-off movie or series with this version of Catwoman to explore more about what happens with her. Most importantly, though, its theme about what it truly means to be a hero and use one’s acts for inspiring hope and goodness, instead of using it for one’s vengeance and being further lost in one’s past, is illustrated with maturity and thoughtfulness. On a personal note, this movie legitimately helped me with moving forward from harder times of the past, particularly the previous few years, and helping me see how doing good actions and inspiration from the right people, as well as their assistance, can lead to hope, even through the darkest and most confusing times. It still helps me with healing and my own journey in life as of now. This is easily the best recent “Batman” movie that I’ve seen since “The Dark Knight.” It makes me happy as a Batman fan, and it is one of those films that makes me happy to be a huge fan of cinema and movies, in general.
3. “The Fabelmans”
Having mentioned in many interviews that he wanted to make this semi-autobiographical movie about his life for years, one of the most beloved artists from the filmmaking medium, Steven Spielberg, crafts a moving and sometimes heartbreaking tale that explores themes about family, identity, finding one’s artistic passion, and the tough reality of how, sometimes, some of the people that you love the most can also be the ones that hurt you the most, particularly from your family. Everyone in the cast is wonderful, but special kudos goes to Paul Dano as the soft-spoken yet stern father, Gabriel LaBelle as Sammy Fabelman, who is believably quiet and passionate about what he loves to do, and, especially, Michelle Williams who is incredible as the deeply conflicted mother in the movie. Similar to “Turning Red” the relationship between the mother and the young hero breathed additional life and heart to the movie, and it works as part of a narrative that doesn’t hold back in revealing the joy and hurt that came from Spielberg’s upbringing and part of his life story.
This story also excels as a heartfelt love letter to the movies. It demonstrates the ability to escape through movies and the power of cinema to inspire and, also, create both positive and sometimes negative emotions in the most impactful ways. As someone who has loved movies for most of his life and writes about film and has even started writing stories again, this film was on my mind for quite some time, mainly for how it explores an artist’s journey and what his work means to him. It’s easily one of my new favorites from Spielberg and his best film that I’ve seen from him in recent years since “Catch Me If You Can.” Anyone who loves movies or telling stories definitely needs to see “The Fabelmans.”
2. “The Banshees of Inisherin”
Melancholy in certain scenes, absolutely hilarious in many scenes, and quietly reflective in others, “The Banshees of Inisherin” gives me practically everything that I could want from this type of movie. The cinematography by Ben Davis is astonishing and honestly makes a part of me want to visit a part of Ireland someday, thanks to the sweeping images of the rich, green hills and the seemingly endless stretches of lake. Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, both of whom have always been great actors, do some of their best work here with their performances, and their insults, humorous exchanges, and insightful debates play a part in further building their excellent chemistry with each other. And, it’s also easily one of the most thought-provoking movies of the year, too, discussing themes of loneliness, depression, art’s importance in one’s life, and interesting reflections on what the best way to spend one’s remainder of his life should be. It’s also worth noting that, amidst an endless wave of movies that focus mostly on ends of romantic relationships, I love seeing a movie that contemplates the abrupt and absurd end of a platonic friendship and how that affects not just the two people from the former bond but how others either react or get caught up in the mess. Writer-director Martin McDonagh is someone who I’ve always been a fan of since I first viewed “In Bruges” and this might possibly be his best film so far.
In a year that gave so many movies that I had a blast with, it was admittedly hard to decide which one would take the top spot. It was honestly neck-and-neck between these three, and, at some point in the future, the placing between these three might change in mind. I seriously had to think hard about which would take the top, everyone.
Yet, when I look back on this year and think about what my thoughts were and what was one of those that made a great impact on me and others and that I still reflect upon the most, it’s from a film that I didn’t get a chance to review, essay-style. It’s a movie that is definitely unlike any other that I’d seen all year or in recent years, and it’s so strange yet so amazing in how it does what it does.
That movie would be….
- “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
It came out in March rather early in the year, and there are some parts that I had to think more on when I re-visited the film. Yet, throughout all of 2022, this movie maintained its place firmly in my mind. Directors and screenwriters Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert succeeded in telling a story that is probably one of the weirdest things that I’ve viewed in the past 10 or 15 years, but it all somehow breathes with undeniable passion, confidence, and heart. Michelle Yeoh is excellent as the main heroine of this movie whose family is crumbling apart and who is trying so hard to find joy from her generational trauma and present life, and she voices complete, emotional sincerity while also proving once more how amazing she is as a martial artist. Ke Huy Quan makes one of the best comebacks to film ever after years of staying mostly behind-the-scenes, and he brings tons of heart and some superb fight moves in his action scenes. There is a strange logic to how the universes in this movie function, and it all somehow makes an odd amount of sense.
Through all of the insanity and absurd humor that takes place in this film, this story made me sincerely care for every relationship and every dilemma that was presented. I felt horrible when I was shown how Yeoh and Quan’s relationship was losing its passion and was slowly falling apart. I felt bad for how Yeoh and her daughter (played terrifically by Stephanie Hsu) were drifting apart. I empathized and could connect to Yeoh’s character longing to find balance and maintain her relationships in a time and setting that just seems mostly against her. I loved seeing Quan’s character in the present time not always be the smartest but still would clearly go above and beyond to make his wife happy, even as he is sensing that their connection is slowly yet surely falling apart. And, I cared about seeing Yeoh in her different stages of life that could’ve possibly taken place if she had stuck to a certain path instead of the one that she chose. I just loved seeing how happy she was. One of my favorite moments from the late-great Roger Ebert was when he said that movies are empathy machines, and this film is honestly one of the best examples of that. This was easily one of the films that made me care for everything that was going on in the story and made me even more invested upon re-visiting it.
I can’t find the article at the moment, but I saw someone write about how this film reminded the journalist of the types of movies that were made in 1999, arguably, one of the best years in film ever for how strange and unique and thought-provoking many of the movies were from that year (ie: “Magnolia” “The Matrix” and “Fight Club” among others). It reminded me of a book that I read years ago titled “Best.Movie.Year.Ever.:How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen” by Brian Raftery that legitimately played a big part in inspiring me to start writing about movies and start my blog. The same weirdness and interesting ideas that played from films that were released around the time that I was growing up comes from this movie, and something about that makes me also love this film on that level.
Heck, one of my new all-time favorite scenes in movies comes from when Quan, in one of the universes, delivers a completely straightforward yet incredibly sincere monologue to his wife about how he knows that others perceive him being kind, even in situations when he arguably shouldn’t be, as a huge weakness, but he still does it because he knows how important it is to life and making it through this often uncompromising world. It’s spoken with so much passion and dedication to what he feels and to what I still try to keep in mind nowadays through my own struggles.
Watching this movie makes me feel that I’m also following with a simple yet vastly relevant philosophy not just about coping with family or dealing with trauma from the past (all of which is done to amazing effect) but, also, fighting to be generous in a world that (Let’s be real) often lets us down and sometimes laughs in the face of people trying to be nice. This film meant much to me after me experiencing so many difficult events in recent times, from recovering from the loss of a beloved relative to COVID from the previous year to recovering from a fallout with one of my best friends to escaping a toxic relationship that went on for way longer than it should have. This doesn’t even add my occasional difficulties with sadness and other letdowns. I bring all of this to say that, especially nowadays, it can be a huge challenge to be kind, especially when you try to do good and only get even more hurt from simply doing the right thing.
While quite few of the other films from this list (and others outside of it) certainly helped me with my journey and my tougher moments and emotions, this film also played a part because it reminded me that, even after experiencing so much heartbreak and lack of kindness, even from a few sources that I trusted more at one point in time, I should still try to do as much good as I can and be as kind as I can through the dark times.
Without kindness and trying to be understanding and selfless as much as we can, we’re all completely lost, and this movie voices that through this scene and other moments in the film without holding back.
I’m aware that, sometimes, I tend to bring up bits of what goes on in my personal life or my past and how certain films that I write about reflect that or even help with coping in some way. Yet, in my eyes, if we’re not going to occasionally discuss what stories we experience, whether they’re from movies or TV or from any type of media, affect us, then we’re not showing our greater sense of how we connect to our media and stories in the first place. I also do this because I greatly care about you as my audience and readers, and one of the best things that any writer, any person, in general, can do is be as honest as possible with who they’re speaking with.
I may not always get things right, and I have my demons as others do, but I like to think that one of my biggest acts of kindness that I can do can come from me sharing my love for movies with others and using my gift or “superpower” (if you choose to see it that way) to analyze and discuss film. I like to think that we all can use our talents and anything else that we know to share kindness, even when we don’t always understand why. I’m not going to pretend that this film is performing miracles or that everybody will love or even like this film. As I said, some of the moments are honestly crude and out there in this. Yet, love it or hate it, you can’t say that there’s another movie like this. And, I can’t help but respect how proudly “Everything Everywhere” marches forward with its off-the-wall presence as a badge of honor and still makes me care for its story and philosophy in ways that I can always appreciate.
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is definitely one of the most intriguing, creative, and surprisingly sincere movies that I’ve seen in some time, and, in a year that gave so much to love and appreciate from cinema as 2022 did, that is not a small statement.
It just flat-out rules.
Have a Happy 2023, everyone, and, as always, I’ll see you at the movies.