The Best & Worst of 2022

When I reflect back on the year in film it does in many ways seem like things have continued to improve since 2021. While the box office was still not quite as strong as in 2019, it was a lot stronger than in 2021 with several films earning over $300 million domestically.

However, interests have changed. It’s long in the past now, but I think back to the cinemas of the 1970s when movies like Heaven Can Wait or Saturday Night Fever could be among the highest-grossing movies of the year. Sure, that was a long time ago and, as the Modern and Digital ages have come along, franchises and spectacles have become more the norm. But even more recently, films like A Star is Born, Hidden Figures, and Crazy Rich Asians could break $100 million. Now, it’s all franchises, action, animation, and horror. You basically have to go all the way down below the Top 20 to find an adult drama or comedy in the box office - and it’s well below $100 million (Where the Crawdads Sing at $90.2 million, Ticket to Paradise at $68.1 million). So, audiences seem to be going back to the theaters - but are very choosy about what they think is “worthy” of the experience. If you look at the make-up of the highest-grossing movies of 2022 it looks more like a circus; all spectacle. This probably has more to do with ticket prices even though most chains have monthly memberships that can curb some of the costs. But it also probably has to do with how the pandemic has shifted people’s habits and increased the acceptance and validity of streaming.

It’s not surprising since there were over 100 movies released exclusive to streaming (not theatrically released) this year. And, due to the pandemic, it became more difficult for many viewers to tell the difference between a streaming film and a theatrical release. But it’s probably also safe to say that those who pass on seeing a film in the theater is actually making an effort to see all of those films when they’re available to stream. I think the next year will determine if these habits of 2022 are simply part of the transitional process post-pandemic or the way things are from now on.

In the meantime, films like Bros, Call Jane, She Said, and The Fablemans all became financial failures. Time will tell if they get new lives on streaming. But with so much content made available every week, there’s a bigger chance of getting buried in the white noise.

It is important to note even I did not get to see every notable film released in 2022. The following films have yet to be considered for the lists you’re about to read: Pearl, Aftersun, Decision to Leave, Women Talking, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio. So, take what you’re about to read with a grain of salt.

With all of that said, let’s get right to…

The Worst

5. Don’t Worry Darling

We start off with a movie that seemed heavily flawed when we reviewed it within three hours of screening it - but got worse and worse the more time went on and we thought about it. Don’t Worry Darling isn’t without its strengths: the production design and the acting are very well executed. But this movie makes the list partially for being the year’s biggest disappointment. Booksmart was one of the best movies of 2019. It promised Olivia Wilde as an exciting new director. Don’t Worry Darling looked like it was an opportunity for Wilde to up her game with a big sci-fi thriller concept featuring thought-provoking themes. It was a film with an excellent first act that seemed like it was going somewhere exciting. Instead it failed to make sense of or pay off just about every thing it set up. It has probably the most inexplicably shoddy ending of 2022. It is admirable that Wilde took a big swing. But sophomore slumps happen. Here’s hoping she bounces back with a third film.

4. Jurassic Park Dominion

When we reviewed this film we started out discussing the franchise as a whole. This film made clear to me that none of the films in the series hold a candle to the original. It’s not quite as bad as the Jaws film series (yes, there’s more than one Jaws movie). But it almost is. However, Dominion is bad enough to make me rethink how bad the other sequels to Jurassic Park actually are. This film is clearly aiming for The Force Awakens vibes with the return of the original cast (minus Richard Attenborough, who died in 2014). It tries to weave three different plots that come together in the third act, but fails to create plots that are smart and worthy of a reunion and bridging of the two Jurassic generations. Laura Dern has become one of the greatest actresses working today. Sam Neill was burned before with Jurassic Park III. They’re both wasted here with a plot regarding locusts and a mad corporate scientist. Yes… locusts… in a movie about dinosaurs literally roaming the earth. The film is mostly empty-headed, predictable popcorn nostalgia porn with characters repeating the same beats from previous entries or behaving unbelievably dumb. Long gone are ideas nearly as intelligent as those novelist Michael Crichton and director Steven Spielberg wrestled with in the original.

3. Elvis

Austin Butler’s performance basically saves this film from being the absolute worst of the year. Baz Luhrman seems to be spending his career chasing after the next Moulin Rouge!, failing to recognize that there was more to that film than music and pizzazz. Elvis attempts to be a biopic about Elvis Presley, the King of Rock and Roll, that would introduce the performer to a new generation. There are a number of problems with this, however. The biggest one being it sets up to be told from the perspective of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks). The problem with that is it means the story has to be told at a distance and should be only able to tell a part of the story. But the script pretty much tosses all of that out of the window as we get several scenes without our narrator, Parker. Not only is the script broken on its most basic level, but the rest of the movie tries to get by just on its music catalogue and Luhrman’s frenetic, hyperventillating razzle dazzle style. Like another popular, yet hollow biopic, The Greatest Showman, Elvis worked its smoke and mirrors on many. But it’s tough to shake the feeling that a film supposedly about Elvis Presley sure gave us very little insight into the man himself and the reasons behind several of his choices and image. Hopefully, Austin Butler gets better projects than this.

2. Uncharted

The Uncharted trilogy (is there more than 3? I’m a dinosaur) is one of Sony’s most successful and celebrated PlayStation franchises. It was a first-person shooting video game that put the player in adventures akin to an Indiana Jones movie; it was clearly influenced by such blockbuster action films. It essentially brought blockbuster filmmaking to video gaming, so much so that several other games (including Tomb Raider) chased after that esthetic. The idea of adapting a video game based on popcorn adventure movies into a popcorn adventure movie was always at the very least problematic. But efforts began as far back as 2010. Many fans thought Nathan Fillion should play the hero, Nate Drake. Hollywood decided David O. Russell should direct with Mark Whalberg as Nate Drake. Thankfully, that project fell into development hell. Over 10 years later, we still get Whalberg miscast not as Drake, but as his grizzled buddy Sully. And who did we get playing Drake? Tom Holland of the MCU’s Spider-Man. It’s hard to imagine Tom Holland’s Nate Drake becoming the Drake we know and love within a few years. The actual film, directed by Ruben Fleischer (Gangster Squad, Venom), fails to even work as an adaptation of the video games - not because it doesn’t tell the same story as any one of them, but because it doesn’t follow the blueprint of what makes an adventure an Uncharted adventure. That’s in addition to miscast leads, action set pieces that feel artificial or lack creativity or logic making for one of the biggest missed opportunities of the year.

1. Morbius

The worst film of the year is one that was perpetually postponed since the start of the pandemic. As a result, those who dared go to the theater the past 2 or 3 years were subjected to endless viewings of the film’s trailer. It never looked likely to be a ground-breaking “superhero” film; the hope was it would be mediocre at worst. But Sony’s second swing at a movie based on a Spider-Man-tangental character was not much better than its previous attempts (2018’s Venom was embarrassing and, by all accounts, its sequel is even worse). Morbius suffered most from not having a character explain the abilities and limitations of the protagonist’s powers. So, things happen and the character is able to do things inexplicably and without explanation. It sort of felt like the screenwriter was making stuff up at will after a certain point. Besides the baffling character development and plotting, the main conflict with a villainous vampire failed to excite. In fact, there isn’t a moment in the film that was exciting or thrilling, partially due to the poor action cinematography. And don’t get me started on the post-credit scene. Is anybody actually excited to see what comes next from this series?

Dishonorable Mentions:

Men,

Firestarter,

Cyrano,

Black Adam

The Best

10. Bros

We begin the list with one of three films that few people saw and should have. Bros is a romantic comedy starring Billy Eichner about a cynical man with commitment issues and his relationship with a younger, sexy man. It’s like, “What if 2011’s Weekend, except funny, clever, nuanced, and by a major film studio?”. It should have been the sleeper hit of the year. It’s from writer/director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, The Muppets), with co-writing duties by Billy Eichner. Their combination of talents makes for the funniest movie of the year and the most charming and interesting rom-com since 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians. It is the must-see comedy nobody saw.

9. The Fablemans

Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest American filmmakers. But his work since 2004 has been spotty at best with only 2 or 3 highlights worthy of his reputation. Most people don’t even seem to realize he released a film in 2022 (to be honest: hardly anyone went to see his remake of West Side Story). But this is a film by one of the most celebrated working directors about his family and his talent for filmmaking. The man is in his mid-70s. Instead of aiming to thrill us he’s opening up to us about his adolescence. Sure, the movie is not called The Spielbergs. But it is at least 80% accurate to the filmmaker’s real life and anyone who has studied the director can recognize that. It’s also greatly enhanced by the spot-on casting of Gabriel LaBelle, Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Seth Rogen, all of whom are spitting images of their real-life counterparts. But what is crucial and should be the subject of every cinephile’s adoration is how this film often illustrates how someone with enough talent can craft images that stir emotions in the viewer, illuminate truths, or shape myths. These elements are where The Fablemans truly shines.

8. Moonage Daydream

It’s been 6 years since David Bowie passed away. It’s hard to believe. He was a legend in rock music and an incredibly intelligent and articulate individual. His music and stage performances in the ‘70s alone were iconic, ground-breaking, and barrier-shattering. He was one of the first openly bisexual public figures and blurred the lines between the sexes with his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. Moonage Daydream is less a biographic documentary and more a montage that forms a portrait and loving tribute of the man. It’s also an incredible piece of filmmaking. There are thousands of shots used in the film’s 134 minutes. Interviews, performances, music videos, unseen footage, and clips from films. The editing process alone would be enough to boggle the mind. But it’s a testament to how the art of cinema can be pieced together to create something enigmatic, beautiful, and allow us to better know someone. It may be an endurance test for some. But it is one of the year’s most unique cinematic experiences.

7. The Northman

Here’s a film that was one of the best movies of the year’s first half and seems to have been forgotten by all but a couple dozen critics at year’s end. Robert Eggers has established himself with The Witch and The Lighthouse as an auteur and craftsman of disturbing and unnerving art house cinema. With The Northman he applies that esthetic to the war epic. The Northman is a film about viking culture and it is as fascinating as it is brutal. It also serves as a morally ambiguous tale of heroism where it becomes unclear who the hero actually is. It’s a film that isn’t interested in being the typical war epic, yet is also Eggers’s most accessible film. It is something to behold.

6. The Menu

My expectations for The Menu were fairly moderate; a decent, yet unexceptionable thriller possibly about cannibalism. Not only was The Menu not a movie about cannibalism, but it far exceeded expectations to become one of the few movies of the year that I couldn’t stop thinking about. A group of high class individuals are invited to an exclusive food experience on an island. That exclusive experience ends up having an agenda with a ghastly climax. The film ended up being a tightly-crafted thriller that sharply skewered elitism, foodies, critics, and fandom equally. Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy give a couple of the year’s best performances in a game of cat and mouse. The Menu is full of high brow thrills and insight.

5. Glass Onion

Coincidentally, the next film on the list is also about a group of elites invited to an exclusive experience on a remote island. This star-studded mystery is the follow-up to 2019’s Knives Out by Rian Johnson. It’s a twisty little tale that seems initially to be Johnson’s homage to Agatha Christie, but ends up being much much more. Its story examines how easily those with power can manipulate us to be allowed to get away with so much, leading to devastating consequences to our society. It’s a film that plays with dualities and has several twists and secrets hidden in plain sight. Like its predecessor, it also has an exceptional cast that includes Kate Hudson, Edward Norton, and Janelle Monae, arguably the star of the show. Rian Johnson is the only one playing with mysteries in the cinematic form and he is elevating the genre with each project.

4. The Woman King

Gina Prince-Bythewood is known for dramas like Love & Basketball and Beyond the Lights. In recent years she’s been stretching into action with an episode of Cloak & Dagger and Netflix’s The Old Guard. But a historical epic set in Benin seemed outside her purview. However this historical epic was about a group of warrior women who defended the state of Dahomey in the late 1700s and early 1800s. It turned out Prince-Bythewood was the perfect director to tell this story. Casting Viola Davis as the leader of the Agojie was crucial to its success. But equally as important (and often downplayed) were the additions of Lashana Lynch and Thuso Mbedu. The Woman King is not just a great period piece about loyalty, bravery, racism, and patriarchal misconceptions. It shows us a side of slavery we’ve never seen depicted before, which includes the complicity of some African leaders. We’ve seen armies of black warrior women before thanks to 2018’s Black Panther (no doubt inspired by real groups like the Agojie). But it’s even more powerful to see such a thing tethered to real people, events, and history with stakes as heavy as rape, torture, and death. For it to be so entertaining and well-executed is even better. We are blessed to have a film like The Woman King exist. May we be blessed with more stories about history like this one.

3. The Batman

Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film The Dark Knight was so ground-breaking and brilliant that it has since been the bar by which every Batman film has been measured - including his own The Dark Knight Rises. Since then we’ve had Ben Affleck’s Batman under the leadership of Zack Snyder and now Robert Pattinson’s Batman from Matt Reeves. That’s 3 Batmen in 10 years. How does one make a new Batman appealing and not exhausting? By meeting the bar previously set by Nolan. What that means is to meet or exceed The Dark Knight’s dark tone. And to make the conflict less about superpowers and big beams in the sky, rather crime lords and terrorists with themes that reflect recent American history. Add on top of that a cast that includes Paul Dano, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell, Zoe Kravitz, and Jeffrey Wright. And a brooding score by Michael Giacchino and you have all of these elements pile up to create one of the greatest and most interesting Batman films. Forget the Justice League. Forget any cinematic universe. Batman is always more interesting on his own with his own complex cast of characters and conflicts. And that is exactly what Matt Reeves understands. Hopefully, we’ll get to see more of this vision.

2. She Said

During the first half of the 2010s there were several articles and news stories about female body positivity, body autonomy, equal pay, and gender roles. Eventually, this lead to an explosion in 2017 and 2018 better known as the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements. The latter was about shattering the patriarchy, discrimination, and gender norms. The former was about something majority of women have in common: experience with sexual harassment and assault. What served as the final straw that pushed these movements into existence was the New York Times article that exposed the long history of sexual harassment, assault, and rape of women by movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. This is what She Said depicts. It is a film that is equally about investigative journalism, the history of numerous violations Weinstein made towards women within his sphere, and the problems women deal with from men on a daily basis. It is that last element that is so well handled and prevents the film from being rote and forgettable. Unfortunately, few people went to see the film. But the work by director Maria Schrader and stars Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan should be celebrated. They’re almost as deserving as the journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor.

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

The best film of the year remained one of the most creative and accomplished of the year. It’s a film about the multiverse, one person who threatens it, and the one person who can save it. But it isn’t a Marvel movie. It is an A24 movie. It is a film by The Daniels (Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert) and stars a mostly Asian cast: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, and Harry Shum, Jr. It also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Jenny Slate, and Tallie Medel. It is the psychedelic trip that requires no psychedelics to experience. It is full of imaginative and bonkers visuals and concepts. After a certain point viewers are with this movie or not and there is definitely a point in the film where that is determined. But underneath this film that requires its stars to do the most absurd things and features moments as ridiculous as a live action Ratatouille there is a story about Asian immigrants, the choices they made that created their life together, and the relationship between mother and daughter. It is an experience that is as moving and beautiful as it is hilarious and ridiculous. It is a film that represents the experiences of one group of people, while also being relatable to everyone. It is an extraordinary achievement on just about every level of filmmaking.

Honorable Mentions:

X,

The Black Phone,

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies,

Babylon,

Nope

That finally puts the year 2022 to bed! Be sure to check out the latest episode of The Movie Lovers that looks at the year as a whole and counts down our favorite films from the year.

What do you think are the best films of the year? Comment below!