And here we are, the top 10! Appreciate anyone who stuck around for the full countdown (but if you just waited for this one, can’t really blame you there). There’s a wide variety of types of movies here, and I love that so much. Let’s jump in!
Previous Rankings
#171-183
#151-170
#131-150
#111-130
#91-110
#71-90
#51-70
#31-50
#11-30
EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE lives up to its name. A blend of sci-fi, action, drama, comedy, martial arts, multiverses, it truly runs the gamut. And it nails every aspect it tackles. It’s one of the funniest movies of the year, one of the most touching and emotional movies of the year, with some of the best and most creative action of the year, and, well, you get the idea. But that’s all the surface level stuff, that everyone can appreciate. If it also hits you on an emotional level -like it did with me – then you end up where I’m at: with this at the top of the “Best of 2022” list.
Matt Reeves’ THE BATMAN (review) is dark and gritty, a cinematic take we haven’t seen yet. Nolan’s trilogy dabbled, but this one really goes for it. And with more focus on the detective side of things than we may be used to, Reeves manages to take a character fans know so well and give us something that feels fresh. Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz have great chemistry as the Caped Crusader and Selina Kyle/Catwoman, and there’s an incredibly strong supporting cast taking on classic Batman characters. Paul Dano’s twisted performance as the Riddler is the standout.
Holy shit I love X (review) so much. I’m not usually a big horror fan, but I’ve always been partial to slashers. and X is immediately one of my new favorites. Even while having no shortage of brutal kills, it still manages to be a fun movie. Writer/director (and just for good measure, editor too) Ti West crafts a near-perfect balance with everything going on here. The characters are awesome, the script is witty and clever, and it doesn’t shy away from several horror tropes, while still finding ways to make them feel fresh or different. Part of that is the production and below the lines aspects. Great cinematography, creative narrative structure, really slick editing, it’s all there. Just a banger of a movie.
Hell yeah, TOP GUN: MAVERICK (review). This movie rules. The 1986 original was pretty much Vibes: The Movie. And it was awesome. Maverick keeps the good vibes rolling, but with a much better story, better effects, more thrilling stunts. Basically, it took everything about its predecessor and made it better (except for the volleyball scene; the beach football scene in Maverick can’t hold a candle to the iconic beach volleyball scene). On top of being a legitimately good movie, Maverick is also impossibly entertaining. It’s ridiculous how fun an experience watching this movie is. I think most were expecting this to be good, but I don’t know how many realistically thought it would be *this* good.
GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (review) somehow improves on Knives Out. A murder mystery comedy is completely my jam, and Glass Onion nails both aspects. I think Knives Out had a better mystery, but the comedic bits are stronger in Glass Onion. Rian Johnson’s script is great, and it’s brought to life by an all-star cast. Janelle Monáe has been getting lots of acclaim (and deservedly so), but Kate Hudson is my MVP.
You can’t discuss 2022’s most entertaining movies without mentioning RRR. The Tollywood epic absolutely rips, in every conceivable way. Action, love, drama, war, dance numbers, best friends vibes. Everything is over the top and it all works. It probably doesn’t need its massive 3 hour runtime, but every second still manages to be entertaining.
If you want a short and sweet snippet about BABYLON (review), then look no further than this reaction from The Ringer’s Sean Fennessey:
I’m all in on that. Babylon movies (yes I’m making it a verb here) maybe harder than any movie has movied before. The first half is perfect, as far as I’m concerned. The rest does taper off a bit, but there’s still plenty to like. The biggest issue with the back half is that there’s less Margot Robbie. Never take her off screen and you just might have had the best movie of the year. It’s overwhelming, it’s excessive, it’s outrageous, audacious, gross, hilarious. If I’m taking the time to single out the production and costume designs, then you know it’s good. And it has the best score of the year, to boot. Also, justice for PJ Byrne! My man is out here dialed to 11 every second of his screen time. Manic and completely unhinged, his is easily one of my favorite performances. Not just from 2022, but ever. I can’t wait to fire up the “Hello College” scene over and over.
Cooper Raiff had an indie hit with his debut feature Shithouse, and his second feature, CHA CHA REAL SMOOTH (review), proves he’s for real. The talent for so accurately and eloquently capturing this specific time of life – while living through it – is uncanny. The depth and understanding he displays is usually something you achieve with the benefit of hindsight, and a life lived full of experiences. But the guy just gets it. He adds plenty of humor too, with a great feel for the dramedy genre. I can’t wait to see where he goes from here.
THE FALLOUT (review), oh boy what a heavy movie. This is one of the earliest movies I watched last year, and it held strong all the way to the end. A huge credit goes to Jenna Ortega, who has had a MONSTER year. Her higher profile roles are X, Scream, and Wednesday, but I think she’s at her best in The Fallout, as a high school student dealing with the trauma of the aftermath of a school shooting. With shifting the focus from the shooting to how the survivors are affected, it puts a different spin on the topic. And the result is one of the most powerful movies I’ve seen in quite some time.
I know I’m in the minority with I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (review), but what can I say? I adored this movie. Sure it’s mostly a standard-issue by-the-numbers biopic, but so what? Not every movie has to reinvent the genre or add some bit of flair we’ve never seen before. Tell the story with heart, throw in some iconic musical moments, get an otherworldly performance out of your lead (Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston, in this case), and you’re gold, Ponyboy.
Whew, that brings us to a close. Another great year for movies (to be fair, every year is a great year for movies to varying degrees, but still). Can’t wait to see where the rest of 2023 takes us. And to come along for that ride, you can follow all 2023 reviews here.
