After two years very affected by the covid-19 pandemic, cinema seems to have finally returned to its normal flow in 2022. The studios brought a very consistent schedule of releases and the public felt increasingly motivated to return to the cinemas. And the result was a colossal amount of big premieres arriving from January to December.
At the same time, we also saw a huge maturation of exclusive streaming productions, with Netflix, Prime Video and HBO Max betting heavily on titles that owe nothing to those that hit the big screen.
So, whether at the cinema or at home, fans of good stories had nothing to complain about. Whether with more contained plots or those that expand fantastic universes, there was no shortage of reasons to make moviegoers smile.
And to help you list your possible favorites of 2022 or even to list a feature that you might have missed amidst this avalanche of premieres, the canaltech listed 15 of the best movies released in 2022.
15. Pearl
We start our list with a horror movie to show how the genre has excelled throughout 2022. Scream 5 to the novice brutal nights, there was no lack of good reasons for the public to be afraid. However, of all that style has offered in this frightening year, few things stand out as much as pearl.
The film is a slasher that draws attention for a number of reasons. The feature film focuses on the rather disturbing story about a young woman who dreams of being a movie star who, isolated on a farm in rural Texas, begins to go crazy and leave a trail of blood. But what really intrigues this plot is how it connects with another film that also arrived in 2022: X – The Mark of Death.
This seam works very well and builds a dark and thought-provoking universe that makes us return to those characters even knowing how much they will affect us. Full credit to director Ti West, who has already proven himself as one of the great names of this new generation of horror filmmakers.
14. Elvis
It’s strange to think that it took so long for Hollywood to decide to make a movie telling the story of an icon like Elvis Presley. But the wait was worth it and elvis arrives with all the pomp and elegance that the King of Rock demands.
The film starring Austin Butler impresses mainly for its characterization. The young actor actually transforms into the singer and impresses with how identical to the star he becomes. Likewise, it also draws attention to how unrecognizable Tom Hanks is in the role of Tom Parker, the artist’s manager.
Add to all this a beautiful direction from Baz Luhrmann and we have a beautiful biography that presents the ups and downs of Presley’s life, as well as highlighting the importance of his image to pop culture even today.
13. Avatar: The Way of Water
It was 13 years of waiting for this sequel and Avatar: The Way of Water it doesn’t disappoint even for a second. Even with a very simple story and no big surprises, the feature is a visual spectacle like we haven’t seen in a long time — proof that director James Cameron continues to be the great reference when it comes to cinematographic technology.
This time, he takes his blue aliens to the seas of the planet Pandora and bets on the visual breakthrough that is this new ecosystem. In addition to exploring the full culture of this new people, we have incredible underwater scenery and a demonstration of the new underwater filming technology that Cameron developed just for the film.
12. The Woman King
One of the big surprises of the year, King Woman arrived to show how Viola Davis is one of the greatest actresses of our time, while giving birth to one of those necessary stories that have been erased over time.
The film centers its plot on the general of a group of women warriors who fight to defend the Kingdom of Dahomey against the invasions of neighboring tribes and colonizers. The result is a strong script, with incredible characters that have a lot to say even today.
11. The Menu
In 2022, actress Anya Taylor-Joy continued on a high and The menu is one of the beautiful examples of how the young woman continues to choose very well the productions in which she will appear. Mark Mylod’s feature has an incredible cast that also has Ralph Fiennes and Nicholas Hoult and that delivers great interpretations, an excellent text and all that from a very simple premise.
The story revolves around a couple who go to a restaurant owned by an acclaimed chef on a remote island in search of a unique gastronomic experience. Only, from then on, things unfold in quite unexpected ways and in a delicious way — at least for us.
10. The Unknown
One of Netflix’s big premieres in 2022, The unknown arrived without much fanfare and soon became one of the most watched films on the platform. All thanks to its impressive story based on real events.
The film tells the story of a police officer who goes undercover and forms an intense connection with a murder suspect, all to extract a confession from the criminal. The synopsis is a little generic, but what really matters is that it is inspired by the disappearance of a boy in Australia in 2003 and all the consequences of the case.
But the real merit is in the way the script adapts this episode and the weight that each of the actors gives to the characters, making the whole investigation and the search for the truth tense from beginning to end.
9. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever After
Let’s face it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) wasn’t as inspired this year. However, between the Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever delivers not only an excellent film and hook for the future but also a beautiful tribute to Chadwick Boseman.
There was enormous curiosity about how the studio would handle the loss of the actor and the end result managed to continue the character while also paying a beautiful tribute to Boseman and his legacy.
8. The Man from the North
Robert Eggers had already delivered two recent cinema gems with The witch and The headlight — which made the expectation around the man from the north was huge. And not only did it live up to that hype, it even managed to surpass it by delivering one of the best Viking stories we’ve seen on screen to date.
With Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy (again), Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke in the cast, he recounts the myth that will inspire Shakespeare to write Hamlet and brings a very accurate recreation of Nordic culture. Without falling into clichés, he recreates all the customs, beliefs and traditions in such a unique way and yet delivers a journey of revenge so incredible that you leave wanting to embark on something similar.
7. Everything and Everywhere at the Same Time
The multiverse was the big concept of the year. But while Marvel shared public opinion with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Everything Everywhere at the Same Time presented a very particular way of playing with the idea of different realities and delivered one of the main surprises of 2022.
Starring Michelle Yeoh, it tells the story of this heroine who finds herself in the midst of a rupture between these various dimensions and needs to find a way to solve this problem before her existence is compromised. But the big difference is precisely in the creative way in which the plot explores the craziness that the proposal offers.
6. No, Don’t Look
Another director who returned in style in 2022 was Jordan Peele, author of Run! and We. And with No, don’t lookhe puts aside social criticism a little and brings a look to cinema and the entertainment industry — but in a way that only he knows how to do.
For this, the filmmaker plays with the aesthetics of a horror film and mixes it with alien stories and even inserts references and jokes with classic series and even anime. It’s an unusual salad, but one that works really well when talking about this monster that devours us whenever we look at it.
5. White Noise
After the success of Story of a Marriage, it was obvious that Netflix would bet on a new production by Noah Baumbach. And the director brought nothing less than the adaptation of one of the greatest classics of American literature of the late 20th century to give his nudges in society at the same time that he deals with the demons that plague us on a daily basis.
It seems confusing, but that is precisely the intention of white noise. With an almost unrecognizable Adam Driver in the lead role, the film satirizes American society and its attachment to capitalism while exploring the scars left by the pandemic on each of us. And all this in a story that oscillates between introspective drama and bizarre comedy. A true cacophony delicious to hear.
4. The Batman
It sounds redundant that a Batman movie was successful, but The Batman showed how much the hero still has a lot to offer fans. Despite all the distrust surrounding its production and the choice of Robert Pattinson for the lead role, Matt Reeves’ feature film brought a new facet of the character and still made it clear why the Dark Knight represents this heroic figure well even with all its contradictions.
By setting the plot in Batman’s early years as a Gotham vigilante, we find a much more introspective and even disturbed Bruce Wayne who still doesn’t understand his role in the city. And it is with the emergence of a villain like the Riddler (Paul Dano) that he has a much clearer view of who he really is and what he could become.
3. Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro
It’s very difficult for these reimaginings of great classics to work, but the version of Pinocchio by Guillermo del Toro It’s a beautiful point off the curve. Although the story told by Disney is engraved in our imagination, the director brought a very unique look to the tale of the doll who wanted to be a real boy that works very well — even better than the remake made for Disney +.
Entirely in stop-motion and with a very particular look, the Netflix feature updates the script that everyone knows while adding new elements that fit very well with the magical tone that the filmmaker offers.
2. Nothing New on the Front
Another classic that won a new version in 2022, Nothing New on the Front renews the anti-war message of the 1929 book and shows how, almost a century later, little has changed. We still have an idealized view of what it’s like to go to the battlefield in the same way that there is a huge disregard for those who are dying in the mud, blood and shit.
Coincidence or not, the fact that the premiere takes place at a time when we have a war going on gives even greater weight to the speech that the German feature film presents. It’s a heavy film like a punch in the stomach.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
In a post-pandemic world where studios were forced to accept more modest box office Top Gun: Maverick showed that a good story, charismatic characters and great action scenes are still a guarantee of success and billions at the box office.
Tom Cruise’s new film continues the Top Gun original after more than 30 years and hits the spot not only in rescuing the atmosphere of the time, but for going beyond and showing how to renew these concepts and use nostalgia in your favor to develop everything that we wanted to see.
No accident, Top Gun: Maverick it was the highest-grossing of 2022 and an undisputed success.
