Best Movies of 2022

My top 10 favorite movies that came out in 2022!

Molly Schweickhardt|December 8, 2022

 

As the end of the year approaches, it is time to share my top 10 favorite movies of 2022. This year, a lot of amazing movies came out and it was very hard to narrow them down to a top 10 list. Also, I did not see every movie that came out this year so this list could definitely change overtime. Enjoy!

 

1. Decision to Leave 

Decision to Leave directed by Park Chan-wook is a stunning neo-noir movie about a detective named Jang Hae-jun who investigates a murder mystery and becomes infatuated by the key murder suspect, the wife, Song Seo-rae. This was my most anticipated movie of the year because I am a mega fan of Park Chan-wook and it did not disappoint. Decision to Leave is a classic Park Chan-wook movie that is full of plot twists and amazing characters. What I really loved about the movie is that you never really know either characters’ motivations and opinions about the other. Not only does this help establish the theme of the movie, it also creates a lot of suspense between the characters as you never know what they are going to do next. I really enjoyed this movie because nothing is straightforward and you never learn everything about the characters, making the movie one big mystery. The best way I can describe Decision to Leave is a Park Chan-wook version of In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. Park Chan-wook did state that “Vertigo’ is the film that made me want to become a filmmaker. As someone who didn’t go to film school, Hitchcock was my film school.” Yet he did say that while the Vertigo “influence definitely does exist” he did not “think of ‘Vertigo’ when writing ‘Decision to Leave.” Everything about this movie was amazing, the writing, cinematography, editing, camera-work, and acting was all so spectacular and was a great watch. I highly recommend watching Decision to Leave or any of his other movies, my favorites being The Vengeance Saga and The Handmaiden. Park Chan-wook, in my opinion, is one of the best directors currently making movies and I highly recommend checking him out.

 

2. The Northman

The Northman, directed by Robert Eggers, is a movie adaptation of the medieval Scandinavian legend Prince Amleth (which is the direct inspiration for the Shakespearean tale Hamlet). The Northman follows a simple plot, Almeth dedicates his whole life to seek revenge on his uncle after he brutally murdered his father and kidnaped his mother when he was a teenager. Many people will probably disagree with putting this movie above Everything Everywhere All at Once, but they are definitely interchangeable positions depending on my mood. This was another movie I was very excited about and it did not disappoint. I saw the Northman three times in theaters and each time it got better than the last. The cinematography of the movie is absolutely amazing and the soundtrack also adds to the intensity of the movie. Alexander Skarsgard does an amazing job playing the main character, Amleth, and is the perfect person to play the role. What I love about Robert Eggers movies is that he makes his movies as historically accurate as possible, and it is really amazing to see the amount of detail he puts into everything he creates. The Northman is definitely not for everyone, it has a ton of gore in it, and is also very intense so be wary of that if you plan on watching. But if you enjoyed Robert Eggers other movies and enjoy a historical action movie, The Northman is the movie for you. 

 

3. Everything Everywhere All At Once

Everything Everywhere All At Once is an amazing movie directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. It is very hard to describe the plot of this movie because so much happens in its 2 hour and 19 minute runtime. But the basic plot of the movie is that a woman named Evelyn Wang uses her newfound powers to fight a bizarre power from the multiverse that threatens to destroy her reality. Everything Everywhere All At Once is an amazing movie that discusses many themes such as individuality, parenthood, generational gaps, generational trauma, nihilism, love and empathy. It is a very emotional movie, but it is also full of hilarious moments and very fun action sequences. Since the movie is fast paced it can be a little overwhelming at times, but the directors are able to flesh out all the themes and ideas they present, which creates a cohesive and a satisfying ending. The directing and editing are so impressive, and I can not imagine how long it took for them to edit this movie. I also love how in one of the dimensions they pay tribute to one of my favorite directors Wong Kar-wai, by imitating his iconic cinematography and editing style. Ellyse Ramos commented that,

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I was very emotional after the movie because it was very relatable.

— Ellyse Ramos

Leila Tabrizian also agreed with Ellyse and said it was, “very good.” Everything Everywhere All At Once is an amazing maximalist movie that everyone should watch.

 

4. Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On, directed by Dean Fleisher-Camp, is the most heartwarming movie of the year. The movie is about Marcel, a 1-inch shell, who lives in an airbnb with his Grandmother, Connie, and his pet lint. Dean, a filmmaker who is staying at the airbnb, quickly becomes friends with Marcel and starts making youtube videos about Marcel and his daily activities. Soon the videos Dean posts go viral and Marcel uses his new found internet fame to help him find his family and members of his community that mysteriously disappeared 2 years ago. Marcel the Shell With Shoes on is a very heartwarming movie that made me sob the whole time I was watching. It was such a cute movie about the importance of community and forming connections with others. Marcel the Shell with Shoes was a simple, funny, and emotional movie that I highly recommend to everyone.

 

 

5. Tar

Tar directed by Todd Field is about a famous composer-conductor named Lydia Tar (played by Cate Blanchett) and her subsequent downfall. Cate Blanchett was amazing in this role and I would argue that it was her best acting performance of her career. The movie would definitely not be as good without her. Tar reminds me of the movie Whiplash if the main character was the abusive conductor, Terence Fletcher. It was interesting to watch as everyone slowly started to turn against Lydia Tar as she remained calm and collected throughout her downfall. Tar has been regarded as a movie about cancel culture but I think it is way more complex than that. Tar is more so a movie about her growing ego and the consequences of power imbalances that occur in a collaborative space. I highly recommend this movie to anyone and to not shy away from the almost three hour runtime.

 

6. Bones and All

Bones and All, directed by Luca Guadagnino, is a romantic horror movie about a young adult named Maren Yearly (played by Taylor Russel) who embarks on a journey across America, after her father abandons her on her 18th birthday, to find her mom. I was very surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. Of course it was not a perfect movie, there were some pacing issues and also there was some ideas presented in the movie that were not completely fleshed out. Although, I was able to overlook a lot of those issues because of how well Taylor Russel and Timothée Chalamet acted. They had amazing chemistry on screen and made the movie very emotional and compelling. If you also enjoyed this movie, I recommend watching the French movie Raw, it has similar themes to Bones and All and is a great horror movie. Bones and All was a twisted love story, but it was really good and I highly recommend watching it, if you can handle some gore. 

 

7. Nope

Nope directed by Jordan Peele is a fantastic western sci-fi horror movie that follows a horse ranch owner, Haywood Jr., and his sister, Emerald Haywood, as they discover something strange and supernatural that is occurring in the skies above their ranch. Nope was one of my most anticipated movies of the year, and it did not disappoint. Jordan Peele is an amazing director and always comes out with very unique horror movies that stand out in the genre. Daniel Kaluuya is one of my favorite actors and his pairing with Keke Palmer was amazing and they did a great job in the movie. Although I did feel that Jordan Peele included too many different themes in the movie, so he did not get to fully elaborate on an interesting idea before moving to the next one, which left me a little unsatisfied at the end of the movie. But I still really enjoyed Nope, the concept was very unique and the cinematography and directing was amazing. 

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The monkey deserved better

— Emerson Rampey

 

8. Barbarian 

Barbarian directed by Zach Cregger is about a young woman who uncovers the creepy secrets of the Airbnb she is staying in. Barbarian was a crazy movie. When watching it you think it is going to be one type of movie, but then it completely turns into something else. It was a really well rounded horror movie, funny, sad, gorey, and disgusting. I went into the movie not knowing much about it which made the movie much more interesting and enjoyable, so I will try to not say much about the plot. The lighting of the movie was amazing and the camera shots were also very creative and fun. My one critique about the movie is that, just like Nope, they tried to cram too many ideas into the film and before one idea was able to be completely fleshed out, they would introduce a new idea to explore. Despite this, I really thought it was an amazing and creative movie, that made me excited about the career of Zach Cregger. 

 

9. RRR

RRR, directed by S. S. Rajamouli, is a Bollywood movie about two revolutionaries in India fighting against British colonists in the 1920s. RRR is an engaging, maximalist, action packed drama with a very heartwarming story about the friendship between the two main characters. RRR was the most fun and engaging three hour movie I have ever seen. The two main characters are so overpowered it is amazing to watch as they fight the British army. The soundtrack is also a highlight of RRR. The song Naacho Naacho was so fun and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them have a dance battle with the British people. Among all the crazy action sequences there is some amazing camera work, lots of dolly zooms and slow motion shots with great camera quality. I highly recommend this movie if you want to watch more Bollywood films, it is a very fun movie, and in my opinion, the best action movie of the year. 

 

10. The Woman King 

The Woman King directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood was an amazing historical action movie about the Agojie, a group of all women warriors in the African Kingdom Dahomey during the 1800s, and their fight against the Oyo Empire, who aids the European slave trade. The acting in this movie was absolutely amazing. Viola Davis shines in anything she is in and The Woman King is one of my favorite acting roles she has been in. Lashana Lynch was another stand out in the movie, and she played her role with alot of passion and her character was my favorite in the movie. There were some pacing issues in it, but otherwise it was a great movie to watch in theaters. The Woman King is definitely a must watch movie of the year and I highly recommend checking it out.

 

I hope you enjoyed this list and also agreed with me on some of my favorite movies of 2022. Of course there was other movies that came out this year I really enjoyed like Pearl, Prey, Crimes of the Future, Triangle of Sadness, X, and The Batman. If you have not seen some of these movies in my top 10 I highly recommend watching them and I hope you enjoy!