Reel React’s Top 10 Movies of 2022
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on my own experience as a viewer. I wasn’t able to watch every release this year, so if there’s a movie that isn’t on this list that’s probably why.
Ladies and Gentlemen, it is time for the Top 10 Movies of the year. After a tumultuous and questionable few years of COVID, that very well put the future of cinema as we know it into question; 2022 was a pretty good year for movies, especially movie theatres. If we learned anything this year it’s that the best of Hollywood are making sure that every film they produce is made to be seen on the big screen, and as a fan, I couldn’t be happier!
The movies in this list could probably be rearranged on any given day, and just because 2022 is now done doesn’t mean all of these shouldn’t be at the top of your list for the new year. Here’s to another great year of movies, let’s continue to support films small and large in 2023! But without further ado, these are MY TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2022:
Should I be concerned that two cannibal-themed films made my top 10?
Sebastian Stan (left) and Daisy Edgar Jones (right) as Steve and Noa in Fresh
10. Fresh - 7.8/10
Fresh is probably my most interesting entry on this list. I’m not quite sure why I enjoyed this film so much, but it left a bigger impression on me than most other films this year. Maybe it was the double entendre of this and Bones and All that showed me two polar opposite ways you can handle the cannibalism element in a film.
Fresh is Hannibal meets American Psycho, starring Sebastian Stan in yet another great performance in 2022. Daisy Edgar Jones played the innocent protagonist to perfection, and after this, I highly recommend you go check out some of her other work in shows like Normal People and Under the Banner of Heaven.
It was either between this and The Menu for the number 10 spot, and to be honest, I just felt like doing something a little spontaneous, which is one of the themes of this movie.
If this were Rotten Tomatoes, I’d have to make a cheesy pun about how Fresh would be certified fresh…oh wait…
Stream Fresh on DISNEY+
Austin Butler (above) performing as Elvis Presley in Elvis
9. Elvis - 8.0/10
We can’t go on together… knowing there’s a chance Austin Butler doesn’t win best actor at this year’s Oscars for Elvis. Baz Luhrmann’s epic tribute to the King of Rock n’ Roll is a bright and colourful film that underneath tells a tragic story meant to strip away the iconography to truly reveal the man behind Elvis.
The only reason and I mean the only reason why this movie is receiving an 8/10, is because of how fantastic Austin Butler is in every part of this role. In short; this is a spectacularly average Baz Luhrmann show carried by an excellent lead performance, but when I say excellent I mean drop the mic excellent. The only problem is, everything else around it is kind of a circus mess. Tom Hanks turns in a conventionally good performance, but I just wasn’t a fan of how the story was told through the eyes of the Colonel and not Elvis. His undeniable bias always made me question whether or not this was a real story we were watching or just this twisted fabrication from a shameful man.
I’ve heard the movie was originally planned to be shot in chronological order, to give Butler time to really immerse himself in every period of Elvis’ life, but this had to be changed due to COVID. I suspect this change in vision was also what affected Lurhman’s ability to tell a completely connected story, jumping from the 50s to the 70s on a day-to-day basis, it just seems like a lot to handle, and though Baz has created some of my favourite films, maybe it was just too much this time around.
Baz Luhrmann crafts another great soundtrack, and nails the film's performance elements, but the story as a whole just wasn’t the one I was looking for. I am really excited though about the potential bonus content Baz has been talking about surrounding the film, he’s shared interest in creating a live concert version with Austin Butler performing all the songs from the film! Now that would be interesting to watch and something we’ve never seen in other feature films.
The Elvis movie will likely always be Austin Butler’s unchained melody, it’s just too bad the film
Read my full Elvis review here
Stream Elvis on HBO MAX
The star studded cast of Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
8. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - 8.5/10
Rian Johnson’s storytelling style is like a weaving river; just when you think you know what’s gonna happen, a current comes and takes you in the complete opposite direction. A good puppetmaster lets the audience believe they are the experts, constantly throughout the film I was pinpointing moments like “oh here we go back to the first one”. As if I was hoping that there was an end to his genius, or that I had actually outsmarted the mystery like I was Benoit Blanc. But every time I felt like I had it, Glass Onion sent a little reminder that said “Nope, no you don’t”.
I especially loved the detail about Duke’s cup, a forced fabrication causing the viewers to question what they even saw. What an amazing way to get the audience involved, I was definitely sitting there saying “He totally handed Duke the cup!” Having the benefit of being able to rewind because of its immediate release on Netflix, an option I didn’t have for the first movie. I was tempted to rewind initially because I know what I saw. Though I could feel that maybe this was another one of Rian’s tricks, and it was…brilliant.
Read my full Glass Onion review here
Stream Glass Onion on NETFLIX
Brenden Gleason (left) and Colin Farell (right) having a row in The Banshees of Inisherin
7. The Banshees of Inisherin - 8.7/10
It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, The Banshees of Inisherin is a fantastic yet heartbreaking tale of a fractured friendship. The movie is such a raw glimpse into the reality of a “proximity friendship”, telling the story of two friends who might’ve just been friends by circumstance, that maybe didn’t share the same dreams.
The performances are amazing, especially Barry Keoghan as Dominic. Every glimpse of light Banshees provides is immediately clouded in the dreary Irish skyline. The Banshees of Inisherin will go down with the likes of Joker and Marley & Me as one of those films that I will likely never rewatch again, not because I didn’t like it, but because it moved me so much that I just don’t want to put myself back in that headspace.
The comedic moments, even though dry, always gave me hope that this movie would have a happy ending. But I leave the film absolutely broken inside; both sad and angry about what Colm has done to Padraic and for what? At the same time, it makes me proud of my own situation and the support systems I have around me.
Justice for Jenny!
Stream The Banshees of Inisherin on HBO MAX
Timothee Chalamet (left) and Taylor Russel (right) as Maren and Lee in Bones and All
6. Bones and All - 8.4/10
This metaphorically rich cannibal love story based on the 2014 novel, reunites the talents of Luca Guadagnino and Timothee Chalamet in what is probably the most shocking film of the year, and the only movie to ever make me not want to eat my double-buttered popcorn.
Bones and All focuses on showcasing how true love is experienced through the good and the bad of every person; Making the audience ponder the thought: Maybe love isn’t just discovering the things we like in someone else, maybe we are all just looking for someone to share our demons with?
With this film, Timothee Chalamet has proven himself as a bonafide movie star, and the only actor I know of that can literally eat someone on screen and have two women in the audience go “Wow, like, Timothee is so f*cking hot” 🤣 I still hope that in the wake of Armie Hammer’s troubles that Guadagnino and Chalamet will reunite again and we will still eventually get to see Call Me By Your Name 2.
Read my full Bones and All review here
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Avatar: The Way of Water is the first film in history to utilize motion capture technology in underwater environments. All the actors had to learn free diving skills in order to shoot their underwater scenes.
5. Avatar: The Way of Water - 8.6/10
The LONG awaited sequel from the visionary mind of James Cameron is a visual masterpiece. The VFX and motion capture technology is the best I’ve ever seen and something that shouldn't be taken for granted. The story isn’t anything crazy, but it’s a refreshing switch-up from the original. The Way of Water really highlights the importance of fathers, and how individuals are raised and affected with and without that presence. I was a big fan of Kiri (played by Sigourney Weaver) and the story they are setting up for her. The only question is; just where does this world of Pandora take us next? I am quite excited to see what is in store for Avatar 3,4, and 5, which is something I wouldn’t have necessarily said prior to this film. If you want the best theatre experience, go watch this one in 4DX if your cinema offers it!
Watch Avatar: The Way of Water in THEATRES NOW!
Everything Everywhere All At Once is A24’s highest grossing film ever pulling in over $100 million on a mere $14 million budget!
4. Everything Everywhere All At Once - 8.7/10
I’m probably the last person to watch this movie, and I certainly didn’t watch it in the best conditions, so the fact that it got an 8.7 should tell you how great a film Everything Everywhere All At Once is! This film is even more impressive when you find out it only had a production budget of $14 million. To put that into perspective, one episode of a Marvel TV show has $25 million, and could never achieve half of what I just saw in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle Yeoh has to be one of the busiest actresses in the world, yet she never seems to miss a beat with each new performance. Ke Huy Quan also makes his return to the big screen, and he was just as playful and funny as he was in his roles in The Goonies & Indiana Jones. He very well might find his place as the next Jackie Chan. Just an overall amazing film with an excellent message about life and perceived happiness. I’m glad that I was able to squeeze it in before the new year, though I had faith that this was gonna be a banger, I always bet on Asian.
Stream Everything Everywhere All At Once on PRIME VIDEO
Robert Pattinson in The Batman
3. The Batman - 8.8/10
Matt Reeves’ The Batman starring Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader was both one of my favourite, as well as surprising films of the year. It’s not that I was expecting the movie to be bad or anything, but for how large a spot in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy holds in my heart, I never thought I would love The Batman as much as I did!
Reeves delivers the most complex Batman story. Robert Pattinson is excellent as the detective and has really set up the potential for a massive arc for his Bruce Wayne. I loved how reminiscent this was of old Batman games and comics, Paul Dano is one of my favourite actors in Hollywood and brought a very animalistic interpretation to his Riddler, he truly felt like a product of Gotham’s corruption. I think this movie would’ve received an even higher rating if it didn’t show all of the action sequences in the trailers, but I was still very impressed in the moment nonetheless. The only thing that I would’ve wished to happen was this Batman to be connected to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker, this doesn’t seem to be in the roadmap for DC, but that would be amazing if it did.
Stream The Batman on HBO MAX & CRAVE
Gabriel Labelle shooting a film as a Steven Spielberg a.k.a Sammy Fabelman in The Fabelmans.
2. The Fabelmans - 8.8/10
If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, it’s very likely The Fabelmans made it into your Top 5 films of 2022. This loose retelling of Steven Spielberg’s origins is two and a half hours of creativity and imagination on display. It’s rare nowadays that a big-budget studio would make a film about the origin of a director, but when that director is Steven Spielberg wanting to tell his own story, it’s worth taking the chance. I’m very happy this was not a straight-to-streaming title, it deserves to be seen on the big screen!
Movies are dreams that last forever, The Fabelmans is, and will continue to be just that. Thank you Steven Spielberg for sharing your dreams with us. This movie has me wanting to go shoot a film right now! Anyone interested?
Stream The Fabelmans on HBO MAX & CRAVE
Top Gun: Maverick was the highest-grossing film of 2022 bringing in a whopping $1.48 billion and is the highest-grossing film of Tom Cruise’s career.
The Best of 2022: Top Gun Maverick 9.2/10
Let’s have one more round of applause for Top Gun: Maverick, the movie that we can pretty well say brought back cinema post-pandemic. Top Gun: Maverick was easily the best theatre experience I’d had in a while, it is truly as Tom Cruise says, “A movie made to be seen on the big screen”. I saw it with those 4DX moving seats and it fully felt like I was in the cockpit of the jet 🤣
Tom Cruise and Miles Teller both lend great performances to this non-stop dogfight of a movie. Standout character has to go to Glen Powell A.K.A ‘Hangman’ even though I knew it would be Rooster, I was rooting for him to be Mav’s wingman. It was also awesome to see Tom thank the audience prior to the screening, that was a great surprise. Shows how much he loves movies and making them for the fans. So thank you Tom Cruise for the best movie of 2022!
Stream Top Gun: Maverick on PARAMOUNT+
Which was your FAVOURITE Movie of 2022? 💬👇
Continue the discussion in the comments below. What was your favourite of 2022? What films did you want to be better? And what are you most looking forward to in 2023? I want to hear your thoughts: