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firestorm26621 · 3 years ago

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Top 10 of 2022

Disclaimer: The following are not what I think are the “best” movies of the year, at least not in the objective sense of the word. Instead, what follows what follows are my top 10 films of 2022 only in the sense that they are films I personally enjoyed the most, be that by conjuring the biggest emotional reaction, making the biggest intellection impact, or simply inspiring the greatest sense of wonderment and appreciative awe in me.

The year of 2022 gave us the gift of finally feeling like large-scale filmmaking was back in full force. In the previous few years, we had to put a huge pause on that type of filmmaking for obvious reasons, and though the latter half of 2021 gave us just a few blockbusters back (almost entirely Marvel films), this year has allowed non-superhero blockbusters to finally reenter the landscape. That previous landscape wasn’t entirely negative, as the dearth of these types of blockbusters gave way to the rise of some fantastic smaller scale pictures, but it does feel nice to fill out this year’s list with a number of big spectacles for a change.

#10 – Prey

The Predator series is near and dear to my heart, with the first film being one of the formative action movies that I grew up on. So, it has been disheartening to watch the series devolve into mediocrity over the years as they lost what I considered the heart and central conceit of the franchise, that the series was to consist of genres that were not sci-fi, which would then have a sci-fi creature dropped into them. The first Predator was a tackling of the ultra-machismo action films of the 80’s, asking what would happen if a creature more powerful than all of them put together was dropped into their story. Predator 2 was the same thing, but with a gritty cop film. And then the series stopped that idea, and it became a rather generic sci-fi franchise. Until now. With Prey, they have returned to form, crafting a period survival film starring a Comanche woman in the 1700’s with her own story and character arc, and dropping this franchise’s unstoppable, menacing, alien creature in the middle of it. That back-to-basics approach works and gave us a fantastic action film that excels in a way the series hasn’t in decades.

#9 – Women Talking

I wasn’t on board with this one for the first fifteen minutes or so; it starts with a poetic, dreamlike setup of the world in which the story takes place and the events that kick off the plot, and it felt a tad meandering. But then the actual conversations start, with a group of women in an isolated, religiously patriarchal community discussing what to do about the rampant sexual assault being inflicted on them. At this point, the film really digs into the meat of the issues it is exploring, allowing a variety of stances and viewpoints to be heard and explored. It’s a heavy topic, and the conversations about it are equally somber and impactful. The film explores these heavy themes deeply and with powerful emotion delivered by an ensemble cast of great actors, chief among them Jessie Buckley and Claire Foy (who gives the most powerful monologue of the year as she expresses to just what she is willing to do to protect her children). The film is constructed largely like a play with limited locations and stage-like blocking, but the dialogue and the performances are enough for it to be one of the most impactful films of the year.

#8 – Avatar: The Way of Water

I didn’t care much for Avatar. I got that it was gorgeous, that its cg was groundbreaking and impressive, and the sheer amount of imagination on display. But the story was a shallow template laid over the fantastical environment, and the characters were two-dimensional clichés that had little in the way of actual humanity. So, I walked into The Way of Water with some amount of skepticism; and yet, to my surprise Cameron seems to have taken some notes. The characters have more depth than ever before, with the story focusing on family dramatics and the cast becoming far varied and ensemble in nature. Jake Sully, before a bland protagonist, becomes a conflicted warrior/father, Neytiri becomes a woman torn between loyalty to her family and her culture, and a whole new set of children get their own struggles. And while the villain is still a bit mustache-twirling, they do give him a few moments of humanity as well. So, with most the issues from the first film alleviated, the imagination and spectacle on display is allowed to shine without the rest of the film dragging it down. And with its plans to continue this world and story into the future, I am fully on board.

#7 – Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

I feel the need to defend myself a little bit on this one. Was it the best Marvel film that came out in 2022? Probably not. Was it my favorite Marvel film in 2023? Hell yes it was. And that came as a genuine surprise to me; after all, I’m not the biggest fan of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films, considering them to be fine but some of the most over-rated superhero films. I was expecting the same here, something fine but unremarkable. Instead, putting Raimi’s darkly campy style into a world of fantastical magic and a story that allows for high-concept sequences elevates both his style and the story. I’m not blind to some of its flaws; it moves at a breakneck pace to get its plot going, and has a few plot beats that are too convenient, but what I’ll remember from this one isn’t the over-arching plot, but the individual sequences within it; the stylish music video editing while Wanda searches the multi-verse, the musical magic fight, the horror sequence that holds us in suspense for a hilariously long time, the utter bad-assery of Zombie Strange. The things will stick with me far longer than most sequences out of any other Marvel property.

#6 –Top Gun: Maverick

Whether it meant to be or not, this one was a throwback. A throwback to a time when huge budget films that were not superheroes, existing IP, or even of the sci-fi or fantasy genre were made. In style, it’s a throwback to simple, to-the-point action films that relied less on subverting the template of what those films should be, but instead focusing on doing the formula as best they can. And it succeeds, giving us an action plot that is better than its predecessor (from 36 years ago!), giving us a tighter and more defined story, more stakes and emotions added with the subplot of the child of our hero’s old partner being thrown into mix, and more than anything, the action itself. The flight sequences are phenomenal, with the filming of real planes and cockpits making the danger the characters are in feel real and tangible. And despite this real-world photography, they still managed gorgeous cinematography that makes great use of the landscapes they are flying through and the adrenaline of the speeds they are flying at. It doesn’t innovate and it doesn’t veer from the standards of the genre, but it excels so much in its execution that it feels fresh anyway.

#5 – The Outfit

Bottle Movies are hard to get right, with a limitation on location and often time, it forces the plot to be tightened down to its most component parts, and then must expound upon those parts as best it can. The Outfit does this with the same expert craftmanship of its protagonist (played with a deep, subtle range by Mark Rylance), focusing entirely on his struggle through one night of violence, deceit, and manipulation. It focuses in so much on these elements that you can’t help being keyed in and fully engaged in the proceedings; you watch eyes to see who is looking at who and why, you listen to dialogue intently for hints of deception or misdirection, and you keep watch on everyone in every scene as you try to discern their motivations and intentions. It helps that the performances are across the board excellent, and that the setting is so interesting (a 50’s tailor shop under the thumb of the mob). As the film progresses, and it layers its lies and twists on top of each other, it builds a first-rate story that left me thinking it through long after the credits rolled.

#4 – The Batman

Batman has been done. And done. And done. At this point, it’s hard to imagine that anything new or interesting could be done with the character. And yet, here we are, with a re-imagining of the character that focuses on different aspects, in a different style, with a different tone; and it works. The Batman’s take on Bruce Wayne is probably the most realistically likely of any, portraying him as a reclusive goth who has very little social skills specifically because of his trauma and obsessions; it’s an interpretation that works on both a narrative and character level, with Robert Pattinson’s casting being an excellent choice to sell it. On the Batman side of the character, the film focuses on the “World’s Greatest Detective” angle, with the plot being heavily focused on following clues after a mysterious killer, which at times reminded me of the film’s stylistic reference “Se7en” and at other times reminded me of the best episodes of Batman: The Animated Series. Add to that some impressively stylish action sequences, music, sound design (the sound of the Batmobile was a particular standout), and of course the gorgeous neo-noir cinematography, and we end up with an iteration of Batman that stands on its own and sets itself apart as one of the better interpretations.

#3 – Glass Onion

I liked Knives Out, but I didn’t love it. I enjoyed the witty yet silly dialogue style, and the characters were interesting enough, but I couldn’t really engage with a plot that didn’t offer me the mystery tension I had hoped. So, I walked into Glass Onion with about the same expectations, and was quite pleased to find a film that improved on the original in all the ways I wanted it to, while also going in a slightly more comedic direction that I ended up enjoying immensely. Glass Onion doubles down on the layered storytelling of its predecessor, presenting the same events multiple times with additional information and context, presenting a film that is much more mystery focused than the first. The characters as well, while broader and more focused on comedy, worked for me better than the first primarily because they all felt big and important enough to be involved in the plot; in Knives Out, you instantly knew 80% of the cast was not involved in the murder because of just how little time and energy were put into them. And of course the mockery itself, the send-up of the uber-rich, out of touch, self-absorbed billionaire class and the reality distortion field that surrounds them, convincing the world that because they are rich they must be smarter or more talented than everyone else. It’s an incredibly timely yet also evergreen concept that is full of potential for mockery, and the Glass Onion wastes no opportunity to do so.

#2 – Thirteen Lives

I’m not sure what this sub-genre is called; it’s not necessarily a survival movie, though that is part of it. And it’s not exactly a rescue movie, though that is a big part of it. It presents more of an ensemble of plots to represent a real-world event, and all the many people, acts, and sacrifices that went into it. The Chernobyl mini-series is in the category, and so is this; and I suppose then it should be no surprise how much I took to it. This film tells the story of a real-world rescue in Thailand, and while it would be easy to hyperbolize the drama or present the white protagonists as the primary heroes of the story, the direction by Ron Howard is more honest and more direct than that. He allows every part of the rescue to breath; the local magistrate who’s forced into being a scapegoat, the local community coming together to help in whatever small ways they can, the Thai Navy divers with more desire to help than experience in how to do it, and of course the European hobby divers so expert in their craft that they are the only ones who really can. And once all these aspects are set up, Ron Howard’s steady, no-frills direction captures the pure tension of the rescue attempt itself. It focuses on the human element of this dangerous situation, expertly conveying the anxiety, stress, uncertainty, and emotional toll of just what they were attempting, and the consequences should they fail.

#1 – Everything Everywhere All At Once

In what must be one of the most unique, original, inventive films I’ve seen in years, “Everything” gives us a multiverse story that leans hard into the chaotic randomness of what that multiverse might look like. This approach gives the film an opportunity to try out a variety of styles, tones, aesthetics; want martial arts action sequences involving office supplies, an absurdist subplot involving a raccoon chef, a surreal world where people have hot dog fingers, or a touching moment involving two rocks talking to each other? All checked. But all this random insanity would be nothing more than interesting if there wasn’t a strong story and theme backing it up. And here is where this film truly shines; it manages to take all this utter nonsense and uses it in service of one of the most touching, powerful family dramas of recent memory, touching on losing one’s culture, the disconnection between generations, and the disappointment that is so intrinsically wrapped into the immigrant idea of the American Dream. So, with imagination and heart checked, what about laughs? Sure, why not? “Everything” also manages to be the funniest movie of the year, with its absurdist sense of humor combining with the wild ride of the story to produce some truly outrageously funny sequences. Not all of it may hit for everyone (the hot dog fingers were a step too far for me), but that’s kind of the point, with it exploring the random nature of what a multiverse would hold, and simultaneously grounding that in the inner workings of one family and their relationships to each other.

Honorable Mentions:

Werewolf By Night - An extremely fun, stylized monster movie throwback adventure that plays with its cinematography to wonderfully creepy effect, and featuring a few great new characters to add to the MCU.

The Menu - Part horror, part thriller, part satire, its a razor sharp yet hyperbolic look at high pressure service industry work distancing artists from their art and turning people into psychopaths (which...yeah).

You Won't Be Alone - A poetic folktale of a horror film, it has just as much Malick-style ethereal drama as it does unsettling imagery, it's also rather beautiful as it explores learning the hard way what it is to be human and what connects us to our humanity.

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