30 Best Movies Of 2022

After one year in total lockdown and another in limbo, 2022 was the year in which the Hollywood film industry hoped to establish a new normal, and it didn't turn out exactly how they hoped. While the total domestic box office gross is on the upswing, the lion's share of that money was earned by big franchise blockbusters, with prestige pictures seriously underperforming. Whether you want to blame the narrow window between theatrical and streaming release dates or the apparently even narrower interests of the average moviegoer, things are looking bleak for any movie that doesn't have a certain IMAX appeal.

And that's a shame, because in addition to a handful of truly worthy smash-hit spectacles, 2022 had no shortage of terrific low-to-mid-budget films that deserve more widespread attention. Despite what you might have heard from the grumpier cinephiles among us, studios and independent creators are still making a variety of films for every taste, from intimate dramas to zany comedies to the rare treat that can bridge the gap between the two. It was a year of multiple masterpieces both from Hollywood and from abroad, from exciting new voices and some of the most celebrated directors in the business. Whatever tomorrow holds for movie theaters as an institution or streaming as a business model, 2022 removed any doubt that the artform of cinema still has a bright future.

Updated on January 3, 2023: From indie dramas to big blockbusters, these are the 30 best movies of 2022.

Years after the release of his acclaimed debut feature "In Bruges," writer-director Martin McDonagh reunites stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson for another bizarre and moody dark comedy. Set on a fictional island off the coast of Ireland in the 1920s, where drinking, music, and idle chat are the only available pastimes, "The Banshees of Inisherin" is the story of a messy breakup between lifelong friends Colm and Pádraic. Witty, bleakly funny, and shot on the picturesque Aran Islands, "The Banshees of Inisherin" is a shoe-in for Oscar nominations for acting, writing, and costume design.

• Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon
• Director: Martin McDonagh
• Runtime: 114 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97%

The streets of Gotham City have never been grittier than in "The Batman," a new interpretation of DC's most popular superhero. Despite being yet another reboot that takes the character "back to basics" as a lone crimefighter chasing gangsters and serial killers, "The Batman" still feels distinct from both Christopher Nolan's nuts-and-bolts realism and Tim Burton's dark whimsy. More than any previous Batman film, it's a detective story, closer to a 1970s neo-noir than a modern action blockbuster. Within the film's ambitious three-hour runtime you'll find memorable performances, gorgeous photography, and the most in-depth exploration of the title character ever to hit the big screen.

• Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright
• Director: Matt Reeves
• Runtime: 176 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
  
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

"Belle" follows a talented teenage songwriter, Suzu, who's been unable to raise her voice in song since the tragic death of her mother. But when she logs into the futuristic social media platform "U," Suzu transforms into "Belle," a spellbinding songstress who becomes a global sensation overnight. As Suzu attempts to reconcile the two parts of herself, she becomes fascinated by an infamous online prizefighter with a monstrous virtual avatar.

Though originally released in Japan and on the festival circuit in 2021, the critically acclaimed anime musical "Belle" finally arrived in U.S. theaters in January 2022. It's nominally an adaptation of the classic fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" for the social media age, but "Belle" brings far more to the table than just the familiar beats of its source material. "Belle" is part timeless and part bleeding-edge contemporary, as exemplified by its two distinct but equally beautiful art styles — painterly traditional animation to represent the real world and eye-popping cell-shaded CGI to represent the virtual reality of the Internet.

• Starring: Kaho Nakamura, Ryō Narita, Shōta Sometani
• Director: Mamoru Hosoda
• Runtime: 121 minutes
• Rating: PG
  
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

South Korean director Park Chan-wook of "Oldboy" and "The Handmaiden" fame presents a seductive thriller that expertly balances suspense, romance, and comedy in "Decision to Leave." When ace detective Hae-jun is assigned to investigate a mysterious death, he becomes bizarrely obsessed with the victim's widow, Seo-rae. The feeling seems to be mutual, but is Seo-rae simply toying with him to cover up a murder? Gorgeously shot and simmering with tension that's occasionally broken by a pitch-perfect gag, "Decision to Leave" is a masterfully crafted mystery.

• Starring: Tang Wei, Park Hae-il, Lee Jung-hyun
• Director: Park Chan-wook
• Runtime: 138 minutes
• Rating: Not Rated
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

"Emily the Criminal" is a crime thriller born of the present moment, as a generation weighed down by debt and denied full-time employment struggles to make ends meet in the "gig economy." Aubrey Plaza stars as Emily, who juggles various menial jobs with combined wages that can't make a dent in her student loans. When presented with the opportunity to make a lot of money fast, Emily becomes a "dummy shopper," maxing out cloned credit cards and reselling the purchases on the black market. The story of a hard-luck outlaw getting in too deep is nothing new, but "Emily the Criminal" has such a modern edge that it can't be denied.

• Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke
• Director: John Patton Ford
• Runtime: 95 minutes
• Rating: Not Rated 
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Director Steven Spielberg has shaped the past 50 years of cinema more than any other filmmaker. Now, he's finally ready to tell the story of the events that shaped Steven Spielberg. Though his films are generally known for their sincerity, "The Fabelmans" is Spielberg's most personal work yet, as a semi-autobiographical story based on his own adolescence. 

Sammy Fabelman is a young Jewish kid with a love of filmmaking who must navigate the collapse of his parents' marriage. His is a sweet coming-of-age story that's also a thoughtful and sympathetic examination of a loving couple who've drawn apart from each other. Beyond this, "The Fabelmans" is a charming love letter to cinema, following its protagonist as he embarks on ever more complicated home movie projects that are a delight to see on the big screen. "The Fabelmans" is as awe-inspiring a theatrical experience as any other Spielberg venture.

• Starring: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Seth Rogen
• Director: Steven Spielberg
• Runtime: 151 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

"Fire of Love" tells the true story of Katia and Maurice Krafft, fearless volcanologists who visited multiple erupting volcanoes during the latter half of the 20th century. To finance their studies, the couple filmed and photographed their adventures, turning them into books and movies that captivated audiences across the world. This documentary is the distillation of hundreds of hours of footage of their strange journey into one, stunning narrative. Their relationship to each other and the awesome and indifferent forces of our planet is nothing short of enthralling. "Fire of Love" is part nature documentary, part romance, and part tragedy, best seen with the person next to you clutching your hand.

• Starring: Miranda July, Katia Krafft, Maurice Krafft
• Director: Sara Dosa
• Runtime: 93 minutes
• Rating: PG
  
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%

In between bringing his friends on vacations to sunny locales around the world (and incidentally shooting Netflix comedies while they're in town), Adam Sandler maintains a successful career as a dramatic actor. Following up his critically acclaimed turn in the Safdie brothers thriller "Uncut Gems," Sandler stars in "Hustle," the story of a desperate basketball scout who discovers a world-class talent in a poor single dad from Spain. "Hustle" doesn't exactly break the sports drama mold, but Sandler and co-star Juancho Hernangomez share a lovely chemistry that reminds you how uplifting this dying genre can be. Add in clutch performances from Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, and Robert Duvall and dozens of cameos by NBA and street ball legends, and "Hustle" is a worthy addition to the canon of basketball movies.

• Starring: Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangomez, Queen Latifah
• Director: Jeremiah Zagar
• Runtime: 118 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

Horror auteur Jordan Peele returns with his biggest and most ambitious film yet, a sci-fi-horror-comedy-Western that deconstructs the very concept of filmed entertainment. When a brother-sister pair of down-on-their-luck horse trainers spies a UFO above their ranch, they hope to secure their legacy by capturing the first incontrovertible proof of extraterrestrial life. But at what cost are they willing to attain the impossible shot? And what, "Nope" further inquires, drives people to seek out bizarre spectacle in the first place? Peele doesn't answer every question he poses, to tremendous effect. Expect the wheels in your head to keep turning for days after you see "Nope."

• Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun
• Director: Jordan Peele
• Runtime: 131 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 82%

John McTiernan's 1987 genre-mashing blockbuster "Predator" may be a bulletproof classic, but few of its sequels or spin-offs have survived contact with audiences or critics. However, in modern Hollywood, movie franchises can't be killed, no matter how much they bleed — and for once, the world is better for it. "Prey," a prequel to "Predator" set in the North American Great Plains during the 18th century, is by far the best installment in the series since the original. It's a lean, character-driven horror-thriller with some gnarly, cleverly staged violence.

Amber Midthunder makes her mark on action cinema as Naru, a young Comanche warrior looking to prove herself by hunting a dangerous beast. Her prey turns out to be a well-armed extraterrestrial who's come to kill humans for sport, as well as a portent of the colonizing threat that awaits her community. Like all "Predator" films, "Prey" can be enjoyed entirely on its own, but it also contains some cute Easter eggs for longtime fans of the franchise's mythology.

• Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Stormee Kipp
• Director: Dan Trachtenberg
• Runtime: 99 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"RRR" is, as Siddhant Adlakha of IndieWire put it, "a dazzling work of historical fiction — emphasis on the 'fiction.'" Essentially a superhero epic based on two real Indian revolutionaries of the 1920s who likely never actually met, "RRR" is a violent, thrilling, heartfelt, and gleefully over-the-top Tollywood (Telugu-language) action/musical blockbuster. Its song and dance number "Naatu Naatu" has gone mega-viral online, and it teases only a small fraction the bombastic excitement of its battle scenes. And "RRR" is no hollow spectacle. Beyond its anti-imperialist political message, "RRR" also boasts one of the most unreservedly sincere bromances in modern cinema. It's a three-hour film that energizes rather than exhausts its audience. By the time the credits roll, you'll feel like you could punch a hole through the moon.

• Starring: N.T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Ajay Devgan
• Director: S.S. Rajamouli
• Runtime: 187 minutes
• Rating: Not Rated
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

Cate Blanchett delivers one of the most captivating performances of her career as fictional composer-conductor Lydia Tár in this gripping character study. Tár is a titan in the world of classical music, with a colossal ego to match. But in the run-up to her latest career milestone, whispers of her personal and professional misconduct crescendo into a deafening roar that threatens to knock her off her podium.

Blanchett endows Tár with such charisma and menace, one can immediately understand how awful people manage to acquire so much power — or how power can make a person awful. It's a meditation on the movement to hold people accountable, but one that reserves judgement for the viewer. There are moments when you might find yourself sympathizing with this self-obsessed genius, even as you eagerly anticipate her downfall.

• Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss
• Director: Todd Field
• Runtime: 158 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%

"Till" is based on the true story of Mamie Till's fight for justice after her son, Emmett, was brutally murdered by white supremacists at the age of 14. "Till" introduces us to a bright and charming young man in Emmett "Bo" Till, and forces us to reckon with his inhuman death and the deep wounds it leaves behind — not only on those who love him, but on everyone the lynching is meant to terrorize. An intimate and heartbreaking character study, it centers a woman whose unimaginable pain becomes the center of a national news story and a movement for civil rights. Moreover, "Till" is one of the most beautifully and deliberately photographed films of the year. What results is a commanding debut onto the Hollywood main stage for both director Chinonye Chukwu and star Danielle Deadwyler.

• Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison
• Director: Chinonye Chukwu
• Runtime: 130 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

Writer-director Ruben Östlund won his second Palme d'Or for "Triangle of Sadness," a wacky satire about class disparity and the apocalypse. Though its first and third acts contain plenty of laughs, its middle hour — set on a luxury yacht populated by sociopathic billionaires and an exhausted staff — is worth the price of admission alone. Essentially a broad gross-out comedy for arthouse audiences, "Triangle of Sadness" captures the lunacy of the mega-rich. It's not the most subtle film of the year, but it is the only one that offers the thrill of watching the soulless elite violently evacuate their digestive tracts.

• Starring: Harris Dickinson, Charlbi Dean, Woody Harrelson
• Director: Ruben Östlund
• Runtime: 149 minutes
• Rating: R
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 71%

"The Woman King" is a grand Hollywood war epic unlike any other. Set in 19th century Dahomey, it stars Viola Davis as General Nanisca, the (fictional) leader of the (quite real) Agojie, an elite army of female soldiers. Through the eyes of Nanisca and teenage recruit Nawi, "The Woman King" explores the lives of these incredible warriors as their nation attempts to divest itself from the monstrosity of the slave trade. Like plenty of other war movies, "The Woman King" plays fast and loose with history, but between its taut direction, gnarly action, and heartfelt performances, one can hardly complain. It's a prestige blockbuster that kicks butt while celebrating a piece of history Hollywood has heretofore failed to represent.

• Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch
• Director: Gina Prince-Bythewood
• Runtime: 135 minutes
• Rating: PG-13
• Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%