Best Movies of 2022: Best of the Genres

As we continue to look back at the best movies of 2022, we will now be looking at the best movies from each genre. I will be looking at the best foreign-language film, best comedy, and best action movie, along with other genres. Each category will have five “nominees” (a.k.a my personal top five) with my “winner” (my favorite) in bold, followed by short reasoning as to why I picked it the best. Here are my picks for the best movies from each genre in 2022.

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

L to R: Ji-eun Lee, Dong-won Gang, and Song Kang-ho in Broker (Neon)
L to R: Ji-eun Lee, Dong-won Gang, and Song Kang-ho in Broker (Neon)

Broker

Decision to Leave

Dos Estaciones

Hatching

RRR

  • Yet another sensational year for foreign language films, led by Hirokazu Kore-eda’s tender and beautiful look at the meaning of family.

 

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Stanley and his family gather around the T.V. in APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD
APOLLO 10 1/2: A SPACE AGE CHILDHOOD (Netflix)

Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood

The Bad Guys

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Mad God

Turning Red

  • Though a relatively weak year for animation, I truly loved Richard Linklater’s soothing, rotoscope love letter to growing up and living in Texas.

 

BEST COMEDY

Daniel Craig in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)
Daniel Craig in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (Netflix)

Brian and Charles

Cha Cha Real Smooth

Confess, Fletch

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Jackass Forever

  • I laughed the most in Jackass Forever, but Glass Onion offers a perfect mix of hilarious biting humor woven into a smart and twisty mystery.

 

BEST SCI-FI

Michell Yeoh in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE
Michell Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)

After Yang

Avatar: The Way of Water

Dual

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Nope

  • Everything Everywhere All at Once is several genres meshed into one great film, but the time-bending, sci-fi elements were the strongest aspects of the film.

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY

Robert Downey Sr. (left) and Robert Downey Jr. (right) in Sr. (Netflix)
Robert Downey Sr. (left) and Robert Downey Jr. (right) in Sr. (Netflix)

All That Breathes

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Fire of Love

The Killing of a Journalist

Sr.

  • I loved so many documentaries this year and Sr., the beautiful love note about director Robert Downey Sr. and the father-son relationship, fascinated me and warmed my heart in ways few films did in 2022.

 

BEST HORROR/THRILLER

Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer in Nope
Daniel Kaluuya and Keke Palmer in Nope (Universal)

Nope

Pearl/X

Resurrection

Scream

Smile

  • Jordan Peele continues to improve on his already impressive resume with his epic, chilling alien story.

 

BEST ACTION MOVIE

Tom Cruise as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in TOP GUN: MAVERICK
Tom Cruise as Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell in Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount)

Ambulance

Bullet Train

RRR

Top Gun: Maverick

The Woman King

  • Tough not to put choose Michael Bay’s adrenalin-fueled Ambulance at the top spot, but Top Gun: Maverick was the most exciting film of 2022 and the aerial scenes are unmatched.

 

BEST SEQUEL

Tom Cruise as Pete 'Maverick' Miller, Glen Powell as Jake 'Hangman' Seresin, Miles Teller as Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw, and Monica Barbaro as Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace in Top Gun: Maverick
Tom Cruise as Pete ‘Maverick’ Miller, Glen Powell as Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin, Miles Teller as Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw, and Monica Barbaro as Natasha ‘Phoenix’ Trace in Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount)

Avatar: The Way of Water

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Jackass Forever

Top Gun: Maverick

Scream

  • A surprisingly great year for sequels, led by Top Gun: Maverick, a sequel no one asked for that ended up being one of the best movies of 2022.

 

FIVE MOVIES I LIKED MORE THAN A LOT OF PEOPLE

Brian Tyree Henry (left) and Brad Pitt (right) in Bullet Train
Brian Tyree Henry (left) and Brad Pitt (right) in Bullet Train (Sony)

The Bad Guys

Bullet Train

Death on the Nile

Don’t Worry Darling

Lightyear

  • Whether it was low critics rating, bad buzz, or low hype, I felt like these five movies, all of which I think are good, deserved better.

 

UNDERRATED/UNDERSEEN

Mark Rylance in The Outfit (Focus Features)
Mark Rylance in The Outfit (Focus Features)

Dual

Emily the Criminal

The Eternal Daughter

Kimi

The Outfit 

  • These movies listed right here are all really great films that more people should see. After you finish reading this list, make sure to check them out.

 

MOVIES A LOT OF PEOPLE LIKED MORE THAN ME

Nicolas Cage as Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal as Javi in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (Lionsgate)

Close

She Said

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

Weird: The Al Yankovich Story

The Whale

  • I’m not saying these movies are bad, but I think the praise they got wasn’t necessarily deserved.

 

GREAT MOVIES RELEASED IN 2022 YOU MAY NOT HAVE HEARD OF

Kentucker Audley in Strawberry Mansion (Music Box)

The Blind Man Who Did Not Want to See Titanic

Brian and Charles

Dos Estaciones

Palm Trees and Power Lines

The Righteous

Strawberry Mansion

  • Even though you may not have heard of any of these movies, you should try and seek them out because they deserved to be watched.

 

FIVE MOVIES THAT CAME OUT IN 2022 THAT DO NOT EXIST

Diane Kruger, Jessica Chastain and Lupita Nyong'o in The 355 (Universal Pictures)
Diane Kruger, Jessica Chastain, and Lupita Nyong’o in The 355 (Universal Pictures)

The 355

Blacklight

The Contractor

The Greatest Beer Run Ever

Pinocchio

  • Apparently, these five movies came out in 2022 and I saw them all. I couldn’t tell you the plot of any of these.

 

FIVE MOVIES I STRAIGHT UP DID NOT LIKE

Chris Pratt in Jurassic World Dominion (Universal)
Chris Pratt in Jurassic World Dominion (Universal)

A Christmas Story Christmas

Black Adam

The Bubble

Jurassic World Dominion

Texas Chainsaw Massacre

  • I don’t do a “Worst of the Year” list, but these five movies were abysmal and it would be wise if nobody watches them.

 

 

 

 

 

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