I’ll start this by saying something it feels like I say every year around this time … what a fantastic year 2022 was for film. In recent weeks I’ve seen a few people talk about this being a down year at the movies and honestly it’s kind of shocked me to hear that.
For me, 2022 saw a really fascinating amount of films that pushed the art form forward in interesting ways with a versatile slate of things to choose from that can appeal to just about anyone. We saw some of the interesting new generation of auteurs produce projects that were massive and ambitious in the way they told stories. There were the heartfelt and deeply personal passion projects from directors reaching into their life stories to make great art. And, of course, we had a few major blockbusters — ranging from sequels and revivals of older classics to new installments of big-tent franchises, and even a few wholly original stories that found their ways to hitting with massive audiences as more people began returning to theaters coming off the past few years of COVID movie-going.
I always like to look at the top 15 or so movies on my lists at the end of every year and try to decipher if there were any prevailing themes or ideas that those films hit on that connected with me more than some of the things that didn’t. And this year, I noticed several of those movies near the top of my list centered around family — whether the family we’ve had all of our lives or the families we build among our friends and the people we meet along the way as we grow up and find our place in the world.
As I looked up and down this list of films I’m about to rank, one thing that really struck me was just how deep this year was in terms of quality and how much I liked so many things from this year. It might sound like hyperbole to say, but I genuinely could see myself recommending every movie on this list to friends and family (and in many cases already have done so), or just anyone who is reading this and is looking for something to watch.
I’ve always been a big list person, have always kept track of the films or shows I watch. Of all the years I’ve done that, this is the year I’ve seen the most new releases ever so far. When you go back and count the films that have been released theatrically or on streaming in 2022, I’ve seen a total of 173 so far … but even now, it’s very much a list that’s a work in progress as there are plenty of blindspots left to get to that I either haven’t been able to watch yet or just haven’t gotten around to. It’s a lot of movies for sure, but it’s been a fun list to put together and I’m really excited to hear everyone else’s thoughts on them and for you to hopefully check out something you hadn’t watched yet because it showed up here.
For a full list of everything I’ve watched, head over to Letterboxd.
But with all that being said, here are my top 100 films of 2022 …
Confess, Fletch
No Exit
Scream
The Adam Project
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.
The Redeem Team
Murina
Vengeance
See How They Run
Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Look Both Ways
Resurrection
Windfall
The Lost City
Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Marry Me
Causeway
Fresh
Deep Water
Armageddon Time
Don’t Worry Darling
The Greatest Beer Run Ever
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Lucy and Desi
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off
Dual
Pleasure
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
Master
Stutz
White Noise
Funny Pages
On the Count of Three
Hit the Road
Spirited
The Menu
The Outfit
Prey
The Bob’s Burgers Movie
Speak No Evil
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Not Okay
Ticket to Paradise
Bullet Train
Hustle
Bros
Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers
Wendell & Wild
Emergency
Do Revenge
All Quiet on the Western Front
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Nitram
The Bad Guys
I Want You Back
Bodies Bodies Bodies
Jackass Forever
Moonage Daydream
Ambulance
Kimi
Watcher
The Fallout
Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood
Happening
Elvis
Emily the Criminal
Barbarian
X
The Black Phone
Bones and All
Turning Red
She Said
Fire Island
Descendant
Avatar: The Way of Water
Pearl
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
The Northman
Navalny
The Batman
Babylon
“Sr.”
The Woman King
Fire of Love
Cha Cha Real Smooth
After Yang
RRR
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
Nope
Triangle of Sadness
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Women Talking
The Banshees of Inisherin
TAR
Top Gun: Maverick
The Fabelmans
Decision to Leave
Everything Everywhere All At Once
Aftersun