2022 Year in Review

With 2022 having come to a close, here is my year in review of the movies of 2022. In 2022, I say 65 new releases. Both direct-to-streaming releases and in-the-theater films. Some of my biggest surprises this year were Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, Fall, Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, and a Christmas Story Christmas. These were all movies that were way better than I ever expected them to be. My biggest disappointments of the year were Amsterdam, Jurassic World: Dominion, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, and Samaritan. These were all films that I was excited about but then didn't live up to the expectations that I set for them. The rest of the movies I saw were all in varying degrees of quality. Some were very good while others were not so good. With that being said, here are my quick thoughts and ranking of all 65 movies I saw this year. If you are interested in my full thoughts on these films, most of them have full reviews here on my blog.

65. The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild

A cheap-looking low-effort spinoff movie that was intended to be a pilot for a TV show and it shows. None of the original voice actors return and it really shows. This was just a disastrous choice from the get-go.

Score: 3/10 Grade: D

64. Vesper

Vesper is a direct to VOD sci fi film. It is quite a boring film that had an interesting premise but did nothing with it. It also sets up several plot points that go absolutely nowhere. This was a big miss for me.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D

63. Halloween Ends

A poorly execute final to the Halloween Saga. It is clear the writers did not have enough ideas to make a full trilogy. This movie has full of terrible choices and doesn't even deliver the final battle between Michael and Lori that was promised until the final 5 minutes of the film.

Score: 4/10 Grade: D

62. Morbius

A very odd film that tries to be a throwback to 90s superhero films but completely fails at it. The plot is just cut to pieces to the point that it doesn't really make sense anymore. The only notable thing about this movie is how hilariously bad it is.

Score: 4.5/10 Grade: D

61. Pinocchio

Yet another cheap Disney live-action remake. However, instead of the charm we've seen from the other remakes, this one comes across as creepy and bloated. Not even Tom Hanks could save this from tanking.

Score: 4.5/10 Grade: C-

60. The 355

This is a very mediocre all-female action spy film. None of the characters have any chemistry together and the plot is extremely predictable. There is nothing memorable about this film whatsoever.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

59. I Want You Back

This is a mediocre romantic comedy with an interesting premise but poor execution. The way the story is told is not good and several subplots go nowhere.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

58. Day Shift

A movie that starts semi-promising but then falls flat on its face. The basic idea of the story and the dynamic between the leads is fun to watch. However, the dynamic completely changes in the 2nd half and the movie completely falls apart.

Score: 5/10 Grade: C

57. Moonfall

A dumb disaster movie that delivers exactly what it goes for. It's not a good film. It makes no sense at all. But it is ridiculous in a fun way and goes all in with the stupid choices it makes.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

56. Me Time

A fun enough buddy comedy that makes it as a passable comedy. Kevin Hart and Mark Wahlberg are both funny in the film, however, there isn't enough in the movie that really makes the film stand out or be memorable.

Score: 5.5/10 Grade: C

55. Senior Year

A new take on the 13 going on 30 type of film. This movie is funny enough and Rebel Wilson can portray the 18-year-old stuck in a 40-year-old's body well enough. The movie just doesn't work on a plot level at times as it likes to pick and choose when Wilson's character being 40 years old is important.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

54. Bodies Bodies Bodies

A gen Z slasher whodunit film. This film had some really interesting ideas and a solid premise. It just spent way too much time talking and showing how all of the characters are terrible people and then had an ending that did not sit well with me at all. While some people really liked this film, it did not work for me.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

53. Don't Worry Darling

This film starts off really interesting with a lot of mystery around what is going on. Florence Pugh does a great job in her role and gives such a layered performance. However, this movie really falls apart when it starts revealing what has been going on. The reveal is not satisfying at all and really hurts the movie as a whole.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

52. Samaritan

A superhero movie starring Sylvester Stallone that I was really excited about. However, the execution was extremely disappointing. The direction they took the story was just not good and the entire ending twist just did not sit well with me.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

51. Fantastic Beast: The Secrets of Dumbledore

A way too convoluted addition to the Fantastic Beasts saga. The story itself was way too jumpy and unfocused and it felt like aspects of the characters were just being made up as the story went along.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

50. Three Thousand Years of Longing

A fantasy story that had an interesting premise but was way too unfocused in its storytelling. The movie was more focused on telling episodic-like stories about the genie's life than telling a cohesive narrative. After spending most of the time on flashbacks, the story only has about 30 minutes to focus on the main plot of the film.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

49. Disenchanted

A sequel to Enchanted with an interesting premise but poor execution. The main idea of turning the real world into a fairy tale was fun but the choices they made with Gisele's character as well as sidelining Robert were just too much to allow this movie to be good.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

48. Emancipation

A tight 90-minute chase thriller with an extra 40-minute war epic tacked on at the end. The first 90 minutes were very well done and exciting. However, there is a very clear point where the movie should have ended and everything after that just felt unnecessary and really brought down the movie for me.

Score: 6/10 Grade: C+

47. Hocus Pocus 2

An entertaining enough sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus. It is fun to see the Sanderson sisters as they absolutely steal the show. However, the redemptive arc they try and do at the end of the movie doesn't really sit well with me and kind of soured me on the whole film.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

46. Beast

A silly dumb action movie where Idris Elba fights a lion. There really isn't much to the film. You get exactly what you expect. It's a dumb junk food movie that does its job well and provides the exact kind of entertainment I wanted.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

45. Ticket to Paradise

A typical rom-com starring George Clooney and Julia Roberts. This movie doesn't disappoint. It has funny moments and is entertaining but there isn't much more to it than that. It was a fun enough date night movie for me and my wife.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

44. The Man from Toronto

A funny enough buddy action movie starring Woody Harrelson and Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart does his usual shtick and there are some funny moments between the two. The action sequences were also entertaining to see. It was an entertaining movie but not particularly memorable.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

43. Jurassic World Dominion

The end of the Jurassic World trilogy makes the weird decision to make the main plot line about locusts instead of Dinosaurs. The movie isn't great because of this. However, it still has enough dinosaur mayhem to keep me entertained. It was also really fun to see the original cast back together again.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

42. Amsterdam

A really ambitious film that tries to make a film based on an all-star cast instead of a compelling story. It is really fun to see all of these actors in this film with several giving great performances. However, the film seems more focused on moving to the next big star instead of transitioning with a compelling story.

Score: 6.5/10 Grade: B-

41. Death on the Nile

A fun murder mystery film that took a bit too long to get to the actual mystery. The characters in this film are a lot of fun with several stars that are cool to see. The mystery itself as well as the setting is also really good. Where the movie goes down for me is that it takes a little too much time sightseeing and not enough time on the actual mystery.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

40. Strange World

2022's Walt Disney Animation release. This is a decent enough animated movie. The story itself is pretty straightforward forward and all of the characters are fun. I really enjoyed the world-building that happened for this and the underground world that was established. It may not be a top-tier Disney film but it was still a good watch.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

39. Bullet Train

This was a super fun junk food movie. The characters in this movie are all super memorable and funny. There were a lot more Thomas the Tank Engine references than I was expecting but somehow still worked well in the film. While it is not a high-quality film, you can tell everyone is having a lot of fun.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

38. Fall

This was one of my biggest surprises of the year. I initially thought that this movie was going to be incredibly stupid, however, it surprised me by actually having a compelling story. The movie really plays well into people's fears of heights and falling and makes for a very exciting and thrilling film.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

37. Turning Red

Turning Red is 2022's Pixar release. It is all about getting older and learning how to deal with overbearing parents. The film handles that topic fairly well. It has some funny moments throughout and gives the normal Pixar emotional punch at the end. The only issue is that I found the movie a bit too chaotic at times.

Score 7/10 Grade: B

36. Uncharted

This is a fairly entertaining action-adventure movie. It doesn't do anything new with the genre and is just basically your typical adventure movie starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg. It has some funny moments and a pretty generic story and villain but overall is a good time at the movies.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

35. Minions: The Rise of Gru

Minions: The Rise of Gru is the newest addition to the Despicable Me franchise and another prequel to the original film. This movie works a lot better than the first Minions film as this film features Gru and actually gives us a character that can grow and change. The film has the typical Despicable Me humor and has several laugh-out-loud moments.

Score: 7/10 Grade: B

34. The School of Good and Evil

The School of Good and Evil is the newest film by Paul Feig. This film does an excellent job of world-building and gives a great view of this school of magic. The action sequences are very well done and the shots all look great. This is a world I wouldn't mind seeing more of.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

33. Slumberland

This is another film with great world-building. The concept they establish here of being able to travel through dreams is really fun to watch. Jason Mamoa is also a lot of fun as Flip and steals every scene. The only disappointing thing is that I thought this film was a musical with Jason Mamoa singing. However, that was not the case.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

32. DC League of Super-Pets

This was a fun little animated movie set in the DC universe. Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are a lot of fun in this movie. I also really enjoyed the story and premise and thought it was fun to see this team of super pets fight alongside the Justice League.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

31. Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers

This movie was one of my biggest surprises of the year. I expected this to not be very good as is usually the case for Disney Plus movies. However, it actually turned out to be quite good. It has a solid detective story and is actually really funny. There are also a lot of cameos throughout the film that were a lot of fun as well.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

30. The Gray Man

This is a solid action movie from the writers and directors of Avengers Endgame. It has some really great action sequences mostly because this film had a $200 million budget. The characters of this movie are also a lot of fun. I really enjoyed Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

29. Ambulance

Ambulance is Michael Bay's newest film. This was a really entertaining action movie. I really enjoyed how it was basically a 20-minute heist followed by a 90-minute car chase. I think all of the action was done well. This is definitely one of Michael Bay's better films.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

28. Lightyear

The second Pixar release of 2022. This movie was a fairly entertaining prequel to the Buzz Lightyear character. I enjoyed the space action and how much it reminded me of classic space movies. While it isn't a top-tier Pixar film, it was still fun to watch.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

27. Thor: Love and Thunder

A very funny Thor that somewhat compromises the quality of the story for more jokes. I had a great time with this movie. I thought it was very funny and that the story had a lot of good ideas. However, it wasn't as good as it could've been as it went a little bit too far into the jokes.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

26. Black Adam

The newest addition to the DCEU was a lot of fun. We finally get to see Dwayne Johnson as a superhero beating up a bunch of bad guys. While there isn't much to the story, the movie itself is wildly entertaining and is a lot of fun to watch.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

25. Babylon

This is Damien Chazelle's newest film about the evolution of old Hollywood. This movie is a character study of four different people journeying through the transition between silent films to talkies. The acting is suburb and it is a lot of fun to see all of the movie magic that happened then. I did feel that the movie was a bit too long and too over the top at times, however, it is still a solid film.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

24. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

This was a fun holiday special featuring the Guardians of the Galaxy. It gives each Guardian a funny moment and really gives Drax and Mantis time to shine and show off their comedic skills. It also had a good story as well as a heartfelt ending.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

23. Spirited

A musical retelling of A Christmas Carol starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds. I really enjoyed this movie. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds are a lot of fun on screen and the story that was told was unique and refreshing. I also really loved the songs and still find myself listening to them.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

22. Elvis

A really vibrant and colorful biopic about Elvis. Austin Butler does an amazing job as Elvis and deserves an Oscar nomination for his role. I also really enjoyed Tom Hank's performance. The only reason this movie isn't higher is that I wasn't a fan of the fact that the story isn't told from Elvis's perspective.

Score: 7.5/10 Grade: B

21. A Christmas Story Christmas

A sequel to a Christmas classic that was way better than it had any right to be. The movie is all about the parent's viewpoint of how to create the perfect Christmas for their kids and is a great shift from the original which was from a child's view. The film also delivers a lot of funny moments. This is just a great follow-up to the original.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

20. The Lost City

A very entertaining adventure movie starring Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. These two actors have great chemistry together. I also never realized how funny Channing Tatum was. Overall, this movie was a lot of fun and a great date night movie for me and my wife.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

19. The Adam Project

A fun time-travel Sci-Fi story starring Ryan Reynolds. I thought this movie was a lot of fun to watch. The two different versions of Adam have great chemistry together and deliver a lot of funny moments. There were also a lot of good action scenes as well as some great emotional moments in the end.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

18. The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent

A really fun movie with Nicolas Cage playing himself. This movie goes way over the top with its plot and jokes but it is still so much fun. It has a lot of self-aware humor from Nicolas Cage as he is essentially playing an extreme version of himself. Overall, just a great time and a really cool idea.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

17. Vengeance

A really under-watched film starring, written, and directed by BJ Novak. This movie does a really good job of playing into the whole concept of small town vs big city and has a lot of funny moments because of that. This movie also plays like a true crime podcast which just works really well.

Score: 8/10 Grade: B+

16. Werewolf by Night

Another solid special presentation from the MCU. This special introduces us to the world of monsters and monster hunters. It has a really interesting story and plays much like a classic monster movie. This type of special just really worked for me and I hope Marvel plans to do more like it in the future.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

15. The Woman King

An exciting action movie that was a fun ride from beginning to end. This film has a lot of strong characters that have clear emotions. I also really enjoyed the exploration of the warrior culture. It reminded me a lot of movies like Wonder Woman and Black Panther. Overall, this is just a great time and an exciting film.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

14. Prey

This is a simple prequel to the movie Predator. The story is very straightforward and is all about a hunter trying to prove herself to the tribe. The action is all really well done as well. I also like how the fights are all realistic. We don't see this small girl defeat the Predator with brute strength but because she outsmarted it.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

13. Scream

My favorite horror film of the year and a great addition to the franchise. The movie does a really good job of being a meta-commentary on the current horror genre as well as pokes fun at reboots/legacy sequels. I also like the new characters that the story is about. They are all very well written and are ones I look forward to leading the franchise moving forward.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

12. Sonic the Hedgehog 2

A solid sequel to the original Sonic the Hedgehog film. Sonic is a really fun character and Tails and Knuckles are also solid additions. I like how the story is more of a globe-trotting treasure-hunting story. Jim Carey is also a lot of fun in this and steals every scene he is in. This is definitely one of the best video game movies out there.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

11. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

This was another great movie from the MCU. I really liked how the movie tipped its toe into the horror genre. Nothing was too frightening but things were scary enough that you could tell Sam Rami took some inspiration from Evil Dead II. I also really liked the addition of America Chavez in the film. Overall, this is a great intro for the MCU into the horror world.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

10. Violent Night

This movie is basically Die Hard with Santa and I was all on board for that. The action in this movie is so much fun. I really enjoyed how a lot of the fights tied in Christmas-related items. I also really liked David Harbor as Santa. He does a great job as a more cynical rough Santa.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

9. RRR

This is a really fun and unique film. RRR is an Indian film is set during the British occupation of India and is all about these two friends and their journey together. This movie manages to mash together so many different types of films. It is a drama, an epic, a romance, an action movie, and a musical yet still manages to hold together. This was a great introduction to the Bollywood genre.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

8. Avatar: The Way of Water

This movie was a visual masterpiece and a great film by James Cameron. The effects in this film are so well done. I also really liked how established the world is and how much time James Cameron allows us to spend with the characters. Though not worth losing James Cameron for over 20 years, it is still a very well-made film.

Score:8.5/10 Grade: A-

7. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

A really fun mystery film with a lot of unique characters. This was a really well-done mystery movie. It provides intrigue from beginning to end and subverts expectations a few times. All of the characters are really fun in this with Daniel Craig as the standout performer. Overall, this was a fun film and a great sequel to Knives Out.

Score:8.5/10 Grade: A-

6. Weird: The Al Yankovic Story

This movie was another big surprise this year. It nailed the exact tone it was going for and was really fitting as a Weird Al movie. The movie is a parody of all other biopics as it makes fun of all of their tropes while also really using and going over the top with those same tropes. This was just a really fun movie and exactly what it should have been.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

5. Everything Everywhere All at Once

This was one of the strangest movies I saw this year. This movie really goes all in on the whole multiverse idea and does it really well. The martial arts in this film are also really fun to see and really well done. Michelle Yeoh also delivers a great performance. Overall, this is a movie that does multiverse way better than Doctor Strange did.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

4. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

This movie was dealt a really bad hand but still managed to deliver a well-done and moving film. The film does a great job of paying tribute to Chadwick Boseman and his legacy. It allows his presence to be felt throughout the entire runtime and really does a great job of showing the growth and arc of all of the characters in the film. Overall, just a very respectful and well-done movie.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A-

3. The Fabelmans

This was a really personal movie that gave us a great glimpse into the life of Stephen Spielberg. I really enjoyed all the performances in this film as well as the movie-making aspects. You can tell that Spielberg took great care in making this movie and that this was something he really cared about.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

2. Top Gun: Maverick

This is probably the most fun and crowd-pleasing movie of the year. Tom Cruise delivers a great performance as Maverik with Miles Teller also giving a solid performance. The story itself is really well done and exciting with much better pacing and storytelling than the first film. Overall, this is just a really fun movie and definitely the one that made the most people smile.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A

1. The Batman

This movie is just a great take on the Batman character. This movie delivers a true Batman detective story and takes a lot of inspiration from films like Zodiac and Se7en. I also think that Robert Pattinson did a great job in the role of Batman and really sold me as a great casting choice. In the end, this is a great Batman film and comes in as the best movie of 2022.

Score: 9/10 Grade: A