Top 10 films of 2022

As another year of film and cinema comes to an end, it’s important to reflect upon the diverse nature of the big screen. From the big budget, to the self funded, all the way to the independent studios. There’s always something for everyone, maybe you only took in one or two new films, but I hope they were the best films you’ve ever seen.

This year saw Marvel fire off a few franchise films, with mixed reviews. DC presented us with Robert Pattison as Batman. Tom Cruise revived his role in Top Gun which received huge critical acclaim. The horror genre churned out a couple of originals in the shape of Smile and The Black Phone. We got to see Elvis brought to life again, thanks to Austin Butler. Jurassic Park got another instalment, as well as The Minions and Fantastic Beasts. That pretty much sums up the year for the big releases, but as always with film, it’s the smaller releases that deserve bigger recognition.

It’s been tricky to put my top 10 in order, but I’ll be selecting films only released in 2022 and I’ll be choosing from the cinema and streaming sites that produce original films. So, here it goes!

10 - See How They Run

A classic whodunit, a niche genre which is getting some sort of revival. Knives Out and Death on the Nile can attest to that. It stars Sam Rockwell and Saorise Ronan, as two police investigators. Sam plays the veteran alcoholic who struggles to find the motivation to do his job, whereas Saoirse is the new kid on the block who almost has an over enthusiatic work ethic. Something which the film pokes fun at throughout.

The film is based upon an Agatha Christie story called The Mousetrap. To summarise, a play which has never not been played since it’s release in theatres has taken the interest of an American director, who winds up dead. All the cast and crew of the play are now suspects and a humourous film follows.

It’s not laugh out loud hilarious and it isn’t trying to be. It tells a story, but drops in quick and intricate humour in some places. The slow burning joke, rather than the in-your-face slapstick. I very much enjoyed the film and I thought Saorise was excellent, her comedic timing wasn’t forced and felt natural for her. Sam Rockwell's character arc is intriguing, as the character makes you believe he’s just a bumbling fool who simply has lost the will to live, but you get snippets of why he’s in the job throughout the film.

If you enjoy a whodunit with plenty of humour, then this is a highly recommended option.

9 - The Batman

The Batman was a very highly anticipated release as we’ve been teased with Robert Pattison’s take on the character for years. Started off with some stills, the audio and then snippets, all while carefully placing reviews to drive up the hype. By time the film was released, there was huge expectation and that can be quite damaging. You have to have produced a near perfect film to avoid large criticism.

The Batman wasn’t perfect, but came quite close. For what it wanted to be and what came across, it was a truly great film. It was billed as being a darker version of The Batman franchise compared to what we’ve seen before. Robert did bring that slightly moodier energy to the character which was actually very good, I personally enjoyed his interpretation. The scripting was corny in places, but with superhero films, it's kind of nailed on to include it. But, anything that was lost in the script was more than made up for within the action and the story it tried to tell. It demonstrated The Batman's true power.

My favourite aspect of the film was the development of the villain. Paul Dano played the Riddler extremely well, starting out as this villain wannabe seeking to bring down The Batman as well as the corrupted system. As more and more key targets are brought down, the Riddler's masterplan is revealed in all its intricacies and The Batman struggles to deal with it.

The D.C universe often portrays films slightly darker than its Marvel counterpart, especially when dealing directly with The Batman and this one was no different. I personally prefer a good D.C film over a Marvel one, as I think they're just far better and The Batman was no different.

8 - Operation Mincemeat

Despite not receiving too much critical acclaim, it's one that the audience seemed to really enjoy if you look it up on Rotten Tomatoes. I have to agree, it's a thoroughly enjoyable film about one of the greatest deceptions of all time. We all know bits and pieces about World War 2 through history lessons, games and films, but this remarkable story goes relatively under the radar in terms of important events from WW2.

Colin Firth and Matthew MacFadyen star as two intelligence officers tasked with attempting to break the Nazi resistance scattered around Europe. Every possible location of attack was heavily fortified with Nazi defences which would've torn apart any invading force. How do you break any impenetrable force? Plant a dead body in the waters just off the coast of Spain with orders dictating a huge offensive somewhere other than where the invading force would end up. I'd say this would be a spoiler alert, but the world would look much different if they didn't somehow pull it off.

Colin and Matthew play the roles of Ewan Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley expertly. It's unexpectedly humourous in places, and the suspense keeps you gripped despite knowing the outcome. It has a similar feel to the Dunkirk film in which it allows you to feel immensely proud of those who fought and gave their lives so selflessly. It makes you feel proud to be British, even just for a few moments. As a slightly more intriguing sub-plot to this, it's narrated by Ian Fleming (Johnny Flynn playing Fleming) who is the man who wrote into existence, James Bond. I've not personally researched it enough, but the suggestion is that Ian Fleming based James Bond off of Ewan Montagu as Ian would've witnessed this immense operation right from its infancy.

7 - The Lost City

I'm not one of these people that delves particularly deep into the world of film. I wouldn't know the latest French horror, or Japanese anime or Italian drama. But, I wouldn't pretend like I am, and I'll rank a film based on how much I enjoy it. So, a film might look absolutely breath-taking, or a soundtrack to rival any franchise, but if I get bored watching it then I won't rank it high. Which circles me back to the inclusion of The Lost City, which is one of those films that actors will take part in because it's fun. It doesn't take itself seriously and it's not been produced to win a nomination at The Oscar's. It's just an immensely enjoyable film.

Sandra Bullock plays a famous romance novelist who is having an identity crisis. Struggling with finishing her latest romantic instalment, the creativity and spark all but washed out. That is until she's kidnapped by Daniel Radcliffe's character who believes one of her stories actually contains vital information of lost treasure.

I admit, I love an adventure film. If there's a lost city involved then I'm likely to enjoy it. This was no different. Channing Tatum plays the cover model for Sandra's novels who manages to find himself on a one man rescue mission. Well, that is until we're introduced to Brad Pitt's character who plays a hilariously cliché action star.

That is the premise of the film and it is very tongue-in-cheek. Nothing should be taken seriously, but the comedic timing of all the actors/actresses is very impressive. Sandra Bullock often has very good on screen chemistry with any counterparts, and it was no different with Channing. Overall, the performances were very good in that they weren't very good. They were acting to take the piss out of themselves and it worked very very well.

So, if you're lucky enough to have some time off over Christmas and you're wondering what to watch as you've now seen every Christmas movie, then check out The Lost City and I can guarantee a laugh or two for you.

6 - The Banshees of Inisherin

A hilariously simple, but complex story line. Two lifelong friends suddenly aren't anymore. One has made the decision to not be friends, while the other spends most of the movie wondering why. Colin Farrell plays the imbecile who can't work out why Brendan Gleeson's character doesn't like him anymore. Set in 1920's Ireland, in a small collection of islands known as the Aran Islands. Small population, mainly farmers and where everyone knows everyone and their business.

It's not the first time Gleeson and Farrell have lined up alongside each other and, like with In Bruges, they delivered as a fantastic duo. They embodied these characters. The film also depicts in quite a brutal manner how the human psychology was so far behind in these times. Colin Farrell's character refused to think he was lonely. He had his sister and his best friend, as well as his farm animals. It's only when the two are taken away that the struggle begins.

Despite the light hearted nature of the film, there are some absolutely horrific scenes. To many reading the blurb of the film, they might get put off from the fact that all it is, is just two friends who just aren't friends anymore. But, upon watching, it opens your eyes to a world you'd never thought about. It raises issues regarding loneliness and dependence. The scenery is breath-taking and the score fits seamlessly into the scenes. There's brilliant use of dialogue to create humour and it mixes in the slapstick, but in an entirely believable way.

All in all, it's a fantastic film and I highly recommend it. To my surprise, I was actually kept in suspense as I was curious how Farrell's character would react to losing his best friend in such a trivial manner.

5 - Gray Man

A Netflix production takes my fifth spot, which may well be a surprise given the reviews. The reviews aren't bad at all, just very ordinary. But, I found it to be quite extraordinary. It plays on a lot of classical action movie tropes. One being half the city destroyed and the protagonist just casually walking away from it.

It stars Ryan Gosling (one of my favourite actors), Chris Evans and Ana De Armas. The film itself reminded a little bit of the Bourne series with Ryan Gosling playing the Jason Bourne role. Superior fighting quality, intelligence beyond the norm and handy with a few weapons. However, the difference is that this film tries to be more humorous. Chris Evans playing the sadistic, off the grid agent that is called upon by the government to kill and torture targets. Going from that heroic Captain America to this was thoroughly entertaining.

The story goes that Ryan Gosling is an assassin that goes rogue after discovering that his superior's are dodgy. Obviously quite a common plot in many action films, but I think they do it very well. I just think it's a fun film that has good pace, good scripting and great action scenes. Some are actually very clever. What more do you need?

4 - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

When I heard that Daniel Craig was reprising his role in the next instalment of Knives Out, I was immediately excited. He was excellent in the first and was keen to see how it would follow up. As more and more information spilled in, it was clear that it was an entirely new mystery with an entirely new cast. I wasn't disappointed, despite the fact that I think the first was ever so slightly better.

It's a fascinating story about how the other half live, well when I say half it was more about how the billionaires live. The ridiculous ideas, the objects they buy/obtain and how they think they'll be the ones to change how the human race lives. Edward Norton plays that eccentric billionaire who invites all his 'friends' to a murder mystery night at his private island. However, the legendary detective Benoit Blanc is also invited. What could possibly go wrong...

As with any whodunnit, the unravelling of the mystery is always entertaining. Everyone has a motive, everyone has an opportunity. You'll have to find out who gets killed and who does it. It keeps you guessing.

3 - Living

This was a film that took me completely by surprise. It was one that my mum desperately wanted to see, so I found some time to take her and I'm thankful that I did. What an absolutely beautiful film. Bill Nighy was at his best in this one and that's saying something given his history in cinema.

The story centres around a man, a gentleman, played by Bill Nighy. He's led a mundane life, despite having a well paying job, huge respect within that job, a family and a roof over his head. However, he's widowed and living with his son and his girlfriend who are scheming to get him out of the house and living on his own. Everyday is the same. You get to the train station at the same time every morning, leave at the same time every night. You interact, but you don't create a meaningful connection. Day in, day out, this is all it is. That is until his character is told the worse news imaginable, incurable cancer and only six months to live. At that moment he decides to try and live his life.

It's such a sweet, but emotional film. You forget that Bill Nighy is even acting, it's a truly wonderful performance. It is based on an older Japanese film called Ikiru, directed by Akira Kurosawa.

Take the time to watch this film, I can't recommend it enough.

2 - Bullet Train

Take a handful of assassins and put them on one train, without any of them knowing there's other assassins on the train. It's a recipe for disaster, especially as the train has civilians and staff on board that the assassins want to avoid killing. Brad Pitt plays the protagonist with a mission, only that mission coincides with the all of the other missions that the relevant assassins are on board for.

It's an excellent film, with some brilliant action scenes and enough cameo's to lose track of. Two of the assassins on board are referred to as Lemon and Tangerine and they were so good in their roles that the audience want a spin off with just them two. They're played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Brian Tyree Henry.

If you're looking for a high octane film with action scenes galore and a sprinkling of humour, then this is the film for you.

1 - Top Gun: Maverick

I think this film will rank very high on many people's list this year. I'm not someone that was particularly interested in watching the original, and I don't think you necessarily have to as this film does give a bit of a history lesson.

This film is by far and away my favourite of the year. I saw it three times at the cinema and will plan to watch it at home on many occasions. It's almost a perfect film and I really mean it. It has everything you could want. A great soundtrack, stunning visuals, plenty of action, good acting, interesting character development and incredible sounds. I felt like the film actually taught me a little bit about flying a fighter jet, not that I would ever need to of course.

Any film that takes place in the sky is almost guaranteed to have amazing visuals, but some of the scenes even left me in total awe. I was totally convinced that Tom Cruise was Maverick and he had been flying fighter jets for decades, the performance was excellent.

There's not much more I can say about this other than it totally blew me away. It's made for the big screen, so try and get a viewing if you can. If not, watch with the best surround sound system you can. It's made to be seen as well as heard.

That's my top 10 films of 2022. I hope you enjoy the list and watch some new films based on it, and I hope you enjoy them.