From hits to misses, let's look back on some of the most influential films released in 2022 and see how they stood in the eyes of critics. No spoilers ahead!
1. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery - 93% Audience Score, 93% Tomatometer
Probably the most recent release on this list, Glass Onion is another genius whodunit from writer and director Rian Johnson.
The film portrays another story about detective Benoit Blanc who first appeared in Knives Out (2019) and was fantastically portrayed by Daniel Craig.
With a star-studded cast from Fight Club’s Edward Norton to Grammy nominated rapper Janelle Monae, Glass Onion was bound to be iconic.
A satirical mystery plot which, as told by critic David Mack, reminds us that “great art need not be serious”.
2. Everything Everywhere All at Once - 89% Audience score, 95% Tomatometer
Everything Everywhere All at Once follows an unlikely hero in the form of a Chinese immigrant.
The hero gets wrapped up in a fantastical adventure to keep the multiverse together by connecting with parallel universe versions of herself.
This comedy-drama film stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, and was written and directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
“The Daniels” have been praised for their writing, with critics commenting on how well each character was written and just how understandable they were to the audience.
Critics comment on how ‘bonkers’ the movie is throughout, with Dann Gire summing up the film as “An exhausting, confusing, hilariously funny, pleasing assault on the ears and eyes from directors Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.”
An awesome amalgamation of, well, everything everywhere all at once! Definitely not one to miss, as encouraged by audience and critic reviews.
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness - 85% Audience score, 74% Tomatometer
An earlier release in 2022, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness follows Doctor Strange as he teams up with newly introduced America Chavez to travel across the multiverse and carry out epic battles.
Sam Raimi directs and adds a darker, creepier undertone to this movie, and a much needed one at that.
In my opinion, compared to previous Marvel movies, Multiverse of Madness brings a sort of freshness, beginning to pull the franchise in intriguing directions.
Critics were frankly harsh on this movie, with critic Maggie Lovitt commenting "“Are you happy?” Marvel asks. No, no I’m very much not happy with any of this."
Although Raimi received many compliments on his work behind the camera, we begin to see an audience that tires of the repetitive Marvel movie formula.
4. The Batman - 87% Audience score, 85% Tomatometer
Yet another attempt at serving justice to the ever-iconic DC franchise, The Batman was an absolute hit in the eyes of the box office.
Earning $770.8 million globally, Robert Pattinson’s spin on the superhero was a hit among fans, with both critic and audience reviews being primarily positive.
Critic Zoe Rose Bryant comments: “The Batman is the only comic book adaptation since The Dark Knight to come close to recreating that cinematic achievement, brilliantly blending entertainment with artistry.”
The Batman was the film we have been craving since the loss of Christian Bale’s Batman, and Pattinson isn’t the only credit to the movie. Paul Dano’s Riddler is genius casting, and Zoe Kravitz was a fantastic choice for Catwoman.
Though accompanied by a fairly simple plot, this film was one of the biggest hits of 2022, and I would argue that that’s perfectly justifiable!
5. Don’t Worry Darling - 74% Audience score 39% Tomatometer
Starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, Don’t Worry Darling gained majority of its publicity from the drama surrounding the cast, yet still set itself up for a fairly successful release, making a decent $86.7 million in box office.
Set in the idyllic community of Victory, Pugh’s and Styles’ characters of Alice and Jack seem to represent the perfect 1950’s couple, but as Alice’s life starts to crumble piece by piece, she starts to question the very world around her.
Reviews from critics were mixed, with Michael Atkinson stating “[Olivia] Wilde’s film has its wins, mostly in how sharp-eyed it manages to be about the violent insistence of conservative male fantasias.”
While it’s been said that the 1950’s-suburbia-gone-wrong trope is overused and not done particularly well in this movie, Don’t Worry Darling was still one of the biggest releases this year, and a fairly enjoyable watch at that.
Have you seen all the films on this list? What was your favourite movie in 2022?