Best Films of 2022

Below, I have posted the annual list produced by Metacritic that reflects an aggregation of about 300 "Top 10" film lists produced by critics this past year. Every year, I note this list to keep track of what I've seen and to provide my own tiered rankings of the films. I will ultimately add some comments especially if I've updated my rankings from my prior post on new films that I managed to see in 2021. 

Generally, I post this list in February (just to be sure the rankings are final) and I'll have typically seen about half of them -- thanks partly to a concerted effort in the new year to see them. I'm behind schedule this year, as discussed below. 

FILMS MENTIONED ON MOST CRITIC TOP 10 LISTS - 2022

Movie and Metascore		# 1st Place	# 2nd Place	# Other	Points
1	81 Everything Everywhere All at Once	44	19	78	248
2	87 The Banshees of Inisherin	18	27	100.5	208.5
3	92 Tar	24	17	90	196
4	95 Aftersun	21	15	74.5	167.5
5	77 Nope	8	12	86.5	134.5
6	78 Top Gun: Maverick	12	9	73	127
7	84 The Fabelmans	13	4	70	117
8	84 Decision to Leave	8	4	68.5	100.5
9	83 RRR	8	4	55.5	87.5
10	85 EO	4	7	38.5	64.5
11	90 All the Beauty and the Bloodshed	2	4	47.5	61.5
12	81 Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery	2	4	43.5	57.5
13	67 Crimes of the Future	7	6	24	57
14	79 Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio	3	1	42	53
15	79 Women Talking	3	6	31	52
16	72 The Batman	2	2	37.5	47.5
17	64 Elvis	0	4	39	47
18	91 Saint Omer	5	2	27	46
19	74 Bones and All	4	5	19.5	41.5
20	91 No Bears	3	3	24	39
21	80 Marcel the Shell With Shoes On	2	1	30.5	38.5
22	86 Happening	2	2	26	36
23	78 After Yang	2	2	24.5	34.5
24	83 Turning Red	0	1	30	32
25	80 The Eternal Daughter	1	2	24.5	31.5
	81 Benediction	1	2	24.5	31.5
27	90 Hit the Road	3	1	19.5	30.5
28	63 Triangle of Sadness	2	0	24	30
29	60 Babylon	2	2	18.5	28.5
30	77 The Woman King	1	2	21	28

Because we include some foreign publications, it is possible for a few titles to repeat from last year's list due to differences in USA and overseas release dates.

I have seen a few of these films to-date, but have plenty to go (22 of 30 listed). As I watch them, I'll highlight changes. 

Tier 1 These are top-notch Oscar-worthy films.

The Banshees of Inishiren 

Tár

Triangle of Sadness

The Fabelmans

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Elvis

Hit the Road

The newcomer here is Spielberg's autobiographical film, The Fabelmans. It is excellent and I highly recommend it. The acting is first-rate. Cate Blanchett is fabulous in Tár and the film is worth your time. 

Tier 2 These are very good films, but with some flaws. Some of them likely will have received Oscar nominations. 

Aftersun

Babylon

Nope

The Woman King

EO

Marcel the Shell With Shoes On

This tier is surprisingly empty. I suspect that many of the remaining movies will fit in here, but I have no idea yet. 

Update: Babylon is an over-the-top, overlong, zany, surreal, and thoroughly watchable spectacle. Yet, I did not regret the 3 hour investment of time and mentally compared it to Pulp Fiction on several occasions. 

The Woman King is a very different kind film, obviously, but I liked it and would recommend it. EO too. 

Tier 3 These are good films, but with more flaws.

The Batman

Top Gun: Maverick

Everything Everywhere All at Once

I'm sticking to my opinion from December that none of these movies can be described as "very good," let alone great. I realize that there could be some Academy Award winners involved in the film-making, but that doesn't mean that I have to like the movies. They are well made and include some good performances.

I typically don't need lower tiers for this list because it is allegedly comprised of the very best movies of the year -- at least according to film critics. 

Update: In August 2024, I'm adding:

Tier 4 These films are watchable, but have serious shortcomings. 

Crimes of the Future

Here's the alphabetical list of the 22 films that I have not yet seen:

After Yang

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

Benediction

Bones and All

Decision to Leave

The Eternal Daughter

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio 

Happening

No Bears

RRR

Saint Omer

Turning Red

Women Talking

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