Millennial Falcon Reviews' Top 10 Films of 2022

2022 has been a really fantastic year for film. So fantastic, in fact, that narrowing down the slate to just ten films feels like an insurmountable feat. But even with the odds stacked against me, I managed to whittle down a list of my twenty favorite films to eight runners-up and a tie for the glory of being #1.

This year saw Marvel almost make us forget about the monstrosity that was Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness by delivering two spectacular films (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Thor: Love and Thunder) that existed on opposite sides of the spectrum. Black Panther tackled grief and growth with a more serious approach, while Thor explored grief and growth through a more comedic and upbeat lens. At least Everything Everywhere All At Once had a much more satisfying approach to the multiverse.

For audiences who were transfixed by the headlines about Armie Hammer, Fresh and Bones and All satisfied a very specific cinematic appetite, while other films explored “ripped from the headlines” topics, like Tár and She Said. Some even fictionalized the lives of big-name celebrities like The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, with the star playing himself! Other films took real-life tragedies and delivered phenomenal performances like Devotion and Till, while others like The Northman used history as a base for something more.

We also witnessed Jurassic World Dominion prove that some things should stay extinct, while White Noise forced us to confront death in all of its weirdness. Persuasion reminded us that not all Jane Austen books need to be yassified, but more movies should send authors on romantic adventures with Channing Tatum, like in The Lost City. Which had a shockingly similar plot to Uncharted, just without the romance. Whether you loved horror, comedy, adventure, or more—2022 had something just for you.

Now let’s get into Millennial Falcon Reviews’ Top 10 Films of 2022.

Next Exit

Directed by Mali Elfman, in her directorial debut, Next Exit is a must-watch for anyone who loves indulging in films that linger with them long after the credits come to an end. In a world where science has found a way to confirm the existence of an afterlife, capitalism has found a way to create a program to allow people to pay their way into the afterlife via a life-ending procedure. This is what sends two strangers, played by Rahul Kohli and Katie Parker, on a cross-country road trip to end their lives. On the surface, Elfman’s script features irreverent and self-deprecating humor, but when the layers are slowly stripped away Next Exit reveals itself as an extremely insightful film about death, dying, and the baggage of simply existing.

A Wounded Fawn

Travis Stevens’ latest indie horror, A Wounded Fawn, blends modern-day dating struggles with the swift justice of the Furies, to build a spectacular story starring Josh Ruben and Sarah Lind. Bruce (Ruben) is a deeply troubled man who uses his boy-next-door appeal to lure unsuspecting women to their deaths, like Meredith (Lind), who misses every single one of his red flags. Red is a fitting color too, considering Bruce believes that a red owl is compelling him to follow through with his deadly plans. With so much of A Wounded Fawn influenced by unwrapping the myth of the museum, and exploring the justice-bringing Furies—it’s an instant win in my book. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, right up until its satisfying ending.

Werewolf By Night

With his directorial debut and transition from composer to director, Michael Giacchino proves himself as one of the best directors that Marvel has courted since the beginning of the MCU. Set over the course of a single night, Werewolf By Night brings to life Jack Russell (Gael García Bernal) and delivers one of the first truly horror-infused entries into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film sees Jack infiltrate a group of monster hunters in order to rescue his friend Ted (a.k.a Man-Thing) from certain death and, in the process, forge an unlikely friendship with Elsa Bloodstone (Laura Donnelly). Werewolf By Night is a real testament to what the MCU is capable of doing if it lets directors explore the weirder elements of the comic books and embrace the monster-lover community. Look, The Shape of Water didn’t win an Academy Award, just for society to stop making monster romances.

It Is In Us All

Cosmo Jarvis explores the deeply complex layers of repressed trauma and the violence of masculinity in Antonia Campbell-Hughes’ Irish thriller It Is In Us All. Hamish (Jarvis) descends upon a familial property in a remote, rural community, desperate to retrace the steps that his late mother once took. Hamish’s journey is thrown off course when Evan (Rhys Mannion) comes into his life after a devastating accident, forever altering the course of both of their lives. It Is In Us All isn’t an easy movie to watch, Campbell-Hughes has a keen eye for transforming bodies into landscapes, narrowing in Hamish’s internal isolation, juxtaposed to the barren landscapes around him. It’s a sobering journey into emotions that are rarely explored with such careful, painstaking detailing.

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Rian Johnson manages to outdo himself with his whodunit sequel Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, which sees Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) sleuthing out a murderous mystery on the ostentatious private island of the man-child tech billionaire Miles Bron (Edward Norton). I don’t know how Johnson does it, but every film he delivers somehow perfectly matches the vibes of the moment, even though they’re written and filmed years in advance. Janelle Monáe is the heart and soul of Glass Onion, surrounded by Bron’s beloved friend group of “detractors” including, the gun-toting right-wing YouTuber Duke Cody (Dave Bautista), social-media-obsessed celeb Birdie Jay (Kate Hudson) and her overworked personal assistant Peg (Jessica Henwick), the corrupt governor Claire Debella (Kathryn Hahn), and the shady scientist Lionel Toussaint (Leslie Odom Jr). Glass Onion is an instant classic.

The Batman

March feels like a lifetime ago, but that was when Matt Reeves delivered one of the best interpretations of Bruce Wayne since Christopher Nolan’s trilogy with The Batman. The film saw Robert Pattinson living out his Batman: Year One dreams as Batman, complete with the fledgling partnership between Detective James Gordon (Jeffery Wright) and the tantalizing slow build of what could transform into a relationship with the morally dubious Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz). The Batman was a cinematically stunning depiction of Gotham City, tapping into the grimdark potential of Batman, and twisting in the terrifying realism of Paul Dano’s radicalized Riddler. The Batman makes good on “the world’s greatest detective” and lays the groundwork for more stories within Reeves’ world.

The Banshees of Inisherin

Set at the tail end of the Irish Civil War in 1923, during a very tumultuous period in Irish history, The Banshees of Inisherin sees a friendship crumble for seemingly no discernible reason. This black tragicomedy hails from the masterful mind of Martin McDonagh who carefully unravels the tenuous threads of Pádraic (Colin Farrell) and Colm’s (Brendan Gleeson) friendship, while exploring isolation, legacy, and heartbreak. It’s a very melancholic film, but with an ensemble cast that includes Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, how could you possibly go wrong? The Banshees of Inisherin is a clear front-runner for the award season, and it makes sense when its stunning cinematography and intimate focus are considered.

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio makes it easy to forget that Disney released their own adaptation of the Italian fairytale earlier this year. Guillermo del Toro uses war and fascism as the backdrop of a tale about a wooden boy named Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) being magically brought to life by a grandiose Wood Sprite (Tilda Swinton). The film’s narrator and conscious Sebastian J. Cricket (Ewan McGregor), who happens to be a cricket looking for the perfect home to write his memoirs in, helps to set the scene, relating to the audience the tragic tale of Geppetto’s (David Bradley) son Carlo (Mann) being killed by a haphazard bomb, which leads to him carving his puppet boy Pinocchio. The stunning stop-motion animated film is filled with equal parts whimsy and realism, and it packs an unbelievable punch with its story.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Tied for #1 on my list is All Quiet on the Western Front, which was my most anticipated film of 2022. It is the first German adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque’s novel, and Edward Berger guides it in a different direction than Lewis Milestone’s 1930 adaptation, by showcasing how sensationalism has no place in war, especially not one that has no heroes. Set during World War I, the film follows Paul Bäumer’s (Felix Kammerer) journey through the harrowing and horrific realities of trench warfare, and the sheer physicality of the role reveals that Kammerer is not just a promising German actor, but an actor with the potential to really prove himself on the global stage. The way that Berger narrows in on the small relics left behind by Paul’s friends, and ultimately Paul, shapes All Quiet on the Western Front into a film that carries the weight of Germany’s history and a generation of men whose bodies were used to pave the way for the machinations of warmongers.

Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick is the rare exception to legacy sequel fatigue because it builds upon the things that worked with Top Gun, while recognizing its own purpose—just as Maverick (Tom Cruise) does in the film. After thirty years in the military, Maverick is still teetering on the edge of getting in serious trouble for his actions and the only thing standing between him and getting dishonorably discharged is Iceman (Val Kilmer) who calls Maverick back into action, forcing him to let go of the past, and finally, face Goose’s son Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (Miles Teller) who has followed in his father’s footsteps. With a cast of characters like the arrogant Hangman (Glen Powell) who thinks he’s better than everyone else; the nerdy engineer-type Bob (Lewis Pullman), and the generally good-natured Phoenix (Monica Barbaro), Payback (Jay Ellis), Coyote (Greg Tarzan Davis), Fanboy (Danny Ramirez), and Fritz (Manny Jacinto)—it’s a surefire win. Plus, Top Gun: Maverick doesn’t lean into nihilism, and instead opts to deliver a heartwarming and crowd-pleasing final act, which is what led it to a high-flying box office and critical acclaim.

All Quiet on the Western Front and Top Gun: Maverick couldn’t be further apart in their style, messaging, and theme, yet they both exemplify the power of film.