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The Top 50 Films of 2022

The top 50 films of 2022 article
Let’s get this out of the way; this year hasn’t been the best for new movies. Why? Covid and the inevitable pandemic-related production delays have probably filtered through to this year’s current output. There have been some great films released over 2022, just far from the average amount you’d expect, and yes, the year is still ongoing, but I wonder if it will change in the next few weeks.

This year has given us Matt Reeve’s The Batman and Tom Cruise’s epic return as Maverick in Top Gun: Maverick. And then, erm, there was, erm… Elvis, which was okay, not great. Looking at the IMDb data, only four films have gotten an 8.0 or more in 2022! And then only 6 to have reached between a 7.5 and 7.9!!! That’s very low. Looking at the data for last year, a much larger number of movies sat between 7.0 and 7.4, nearly twice as many as in 2022.
We used a data-driven approach to this list by aggregating votes from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes and Letterboxd for a more rounded view.

Here are the results.
Father Stu (2022) backdrop
50 – Father Stu (2022)
God wanted a fighter… and He found one.
IMDb:
6.5 / 10
RT Users:
9.5 / 10
Letterboxd:
5.58 / 10
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7.19 / 10
Drama
Directed by:
Rosalind Ross
Popularity Ranking:
99th
Top Billed Cast:
Mark Wahlberg, Mel Gibson, Jacki Weaver, Teresa Ruiz, Malcolm McDowell
SYNOPSIS:
When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long moves to Los Angeles to find money and fame. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen, a Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. However, a motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others, leading to the surprising realization that he’s meant to be a Catholic priest.
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Chip 'n Dale- Rescue Rangers (2022) backdrop
49 – Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers (2022)
It’s not a reboot. It’s a comeback.
IMDb:
7.0 / 10
RT Users:
7.9 / 10
Letterboxd:
6.68 / 10
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7.19 / 10
Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Mystery
Directed by:
Akiva Schaffer
Popularity Ranking:
50th
Top Billed Cast:
Andy Samberg, John Mulaney, KiKi Layne, Will Arnett, Eric Bana, Dennis Haysbert
SYNOPSIS:
Chip and Dale live amongst cartoons and humans in modern-day Los Angeles, but their lives are quite different now. When a former cast mate mysteriously disappears, Chip and Dale must repair their broken friendship and save their friend.
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Barbarian (2022) backdrop
48 – Barbarian (2022)
Some stay for a night. Some stay for a week. Some never leave.
IMDb:
7.1 / 10
RT Users:
7.0 / 10
Letterboxd:
7.48 / 10
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7.19 / 10
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Directed by:
Zach Cregger
Popularity Ranking:
28th
Top Billed Cast:
Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake
SYNOPSIS:
A young woman discovers the rental home she booked is already occupied by a stranger. Against her better judgment, she decides to spend the night but soon discovers there’s a lot more to fear than just an unexpected house guest.
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A Jazzman's Blues (2022) backdrop
47 – A Jazzman’s Blues (2022)
Never stop loving.
IMDb:
6.7
RT Users:
8.7
Letterboxd:
6.20
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7.20
Drama, Romance
Directed by:
Tyler Perry
Popularity Ranking:
216th
Top Billed Cast:
Joshua Boone, Amirah Vann, Solea Pfeiffer, Ryan Eggold, Austin Scott, Milauna Jackson
SYNOPSIS:
A tale of forbidden love and family drama unravels 40 years of secrets and lies in the deep south during an unsolved murder investigation.
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Nope (2022) backdrop
46 – Nope (2022)
What’s a bad miracle?
IMDb:
6.9
RT Users:
6.9
Letterboxd:
7.80
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7.20
Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction
Directed by:
Jordan Peele
Popularity Ranking:
12th
Top Billed Cast:
Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott,
SYNOPSIS:
Two siblings running a horse ranch in California discover something wonderful and sinister in the skies above, while the owner of an adjacent theme park tries to profit from the mysterious, otherworldly phenomenon.
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Turning Red (2022) backdrop
45 – Turning Red (2022)
Growing up is a beast.
IMDb:
7.0
RT Users:
7.1
Letterboxd:
7.52
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7.21
Animation, Comedy, Fantasy
Directed by:
Domee Shi
Popularity Ranking:
17th
Top Billed Cast:
Rosalie Chiang, Sandra Oh, Ava Morse, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Hyein Park
SYNOPSIS:
A thirteen-year-old girl is torn between staying her mother’s dutiful daughter and the changes of adolescence. And as if the challenges were not enough, whenever she gets overly excited she transforms into a giant red panda.
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Redeeming Love (2022) bckdrop
44 – Redeeming Love (2022)
Never look back. Never look forward.
IMDb:
6.7
RT Users:
9.5
Letterboxd:
5.46
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7.22
Drama, Romance
Directed by:
D. J. Caruso
Popularity Ranking:
152nd
Top Billed Cast:
Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, Eric Dane, Famke Janssen, Logan Marshall-Green, Nina Dobrev
SYNOPSIS:
A young couple’s relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850. Angel, experiencing love for the first time and facing demons that seem unsurmountable, runs from the new life she doesn’t think she deserves. When Michael sets out to find her, Angel discovers that she has the power to choose the life she wants.
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Fresh (2022) backdrop
43 – Fresh (2022)
It’s not for everyone.
IMDb:
6.7
RT Users:
8.0
Letterboxd:
7.04
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7.25
Comedy, Horror, Thriller
Directed by:
Mimi Cave
Popularity Ranking:
34th
Top Billed Cast:
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sebastian Stan, Jonica T. Gibbs, Andrea Bang, Dayo Okeniyi, Charlotte Le Bon
SYNOPSIS:
Frustrated by scrolling dating apps only to end up on lame, tedious dates, Noa takes a chance by giving her number to the awkwardly charming Steve after a produce-section meet-cute at the grocery store.
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Black Adam (2022) backdrop
42 – Black Adam (2022)
The world needed a hero. It got Black Adam.
IMDb:
7.1
RT Users:
8.9
Letterboxd:
5.74
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7.25
Action, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Directed by:
Jaume Collet-Serra
Popularity Ranking:
22nd
Top Billed Cast:
Dwayne Johnson, Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Quintessa Swindell, Marwan Kenzari
SYNOPSIS:
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the Egyptian gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
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Prey (2022) backdrop
41 – Prey (2022)
They hunt to live. It lives to hunt.
IMDb:
7.2
RT Users:
7.3
Letterboxd:
7.28
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7.26
Action, Thriller, Science Fiction
Directed by:
Dan Trachtenberg
Popularity Ranking:
10th
Top Billed Cast:
Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, Dane DiLiegro
SYNOPSIS:
A skilled Comanche warrior protects her tribe from a highly evolved alien predator that hunts humans for sport, fighting against wilderness, dangerous colonisers and this mysterious creature to keep her people safe.
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