10.) Avatar: The Way of Water

James Cameron

In 2022 we were once again taught a very important lesson: never bet against James Cameron. 13 years after Avatar set box office records, and after 13 years of discussion and think pieces about the film and how culturally relevant it is, the sequel film released in cinemas and was once again a box office success as well as a very good movie.

Returning to the world of Pandora and the Navi, we follow the Sully family as they seek refuge with the Metkayina clan, a reef people who are used to being in the water with traditions different from the forest people. An unbelievably beautiful film with CGI that has to be seen to be believed, the movie builds to a fantastic, action-packed final act which leaves you leaving the cinema on a high. A must-see in a cinema if you are the only person yet to see it.

– Ashley Hobley

9.) The Banshees of Inisherin

Martin McDonagh

The reunion of Martin McDonagh, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, 14 years after In Bruges, delivers a surprisingly perfect companion piece to that film. The normal routine of Pádraic, a farmer on the Irish isle of Inisherin, is thrown through a loop when his best friend Colm decides he doesn’t want to be friends anymore.

At times hilarious, at other times deeply tragic, this simple premise leads to an astonishing tale about friendship, legacy, selfishness and what we owe to each other. Farrell and Gleeson are brilliant with outstanding supporting roles from Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan and Jenny the Donkey. A fantastic film that will have you have you laughing in one moment, and heartbroken in the next.

– Ashley Hobley

8.) The Woman King

Gina Prince-Bythewood

The Woman King feels like a film from yesteryear, a historical epic with large action scenes, only this time, it features African women kicking everyone’s ass. Telling the story of the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey, director Gina Prince-Bythewood and star/producer Viola Davis have made a film that showcases female empowerment. With fantastic performances from Davis and Thuso Mbedu as well as a scene-stealing, star-making turn by Lashana Lynch, The Woman King will hopefully be the first of many films of its like.

– Ashley Hobley

7.) Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Guillermo del Toro, Mark Gustafson

Not only does Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio almost spit on the Disneyfication of the Pinnochio story, but it also shows Disney that you can make fairytales for adults. Although this film isn’t only for adults, it is a film that uses animation as an art form and not as a way to target an audience. This isn’t just a “stop-motion Pinnnochio” the film uses Mussolini’s Italy setting and constant images and ideas of fascism to show how bad ideas can spread quickly. How everyone, from church to a circus show, can be used as propaganda. At worst, you’ll get a beautifully animated film out of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio with stunning work by the team of more than forty animators, which breathe life into the small and gigantic toys used for the film.

– Dylan Blight

6.) Nope

Jordan Peele

Jordan Peele is a man who can do no wrong. Each film he has written and directed has been a wholly original, entertaining and thought-provoking piece of cinema. Each is a standout of the year it was released. And Nope is no different. This time, however, Peele moves slightly adjacent to the more traditional horror genre ideals and slots into a sci-fi thriller with some Hollywood history and commentary on our obsession with spectacle. The film introduces a typical alien plot with a could-be saucer flying around, capturing horses before revealing something much more sinister. As with his previous films, Nope has more than meets the eye. But Nope also has a cinematic quality that leaves this as his best film to have seen on the big screen. Some truly awe-inspiring moments leave you feeling Peele with Spielberg-inspired, and the film is all the more memorable for it.

– Dylan Blight

5.) The Batman

Matt Reeves

Matt Reeves is a name to be trusted after delivering two fantastic Planet of The Apes films. Now given the keys to one of the biggest franchises in the world, Reeves gave the 84 year old character a fresh feel and look. A more gritty, brutal and street-level take, The Batman is at its core a detective story inspired by serial killer films like Se7en.

Robert Pattison is a perfect fit for Reeves’ vision of Batman, while Zoe Kravitz is astounding as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and Paul Dano is a frightening and threatening figure as The Riddler. Beautifully shot with some striking imagery, cinematographer Greig Fraser continues to proves to be one the best in his field. Add on top an iconic score by Michael Giacchino and you have a film that ensures James Gunn and Peter Safran sleep well at night, at least having this one franchise they can be sure about.

– Ashley Hobley

4.) The Northman

Robert Eggers

With The Northman, director Robert Eggs has crafted the most epic Norse-noir movie to end them all. It’s chaotic, ultra-violent and dives into Norse mythology with a commitment like none other. The film’s revenge plot may seem simple, as a man seeks revenge against his Uncle for killing his Father, but it’s about much more than that, and thematically, the film asks if you can separate love from hate and at least in the case of Amleth in this film, says it is not possible.

– Dylan Blight

3.) Glass Onion

Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson hit gold when he released Knives Out. It was a playful and exciting “whodunnit” with an exciting all-star cast. Could the follow-up be anywhere close to being as good? The answer is that Glass Onion is even better with a witty script, an even more exciting all-star cast and, somehow, Daniel Craig, giving more than he gave in the first film. The witty meta-commentary can rip through you or go straight over your head, but it doesn’t matter and won’t affect your enjoyment of a movie with such fun characters to spend a couple of hours with. Even if one of them is a killer, like all good original stories in the genre, it’s almost disappointing to find out who was behind everything because it means the chase is over.

– Dylan Blight

2.) Top Gun: Maverick

Joseph Kosinski

Top Gun is this 80s classic that, in my mind, is viewed primarily as a bit of a ‘dad movie.’ On paper, making a sequel to that in 2022 shouldn’t be as successful or as good as Top Gun: Maverick is, but here we are. The partnership between director Joseph Kosinski, Tom Cruise and the team working to make a film like Top Gun: Maverick possible deserves a big applause. Not since Mad Max: Fury Road had I experienced such a cinematic feat in an action film as Top Gun: Maverick. The commitment to get in the jets and film as much as accurately as possible makes any other movie scene with air dog fights fall flat in retrospect. But the action is like nothing you’ve seen before. The narrative is surprisingly fun and heartwarming, with Maverick becoming a much more likable character in this sequel and the appropriately aged romance with Jennifer Connelly being one of my favourite on-screen love stories of the year. The supporting cast is much more interesting, varied and likable than the first film, relying less on macho weight and throwing around testosterone. Instead, the heart of the film is the burnt relationship between Maverick and Rooster, the son of Goose from the first film.

Top Gun: Maverick is a cinematic feat, and I’m thankful that Cruise pushed to shelve the film until it could be watched in cinemas, where it was the best place to watch it and appreciate it for the pure adrenaline rush that it is.

– Dylan Blight

1.) Everything Everywhere All at Once

Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

It is often said that every film that gets made is a miracle. I would argue that there was no film more miraculous this year than Everything Everywhere All At Once. The latest crazy project by the Daniels, the film tells the story of a woman being audited by the IRS who gets pulled into saving the multiverse from an entity looking to destroy it.

This is truly a remarkable multifaceted film, each scene feels like the most creative thing you have ever seen, at least until the next scene comes along and some other crazy thing is happening. Somehow, the film never loses control of its craziness and somehow sticks a beautiful emotional ending. Anchored by an incredible performance by Michelle Yeoh, who does everything asked of her to perfection from action scenes, dramatic moments or screaming into the multiverse, the supporting cast of Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis seemingly effortlessly jump between various multiversal versions of their characters.

How this was able to be made in the time frame they had, for the money they had and with the number of people they had is mind-boggling. A film that is impossible to replicate and one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in a cinema.

– Ashley Hobley