Ranking the Films of 2022: Part One

It was the year I learned to say “no.”

Prior to 2022, I’d skipped plenty of movies, but in an age where atrocious releases prove profitable and inspire a sequel within a year or two, I’m tapping into my D.A.R.E. foundation and giving the cold shoulder to suspect offerings on a more regular basis. As such, there was no Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, or Black Adam for me, and after miserable experiences with Scream and Avatar: The Way of Water, I will not be returning to their worlds.

“Liberating” is an understatement.

In turn, my count of 171 new releases (down 14 from last year) is a career low in my 10 years as a professional critic. But if you look at my Letterboxd stats, I had one of my most productive viewing years since my freelance days, and abstaining from “fool me twice” situations freed me up to cross off more blindspots and revisit old favorites.

What I did log from 2022 is sorted into four groups, presented numerically from worst to best, and will be rolled out one installment per day this week until we reach #1. Please show me on the doll where I hurt you, and thanks for reading.

171. Clerks III

170. Bodies Bodies Bodies

169. The Adam Project

168. Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul.

167. Mack & Rita

166. Blacklight

165. Jurassic World Dominion

164. Firestarter

163. Deep Water

162. Avatar: The Way of Water

161. Me Time

160. Ambulance

Ambulance (Universal Pictures)

159. Morbius

158. The 355

157. Dead for a Dollar

156. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

155. Scream

154. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

153. Death on the Nile

152. The King’s Daughter

151. Where the Crawdads Sing

(Photo: Lionsgate Films)