These movies weren’t necessarily the next classic or Oscar winner, but ones that came along and gave great entertainment regardless felt timely in their manner or permeated the culture giving way to a host of new discussions or just internet jokes to revisit.
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This year had a host of movies in which the surrounding conversations became major gateways for broader conversations on art and artists as a whole. From the internet jokes to the conversations on misogyny towards prominent women, these were the movies that we were thankful for in 2022.
The following article contains spoilers for the films discussed.
Jordan Peele’s newest horror hit,Nope, follows Haywood (Daniel Kaluuya) and his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer) in the aftermath of their father’s death. As they struggle to keep hishorse entertainment businessafloat, they find an odd creature in the sky, dubbed Jean Jacket, that starts devouring the people and things around them. Haywood utilizes what he knows about animals to understand the perspective of a creature in its habitat while also learning to protect himself.
Often horror movies create a terrorizing monster that people want to defeat immediately. Still, the approach to Jean Jacket creates an understanding that, often, humanity brings these monsters upon ourselves by existing in their habitat. In an era of bringing understanding to exploited child stars, the subject of exploitation, in general, has become a hot talking point within the last few years, and Nope brings a new conversation with a funny and action-packed flick.
Baz Luhrman’sartistic exploration of Elvis' lifebrings the idea of the man to life and his impact, influence, and history. The movie follows the life ofElvis(Austin Butler), exploring the inspiration for his music within black communities, his relationship with his mother, and his rise to fame.
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In an era where we’re still reeling from everything that happened toBritney Spearsand the exploitation of child stars coming to light more than ever,Elvisis a perfectly timed flick that holds a similar story of someone used by everyone for their financial gains.
‘Turning Red’
Turning Redwas a movie that allowed a fun and touching exploration of puberty as it followed Mei (Rosalie Chiang) finding out that she turns into a giant Red Panda under extreme emotion. Her parents reveal it to be a family curse on theside of her mother(Sandra Oh). With the help of her friends, Mei learns to control the Red Panda but falls apart when it comes to her relationship with her mother. The two struggle, and as a result, Mei self-destructs her own friendships.
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The film’s oddities help to liven up the deeper conversation on the toll of family dynamics on the personal life, and while the mother is a fascinating character in herself, exploring the world from Mei’s eyes allows an insight into the struggle of a teenage girl who feels the need to maintain normality under extreme duress.
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’
Everything Everywhere All At Onceis certainly everything; the movie is a science fiction family drama that explores generational trauma from the perspective of Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), an immigrant, a mother, and a laundromat owner, struggling with her business and her relationships. In a sudden twist, Evelyn is thrust into alternate universes, being told that it’s up to her to stop an evil entity.
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Everything Everywhere All At Oncestrikes a similar chord to Turning Red but from the parent instead of the child, as she comes to terms with the flaws in her parenting and how she’s begun to resemble her father (James Hong). Her constant want for more hurts her relationship with her husband (Ke Huay Quan), and her attempts to uphold values hurt others. Realizing the damage she’s incurred is a difficult journey, but the science fiction and comedic elements make a deeper conversation that’s a fun journey.
It’s not the actual movie that’s worth being thankful for but the cultural impact and misreading on the part of the studio.Morbiusfollows a scientist (Jared Leto) who accidentally turns himself into a vampire in an attempt to cure himself of a blood disorderturns himself into a vampire. Morbius failed, both critically and financially.
What makes it a highlight of the year is the small revival it got on the internet. However, it was the meme culture that revived it. A small joke initially started on a subreddit and made its way onto Twitter, claiming there was a #morbiussweep claiming that the movie was a masterpiece. The studio completely misread the conversation around Morbius and, to make up for the initial losses,rereleased the movie, only to fail once again. The moviemay have failed in so many ways, but the failures ended up being a highlight this year.
‘Minions: The Rise of Gru’
Since the firstDespicable Mein 2010, Minions have become an odd staple of internet culture, and that didn’t stop this year. Amid the release ofMinions: The Rise of Grusprung a trend: The Gentleminions. The trend consisted of teenagers dressing in formal attire to watch the movie. While the teens were rowdy and disruptive in some cases, the overall trend had an air of nostalgia to it.
Many of the teens who would’ve done this trend likely would’ve watched the firstDespicable Mewhen they were children; the nature of the rather silly idea came from a place of consuming a franchise that’s been around for 12 years at this point. While it may be overwhelming or annoying to see minions memes pop up so much, the Gentleminions gave a reminder of howmovies and franchisescan make a mark on generations.
‘The Lost City’
The romantic comedy is a genre that has seemingly lost popularity, butThe Lost Citycreates afun action adventure rompthat brings back the genre with a bang. The movie starsSandra Bullockas Loretta Sage, a romance author who’s isolated herself since losing her husband, forced out of her shell for another book tour, in which she gets kidnapped. Her cover model, Alan (Channing Tatum), takes it upon himself to rescue her.
The movie is fun and stars Bullock and Tatum in roles they thrive in. The energy of it all is similar to the romantic comedies of the early 2000s, where it just feels enjoyable. Looking back on the last few years of franchises and superhero films,to have an adventure moviebe a romantic comedy gives a much-needed break for the genre.
‘Don’t Worry Darling’
Since it’s popped on the scene,Don’t Worry Darlinghas had all eyes on it. The second film of actress-turned-director Olivia Wilde saw scrutiny all year, as she faced regular vitriol from the fans of her boyfriend at the time, Harry Styles, and the rumors of her feud with star Florence Pugh overtook the internet. The film follows Alice (Pugh),a 1950s housewife, living in a utopian experimental community but starts to see cracks in her reality.
The ultimate attention that this movie garnered seemed toend up disappointingas the film had low reviews, but ultimately it sparked up important conversations on how women directors were held versus men. Wilde faced intense internet scrutiny for supposed feuds and relationship drama and got dragged far more than most predatory male directors. The hatred for Wilde showed how women’s values in positions of power are still extremely uneven compared to men. Some of the movie’s press reflected the misogyny that still permeates even rich and famous women.
A movie that initially seemed as though it could be a shallow jump scare filled with cheap thrills ended up being a deeper understanding of trauma and its consequences,Smilefollows therapist Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon), coping with witnessing her patient, Laura (Caitlin Stasey) kill herself. The experience leaves her scarred, and Cotter begins to see horrifying images within those closest to her.
The film’s ultimate theme of how trauma can pass from one to the other, especially what’s left unresolved, is loud and clear through the screen, and a meaningful conversation to be held as the general conversation aroundmental health opens up.
‘Barbarian’
To say thatBarbarianwas timely would be an understatement; what startsas a simple premisewhere two people accidentally book the same AirBnb turns into a nightmare as they discover the world underneath it. More importantly, it follows a former tv star, AJ (Justin Long), as he gets ousted for sexually assaulting a coworker. In 2022 there became an apparent apathy towards the #MeToo movement; with figures like Brad Pitt gliding past assault allegations and Louis CK winning an Emmy, the consequences men face have started to become nonexistent.
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InBarbarian, AJ is consistently forced to reckon with the consequences of his actions and look at his exploitative nature in the mirror; often, he chooses to ignore them. The movie’s terrifying nature has a story underneath of predators and how they oftentimes exist in plain sight and how women’s empathy often acts as saviors for themselves and others.
