My Top 5 Best Films of 2022

I did not review my number 3 since it was a streaming exclusive. For anyone that really wants to know how I felt, I added a review at the bottom of the page.

Watch on YouTube for a more detailed review

5. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever– The pacing has some serious issues, the action is largely forgettable, and Shuri just doesn’t have the charisma to lead the film. Luckily, the acting is fantastic, Namor is a complex villain and the emotional moments hit hard thanks to incredible tributes to the late Chadwick Bozeman.

4. Avatar: The Way of Water– The film rehashes a lot from the original, including the villain while moving the story from the trees to the oceans and minimizing the love story in favor of focusing on the kids. However, the special effects are just amazing, the story is more engaging, and the theatrical experience is still a fun ride.

3. Prey– Despite not breaking much new ground and fairly forgettable characters, the back-to-basics stripped-down approach captures the spirit of the original and delivers a satisfying film.

2. The Batman– The main characters are fairly one-dimensional, there’s not a lot of action, and the film feels like a mashup of Nolan’s Batman and the movie “Seven.” But the cinematography is fantastic, and the actors work well for the gritty interpretation of the characters.

1. Top Gun: Maverick– The film is cliche, the characters are generic, and the last action sequence feels tacked on. But the leads carry the film, the main emotional moments work, and the big action set-piece is well setup and has you on the edge of your seat.

Bonus review for Prey

A surprisingly entertaining “Predator” prequel that takes the basic story beats of the original and makes them new again and creates one of the best films in the franchise. While the basic plot isn’t much different than the first “Predator,” setting the story in 1700’s America with the Comanche really gives the movie a new flavor. While Amber Midthunder is excellent in the lead with both her acting and her physicality, outside of her brother the rest of the cast is fairly forgettable and lacks the colorful characters from the first film. (However, the dog Sarii comes close to stealing the show.) Although the film is a slow burn, the payoff is some great, vicious actions sequences, including a solid final battle that has a strong climax to Naru’s character arc. (If you watch the credits, there’s a hint of a what could set up a sequel.)

***1/2 out of *****

My Top 5 Worst Films of 2022

Since I’m selective about what I see in the theater, consider this my least favorite films of the year. A deciding factor on where a movie ends up on this list is how willing I am to rewatch it. (Or in this case, if I was forced to rewatch some of these.)

Watch the more detailed version on YouTube

5. Uncharted– Yet another video game adaption that misses the mark. The action is fairly ludicrous, and despite the likability of the actors, they all feel miscast in their roles.

4. Thor: Love and Thunder – A decent concept, but a poorly executed plot, a love story lacking chemistry and non-stop mediocre jokes ruin the whole thing.

3. Jurassic World: Dominion– While there are some nice moments with both the “Jurassic World” cast and the ‘Jurassic Park” cast, the much-hyped team-up never pays off.

2. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore– Despite some twists and turns and the specter of a war between wizards and normal humans, the film is bland, with even more forgettable characters added to the franchise.

1. Morbius – Attempting to franchise a mediocre Spider-Man villain gives us a film where the pacing is weak, the characters are forgettable, and the special effects are mostly a mashup of CG and slow-mo that just look like a big mess half the time.

Movie Review: Avatar: The Way of Water (3D)

Watch the SPOILER review on YouTube

After over a decade, “Avatar” returns, once again pushing visual effects to a new level. But, despite the breathtaking imagery, the overly-long plot doesn’t break much new ground and in fact repeats quite a few themes from the first film. As expected, the movie is beautiful to look at. The images are stunning and flawlessly rendered. There seems to be no point where the quality dips. (It helps that just about everything is made-up, so there’s some leeway because it’s all stuff that doesn’t really exist.) However, the visuals are almost too crisp and highly-rendered to the point that it often feels like watching the greatest video game cutscene ever. Because we barely get too see any real humans on screen to compare to the animated characters, it makes it hard to tell if its the CG that’s off or just a result of the digital cameras and 3D effect. While Jake and Neytiri return from the first film, their relationship falls a bit flat this time, after being the driving force of the previous chapter. The focus falls this time on their children. Unfortunately, despite the long running time, their early years are rushed to the point that it’s hard to tell which kid is which. Eventually, their personalities do eventually become more evident and their stories become more compelling. The overall plot rehashes some of the broad strokes from the first “Avatar,” with characters becoming outsiders trying to fit in to a strange society while finding themselves at odds with the invading bad guys (including some brought back from the original film.) Even the action sequences are similar, but the air battles are replaced with sea battles. (Which gives James Cameron a chance to throw in some moments reminiscent of “Titanic.”) The conclusion feels somewhat anticlimactic, probably because they need to set up anywhere between one and three more sequels and needed a few loose ends.

*** out of *****