2022 was a strange year for movies. With the COVID 19 pandemic beginning to fade in severity, theaters opened back up in full swing. It was a year that featured some long-delayed films finally making their debut. It also featured the usual slate of superhero fare and smaller indie titles. This category is always one of the most contentious here on the site. Moreso than most, the writers’ and editors’ tastes in film vary wildly and this year there were seven different films that received votes. Ultimately, though one film stood out above the rest as the best film of 2022. With that said, here are the winners for Golden Lance Award for Movie of the Year.
Winner: Top Gun Maverick
Top Gun Maverick is a film that could have easily been forgettable. Another in a long line of films banking on the nostalgia of yesteryear while being nothing but a rehash. As someone who had little affinity for the original Top Gun, I went into the sequel with some level of skepticism. That skepticism lasted for all of about fifteen minutes. From the initial gorgeous rendition of a hypersonic fighter to the pulse-pounding conclusion, Top Gun Maverick was everything I want from a movie. The theater experience was exhilarating in a way that no other film had been for me in years. Tom Cruise delivers an understated and gut-wrenching performance.
The cameo by Val Kilmer’s Iceman is heartbreaking as is Miles Teller in his role as Goose’s son Rooster. It is a film that despite its breakneck pace towards its conclusion finds time to stop and make you feel. And boy do you feel. You feel the vertigo and disorientation of the pilots. You feel the thumping sound of the aircraft in flight. Couple that with incredible real cinematography which stands in stark opposition to the loose weightless feeling of so many blockbuster Marvel superhero films. Top Gun Maverick was not only one of the best films of the year, but it was also one of the biggest surprises of the year. It is truly deserving of our Golden Lance Award for Movie of the Year.
Runner Up: The Batman
We’ve seen some great films in 2022 but in our modern age of superhero blockbusters, which one stood above them all? For once, I have to say that the best superhero flick this year came from DC instead of Marvel. With Marvel’s Phase 4 slipping further into negative reception due to their seeming approach of quality over quantity, DC has had the chance to take its throne for a bit. They did end up doing so with The Batman, a surprising gem starring Robert Pattinson as the titular character.
Having something disconnected from a grand universe for once was refreshing, and it really impressed a lot of people with how it handled the setting. It felt like a return to form, attempting to grab onto the type of vibes that people loved from The Dark Knight. This Batman feels dark and brooding again. It feels like there are real stakes and mystery set by Paul Dano’s excellent Riddler. In a time where the constant shotgun blast of superhero films can feel a bit monotonous, The Batman showcases that they can still be something interesting. What Matt Reeves gave us here easily stands above the rest as the best superhero film in 2022.
Runner Up: Everything Everywhere All At Once
The multiverse is cinema’s new pop culture icon. Today, most moviegoers would attribute the concept to blockbuster superhero films. However, Everything Everywhere All At Once takes and expands this concept into the stratosphere. The film follows Evelynn, an unremarkable protagonist. She coasts aimlessly through her mundane life while suffering from financial, familial, and psychological problems. The plot is quickly spun on its head when she is roped into a battle to save the multiverse from destruction.
The film brilliantly uses the possibilities of a multiverse in a tale of hope. Evelynn herself remarkably mirrors an adult battling with clinical depression in today’s society. Her story kept me attentive throughout the film, even with its runtime passing the two-hour mark. Coupled with amazing fight scenes, and a love letter to Asian Cinema, there simply is no other film like Everything Everywhere All at Once. It towers over other multiverse films and brings unique creativity to the genre; this powerful and captivating adventure is a worthy runner-up for the movie of the year and should be experienced by all.