You can say that after a tough couple of years amid a health pandemic, 2022 is the year that the film industry finally got back on its feet and gave us a slew of amazing and memorable movies that are guaranteed to go down in history as some of the best ones ever made.
As we enter the second half of the year, we took a look at which noteworthy movies have earned the highest ratings across popular movie rating websites.
17. “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”
IMDB: 7.1 / 10
Metascore: 68%
Tomatometer: 86%
Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of Nicolas Cage must accept a US$1 million offer to attend the birthday of a dangerous superfan (Pedro Pascal). Things take a wildly unexpected turn when Cage is recruited by a CIA operative (Tiffany Haddish) and forced to live up to his own legend, channeling his most iconic and beloved on-screen characters in order to save himself and his loved ones. With a career built for this very moment, the seminal award-winning actor must take on the role of a lifetime: Nick Cage.
Director: Tom Gormican
Genres: Action, Thriller, Comedy, Crime
16. “The Batman”
IMDB: 7.9 / 10
Metascore: 72%
Tomatometer: 82%
Batman ventures into Gotham City’s underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, he must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued the metropolis.
Director: Matt Reeves
Genres: Action, Sci-Fi, Drama, Mystery, Crime
15. “Fire Island”
IMDB: 6.7/10
Metascore: 72%
Tomatometer: 93%
Set in the iconic Pines, Andrew Ahn’s Fire Island is an unapologetic, modern-day rom-com showcasing a diverse, multicultural examination of queerness and romance. Inspired by the timeless pursuits from Jane Austen’s classic Pride and Prejudice, the story centers around two best friends (Joel Kim Booster and Bowen Yang) who set out to have a legendary summer adventure with the help of cheap rosé and their cadre of eclectic friends.
Director: Andrew Ahn
Genres: Comedy, Romance
14. “The Northman”
IMDB: 7.2/10
Metascore: 89%
Tomatometer: 82%
From visionary director Robert Eggers comes The Northman, an action-filled epic that follows a young Viking prince on his quest to avenge his father’s murder. With an all-star cast that includes Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ethan Hawke, Björk, and Willem Dafoe.
Director: Robert Eggers
Genres: Action, Adventure, Drama, History, Thriller, Fantasy
13. “The Bob’s Burgers Movie”
IMDB: 7.4/10
Metascore: 87%
Tomatometer: 85%
The story begins when a ruptured water main creates an enormous sinkhole right in front of Bob’s Burgers, blocking the entrance indefinitely and ruining the Belchers’ plans for a successful summer. While Bob and Linda struggle to keep the business afloat, the kids try to solve a mystery that could save their family’s restaurant. As the dangers mount, these underdogs help each other find hope and fight to get back behind the counter, where they belong.
Director: Bernard Derriman, Loren Bouchard
Genres: Adventure, Comedy, Animation, Musical
12. “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande”
IMDB: 7.1/10
Metascore: 78%
Tomatometer: 94%
Nancy Stokes (Emma Thompson) doesn’t know good sex. Whatever it may be, Nancy, a retired schoolteacher, is pretty sure she has never had it, but she is determined to finally do something about that. She even has a plan: It involves an anonymous hotel room, and a young sex worker who calls himself Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack). Leo is confident, dapper, and takes pride in being good at his job. He also appears to be intrigued by Nancy — one of many things to surprise her during their time together.
Director: Sophie Hyde
Genres: Drama, Comedy
11. “X”
IMDB: 6.6/10
Metascore: 78%
Tomatometer: 95%
A group of actors sets out to make an adult film in rural Texas under the noses of their reclusive hosts, but when the elderly couple catches their young guests in the act, the cast finds themselves in a desperate fight for their lives.
Director: Ti West
Genres: Horror, Thriller
10. “Top Gun: Maverick
IMDB: 8.6/10
Metascore: 78%
Tomatometer: 96%
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Genres: Action, Drama
9. “RRR”
IMDB: 8/10
Metascore: 84%
Tomatometer: 91%
RRR is a fictional story about India’s legendary freedom fighters, Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem who fought against the British Raj and the Nizam of Hyderabad respectively.
Director: S.S. Rajamouli
Genres: Action, Drama
8. “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
IMDB: 8.3/10
Metascore: 81%
Tomatometer: 95%
Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh), a flustered immigrant mother, is contacted from a parallel universe and told that only she can save the world. The unlikely hero must learn to channel her newfound powers and fight through the splintering timelines of the multiverse to save her home, her family, and herself.
Director: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Comedy
7. “The Fallout”
IMDB: 7/10
Metascore: 84%
Tomatometer: 93%
Bolstered by new friendships forged under sudden and tragic circumstances, high schooler Vada (Jenna Ortega) begins to reinvent herself, while re-evaluating her relationships with her family, friends, and her view of the world. Moving away from her comfortable family routine, she starts taking chances with a series of quicksilver decisions that test her own boundaries and push her in new directions. As she spends more time with Mia (Maddie Ziegler), they grow closer, and Vada slowly redefines herself through their shared experiences, leading her further away from that day and closer to living her life in the now.
Director: Megan Park
Genres: Drama
6. “Turning Red”
IMDB: 7/10
Metascore: 83%
Tomatometer: 94%
Mei Lee is a 13-year-old girl who is torn between being her mother’s obedient daughter and the chaos of her youth. As if that were not enough, when she gets too excited, she turns into a big red panda.
Director: Domee Shi
Genres: Family, Comedy, Animation
5. “Belle”
IMDB: 7.2/10
Metascore: 83%
Tomatometer: 95%
Suzu is a shy, everyday high school student living in a rural village. For years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters “U”, a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a gorgeous and globally-beloved singer. One day, her concert is interrupted by a monstrous creature chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda
Genres: Adventure, Sci-Fi, Drama, Fantasy, Animation
4. “Neptune Frost”
IMDB: 6.5/10
Metascore: 83%
Tomatometer: 97%
On the hilltops of Burundi, a group of escaped coltan miners forms an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective. From their camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region’s natural resources – and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped coltan miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry.
Director: Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams
Genres: Sci-Fi, Musical
3. “Fire of Love”
IMDB: 7.8/10
Metascore: 83%
Tomatometer: 100%
Katia and Maurice Krafft loved two things — each other and volcanoes. For two decades, the daring French volcanologist couple roamed the planet, chasing eruptions and documenting their discoveries. Ultimately, they lost their lives in a 1991 volcanic explosion, leaving a legacy that forever enriched our knowledge of the natural world.
Director: Sara Dosa
Genres: Documentary
2. “The Janes”
IMDB: 7.1/10
Metascore: 83%
Tomatometer: 100%
In the spring of 1972, police raided an apartment on the South Side of Chicago where seven women who were part of a clandestine network were arrested and charged. Using code names, fronts, and safe houses to protect themselves and their work, the accused had built an underground service for women seeking safe, affordable, illegal abortions. They called themselves “Jane.”
Director: Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin
Genres: Documentary
1. “Happening”
IMDB: 7.4/10
Metascore: 86%
Tomatometer: 99%
France, 1963. Anne is a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her. But when she falls pregnant, she sees the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background disappearing. With her final exams fast approaching and her belly growing, Anne resolves to act, even if she has to confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so.
Director: Audrey Diwan
Genres: Drama
(ALSO READ: The Top 10 Movies and TV Shows Filipinos Are Streaming This Week Of July 5)
Which of these have you yet to watch? Tell us in the comments below!
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