Best Wide Release Movies 2022

Critics Consensus: Top Gun: Maverick pulls off a feat even trickier than a 4G inverted dive, delivering a long-belated sequel that surpasses its predecessor in wildly entertaining style.

Synopsis: 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... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Tom Cruise, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm

Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

Critics Consensus: Led by an outstanding Michelle Yeoh, Everything Everywhere All at Once lives up to its title with an expertly calibrated assault on the senses.

Synopsis: Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong

Directed By: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Critics Consensus: Featuring some of Martin McDonagh's finest work and a pair of outstanding lead performances, The Banshees of Inisherin is a finely crafted feel-bad treat.

Synopsis: Set on a remote island off the west coast of Ireland, THE BANSHEES OF INISHERIN follows lifelong friends Pádraic and Colm, who find themselves at... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Kerry Condon, Barry Keoghan

Directed By: Martin McDonagh

Critics Consensus: A grim, gritty, and gripping super-noir, The Batman ranks among the Dark Knight's bleakest -- and most thrillingly ambitious -- live-action outings.

Synopsis: Batman ventures into Gotham City's underworld when a sadistic killer leaves behind a trail of cryptic clues. As the scale of the perpetrator's plans become... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Jeffrey Wright, Colin Farrell

Directed By: Matt Reeves

Critics Consensus: Poignant, profound, and utterly heartwarming, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is animated entertainment with real heart.

Synopsis: Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colorful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Jenny Slate, Rosa Salazar, Thomas Mann, Isabella Rossellini

Directed By: Dean Fleischer-Camp

Critics Consensus: Till reframes an historically horrific murder within a mother's grief, brought heartwrenchingly to life by Danielle Deadwyler's tremendous performance.

Synopsis: Till is a profoundly emotional and cinematic film about the true story of Mamie Till Mobley's relentless pursuit of justice for her 14 year old... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Danielle Deadwyler, Jalyn Hall, Frankie Faison, Haley Bennett

Directed By: Chinonye Chukwu

Critics Consensus: All hail Viola Davis! The Woman King rules.

Synopsis: The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim

Directed By: Gina Prince-Bythewood

Critics Consensus: A bloody revenge epic and breathtaking visual marvel, The Northman finds filmmaker Robert Eggers expanding his scope without sacrificing any of his signature style.

Synopsis: The Northman is an epic revenge thriller, that explores how far a Viking prince will go to seek justice for his murdered father.

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Claes Bang, Ethan Hawke

Directed By: Robert Eggers

Critics Consensus: A fresh spin on the classic slasher formula, X marks the spot where Ti West gets resoundingly back to his horror roots.

Synopsis: In 1979, a group of young filmmakers set out to make an adult film in rural Texas, but when their reclusive, elderly hosts catch them... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Martin Henderson, Brittany Snow

Directed By: Ti West

Critics Consensus: A taut thriller that contains a wealth of social commentary, Emily the Criminal is stolen by Aubrey Plaza's terrific work in the title role.

Synopsis: Emily (Aubrey Plaza) is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Theo Rossi, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Jonathan Avigdori

Directed By: John Patton Ford

Critics Consensus: Led by a luminous Lesley Manville, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is a good old-fashioned story charmingly told.

Synopsis: In partnership with the House of Dior, MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS tells the story of a widowed cleaning lady in 1950s London who falls... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Lesley Manville, Isabelle Huppert, Jason Isaacs, Anna Chancellor

Directed By: Anthony Fabian

Critics Consensus: Led by the soaring melody of Cate Blanchett's note-perfect performance, Tár riffs brilliantly on the discordant side of fame-fueled power.

Synopsis: From writer-producer-director Todd Field comes TÁR, starring Cate Blanchett as Lydia Tár, the groundbreaking conductor of a major German Orchestra. We meet Tár at the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Noémie Merlant, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer

Directed By: Todd Field

Critics Consensus: A remarkable story brought to life with dazzling animation, Belle finds writer-director Mamoru Hosoda setting a brilliant new benchmark.

Synopsis: 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... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kylie McNeill, Chace Crawford, Paul Castro Jr., Manny Jacinto

Directed By: Mamoru Hosoda

Critics Consensus: Admirable for its originality and ambition even when its reach exceeds its grasp, Nope adds Spielbergian spectacle to Jordan Peele's growing arsenal.

Synopsis: A man and his sister discover something sinister in the skies above their California horse ranch, while the owner of a nearby theme park tries... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Steven Yeun, Michael Wincott

Directed By: Jordan Peele

Critics Consensus: Smart, darkly humorous, and above all scary, Barbarian offers a chilling and consistently unpredictable thrill ride for horror fans.

Synopsis: Traveling to Detroit for a job interview, a young woman books a rental home. But when she arrives late at night, she discovers that the... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Georgina Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis

Directed By: Zach Cregger

Critics Consensus: Arriving more than a decade after the previous installment, the smart, sweet, and funny Puss in Boots: The Last Wish proves some franchises only get better with age.

Synopsis: This fall, everyone's favorite leche-loving, swashbuckling, fear-defying feline returns. For the first time in more than a decade, DreamWorks Animation presents a new adventure in... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Olivia Colman, Harvey Guillén

Directed By: Joel Crawford

Critics Consensus: Smart, funny, and wildly creative, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent presents Nicolas Cage in peak gonzo form -- and he's matched by Pedro Pascal's scene-stealing performance.

Synopsis: Nicolas Cage stars as... Nick Cage in the action-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Creatively unfulfilled and facing financial ruin, the fictionalized version of... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Tiffany Haddish, Sharon Horgan

Directed By: Tom Gormican

Critics Consensus: Bros marks a step forward in rom-com representation -- and just as importantly, it's a whole bunch of fun to watch.

Synopsis: Universal Pictures proudly presents the first romantic comedy from a major studio about two gay men maybe, possibly, probably, stumbling towards love. Maybe. They're both... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, TS Madison, Monica Raymund

Directed By: Nicholas Stoller

Critics Consensus: Pearl finds Ti West squeezing fresh gore out of the world he created with X -- and once again benefiting from a brilliant Mia Goth performance.

Synopsis: Filmmaker Ti West returns with another chapter from the twisted world of X, in this astonishing follow-up to the year's most acclaimed horror film. Trapped... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Mia Goth, David Corenswet, Tandi Wright, Matthew Sunderland

Directed By: Ti West

Critics Consensus: Blending beautifully animated action with fresh character development, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is everything fans of the franchise will be looking for.

Synopsis: The Red Ribbon Army was once destroyed by Son Goku. Individuals, who carry on its spirit, have created the ultimate Androids, Gamma 1 and Gamma... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Kyle Hebert, Sean Schemmel, Robert McCollum, Christopher Sabat

Directed By: Tetsuro Kodama