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Oscars 2023 Best Picture Nominees Ranked by Tomatometer

Top Gun: Maverick tops the list of the 2023 Oscar Best Picture nominees ranked by Tomatometer — makes sense since the Tom Cruise joyride was declared the best-reviewed movie of 2022 in our Golden Tomato Awards. Of the other nominees, Maverick is joined by the year’s other box office behemoth, Avatar: The Way of Water. James Cameron will continue to declare himself king of the world, whether here or off-planet. Musical biopic Elvis and Everything Everywhere All At Once (starring Michelle Yeoh) also had remarkable runs on getting those butts in seats and theater tickets teared up.

Every Best Picture nominee this year is Certified Fresh, a light contrast to last year’s pool that included the Rotten-rated Don’t Look Up. The other four nominees feature biographies — with Tar (starring Cate Blanchett) and The Fabelmans (based on Steven Speilberg‘s youth) — and present personal conflict on some rather vastly different scales with The Banshees of Inisherin (with Colin Farrell) and All Quiet on the Western Front.

#1

Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Tomatometer icon 96%

#1
Adjusted Score: 123061%
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... [More]
Directed By: Joseph Kosinski

#2
Adjusted Score: 116943%
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... [More]
Directed By: Martin McDonagh

#3
Adjusted Score: 116885%
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... [More]
Directed By: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

#4

The Fabelmans (2022)
Tomatometer icon 92%

#4
Adjusted Score: 114355%
Critics Consensus: Part memoir, part ode to the power of the movies, The Fabelmans finds Steven Spielberg digging at the family roots that helped make him a beloved filmmaker -- and proves he hasn't lost his magic touch.
Synopsis: Young Sammy Fabelman falls in love with movies after his parents take him to see "The Greatest Show on Earth."... [More]
Directed By: Steven Spielberg

#5

Tár (2022)
Tomatometer icon 91%

#5
Adjusted Score: 110943%
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.... [More]
Directed By: Todd Field

#6
Adjusted Score: 99236%
Critics Consensus: Both timely and timeless, All Quiet on the Western Front retains the power of its classic source material by focusing on the futility of war.
Synopsis: All Quiet on the Western Front tells the gripping story of a young German soldier on the Western Front of... [More]
Directed By: Edward Berger

#7

Elvis (2022)
Tomatometer icon 77%

#7
Adjusted Score: 99532%
Critics Consensus: The standard rock biopic formula gets all shook up in Elvis, with Baz Luhrmann's dazzling energy and style perfectly complemented by Austin Butler's outstanding lead performance.
Synopsis: The film explores the life and music of Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), seen through the prism of his complicated relationship... [More]
Directed By: Baz Luhrmann

#8
#8
Adjusted Score: 101649%
Critics Consensus: Narratively, it might be fairly standard stuff -- but visually speaking, Avatar: The Way of Water is a stunningly immersive experience.
Synopsis: Set more than a decade after the events of the first film, "Avatar: The Way of Water" begins to tell... [More]
Directed By: James Cameron