Top 15 films and TV watched in 2022

I am going to continue my round up blogs for 2022 with the films and TV that I watched last year, now like most people I can watch a lot more than I can read, normally getting through twenty to thirty films (we watch a lot with the children) a month whereas the most books I read in a month last year was three. Therefore I have decided to briefly review my top fifteen to make this a lot shorter, I also decided to only choose things I hadn't watched before to make it a bit more varied. 

Keep in mind that this is when I watched them even if they came out earlier, we often wait to get things on DVD as we have far too many things that we want to watch. Without further adieu then let's get into it.

1. Marvel Phase 4 - 4.3/5 (average)

First up is everything Marvel has released of Phase 4 from WandaVision to Thor: Love and Thunder as we consumed it all last year, so this will be a big one. I have been a massive fan of Marvel since I was a child, I have early memories of watching the 90's series of X-men, various Spider-man series and several others on Saturday mornings. I have also spent many hours reading all sorts of comics from the Marvel catalogue over the years. So I have loved everything Marvel released that formed Phase 1, 2 and 3, in fact I was quite excited for the continuation of the universe after Endgame and I can say that it has been great, while I prefer the first three phases so far, there is still a lot to go so we shall see. For now here is a brief summary of my thoughts on the ones I watched last year;
WandaVision (series) - 5/5
I absolutely loved this, I loved the storyline when I read it in the comics so seeing it come to life was great, obviously it was condensed but brilliantly so.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (series) - 3.5/5
I did enjoy the series overall and loved the main two characters development plus their interaction, also the storyline was really good. However I wasn't as much of a fan of the overall execution plus I really don't like the character of John Walker. 
Loki (series) - 4/5
I love the character of Loki so much so I was quite excited about this, plus I had heard a lot of hype about it. For me, while it was great, I feel it may have been stretched over a couple too many episodes which is what brought my rating down.
Black Widow (film) - 4/5
The world has been waiting for this film for far too long and I really enjoyed it, especially with the introduction of Yelena. However it did come several years too late to do full justice to the last outing of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.
What If...? (series) - 5/5
This series was incredible, I absolutely love situations where we get to see a different course of events if one thing was changed, so this series was perfect for me and it delivered.
Shang-Chi and The Legend Of The Ten Rings (film) - 4.5/5
This was the first new lead hero for Phase 4 and he's great, I loved the fact that he had a skill set before getting any magical additions. The film itself was really funny and had loads of action sequences fitting of Marvel.
Eternals (film) - 4.5/5
A new group here, although we have seen one member before, which I loved so much. I love teams and team ups between heroes so obviously I was pretty keen plus they have popped up in the comics occasionally so I have been interested for a while, this film did not disappoint especially with the variety of personalities within the group. 
Hawkeye (series) - 4.5/5
Oh the underrated Avenger finally gets a solo outing and it was brilliant, I loved seeing his wit and his training of Kate Bishop. I am very happy that they decided to make this, plus the appearance of Yelena again was brilliant.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (film) - 4/5
I enjoyed this film and think it was well done, there was a lot happening and some big action sequences to orchestrate, I really enjoyed having three Spider-men mixing and sharing tactics. I do feel though that it was over hyped as one of the best Marvel films ever.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (film) - 4/5
This followed on from Spider-Man and WandaVision while incorporating elements of Loki and What If...?, the first film in Phase 4 to combine elements of previous things within the phase. Again there was a lot going on and it was done well, I particularly enjoyed the introduction of America Chavez and the increased showing of Wong's powers. 
Moonknight (series) - 4.5/5
This was an absolutely brilliant series, it started a bit confusing however once it started making sense everything slotted into place perfectly. This was a great new and different hero, I can't wait to see more of him, especially how he will interact with the other heroes
Thor: Love and Thunder (film) - 4.5/5
Finally we come to the last of the year, which only snuck in due to it being a Christmas present. I loved it, Thor is truly a great character and there are brilliant supporting characters in Valkyrie and Korg in particular. The dynamic was interesting as it was the first Thor film without Loki, but there was some great humour and a brilliant baddie to make the battles really interesting, plus Jane Foster becoming Thor.

2. Jungle Cruise - 4/5
This was such a fun film, there was comedy, action, a little romance and great scenery. I really enjoyed the camaraderie between the characters played by Emily Blunt and Jack Whitehall, especially when Dwayne Johnson's character is thrown into the mix. The storyline is gripping and exciting all the way through, but also has a fairly classic Disney feel to it making it nostalgic.

3. Luca - 4.5/5
Another Disney film here, well Disney Pixar anyway, I do love Disney films and have done since childhood so I am always up for giving the next one a try, especially the animated ones. This one was great I loved the fact that the sea monsters have two forms, one for dry and one for wet which allows them to live two lives. I thought it was interesting how the two worlds eventually collided and in true Disney style eventually worked out for the best. 

4. Free Guy - 4.5/5
Absolutely brilliant, I love Ryan Reynolds so always give his films a go and this was a great one. The storyline of this film kept me gripped and trying to figure out the next steps all the way through while providing loads of humour to lighten some of the more intense parts. 


5. The Croods 2: A New Age - 4.5/5
I thought this was a great sequel to a film I loved. The continuation of the storyline and the introduction of the new characters presenting a different dynamic which was brilliant, I can't think of a better follow up.
6. Encanto - 4.5/5
So this film had a lot of hype about it so I wasn't sure what to think, however I had been hearing and really enjoying the songs, so when we watched it I was impressed as Disney did it again. We have now watched it many times and it is a bit of a family favourite, we love Louisa and Bruno the most.

7. The Mitchells Vs The Machines - 5/5
This film was incredible, literally one of the best films of the year for me and a definite family favourite. I loved the characters, storyline and the action scenes. Everything was perfect and flowed so well, lot's of laughs for us and the children. If you love a robot uprising, a dysfunctional family working together and great wacky animated action sequences, this is for you.
8. Escape Room & Escape Room 2: Tournament Of Champions - 4/5
These were great, really re-thinking the concept of escape rooms in a very exciting way, if not a little deadly. I really enjoyed the variety of characters and the intricate nature of the tasks, plus the link between the two films is brilliant.

9. Nine Perfect Strangers - 4.5/5
If you have read my review of the books I read last year then you will know that I loved the book of this so was very excited to watch the series and I was not disappointed. The choice of actor for each character was perfect and the way the events were changed slightly to work on screen was done really well, overall giving the same feel as the book plus a bit more. 

10. Bloodshot - 4/5
This was another great action film fronted by Vin Diesel, I really enjoyed the concept of the characters being rebuilt and enhanced. There is a great storyline bolstered by ingenious, though a little fantastical, action scenes and great characters, on both sides all well played by all the actors.

11. The Lost City - 5/5
This film was amazing, funny, exciting and interesting all in one, I loved the story and the characters plus the comedy just made it perfect. I have loved Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum for years so seeing them together was great especially as they worked so perfectly, I wanted more. Also Daniel Radcliffe being a baddie was great, the whole thing came together brilliantly in every way, the best non children's film I watched last year.

12. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - 4/5
This was the perfect follow up to the first film which was great, I loved all the older characters returning and the introduction of a few new ones. Plus the focus on the younger characters lives, getting a little advice along the way. I love too many of the actors to list however Dame Maggie Smith shines once again, it was a very funny heart warming experience once again.

13. Max - 4/5
This was a surprisingly good film, I really enjoyed how the relationship between boy and dog developed through grief and ultimately lead them to solve a mystery. The acting was great and the issues faced by the characters were fairly realistic, plus Max the dog himself was wonderful and adorable.

14. The Bad Guys - 5/5
This film was one of the later discoveries of the year and I am so glad that I found it, no matter how incredible The Lost City and The Mitchells Vs The Machines were this is easily the best film I saw last year. One of those animated films where the voice cast couldn't have been any better, the storyline was perfect, inspiring and fun. The whole family loves this film and in particular my favourite scene when titular characters are supposed to be saving some guinea pigs but it goes wrong, simply hilarious.

15. DC's League Of Super Pets 4.5/5
One of the last films of the year as it was a Christmas present for the Children from their Uncle and it was brilliant. As you have seen I love Marvel but I also like DC, this has a great storyline and characters, the animals getting powers and saving the day is really fun. I loved the vulnerability of several characters as they discovered strengths and weaknesses together while also becoming a team.


To finish off I thought I would add a few end of year summaries from the above list;

My average star rating last year was 4.4/5.

The oldest film I watched last year was The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel released on DVD in July 2015.

The newest film I watched last year was DC's League Of Super Pets released on DVD in October 2022.

My favourite film of the year was obviously The Bad Guys.

The films I would most recommend that I watched last year are, for a children's film I will go with The Bad Guys which is great for the whole family and for non children's The Lost City as it provides something for everyone.


Again if you made it this far thank you for giving me your time and feel free to leave any feedback, it is gratefully received.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Book review: Fragment by Warren Fahy

Book review: Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Film review: The Shape Of Water

Film Review: The Intern

The Books I Read In 2022