2022 is the year of film’s comeback here in the Philippines now that cinemas are opening. While the release of local films is still struggling due to the lingering impact of the pandemic on production, the international film scene has blessed us with a fair share of intriguing and incredible cinematic offerings—whether on the big screen or via streaming.
From high-flying fighter jets in action blockbusters to “more than friends but less than lovers” romances about two college students, here are the best films of 2022 so far!
1. Scream, directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Scream hops on to the revival trend going on in the film scene, updating the classic metal-slasher franchise for today’s audience.
What makes Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett’s Scream stand out from the plethora of revival movies is the way it balances its references to the original franchise while also adding in certain elements that give it its distinct persona.
Scream pays respect to the iconic franchise by taking some of its tried and tested formula and bringing back the legacy characters like Courtney Cox, David Arquette, and Neve Campbell, without giving in too much to the nostalgia of the past.
2. Turning Red, directed by Domee Shi
Pixar’s first feature to be solely directed by a woman centers on the life of Mei (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian student who loves to hang out with her friends and fangirl over the boy band 4*Town. Due to a hereditary curse, she turns into a giant red panda whenever her emotions get too strong. Set in 2002, the film beautifully captures Chinese culture and the wacky magnificence of the early 2000s.
Inspired by her childhood, Shi details the awkwardness, chaos, and joy of puberty—minus the turning into a giant panda part. This coming-of-age film is a funny yet compassionate exploration of the growing pains of adolescence, childhood friendships, and female bonds.
3. Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann
Elvis is Baz Luhrmann’s electric, hypnotic, glittering, and flashy ode to the King of Rock and Roll. Austin Butler completely takes the spotlight as Elvis. Like Elvis, Butler’s charm is so magnetic you can’t turn away your eyes or your ears for a moment.
The film did a great job of portraying the King’s rise to stardom along with the shifting cultural and political landscape in America that surrounded him.
While hardcore Elvis fans might find this film lacking in terms of details about his whole relationship with his music, it offers an insight to the persona of Elvis as the public know him to the newer generation.
4. The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves
With all the versions of Batman out there, Reeves’s The Batman offers a fresh take on this beloved comic book hero as it focuses more on Batman and the very nature of his character. It explores his life as a detective, backdropped against a psychological crime thriller storyline.
Robert Pattinson delivers an impressive performance as a damaged Bruce Wayne who’s been haunted by the ghost of his past. In terms of its visuals, The Batman pictures a dark and bleak Gotham plagued by murders and corruption.
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All at Once is led by Michelle Yeoh, who plays Evelyn Wang, a Chinese-American woman who operates a rundown laundromat with her husband, Waymond. She is discontent with her life and thinks her husband is a pushover.
On the surface, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a film about a woman and her family trying to pay their taxes. But as it progressed, it exploded into an insane and bizarre adventure of multiverses and alternate realities.
Amidst all the ridiculousness the film showcases—from perfectly-choreographed kung-fu scenes, a Ratatouille parody, and a world where humans have hotdogs for fingers—at its core, it’s a thoughtful introspection on nihilism, optimism, and the need for kindness.
6. Ngayon Kaya, directed by Prime Cruz
Ngayon Kaya is the first Filipino film to have a wide commercial release. Originally, it was set to be released way back in 2020 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
The film follows the lives of two best friends, AM (played by Janine Gutierrez) and Harold (played by Paolo Avelino), from their college years and their reunion years after.
Through their shared love of music, Harold, a shy, probinsyano working student, developed a bond with AM, a rich city girl who’s studying pre-medicine. Reunited five years later, they both spend their time wondering about their past and what-could-have-beens.
Ngayon Kaya’s storyline is nothing new. The more-than-friends-less-than-lovers trope has been used a million times. But what made this film great was its stunning visual storytelling, insightful and practical examination of the existential what-ifs, and the magnetic chemistry of Avelino and Gutierrez.
7. Top Gun: Maverick, directed by John Kosinski
Almost three decades after the events of the 1986 “Top Gun”, this sequel continues the story of Maverick (played by Tom Cruise), a test pilot and the Navy’s top aviator, who has to train a new group of aviators for an important assignment.
Top Gun: Maverick pays homage to the original film, mirroring its narrative and emotional beats and incorporating some of its elements—like old characters, the original score, and footage—and adjusting them to accommodate the new audience.
There’s a lot to rave about in the movie, the action-packed sequences, solid narrative, interesting new characters, and that Tom Cruise’s charm still never fails to take the audience’s breath away.
