Cinema is thriving! In 2022 we saw the return of genuine, full-throttle fun in Top Gun: Maverick, characters overcoming nihilism and intergenerational gaps with love and empathy in Everything Everywhere All at Once, and goofy adventure rom-coms like The Lost City to lighten the mood.

Near the end of the year, everyone loves tossing around superlatives in the realm of streaming. That’s why we host the Likewise Choice Awards, an annual poll asking our passionate community of movie and TV lovers to pick the 30 best movies of the year!

Find out what critics consider the best film of the year at the end of this article. First, take a look at the results of the annual Likewise Choice Awards:

Likewisers' Picks for Best Movies of 2022

1. Top Gun: Maverick: “10/10 Highly recommend!! The tension and drama is so perfectly put together. It creates a true immersion for the audience that makes it so much more than just another movie. So many intense moments and drama, and it was all so perfectly executed. I would do anything to erase my memory of that movie just to watch it again. One of the best films I have seen in a LONG time!” - @isabela_rivera
2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever: “Oh my god this movie was amazing. My favorite of the year honestly. I absolutely loved the diversity, new characters, and new creatures revealed. Also I ugly cried at the beginning tribute of Chadwick.” - @kimsctrl
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness: “I LOVE THIS MOVIE SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH DEFINITELY RECOMMEND.” - @ruby_escoto
4. The Adam Project: “This movie was great! It was hilarious and good to watch with family!” - @malfoy_76
5. Everything Everywhere All at Once: “This is a bizarre, weird, colorful, mind trip of a movie and I loved every second of it. It is indescribably brilliant and sincerely heart-wrenching. It is one of the most creative and ingenious films I have seen in a LONG time. It deserves all the awards.” - @madeline_glanton
6. Where the Crawdads Sing: “Loved the book and the movie was also very good!” - @jackie.davidson
7. Turning Red: “This one is so spot on… no pun intended. Supremely well-acted and lovely characters who tell a story that is so necessary to remove stigma around NORMAL female development.” - @kristi_wenrich
8. The Batman: “A must watch if you’re even remotely interested in: Batman, action movies, dark films, super heroes, or the acting career of Robert Pattinson. Get the popcorn ready though, it’s a long one.” - @dinomike
9. Thor: Love and Thunder: “Zany. Ridiculous. So much fun! I’m in the minority, but I loved it.” - @lauracgeorge
10. Uncharted: “I enjoyed it. It was a fun adventure to follow along and watch pieces of a puzzle be solved. The action sequences were really cool too.” - @sneffielynn
11. Elvis: “Not enough words to describe this masterpiece. This is the best piece of cinema I’ve seen in a while. You can see every detail, the passion, and all the work they put into this movie. Bravo.” - @angeykirby
12. Do Revenge: “Literally one of my favorite movies. It’s fun, twisted, and hilarious.” - @sofia_imbornone
13. The Lost City: “A novelist and a model in the rainforest. What could go wrong with that?” - @marinda_boydstun
14. The Black Phone: “If you're new to horror or you love suspense and thriller than this movie is for you. The whole feel of the movie is perfect. Some parts also tug at your heartstrings. Absolutely fantastic.” - @patricia_brady_2654
15. Nope: “Amazing, exactly what I want from creature designs and very funny!” - @lauren_gomes
16. Hocus Pocus 2: “Loved this!! I’m not a fan of most sequels but this one was great. It incorporated today’s world well and continued the story from the first one in a new way.” - @maynard
17. Don't Worry Darling: “Don't let the weird behind the scenes stories and crazy press tour turn you off, this movie is fantastic. Completely exceeded my expectations. Absolutely worth your time. Don't sleep on this one, you'll regret it.” - @immamfred
18. Minions: The Rise of Gru: “A great addition to the series. You get the background story, the comedy, and lots of Disney easter eggs. Great family movie.” - @kaitlyn_kendall_1308
19. The School for Good and Evil: “I love the fantasy and magic behind not only the plot, but behind each individual character!! So good!! 10/10” - @brooke_clemmons
20. Bullet Train: “I loved the visuals and I thought the style of filmmaking was really interesting. This movie was a lot of fun—especially with the impressive cast and the hilarious moments throughout. There were definitely some weird moments in it but that’s what added to its charm.” - @amelia_kaiser
21. Jurassic World Dominion: “This is a really good popcorn flick! Crunch away and enjoy the dinosaurs. I loved the original cast return, they made the movie for me!” - @jonathan_david_whit
22. Lightyear: “Gorgeous animation and the cat was the best character in the movie.” - @joey_jenkins_4357
23. The Gray Man: “Absolutely fantastic action assassin movie! It had everything you could ask for in this genre. Chris Evans was magnificent!” - @ryan_fisher_6518
24. Fresh: “Deliciously twisted psychological cat-and-mouse thriller. Meaty performances throughout. Stylish directorial debut.” - @queer-giraffe
25. Senior Year: “I watched this with my mom and it was so so funny we were both laughing the whole time; I loved it.” - @ranchyfinch
26. Hustle: “This was a warm and wholesome dramedy! If you genuinely like Adam Sandler movies, you'll enjoy his funny yet grounded character.” - @deadie
27. Persuasion: “10/10 - loved the personable breaking of the 4th wall, comedy was fun, movie was cute!” - @ihavehatedthe_words
28. Our Father: “A story with a couple twists that will make you say 'IS THIS REALLY A TRUE STORY??? WHAAA??'" - @muffinmary
29. The Tinder Swindler: “One of Netflix’s best documentaries out there.” - @sasha_8055
30. Downton Abbey: A New Era: “I've enjoyed Downton from beginning to end, and if this film is truly the end, then it was a satisfying send off.” - @jasonwright

Full list here.

Unlike the best TV shows of 2022, the Likewise community had drastically different tastes in movies than the critics this year. Is this surprising? Absolutely not. But don’t write off the critically acclaimed films just yet! Many of the artsy (and historically less-watched) movies that the critics tend to love are actually incredibly captivating and distinctive.

From stop-motion animated movies about a one-inch-tall talking shell living with his grandmother (Marcel the Shell with Shoes On) to one of the most visually stunning South Korean films in recent memory, Decision to Leave, 2022 was an impressive year for movie lovers of all types.

After referencing the top film publications, we created an aggregated list of the best movies of 2022:

Best Movies of 2022 (According to Critics)

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once
2. The Banshees of Inisherin
3. Tár
4. Top Gun: Maverick
5. Aftersun
6. RRR
7. The Fabelmans
8. Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
9. Nope
10. Decision to Leave
11. Till
12. Triangle of Sadness
13. EO
14. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
15. The Eternal Daughter

Wow, what a lineup! As someone who has seen most of the movies on this list, it’s nearly impossible to pick a favorite. If a lot of these titles are new to you, learn more about them on Likewise and add them to your watchlist!

For more end-of-year content, check out the Likewisers' Picks for Best Shows of 2022 list.