What a journey 2022 was! Did your favorite films show up in this list? Anything you're surprised to see here, or titles which you can't believe didn't make the cut? Once again, these weren't the movies with the best average ratings of the year -- but the movies which the highest percentage of users rated in their top 20% of all time.
"Bleak, bloody, brilliant. A top effort all round, Kidman's accent does settle down." - Difontaine
"Damn good. This is probably the best-looking Batman movie and I loved this iteration and look and feel of Gotham City. That was captured to a T. Pattinson was really good as a Bruce Wayne who has only been home for two years, who still makes errors and stays out of public eye if he can help it. I loved him, and I loved this story. It was grounded and gritty, perfectly cast, beautifully made and the detective story I’ve always wanted to see in a Batman movie. One of the best for sure." - Leonardis
"Several really good films have already been made about this subject including 'Vera Drake', '4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days' and 'Never Rarely Sometimes Always'. This Dardenne-ish picture is probably the best of the bunch, though." - KasperL
"Despite having one of the worst scripts and most cringe inducing dialogue I have ever heard... this movie was incredible. So well directed and meticulously crafted. It feels so weird to say that about a film with blue aliens calling each other bro and boy every 10 seconds, but it really was so amazing. These movies should always stay in theaters, I can't imaging watching them any other way." - jarobmul
"As is its original work, this is somber as hell. A devastating study of war and all that it destroys. The photography is bleak but stunning as is the score in its sudden bursts." - WWallce4prez
"A virtually plotless fantasy-horror mood piece set in a surreal hellscape presumably ruled by an imaginatively sadistic insane deity. The most frequently recurring character looks like an NCR ranger from the Fallout franchise. Many mediums are utilized, prominently stop-motion and live puppetry. Comic-book gore meets Svankmajer, Brakhage, Cosmatos. Instant cult classic for lovers of the aesthetic; a story would probably have ruined this, so for that do look elsewhere." - Moribunny
"I think anyone who is looking for a linear documentary will be disappointed, for this documentary is as ethereal and constantly shifting as Bowie was in life. I do think there are some great things here - the contemporary imagery from culture, film, and art that helps set the stage for the different eras of Bowie's career, the constant thread of Bowie's own internal monologue, pulled through some very honest interviews the artist has done, and, of course, the insane live performances." - thatyoungm
"Some tragedy, some comedy bordering on the absurd, some beautiful photography, and 100% brilliant acting. A must see." - Ric
"There's a complexity and poignancy allotted to Pinocchio and Geppetto that I haven't seen explored in previous incarnations of this story and I found myself unexpectedly moved for almost the entirety of this section of the first half. Inevitably, I think this isn't quite as strong when it brings in its dual antagonists (the circus master Count Volpe and fascist war officer Podestà) as neither character nor the situation they offer is as satisfyingly rich as the Geppetto/Pinocchio relationship." - JLFM
"Tom Cruise returns one last time (until the next MI) to save blockbuster cinema before he ascends into Scientology heaven. Maverick makes 99% of other action movies released between Fury Road and now look like dog water. Editing, sound, and the insane lengths they went to capture the aerial footage = best action film of the year. Everybody else is playing for second place. 2022 keeps on hitting with absolute bangers. Caveat: most criticism of the film's problematic elements are very correct." - Narg
"Perfect. No notes. I could try to critique it, but why, when every minute of it was a delight? And I loved that there were so many minutes of it! Daniel Craig is sooo fun! And Janelle Monae completely rocks in this. (It's also oddly clairvoyant about the past couple of months at Twitter somehow." - RuruSmasher
"Pretty thoroughly perfect. There’s maybe one scene that could be shorter in the final 15 mins but I don’t mind it honestly. Ostlund carefully provides these moments of characterization to make the satire just relatable enough to make our laughing hurt deeper. I like how the first chapter transitions from the themes/world of The Square to this new direction. It’s like Haneke with the subject matter of Bunuel. Ostlund has made something more commercial here without losing his boldness. Excellent." - sellis
"Brilliant. Restrained. Honestly dramatic and heartbreaking without being a nostalgia piece. This shows me so much about all of Steven Spielberg's filmography, and it also shows a director who still hasn't lost his touch after all these years. The brilliant turns from the three leads make this feel lived-in and naturalistic, while the lack of over-the-top melodrama is shocking yet very welcome in a film about filmmaking. One of the best things this stellar director has ever done." - jacobclark12
"Uninhibited cinema with all the highs and highs (there are no lows) of pure storytelling passion. Maybe a cooler head could have edited it tighter, but a cooler head could never get near this project without becoming as hot as its two stars. Unrelentingly entertaining, it demands investment and pays it all back a hundredfold at each incredible turn. There’s no distillation here - it’s pure magic chugged from the source, and a little bit of messiness and silliness is just part of its spell." - Corbad
"Not that fond of the narration, and I think the couple are mad, but the footage is incredible and worth it alone" - dunetails
"brb raiding my couch cushions and parking lot for crafting materials that will make me cry" - brell
"Beautifully crafted-the editing, sound track, camera work-and profoundly subtle and moving acting from the two lead characters, portrays a picture of a strong, loving but ultimately flawed father-daughter relationship." - mandy
"Budging in line above my backlog of reviews to write one about a movie I just saw is something I've never done. I've also never given out a 98 before, but this is complete, maddening, perfection. It is literally everything you could possibly want in a movie. It's a breathtaking, singular experience from the robust laughs to the punchy, heartfelt, sincere moments, right on down to spectacular fight sequences and uniquely effective score. It made me feel like I had never seen a movie before today." - Luna6ix
"I watched the trailer before I saw this, and immediately googled Tar to see who the real person was like and how close Blanchett came to her. Was legit shocked to see she wasn't real. Then I watched the movie knowing she wasn't real -- and I'm not easily susceptible -- and I still ended that movie thinking she was a real person. This was a towering performance from Blanchett. Will be studied and referenced for decades. And if you pay attention to the credits, she actually conducted!" - krf7
"McDonagh starts with a hilariously simple narrative and slowly unveils its insidious power through to a devastatingly equalizing finale. Banshees' true drama exists in the conceptual, the hidden inner turmoil of the characters. In this way it feels almost literary, dealing with human yearning, suffering, irrationality through a series of outbursts and fallout. Easily my favourite thing I've seen this year." - deaddilly
