The year 2022 has only just begun, and it promises a cavalcade of highly anticipated films. With so many films being delayed due to the pandemic, the year is stacked with an unprecedented number of huge movies. Here’s a quick list of 10 movies you should look out for.
1. The Batman
It’s a new decade, and by cinema law, there must be a new Batman. Robert Pattinson dons the cape and cowl for a new story from Matt Reeves, the director behind Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Zoey Kravitz joins the film as Catwoman, and the movie is set to be a gritty detective film with the kind of hard-hitting action that’s necessary for a Batman movie.
2. Alice
You might not have heard about Alice, but once you have, you won’t forget it. It’s a film about an enslaved person who travels through time to the year 1973 and becomes involved with the political activism of the period. With a plot like that and leads like Keke Palmer and Sinqua Walls, Alice is shaping up to be a film you have to see to believe.
3. Jurassic World Dominion
It’s been almost 40 years since the park first opened its doors and changed movies forever. This time the dinosaurs are loose, and the world is their new playground. Though the original cast is returning, here’s hoping the movie delivers a new and exciting turn for the series.
4. Nope
Get Out and Us are two very impressive films for any director, but for one with as few films under his belt as Jordan Peele, they’re an astounding start. Nope boasts an impressive cast and a plot shrouded in secrecy. With a track record like Peele’s, it’s bound to be a must-see.
5. Mission Impossible 7
After numerous delays, seeing Ethan Hunt and the rest of the Impossible Missions Force saving the world in cinemas will be just as outlandish as whatever death-defying stunt Tom Cruise manages to pull off. Fingers crossed it gets to see finally the light of day.
6. Spider-Man Across the Spider-Verse
After his cinematic debut in 2018, Miles Morales makes a long-overdue return to the big screen. The new film will show Miles traversing the Spider-Verse, with each world in a different animation style. The movie should be nothing short of an intense visual spectacle.
7. Black Panther Wakanda Forever
One of the most successful and impactful blockbusters of the 2010s gets a sequel this year. The series will carry on without the late great Chadwick Boseman, but little is known as to what form that will take. Will there be a new character that dons the Black Panther suit? A recasting of T’Challa? We find out this year.
8. Creed III
After Ryan Coogler brought the first film to the screen, the duty now falls to Adonis Creed himself, Michael B. Jordan, who sits in the director’s chair for this threequel. For Jordan, it’s a directorial debut. For someone who’s been in front of the camera all his life, it will be interesting to see what he does behind it.
9. Avatar 2
At this point, putting an Avatar sequel on an upcoming films list is like buying a lotto ticket. Yes, there’s technically a chance, but it’s not exactly likely. Still, perhaps finally, this will be the year that moviegoers can go back to Pandora.
10. Knives Out 2
Daniel Craig may have put his James Bond to rest, but he’s more than happy to return to Detective Benoit Blanc. The first film was a compelling and satisfying mystery, and with director Rian Johnson also returning, this sequel is shaping up to be just as good, if not better, than the first.
Damian Levy is a film critic and podcaster for Damian Michael Movies.