The 20 Best Movies of 2022 So Far
Which films have impressed critics the most during the first half of the year? Above, we rank the best-reviewed movies first released in North American theaters (or debuting directly on digital/VOD/streaming outlets) between January 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022. Films are ranked by Metascore and must have at least 7 reviews from professional critics to be eligible.
Additional content by Keith Kimbell.
Though it traces a movement that existed five decades ago, this documentary could not be any timelier. Directors Emma Pildes and Tia Lessin trace the history of the Jane Collective, an underground Chicago-based group that provided over 11,000 illegal abortions prior to the Roe v. Wade ruling. Critics were impressed when the film debuted at Sundance early in the year (it's now streaming on HBO Max), and reviewers far preferred The Janes to a fictionalized film about the same subject that also debuted at the festival (and will head to theaters this fall).
“Lessin, Pildes, and their many subjects eschew cheap emotion in favor of something much more intimate and, ultimately, more honest.” —Kate Erbland, IndieWire