The 50 Best Movies of 2022

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – January 4, 2023

Here is Metacritic's final list of the 50 best-reviewed movies of 2022, ranked by Metascore. This list only includes films receiving at least 7 reviews from professional critics.

All films released between January 1, 2022 and December 31, 2022 in at least one U.S. theater or directly to streaming or VOD/digital services were eligible for inclusion. Short films and reissues are excluded. Titles are ranked by Metascore (a weighted average of scores from top professional critics) prior to rounding based on scores as of January 1, 2023.

Additional content by Keith Kimbell.

16 of 25 photo by MUBI

89 Mr. Bachmann and His Class

(#8) After first debuting at the 2021 Berlinale—where it won the Silver Bear Jury Prize—Maria Speth’s documentary finally reached American audiences in February courtesy of arthouse streaming service MUBI. Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse, as it was titled in its native country, captures six months in 64-year-old Dieter Bachmann’s class of 12-, 13- and 14-year-olds in the town of Stadtallendorf, Germany. Running over three-and-a-half hours, Speth’s film drew comparisons to American documentary legend Frederick Wiseman—and collected a similar amount of critical praise.

Watch it on MUBI

“It’s an investment in time, certainly, but this profound and hopeful picture justifies every second of its three hours and 38 minute running time.” —Wendy Ide, The Observer

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