Movies I Watched in 2022: Part One
This year, I thought it would be fun to keep track of all the movies I watch and share my thoughts on each one. So far, I’m up to ten movies in the first four months of the year, which felt like a good number to share in my first movie post. Here are the first ten movies I’ve watched in 2022–let me know if you’ve seen any of these and your thoughts! (This post does contain spoilers.)
Ready Player OneSci-fi adventure, 2018
“I’m a dreamer. I build worlds.”
I finally watched Ready Player One and, according to my brain dump of thoughts afterward, I “FREAKING LOVED IT!!” In this sci-fi adventure film set in 2045 and based on the book by Ernest Cline, Wade Watts (played by Tye Sheridan) searches for a digital Easter egg in the OASIS, a virtual reality universe where most people spend their time.
I loved the whole concept of this movie. I’ve been writing more and more about tech-related topics such as cybersecurity, VR, AR, and AI, so I enjoyed it from that standpoint–and I also loved Wade’s character arc. I didn’t guess any of the clues or plot twists, so everything was a surprise and that was fun!
The movie also made me think a lot about the “real” world and the online world. What is real? There’s value in both worlds–but there has to be balance, and we can’t escape completely into the virtual world. We need to continue to dig in and stay and keep trying to fix the world’s problems. You can choose to be whoever you want in this virtual world, but you’re neglecting the real you.
The Map of Tiny Perfect ThingsRomance/fantasy, 2021
“It’s time. And it’s not gonna be perfect… I was wrong. Everyone else is awake and we’re the ones dreaming… I know it’s gonna hurt really bad. But I think I have to wake up now.”
This wasn’t a masterpiece, but it was light and cute and fun aaaand also made me cry kind of a lot at the end. Kathryn Newton (my fave) and Kyle Allen play two teenagers who are stuck in a time loop. The movie is filmed as if Kyle’s character Mark is the main character. But at the end, he realizes the whole time it was Margaret’s (Kathryn Newton) story after all.
I found the whole concept very allegorical (everyone else is sleepwalking through the world, you’re the only one who knows). The movie reinforced to me that there are so many good and beautiful things all around us in the course of an ordinary day, if we cut through the filler to look for them. It also made me think again how we all feel it–that something is wrong with the world. Something is broken that’s not fixable. And in our own little ways, we want to try to fix it… but whatever we fix just gets broken again. We are not the fixers. There’s only One can do that. (The movie didn’t go this deep, but I did. lol)
Legally BlondeComedy/romance, 2001
“What, like it’s hard?”
Can we believe I got this far in my life without having seen Legally Blonde? I absolutely LOVED it and I’m SO glad I finally watched it! I also have to say, I nailed Elle Woods’ personality type right away (enneagram 3w2–same as me–and a Slytherin). This girl is like me. Her character development was so good and I loved the themes about the importance of human connection and integrity. So good and so fun. What a classic!
DunkirkWar/action, 2017 (rewatch)
The first time I watched Dunkirk, a Christopher Nolan film depicting the evacuation of the Allied forces from France in 1940, I remembered absolutely loving it. But this time, I didn’t feel the same way. To be honest, it kind of bored me–I couldn’t hear the dialogue (and there isn’t much anyway), I was unsure what was happening, and I had no emotional response. It was disappointing to rewatch a movie I thought I loved and discover I actually don’t.
UnchartedAdventure/action, 2022
“If something is lost, it can be found.”
I saw this in theaters and I have to say, I didn’t love it. It was fun, but predictable and formulaic and unrealistic. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters, except for Sully’s cat–it was giving Kaz and Milo (#iykyk). 3/5 stars… but I’d see the sequel if it had more of Rudy Pankow.
Mean GirlsComedy/teen, 2004
Again, I’m not sure how I made it this far in life without watching Mean Girls (it’s one of those movies that is so ingrained in pop culture, you just feel like you’ve seen it, you know?). It was funny and it’s definitely iconic, but honestly, all of the meanness and cruelty was over the top for me. It’s not my favorite 2000s rom-com, and I like the musical better.
Red NoticeAction/comedy, 2021
In this Netflix original, an FBI agent played by Dwayne Johnson teams up with an art thief played by Ryan Reynolds to catch another criminal, played by Gal Gadot. It was a fun movie–I enjoyed it! It reminded me of a snowy Azkaban, with a Black Widow-esque rescue. And Ryan Reynolds always cracks me up.
American AssassinAction/thriller, 2017
I’d been wanting to watch American Assassin for years, and it was SO GOOD: oh my gosh, I LOVED it!!! Based on the books by Vince Flynn, this action-packed spy thriller features Dylan O’Brien playing a CIA black ops recruit who works with Cold War veteran played by Michael Keaton to find and fight terrorists. The end was epic–we love a good helicopter rescue. And I SHRIEKED at how it ended–I NEED a part two!
Ender’s GameSci-fi/action, 2013
“The way we win matters.”
Ender’s Game is based on the book by Orson Scott Card and follows a gifted child who is sent to an advanced military academy in space to prepare for an alien invasion. While I enjoyed the movie, I felt like the character development was lacking; the movie wasn’t very engaging (you were basically just watching people play video games the whole time); and the ending didn’t provide a lot of closure. However, I did appreciate the themes about leadership, and the soundtrack was pretty epic.
The Sun Is Also A StarRomance/drama, 2019 (rewatch)
“Home is a place you fight for.”
Maybe I just need to quit rewatching movies, because this 24-hour NYC romance was a disappointment this time around. Some parts of the soundtrack were so beautiful they made me catch my breath, and Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton are the two most freaking gorgeous humans on the planet. (Unfair.) But, I don’t know… the trouble with a story that takes place in 24 hours is pacing, and I feel like this romance was maybe a tad rushed and unrealistic–that Daniel was kinda pushy and the theme was laid on kind of thick with all the coincidences. Or maybe I’m just a skeptical realist like Natasha and I need to open my heart? Who knows–but overall, I was disappointed with this rewatch.
And those are the movies I’ve watched so far this year! Have you seen any of them? If so, what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments, and tell me what I should watch next!
