20 Best Movies Of 2022 (So Far)

It barely seems like 2022 has gotten started, and yet, we're fast approaching the year's mid-point. Before we know it summer blockbuster season will be over and the awards circus will be in full swing - such is the relentless march of time.

Yet the first half of 2022 has certainly been a strong year for films on screens both big and small. Hollywood is continuing to recuperate from the brutal impact of the pandemic, and though recovery remains gradual, release delays are at least massively easing off.

Studios evidently feel confident about putting their biggest movies in cinemas once again, while streaming continues to thrive, despite what some analysts might tell you about Netflix being "doomed."

All in all, it's been a killer year for cinema so far, with audiences spoiled for choice as numerous hotly anticipated blockbusters delivered above or even beyond expectations, while some smaller films you hadn't even heard of months ago immediately cemented themselves as all-timer classics.

And so, from the glorious cinematic buffet we've been served up this year so far, here's the 20 movies that surpassed all others...

While certainly not the very best installment in the Scream franchise, 2022's fifth film nevertheless proved itself a totally worthy sequel that more than lived up to the late Wes Craven's storied legacy.

Taking firm aim at both toxic fandoms and Hollywood's endless fascination with the past, Scream cannily melds acid-tongued satire with gut-wrenching, suspenseful violence to crowd-pleasing effect.

Introducing audiences to an appealing new cast of younger heroes while satisfyingly including the original trio once again, Scream sidestepped most of the many potential pitfalls to deliver a rock solid entry into the series.

Did it need to exist? Absolutely not, but courtesy of Ready or Not filmmakers Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, it proved there's still life in the old dog yet, enough that the duo are set to start shooting the sequel imminently.