The Hollywood film business aims to establish a new normal in 2022, after several months of the pandemic influenced shutdown’s and postponements.
The drought of new releases caused by covid-19 appears to have ended, regardless of where or how viewers choose to watch movies. Films that were placed on hold for safety reasons have already been released, and major and boutique studios alike are set to release a constant stream of fascinating film in 2022.
With that in mind, we look at the films that have been released so far in 2022.
KIMI
“KIMI” is a thriller that’s extremely of the current moment. Zoë Kravitz plays Angela, a programmer whose job is to manually review garbled or misunderstood communications between an Alexa-style electronic assistant called KIMI and its users. When she stumbles across an audio recording of a heinous crime, Angela must try to get the evidence into the right hands without tipping off its perpetrators. But there’s an added complication — it’s the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Angela is severely agoraphobic. “KIMI” utilizes the unique stresses of the present day, from the anxiety of being constantly surveilled to the social and economic tumult inflamed by the pandemic, to create a short, sweet hour and a half of intrigue and action.
Starring: Zoë Kravitz, Byron Bowers, Rita Wilson
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Runtime: 89 minutes
Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 93%
SCREAM
In 1996, director Wes Craven and screenwriter Kevin Williamson ushered in a new era of horror movies with “Scream,” in which a group of teens are hunted by a mysterious killer who’s obsessed with slasher movies. Just as each “Scream” sequel has commented on the nature of horror sequels and the changing landscape of horror cinema, this fifth entry tackles the contemporary trend of the “requel,” in which “legacy characters” pass the torch to a new generation. But, as always, “Scream” isn’t just about dorky inside jokes for cinephiles, it’s also a thrilling horror “whodunnit” in its own right, with scares and chuckles in equal measure. “Scream” can be enjoyed as either a jumping-on point or a satisfying conclusion to one of horror’s most consistent franchises.
Starring: Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett
Runtime: 114 minutes
Rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
UNCHARTED
This Indiana Jones-styled action-adventure film, based on the popular video game series of the same name, has been floating around in development for more than a decade, but it wasn’t until June of 2019 that we got some solid forward movement on it. Tom Holland was confirmed to star in the film as the central hero, Nathan Drake, and it officially went into production in early 2020. It lands here after several shifts in the release schedule; let’s hope it stays here.
Directed by: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Holland, Mark Wahlberg, Antonio Banderas, Sophia Taylor Ali, Tati Gabrielle
Opening on: February 18, 2022 (formerly February 11, 2022)
DEATH ON THE NILE
Kenneth Branagh will return as detective Hercule Poirot following the surprise success of 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, which Branagh also directed. So far, big names like Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Letitia Wright, and Rose Leslie have joined the whodunit.
Directed by: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Annette Bening, Rose Leslie, Letitia Wright
Opening on: February 11, 2022 (formerly September 17, 2021)
THE BATMAN
If you’re looking for yet another iteration of the Caped Crusader, you’re in luck. Despite the ongoing DC Extended Universe of films (which includes other entries in 2022 like The Flash and Aquaman 2), Planet of the Apes director Matt Reeves tackles what looks to be an even darker take on Batman than we’ve already seen, with an impressive cast that includes Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, Colin Farrell as the Penguin, Paul Dano as the Riddler, and Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon.
Directed by: Matt Reeves
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Kravitz, Paul Dano, John Turturro, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell
Opening on: March 4, 2022
