InReview is pleased to announce its fourth annual Revvies Awards: Film and TV Edition for 2022. The following awards have been selected by InReview’s editors and writers. To be eligible, all films or TV programs had to have content published during the calendar year 2022, and watched by a member of staff.
Winners analysis written by InReview Executive Editor Mitchell Chapman.
Best Special Effects In A Feature Film Or TV Show
Nominees:
- Avatar: The Way of Water: Winner
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Top Gun: Maverick
- RRR
- Star Wars: Andor Season 1
James Cameron spent over a decade working on his sequel to “Avatar” and it certainly paid off, at least with the film’s visuals, which uses state-of-the-art CGI. “Avatar: The Way of Water” brings to life a different aspect of the alien world of Pandora, bringing to life its vibrant seas and a plethora of alien marine life, as well as the people that inhabit its waters.
Best Use Of Sound In A Feature Film Or TV Show
Nominees:
- Peacemaker Season 1
- RRR: Winner
- Barbarian
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
“RRR” is a sprawling epic that makes unique use of music to highlight its tale, often overlaying it with the film’s moments of dramatic tension to heighten its impact. “RRR” wins this award specifically for how its soundtrack is edited throughout the film that greatly helps keep viewers engaged with this hourslong tale.
Best Director Of A Feature Film
Nominees:
- S. S. Rajamouli, RRR
- Mark Mylod, The Menu: Winner
- Darren Aronofsky, The Wale
- Baz Luhrmann, Elvis
- Parker Finn, Smile
“The Menu” has no fat on it per se, telling a unique tale about a high-end culinary facility that behaves much like a cult, with its head chef as its manipulative leader. “The Menu” knows exactly how much of its hand to show the audience while diving into this twisted world of high dining and psychopathy. Mylod’s command of his film is second to no other in 2022.
Best Animated Feature Film
Nominees:
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish: Winner
- Turning Red
- Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Lightyear
“Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” will make you laugh and cry, while delivering fantastic characters that clash with each other. It also delivers two excellent villains that compliment each other — they never crowd the screen. On top of that, it is one of the best-looking films of the year. But what puts it over the edge is how balanced its narrative is, delivering action, drama and comedy in just the right portions.
Best Superhero Feature Film Or TV Program
Nominees:
- The Batman
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
- Peacemaker Season 1
- Moon Knight Season 1: Winner
“Moon Knight” stood out in a year where superhero flicks where overall uneven, bloated or failed to amaze. Powered by a great performance by Oscar Isaac, “Moon Knight” Season 1 is a tale that feels fresh in a genre that has been stagnate since “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Best Supporting Actress In A Feature Film Or TV Program
Nominees:
- Genevieve O’Reilly, Star Wars: Andor Season 1
- Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Hong Chau, The Menu: Winner
- Jennifer Holland, Peacemaker Season 1
Chau’s performance really sells “The Menu” and is critical in selling its chef’s cult-like following, as Chau plays his most devote follower. Chau shows just how dedicated and brainwashed his staff is and makes one of the film’s central premises — that Chef Julian Slowik is slowly able to sway his victims — plausible.
Best Supporting Actor In A Feature Film Or TV Program
Nominees:
- Stellan Skarsgard, Star Wars: Andor Season 1: Winner
- Nicholas Hoult, The Menu
- Colin Powell, Top Gun: Maverick
- Tom Hanks, Elvis
Skarsgard elevates an already good show into greatness with his standout performance that portrays a man who has given everything to rebellion yet is keenly aware that he most likely will not live to see the fruit of his labors. Skarsgard excellently brings to life a complex, multifaceted character in Luthen Rael that stands out as one of the best in the “Star Wars” franchise and of last year.
Best Leading Actress In A Feature Film Or TV Program
Nominees:
- Anna Taylor-Joy, The Menu
- Mia Goth, X: Winner
- Grace Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling
- Sosie Bacon, Smile
Goth plays both the protagonist and the antagonist in “X,” though her performance as the former really stands out. Goth has real talent as a leading lady, especially for horror and it comes as no surprise that she’s now heading an “X” trilogy that will soon be complete with “MaXXXine.”
Best Leading Actor In A Feature Film Or TV Program
Nominees:
- Austin Butler, Elvis
- Diego Luna, Star Wars: Andor Season 1
- Brendan Fraser, The Whale
- Ralph Fiennes, The Menu: Winner
Fiennes’ performance as Chef Slowik is perhaps the most captivating of the year. Slowik is a hardcore chef at the top of his game who has grown a cult following that will literally follow him to the grave. Yet he is also keenly aware of his own fall from grace and fed up with the hypocrisies of those that surround him. Slowik sits on the border between genius and insanity and its wonderful.
Best Overall Feature Film or TV Program
Nominees:
- Star Wars: Andor Season 1
- Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
- RRR
- The Menu
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Smile
“Top Gun: Maverick” takes the top spot because its arguably the best balanced film of last year. It has it all: fantastic action using real-life planes that make it a must-see film to see in the theaters; great characters who have natural conflict with each other not only because of their circumstances but also because of their personalities; superior character heralded by the necessity of working together during a dangerous mission; and a great score that ties it all together. “Top Gun: Maverick” is arguably one of the greatest belated sequels of all time, building off of what the previous film established and following up on most of its loose ends in a satisfying way.
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