Yes, 2022 really did go by that fast. It’s time again for our Fangirlish End of Year Lists 2022, and this is the Best Movie Moments of the Year!
The pandemic may have altered the way we consume entertainment, but movies can still connect us the way they always have. They unite us with a shared experience. Whether they make us all laugh, cry, or cheer, there are certain movie moments that stand out.
This year provided its fair share of them. They come from across a range of genres and production values, but their impact cannot be denied. These moments are the reason we watch movies. And we get to relive them all over again whenever we want. But remember: This list discusses the plot points of the films on it, so SPOILERS AHEAD.
1. Maverick and Iceman, Top Gun: Maverick
Who would’ve expected this? A legacy action sequel delivering…FEELS? Well, that’s exactly what happened.
Top Gun: Maverick brings back Navy fighter pilot Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, once again played by Tom Cruise, from 1986’s Top Gun. But this time, he’s the teacher. He has to show a group of young pilots how to complete a dangerous mission, but doubts are getting the better of him. That’s when his old rival, Tom “Iceman” Kazansky (played again by Val Kilmer), summons him for a talk.
Iceman is now an Admiral but in the last stages of cancer. Maverick confesses his fear about sending one of the students to die, especially Rooster, the son of his friend Goose, who died in the first film. Iceman urges him to let go. “I’m only here because of you,” Maverick tells him, clearly aware this is the last conversation they will have.
Cruise’s surprisingly emotional delivery of this scene is great, but Kilmer’s real-life health situation adds another layer of intensity. When Kilmer uses his altered voice and the two men embrace, well, we feel the need, the need…for tears.
Top Gun: Maverick is available to rent on Prime Video.
2. “El Rata Alada,” The Batman
Batman is a character whose screen life has been wide and varied. Director Matt Reeves had to distinguish The Batman from the work of Tim Burton and Christopher Nolan, and how he chose to do that is well illustrated by this scene.
Batman, also known as Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson), is following the clues left by The Riddler (Paul Dano) so that he can figure out his overall agenda and stop his crime spree. The phrase “el rata alada” leads Batman and Lieutenant Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to question the Penguin (Colin Farrell) since it translates as “rat with wings.”
But the Penguin sets them straight and provides a laugh at the same time. He points out that the phrase is improper Spanish, and it’s “LA rata alada” not “EL rata alada.” “World’s greatest detectives,” he scoffs, then “No habla español, fellas?”
This moment stands out not just because of the humor but because it emphasizes the detective story angle that makes this interpretation of the Caped Crusader unique. Not to mention the fact that Farrell is unrecognizable in his prosthetic makeup, along with giving a great performance. As do Wright and Pattinson. A memorable scene in a terrific film, and one of the best movie moments of the year.
The Batman is streaming on HBO Max.
3. Mid-credits Scene, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Let’s stay in the realm of comic book films for a scene with a totally different feeling. After the excellent Black Panther in 2018, director Ryan Coogler was faced with a difficult situation: losing star Chadwick Boseman. Wakanda Forever would have to find a story without King T’Challa and honor the talented actor who played him, too. This scene is the culmination of both those efforts.
The story in Wakanda Forever shifts focus to T’Challa’s younger sister Shuri (Letitia Wright). She has to say goodbye to her brother in the opening moments, then fights to stop a dangerous threat to her homeland. With that done, she visits her brother’s girlfriend Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) in Haiti to grieve privately, as she has also lost her mother during the struggle to protect Wakanda. After Shuri burns her funeral clothes, she is joined by Nakia and a young boy. His name is Toussaint (Divine Love Konadu-Sun). He is precocious and sharp. Nakia admits he is her son with T’Challa, which is also the boy’s true name. Nakia kept him a secret to protect him. Shuri has been through so much, losing her entire family, and now she has a nephew.
It’s an incredibly emotional full-circle moment, made more so by the loss of Boseman in real life. Wakanda Forever has a lot of focus on loss, but this scene is about hope.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is now in theaters.
4. Women Unite!, Enola Holmes 2
The delightful Enola Holmes films feature a teenage sister of Victorian England’s most famous fictional detective as their lead character. Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) tracked down her missing mother during her adventures in the first film and now embarks on her first job as a private detective. She is hired to find a young woman who works in a matchstick factory, Sarah Chapman (Hannah Dodd).
A wonderfully twisty and effective mystery follows, but then comes the rousing resolution of Sarah’s story. Sarah disappeared because she was trying to prove that an ingredient the girls were working with in the factory was making them sick, and the owners knew about it. The proof has been destroyed, and it looks like they will get away with it.
Sarah takes action, though. She arrives at the factory and speaks to all the matchstick girls, telling them the truth and urging them to strike. “It’s the only power we have,” she tells them. At first, she thinks she didn’t get through to them. But then her adopted little sister Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) begins stomping. Then the others join in. While the abusive foreman sputters, they all march out of the factory and toward Parliament.
How can you not cheer at this moment? A challenge to patriarchy AND capitalism, based on a real-life event? WE LOVE IT.
Enola Holmes 2 is streaming on Netflix.
5. Evelyn and Joy Reconcile, Everything Everywhere All At Once
Well, no one can call this film boring, that’s for sure.
Everything Everywhere All At Once follows Evelyn Wang (Michelle Yeoh) as she navigates a strained relationship with her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) and an IRS audit of her failing laundry business. A break in the multiverse creates crazy parallel realities that show Evelyn different possibilities.
All of these alternate timelines are wild and often bizarre. In one of them, Evelyn and Joy are rocks with googly eyes. Throughout the story, Evelyn has struggled with acknowledging to others that Joy is gay. But she finally grows enough through the extraordinary experiences she has in the multiverse that she can do so. Joy has trouble moving past her hostility, though. “Let me go,” she cries to her mother, and Evelyn agrees.
But then Evelyn goes further. She stops her daughter from leaving and tells her that, yeah, maybe it doesn’t make sense, but she will always choose to be here with her. Joy counters that by wondering why when, “Here, all we get are a few specks of time that actually mean anything.” “Then, I’ll cherish those few specks of time,” Evelyn says.
Their tears and hug are truly heartrending, and Yeoh and Hsu’s performances are excellent. The multiverse rift is healed when these two women reach an understanding that makes their lives better. What a moment, definitely one of the best movie moments of the year.
Everything Everywhere All At Once is streaming on Showtime.
6. Governor’s Celebration Dance Off, RRR
Bollywood takes two real-life revolutionaries and fictionalizes a friendship between them in this unforgettable epic. In RRR, Komaram Bheem (N.T. Rama Rao Jr.) and Alluri Sitarama Raju (Ram Charan) meet in 1920 when they band together to save a boy from a train wreck, and they become fast friends. The irony is that they don’t know that they should be enemies, as Raju is actually on the Indian Imperial Police force. Even though ACTUALLY they are on the same side because Raju is undercover to arm villagers to fight against the British Raj. Bheem helps the British Governor’s daughter Jenny (Olivia Morris) with her car and gets invited to a party at the Governor’s mansion. Raju goes with him, the ever-helpful wingman.
When racist British bullies start hassling Bheem because he’s dancing with Jenny, Raju starts a song with a local beat and the pair show those guys how it’s done. Director S.S. Rajamouli sets everything in this film to the maximum setting. It’s outsized in every way. Musical moments like this are no exception. It’s a joy watching Rao Jr. and Charan dancing next to each other, and props like a metal tray and their own suspenders take it to another level. The fun to be had from every move and every lyric in the song is infectious. This scene also deftly demonstrates the friendship between these two before the melodramatic plot puts them through a lot.
RRR is streaming on Netflix.
7. The Leeches, The Lost City
Time for something hilarious and romantic. The Lost City is about what happens when romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock) is abducted by a millionaire who wants to use her archaeological knowledge to find a hidden treasure. Her cover model Alan (Channing Tatum) rushes to rescue her.
Early in their escape, Loretta and Alan must travel through water, resulting in leeches all over Alan. Loretta has to help him remove them. Of course, that means that Loretta gets to see Alan’s…everything. And I mean everything. Not that Alan really notices because he’s too busy having a high-level freakout about the leeches. “I’m feeling faint! They’re sucking my soul out!” he cries. Then, later he wonders, “Why do they go for the butt so much?” Loretta gets all the leeches off but not without gagging noises from both of them.
This moment is just gut-bustingly funny. The romance comes from Loretta’s reaction to seeing Alan’s naked body because you can tell she’s affected. And impressed. Given the fact that Alan has already shown his interest in her through his reaction to her kidnapping, this is satisfying. It points to a romantic future for them as their jungle adventure comes to an end. In a pretty good year for romantic comedies, this scene stands out.
The Lost City is streaming on Paramount Plus.
Did you enjoy all these moments at the movies this year? And what other movie moments would you put on Fangirlish End of the Year Lists 2022 for Best Movie Moments of the Year? Let us know in the comments!
