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Movies The Movies of 2022: Surprise and Recovery
By Spencer Elkind
If 2021 was a year of recovery for Hollywood, 2022 would be a year of surprise. With the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them, more and more people began to return to movie theaters, but the year was peppered with movies that became unexpect- ed successes while others were shocking failures. Regardless, the movie industry has finally recovered from the pandemic with the help of the movies released each month.
Beginning in January, “Spider-Man: No Way Home” continued to be a holdover success, ending its theatrical run having earned a massive $1.9 billion. As usual, for January, a horror film became this month’s biggest success, with “Scream” taking in $140 million against a $24 million budget.
February was marked by several moderate successes, with “Dog,” “Jackass Forever,” and “Death on the Nile” all collecting modest profits. The video game adaptation “Uncharted” collected $401 million despite mixed reviews, becoming February’s biggest success.
March crowned its biggest success almost immediately with the release of “The Batman.” The Matt Reeves-directed superhero thriller collected $770 million, dominating most of March, though straight-to-streaming films such as “The Adam Project” and “Turning Red” received some spotlight. The end of March came two surprise hits, one being the adventure comedy “The Lost City” and the second being “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which became the first film by A24 to gross $100 million.
April opened with “Morbius,” the latest Sony-
Marvel collaboration, collecting $150 million despite terrible reviews, later becoming the first film in history to bomb twice. Luckily “Sonic the Hedgehog 2” fared much better with $402 million, a profit that was matched by “Fantastic Beasts and the Secrets of Dumbeldore” a few weeks later. However, higher expectations and numerous controversies meant the latest entry in the Harry Potter universe was eventually consid- ered a failure.
The summer movie season opened in May with a return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” grossed $950 million despite less- than-stellar reviews. However, the biggest surprise of 2022 came at the end of May, “Top Gun Maverick,” which received universal praise and, as of Dec. 12, has collected nearly $1.5 billion, being the biggest success of the year.
June brought about another major success with “Jurassic World Dominion” as the final chapter in the Jurassic franchise took in $1.01 billion. Oscar contender “Elvis” also saw some success with a $286 million gross, while “Top Gun Maverick” continued to collect profit. The biggest surprise of June came when “Light- year” only made $227 million, becoming the first box- office failure for Pixar and leading to questions of whether more family-oriented films could succeed at the box office.
However, those fears were immediately put to bed as “Minions, The Rise of Gru” opened July 1 and snatched up $940 million. Another early July success came with Mar- vel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” grossing $760 million. Later in the month, movies such as “Nope” and “DC: League of Super-Pets” also collected modest profits.
The months of August and September saw more suc- cess for movies such as “Bullet Train,” “Beast,” and “The Woman King.” However, nothing really took over, leading to a general drought of theatrical content. Many believe the cause of this was the fact that many movies now go straight to streaming, and theaters had finally burned through projects delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The biggest news in the entertainment industry during this period came from behind-the scenes controversies, such as the cancellation of “Batgirl” and thedrama behind “Don’t Worry Darling.”
The drought continued into October as the star-studded “Amsterdam” became a gigantic failure, and the hybrid release of “Halloween Ends” enjoyed a modest $105 million success. Even “Black Adam,” the latest superhero film from the newly rebranded DC Studios, was bogged down by middling reviews and couldn’t break the drought, gross- ing $385 million and costing Warner Brothers almost $100 million in losses.
November finally brought the drought to an end with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” as the sequel to 2018’s smash hit snatched
$736 million and counting. Movies such as “Disenchanted” and “Enola Holmes 2” took over streaming charts while awards-driven films such as “Bones and All” and “The Fablemans” tried to carve out stakes in theaters. However, Disney’s good fortune end- ed with the total failure of the animated film “Strange World” over Thanksgiving weekend, when we also enjoyed a sneak peek at Netflix’ss original “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.”
As we enter December, there’s only one movie on people’s minds, and that is “Avatar The Way of Water.” After 13 years, the sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time is set to make waves at the box office. Though it may not reach the nearly $3 billion of the previous movie, it has already made $1.4 billion and will all but certainly become the biggest success story of the year.
2022 clearly brought theaters back to a much more comfortable level of profit despite a decrease in content. Looking into 2023, we’ll see movies return in even greater numbers, such as new entries into the Marvel universe, final swan songs for DC, and additions to forgotten franchises that will continue to keep the box office thriving.
Music, especially the guitar, has always influenced Mr. Anelli’s career and life since he was about 12 years old, and music has been one of his biggest interests outside of school. Because of his experiences in performing in front of his school on the guitar, he built a strong stage presence in the classroom. When he isn’t in school, he is always trying to learn new things on the guitar and making new pieces of music. Specifically, he has always been inspired by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Metallica.
When asked about his goals for the future, Mr. Anelli wants to continue to learn new things in music, relearn old topics from high school and college, such as computer science and physics, and keep progressing on playing the guitar. At Harvey in particular, Mr. Anelli would like to “hone in [his] skills as a math teacher” and find a good rhythm in his classes.
A few students in Mr. Anelli’s Honors Precalculus class shared their opinions with The Pulse, and they only gave positive statements. Specifically, they all love Mr. Anelli’s engagement with his students and how he builds a fun and interactive class environment. Additionally, they feel that he always leaves room to make jokes and have a good time while still efficiently teaching the class new topics every day in a very easy-to-understand manner.
All in all, The Pulse wishes Mr. Anelli the best in his future at The Harvey School, and we greatly appreciate his time with us during the interview process. He has already accomplished great things in and out of the classroom, and we hope that he continues to thrive at Harvey and in the world.
Boseman’s Legacy Lives On in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
By Benji Cutler
On Aug. 28, 2020, Chadwick Boseman, known for his role as King T’Challa and Black Panther, sadly passed away. Marvel fans collectively agreed that Boseman was the definitive Black Panther, and that he should never be replaced.
When “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” was first announced, fans questioned how director Ryan Coogler would continue the legacy of Boseman and the Black Panther. However, on Nov. 11, 2022, when the film finally released in theaters, there was satisfaction and joy in the hearts of viewers.
In “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” the people of Wakanda mourn the death of King T’Challa and fight to protect Wakanda from outside forces searching for vibranium, their powerful resource. The film focuses on Queen Ramonda played by Angela Bassett, Shuri played by Letitia Wright, and Namor, the villain, played by Tenoch Huerta.
Right from the opening scene, emotions are high, both in the characters and in the audience. All the cast member put an incredible amount of spirit into their roles, with standouts being Bassett, Wright, and even Danai Gurira as Okoye. The film immediately gives you an odd feeling of empathy, but also the same grief that the characters and actors feel, with Boseman’s death being such a tragic loss to us all.
Soon after, we are introduced to Riri Williams, or Ironheart, played by Dominique Thorne. She plays a large role in the film’s plot and carries so much charm and great humor. We will be getting a full Disney+ series for her character in 2023, and after seeing this film, you will definitely want to see more of her character in the future.
Throughout this first act and the movie as a whole, Gurira, Wright, and Thorne share brilliant chemistry together and do not disappoint as the lead characters. The hole left behind by Boseman’s passing is immediately filled in a very emotional and powerful way. Shuri especially goes through some great character development as the film progresses.
Some additional elements that are completely nailed in the film include the outstanding score, composed by Ludwig Göransson, the epic production level, and the beautiful cinematography. These components made “Black Panther” stand out amongst the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and that level of brilliance stays consistent with its sequel.
In addition, the world building of Wakanda is spectacular, and it immediately brings you back into the stunning country. The set and costume designs in the film may be an improvement over its predecessor, which is a true accomplishment. The film completely stands out from the rest of the MCU, with how visually appealing it is and with the amount of care that was clearly put into the production.
Throughout the entire film, the action sequences do not disappoint. The fight choreography is epic and entertaining, and the overall scale of each battle is felt with incredible camera work and powerful music.
A standout performance in the film that may surprise you while watching is Tenoch Huerta’s work as Namor. As the film explores his backstory, it’s very easy to understand his motives while still hating him. The intimidation and unsettling vibe that Huerta puts into his performance turns Namor into an incredibly threatening and unsettling villain that perfectly fits the tone and story of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.”
There are some flaws in the film that have bothered many viewers. The main issue that audiences have brought up is the runtime, clocking in at two hours and 41 minutes. There are some scenes and a specific plot line that may not grab your attention, like other parts of the film, but those portions go by quickly and will hardly affect your experience. There will always be engaging, emotional, and action-packed sequences that bring you right back into the film in a powerful way.
Overall, I thought that “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is brilliant, executed with so much care and precision by Coogler along with the entire cast and crew. The characters are phenomenal, led by Shuri and Namor, and the score, cinematography, production value, set design, and action all will surprise you in an extraordinary way. I would highly recommend that you watch this film in theaters to fully experience its brilliance and beauty, because “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” is incredible.