A handful of highly anticipated action flicks finally came out this year.



(Image credit: Alamy)

Whatever your favourite genre—comedy, horror, or documentaries—2022 has been a blast because studios have finally released the movies we've been waiting as long as two or three years for thanks to pandemic delays. The action movie line-up for 2022 was particularly intriguing because it featured new iterations of many cherished properties from renowned directors. Here is your guide to the top action films of 2022, including John Wick, Thor, and Top Gun (so far).

'Ambulance'




Release date: February 18, 2022

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, Keir O'Donnell, Moses Ingram, Jose Pablo Cantillo, and Kayli Tran

Why it's worthwhile to watch: The latest movie from Transformers filmmaker Michael Bay has very high stakes and is usually good for a terrific action scene. A vet (Mateen) helps his pal (Gyllenhaal) in robbing a bank since he needs the money for his wife's surgery. The two ultimately take over an ambulance, holding an EMT (González) and a seriously hurt police officer hostage.





'The Adam Project'



Release date: February 18, 2022
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Walker Scobell, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Catherine Keener, and Zoe Saldaña

Why it's interesting to watch: What happens when grown-up, time-traveling Ryan Reynolds needs the assistance of his younger self? This is both a fun sci-fi adventure and an adorable scenario.



'The Batman'



Release date: March 4, 2022

Starring: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright, Barry Keoghan, Peter Sarsgaard, John Turturro, Paul Dano, and Colin Farrell

Why it's good to watch: Everyone was curious to see what kind of Batman movie we would receive when we discovered that Pattinson would portray the Caped Crusader. We are beyond thrilled about the dark, terrible plot that the trailers have teased, which will feature several well-known DC villains (including Kravitz as Catwoman).





'The Lost City'



Release date: March 19, 2022

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, Patti Harrison, Oscar Nunez, and Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Why it's enjoyable to watch: We love it when a fast-paced action movie is also funny, and this one has us pumped on both counts. Bullock portrays a reclusive romantic author who, while on a book tour with her cover model, is caught up in a kidnapping attempt in the jungle (Tatum). 







'RRR'



Release date: March 24, 2022

Starring: N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Ram Charan, Twinkle Sharma, Ajay Devgn, Alia Bhatt, Shriya Saran, and Samuthirakani

Why it's worth watching: This maximalist movie has spectacular musical performances and fast-paced fights.



'Everything Everywhere All At Once'



Release date: March 25, 2022

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Stephanie Hsu, Andy Le, Brian Le, Harry Shum, Jr., and Jenny Slate

Why it's worthwhile to watch: Michelle Yeoh kicking ass throughout the cosmos by accessing the memories of endless incarnations of herself? Count me in.





'The Northman'



Release date: April 22, 2022

Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Claes Bang, Anna Taylor-Joy, Willem Dafoe, and Björk

Why it's worthwhile to watch: In this grim epic, a banished Viking prince swears vengeance on the uncle who stole everything from him.




'Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness'



Release date: May 6, 2022

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Patrick Stewart

Why it's worth watching: Post-WandaVision Scarlet Witch lends a hand as Marvel superhero Doctor Strange receives his own sequel with plenty of multiverse mayhem.




'The Roundup'



Release date: May 20, 2022

Starring: Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee), Sukku Son, Choi Gwi-hwa, Ha-jun, and Park Ji-young

Why it's interesting to watch: Ma Dong-seok from The Eternals reprises his role as the "Beast Cop" Ma Seok-do in this Korean action thriller sequel, which is a follow-up to the well-liked action thriller The Outlaws from 2017.




'Top Gun: Maverick'



Release date: May 27, 2022

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller, Ed Harris, Val Kilmer, Glen Powell, Jay Ellis, Monica Barbaro, and Jon Hamm

Why it's worth seeing: The Top Gun sequel, which takes place thirty years after the original picture, depicts Maverick (Cruise) imparting his knowledge and mentoring a fresh batch of pilots.





'Jurassic World: Dominion'



Release date: June 10, 2022

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Daniella Pineda, Kristoffer Polaha, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern

Dinosaur enthusiasts, get ready; it's worth seeing. It's finally time for the Jurassic World series. return, three years following a cliffhanger in which dinosaurs were seen escaping the park. Additionally, Neill, Goldblum, and Dern reprise their roles from the first Jurassic Park movies in the next movie.




'Lightyear'



Release date: June 17, 2022

Starring: Chris Evans, Taika Waititi, Keke Palmer, Uzo Aduba, Efren Ramirez, Peter Sohn, and James Brolin

Why it's nice to watch: Fans of Toy Story will enjoy seeing what Buzz Lightyear was up to prior to meeting Woody and the rest of Andy's toys in this prequel.




'The Princess'



Release date: July 1, 2022

Starring: Joey King, Dominic Cooper, Alex Reid, Katelyn Rose Downey, Veronica Ngo, Ivo Arakov, and Mitko Angelov

Why it's great to watch: In this action-comedy, King portrays a warrior princess who refuses to wed a cruel monarch (Cooper).




'Thor: Love and Thunder'



Release date: July 8, 2022

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Taika Waititi, Tessa Thompson, Christian Bale, Karen Gillan, and Russell Crowe

Why it's worth watching: Jane Foster, the God of Asgard's love interest from the previous two films, will return in the next Thor solo feature (Portman). Foster won't be watching from the sidelines, though, in typical Taika Waititi way. According to rumours, she'll succeed Hemsworth as the first female Thor, taking up the hammer when Hemsworth proves unfit.



'Prey'



Release date: July 21, 2022

Starring: Amber Midthunder, Dakota Beavers, Dane DiLiegro, Michelle Thrush, Stormee Kipp, Julian Black Antelope, and Bennett Taylor

Why it's interesting to watch: In this creative Predator prequel, Naru, a Comanche warrio living in 1719, must defend her tribe against fur traders who hunt buffaloes and a violent extraterrestrial who kills humans for amusement.




'The Gray Man'



Release date: July 22, 2022

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Regé-Jean Page, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick, Julia Butters, Alfre Woodard, Billy Bob Thornton

Why it's nice to watch: After learning a terrible secret about the organisation, the top spy for the CIA goes rogue (Ryan Gosling) and is pitted against his vicious former colleague (Chris Evans sporting a moustache) in this spy movie from the Russo Brothers, who also directed The Avengers. (And Regé-Jean Page is back!!!)




'Bullet Train'



Release date: August 5, 2022

Starring: Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock, Joey King, Andrew Koji, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Shannon, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Bad Bunny

Why it's great to watch: This new movie from Atomic Blonde filmmaker David Leitch follows five assassins who discover their designated targets are connected while riding the titular high-speed train in Tokyo. Mark this movie's release date if you want to witness Brad Pitt and Bad Bunny battle without any bars barred.



'Beast'



Release date: August 19, 2022

Starring: Idris Elba, Iyana Halley, Leah Sava Jeffries, and Sharlto Copley

Why it's worthwhile to watch: A recently widowed widower (Elba) and his two kids get caught in the sights of a mysterious, extra-vicious lion while travelling to Africa.



'The Woman King'



Release date: September 16, 2022

Starring: Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, John Boyega, Sheila Atim, Adrienne Warren, Thuso Mbedu, Jayme Lawson, and Jordan Bolger

Why it's important to watch: Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of The Old Guard, was inspired to create this historical epic by The Kingdom of Dahomey, one of Africa's most powerful nations in the 18th and 19th centuries, which was guarded by female soldiers.




'The School for Good and Evil'



Release date: TBD

Starring: Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh, Sophie Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Rachel Bloom, Laurence Fishburne, and Ben Kinglsey

Why it's worthwhile to watch: In a world where fairy tales are history, children attend a magical school where they learn how to be heroes or villains. This fantasy adaption features a very impressive ensemble.


'Black Adam'



Release date: October 21, 2022

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Pierce Bronson, Sarah Shahi, Noah Centineo, Aldis Hodge, Quintessa Swindell, and Chaim Jeraffi

Why it's worthwhile to watch: The Rock, one of our favourite action heroes, is now taking on the role of a real-life superhero while portraying an anti-hero from ancient Egypt.




'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'



Release date: November 11, 2022

Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaaluya, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, and Angela Bassett

Why it's worthwhile to watch: Following Chadwick Boseman's tragic passing, the majority of the Black Panther sequel's storyline information have been kept a secret. Given T'Challa's absence, it is likely that the ladies of Wakanda, particularly his brilliant sister Shuri (Wright) and the newest member Ironheart (Thorne), will take the lead in the movie.



'Strange World'



Release date: November 23, 2022

Starring: Jake Gyllenhall and Alan Tudyk

Why it's worthwhile to watch: In this brand-new Disney animated movie, an adventurous family discovers a strange new realm full with strange animals.



'Avatar: The Way of Water'





Release date: October 18, 2022

Starring: Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh, Sophie Anne Caruso, Sofia Wylie, Rachel Bloom, Laurence Fishburne, and Ben Kinglsey

Why it's worth watching: In this fantasy adaption with a truly impressive cast, children attend a magical school where they train to be heroes or villains in a world where fairy tales are past.