Between Everything Everywhere, Banshees (probably my fave), Bodies3x, and Northman (and others I haven't seen), 2022 was a truly fantastic year for original movies.
And while it was a franchise movie, Prey was also one of my favorites of the year.
The Northman. Seeing Eggers with a huge budget was a sight to behold. Incredible cinematography and great performances from Skarsgard, Kidman, Claes, Defoe (man there’s so many to name). I love seeing Norse culture and mythology as well (play Hellblade if you ever get the chance).
I’m not sure if it’s considered an “original” considering it’s an adaptation of the classic The Lion King.
I mostly watch franchise movies, but as for my favorite non-franchise film of 2022, I'm torn between Ambulance and Marcel the Shell With Shoes On. I watched them both on a plane ride and took an immediate liking to both.
Accomplished debut feature from writer/actor/director Franklin Ritch - uses a bunch of filmmaking tricks to produce an engrossing sci-fi film, even though there's zero VFX, and I didn't even realise it's just a few people talking in rooms until it was over.