One of the benefits of film is that it is a visual medium, which means that it can do in a frame what it might take a book several pages of description to pull off. We see this the most in its ability to build worlds in front of our eyes.

These worlds could be great space operas exploring galaxies, small period piece that looks back in time, or anything. But when every part of the film is used to tell a story, you know it is good.   

So without further ado, these films showed excellence in Worldbuilding 2022. Be warned that there may be slight spoilers for the movies in question.

And the Nominees are –

After Yang

A soft worldbuilding film, yet still a delight as we get immersed into this world.

Andor

In a world already established, Andor found new depths and was great because of it.  

Avatar: The Way of Water

Jumping from the forests to the waters of Pandora and still being full of wonder.

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Creating a Meso-American world that felt fully formed and not exploitative.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

We don’t just build one world but many, including one where we all have hotdogs for figures and 20 more we only see for half a second.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

We may be returning to Middle Earth, but we get to see a different side of it as we explore its past and the legacies that would spread for thousands of years.

Prey

Alien races v American First Nations, and both sides always felt like complete wholes.

Station Eleven

A post-apocalypse has never looked as vibrant as it does here.

And the Winner is!!!!! – Everything Everywhere All at Once

Directed by – Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Written by – Dan Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

For a long time, I thought that Avatar: The Way of Water had this category locked down. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised that while Avatar did one world to perfection, EEAAO went swinging with multiple worlds that felt fully formed. Some were just like ours but a little bit different, where you became someone important rather that where you ended up, and others were as weird as you being a rock with googly eyes stuck on. Keeping all those different worlds feeling both unique and yet part of a whole is a delight to watch.
   

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

What are your favourite cinematic moments from 2022?, let us know what you thought in the comments below, feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images used were created by the respective studio and artists of each film