Best Sci Fi & Fantasy of 2022

At the most recent meeting of the Milwaukee Science Fiction League, we discussed what the best items of 2022 were in terms of movies, TV shows, and books. Here's our overall consensus:

Best Movies:

Everyone agreed, hands down, the best SF movie of 2022 was Everything, Everywhere, All At Once. It was the surprise hit that left everyone satisfied. Other movies generally agreed upon included Jordan Peele's latest oddity, Nope. Recommended as a surprise sleeper hit was The Adam Project, which took a very cliche concept and made a great movie out of it anyway thanks to the interplay between Ryan Reynolds and child actor Walker Scobell. Everyone who saw Avatar: The Way of Water agreed that it was very pretty, but dull. It was also generally agreed that this year's blockbusters, with the exception of Wakanda Forever, had great special effects, but were otherwise disappointing. These included Thor: Love and Thunder, Doctor Strange: Multiverse of Madness, and Jurassic World: Dominion. Movies not discussed, but should have been, include two CGI movies from Disney that flew under most people's radar: Turning Red, which got a bad rap (this author feels wrongfully), and Lightyear.

Best Television Shows:

There were just too many to discuss thoroughly. But the strong consensus among everyone present was that the best show all year was Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. The return to the TOS era and the ensemble cast was an absolute hit. This, of course, led to the general agreement that all other Star Trek franchises with releases this year were also a hit, including Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Picard Season Two (although it was also agreed that Picard was becoming a bit of a rip-off in terms of writing quality). Also mentioned as a favorite was The Man Who Fell to Earth. Some present were fans of Interview With The Vampire. A strong recommendation was made for the Disney + Star Wars hit, Andor, along with the Hulu production of Octavia Butler's classic novel, Kindred. News was shared that the German-language hit sci fi show, 1899, would not be continued, and all were disappointed. Other recommendations included Amazon Prime's hit, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and HBO's Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon. An additional recommendation was given for All of us Are Dead. It was generally agreed that the reboot of Quantum Leap starring Raymond Lee was a dud, and that Squid Game, although popular, was simply too violent.

Some shows were mentioned that didn't necessarily come out in 2022. These included Dark (2017 - 2020), and Lovecraft Country (2020).

Shows that weren't discussed, but should have been, include Halo, The Sandman, Our Flag Means Death, The Orville: New Horizons, Resident Alien Season 2, His Dark Materials Season 3, The Peripheral, Raised by Wolves Season 2, Station Eleven, The Book of Boba Fett, Obi Wan Kenobi, Stranger Things 4, The Boys Season 3, For All Mankind Season 3, The Umbrella Academy, Westworld Season 4, What We Do in the Shadows Season 4, and the anime hit, Cyberpunk. It was an absolute embarrassment of riches in terms of sci fi on television in 2022.

Best Novels:

Not much time was devoted to the best novels of 2022, but a few were recommended. Top of the list was The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi. Also, Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel, who visited Milwaukee just as her book was being released. Station Eternity by Mur Lafferty, which is book one of the Midsolar Murders series, was recommended.

Books that weren't mentioned, but should have been, include Absynthe by Brendan Bellecourt (a.k.a. Racine native Bradley Beaulieu). That book came out in December of 2021, and so really should count toward 2022. Also, The Doctor of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno Garcia sounds like a wonderful romp.