From Reacher To Peacemaker.
Typically at the end of each year, we compile the best car chase scenes from the big screen. But 2022 wasn't a good year for that, so we took a more holistic approach to the topic instead of our usual countdown of the best automotive dueling in a movie.
On this list, you'll find not only decent car chases but also sublime examples of car casting and just general examples of glorious ridiculousness. Another big difference this year is the dominance of TV shows, but that's to be expected. The rise of streaming has resulted in big-budget series often doing a better job of all things car-related. There are only three movies on this list, and the rest are all shows.
Let's jump in with one of the most fun Netflix movies of the year.
The Adam Project
Superhero movies have been dominating for the past 10 years, so a film like The Adam Project is a breath of fresh air. This movie nailed it just by having a unique plot that didn't include somebody wearing spandex and a cape.
But we're more interested in the car scenes, and this one is straightforward. It features an old truck trying to escape a futuristic flying machine in the sky. It hooks a left into a forest, and the setting is used perfectly to dispatch henchmen on hoverboards.
This particular scene is so obviously an homage to Star Wars. It's short but fun.
The Batman
The latest Batman movie was both a hit and a miss. It lacked the depth of Christopher Nolan's trilogy, but it features the angriest Batman we've seen to date.
The movie is reasonably early in Bruce Wayne's side hustle as the Dark Knight, and his lack of technology illustrates it perfectly. Instead of a Batmobile with decorative wings, the first version of the car is essentially a battering ram. It's a mashup of several different muscle cars powered by a naturally aspirated V8.
For maximum ramming effect, it also has a rocket booster. In the clip below, you can see how hard the batmobile punches.
Jurassic World Dominion
Every Jurassic Park movie has some car-related scene, and the latest installment continues the tradition. The original is still the best, but Jurassic World Dominion has two different chases simultaneously.
The scene is set in Valletta, Malta. Most of the city was constructed during the 16th century, so we're talking narrow streets and many people walking. A Jeep Wrangler, the regular Jurassic Park car of choice, would get stuck. So the director had to settle for a motorcycle and a small van-based pickup.
A whole pack of velociraptors is let loose in the tiny city. One-half of the pack chases Owen Grady on the bike, while the other half chases Claire Dearing and Kayla Watts in the little van.
Once again, not Jurassic Park's best, but entertaining nevertheless.
The Terminal List
From one Chris Pratt project to the next. The Terminal List is a massive departure from Jurassic Park. It allowed Pratt to show his more serious side, and he nailed it.
It's the story of a Navy SEAL returning home after a compromised mission and the aftermath of that. Be cautious, however. It's not an easy watch and certainly not for sensitive viewers.
Rezvani products were featured in the series, but we really appreciated the attention to detail when it came to matching cars to characters. The modified old-school Land Cruiser assigned to James Reece (Chris Pratt) suited him perfectly.
You can see the Land Cruiser in the scene below. It includes some mild violence, and we know that The Terminal List upset quite a few people when it came out. If you're not a fan, keep scrolling to the next entry.
Reacher
The car casting in Reacher is the best we've seen all year. It takes a while for Reacher to get to the actual hero car, but it's so worth it.
To understand why it works so beautifully, you must understand the character. Hollywood first tried getting Reacher off the ground using Tom Cruise, but his diminutive stature didn't work. The decision was then made to cast Alan Ritchson, who perfectly matches Lee Child's description of the character in the books.
Reacher is physically intimidating and morally ambiguous, though he tends to fight on behalf of the good guy. There are no scenes on YouTube with the Bentley Flying Spur, but we'll include a still image below. Still, there is another scene where Reacher makes keen observations about somebody else's truck and then proceeds to provide the most epic slap we've ever seen on television.
Peacemaker
Peacemaker stars John Cena as a man fighting for peace, and he doesn't care how many people he has to kill to achieve that goal.
He's a caricature of a gun-toting patriotic 'Merican but done in such a way that you actually feel some weird semblance of pride and pathos watching him shoot his way through a highly violent series.
Peacemaker is a flawed hero, but his heart is in the right place. Throughout the series, his love for his country manifests in many ways, but none as gloriously off the charts as riding his muscle car (wrapped in the American flag) with his pet eagle riding shotgun.
Keyword: The Best Car Moments In Movies And Television In 2022