Oscar contender?: "Top Gun: Maverick" is best picture of 2022

The first "Top Gun" film has achieved cult status 36 years after its premiere.

Oscar contender?: "Top Gun: Maverick" is best picture of 2022

The first "Top Gun" film has achieved cult status 36 years after its premiere. This honor could also be given to his successor "Maverick" at some point. The action film starring Tom Cruise has been voted best film of the year.

One can only say: Mission successful. The successful action sequel "Top Gun: Maverick" has been voted best film of the year by the renowned US film association National Board of Review (NBR). The flick starring Tom Cruise grossed nearly $1.5 billion at the box office worldwide. It's the mega-star's biggest box-office hit to date. In the ranking of the most successful films of all time, "Top Gun: Maverick" currently occupies eleventh place.

"'Top Gun: Maverick' is a gripping crowd pleaser that's masterfully crafted on every level," said NBR President Annie Schulhof. "Tom Cruise, director Joseph Kosinski and the entire film crew managed to make an incredibly popular film that has brought viewers back to theaters while also being a cinematic accomplishment."

However, it was not Cruise who was awarded the best leading actor, but his colleague Colin Farrell. The actor won over the jury in the tragic comedy The Banshees of Inisherin, Farrell's co-star Brendan Gleeson was voted Best Supporting Actor. The Best Actress award went to Michelle Yeoh for her performance in the film Everything Everywhere All at Once. Janelle Monáe won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.

The Best Director award went to Hollywood veteran Steven Spielberg for his autobiographical drama The Fabelmans. A German production is also among the award winners: Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson and Ian Stokell received the "NBR" award for the best adapted screenplay for the remake of the classic "Nothing New in the West". The youth drama "Close" received the award for best international film.

The honor for "Sr." as the best documentary, Hollywood actor Robert Downey Jr. is likely to have been particularly touching. Finally, the "Iron Man" star delivered a very personal tribute to his father Robert Downey Sr. with the Netflix production.

The US Film Association awards could already be a good prognosis for the 2023 Oscars. Finally, here several groups of film critics choose their favorites from 269 of the top films of the year. As the best film, "Top Gun: Maverick" is definitely going into next year with some momentum. But the Oscar ambitions of multiple winners "The Banshees of Inisherin" should not have dropped after the "NBR" awards.