2012 was a great year at the movies. There was a trio of superhero movies that were three of the best superhero movies ever. One of the best James Bond titles ever was released. There was a vibrant indie scene. 2012 was the best year for animated films that I can remember. The typical prestige films were as good this year as any other. It seemed like all year long anytime you went to the cinema there were a few good movies to choose from.
My honorable mentions pushes this list over ten films, but there were a few films that really stood out above the rest. There were also a number of films I haven’t seen yet, that may have upended this list. So please forgive me, if any of these movies should belong: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Hotel Transylvania, the Impossible, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, the Master, ParaNorman, and Prometheus
And now, on to the list!
5. Haywire
This is the best action movie in years. The fight scenes are believable and realistic, but still exciting. The plot is fun and fast with no filler slowing it down.
4. Looper
This is a time-traveling sci-fi movie that is both serious and entertaining at the same time. The acting is spot-on to the movie’s tone. The movie doesn’t let itself be bogged down by time travel “rules”. There is uniqueness to it that no sci-fi movie has had since District 9.
3. Brave
Pixar has continuously made movies that appeal to children on one level and to their parents on whole other level. This might be the best example of that yet. Brave captures both the feeling of being a teenager and the feeling of being a parent. The teenager wants to form their own identity apart from their parent. The parent wants their children to be happy, but also want what’s best for them, which isn’t always the same thing. This movie captures all of that throughout the story, but also crystallizes it in one heartbreaking scene. At the same time, Brave also keeps the younger audience’s attention with great animation, a good story, and funny characters.
2. Django Unchained
Quentin Tarantino may be the best pure filmmaker directing movies today. It feels like every frame of this movie is entertaining. This is a slavery revenge story. As always, Tarantino tells a good revenge story and shows some well-choreographed violence. But Tarantino also shows the brutal reality of slavery in the American South that most movies about the subject sanitize.
1. Zero Dark Thirty
This is the best and most important movie this year. This movie follows the hunt for Bin Laden and his eventual assassination by a Navy Seals Team. It’s a great thriller that is well acted, well directed and well-paced. But that’s not why it’s the best movie of the year. It’s because it asks the important questions about the War on Terror. Do Americans have to sink to the terrorists’ level to defeat them? Is winning this war more important than our humanity? What is the price of winning?
Honorable Mention –
The Amazing Spider-Man, The Avengers, Cabin in the Woods, the Dark Knight Rises, Moonrise Kingdom, The Pirates!: Band of Misfits, The Secret World of Arrietty, Silver Linings Playbook, Skyfall