Every year has good movies, but what were the best of
2012? Let’s find out.
10. Rise of the Guardians
DreamWorks Animation had the most positively consistent
years of any animated studio this year, with Rise of the Guardians beating out Madagascar 3 for this slot. Guardians
has a cool story, nice visuals, and great animated action. Add in Jude
Law’s frightening villain Pitch, and you got a great Christmas movie.
9. Looper
This was the first hard-R movie I saw, and I’m glad it
was of this high quality. Looper is a
fascinating sci-fi thriller examining the famous conundrum of traveling back in
time and talking to your younger self. Of course, it examines other interesting
facets, but that would be going into spoilers. Anchored by great performance, Looper excels thanks to its tight script
and memorable scenes, making it the best sci-fi movie of the year.
8. Lincoln
Lincoln is the
worst “Oscar-contender” I saw this year, but it’s still pretty darn good.
Although it wastes Joseph Gordon-Levitt and runs on a half hour too long, the
movie is saved by the phenomenal performance of Daniel Day-Lewis, and the sharp
writing. Tommy Lee Jones is also a highlight in this fascinating portrayal of
the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment. It’s the political drama I’ve seen in
a long time.
7. Argo
The fact that this film is only the seventh best film of
the year when I gave it an A+ just
shows how strong a year 2012 was. Argo is
the year’s most thrilling movie, with a great ensemble cast. It’s also one of
the year’s funniest movies with a script that is quite sharp. The acting
highlight is Bryan Cranston, even though his character doesn’t do much, and Ben
Affleck proves a good man behind the camera. Argo is not to be missed.
6. Skyfall
Simply put, Skyfall
is the most beautiful James Bond movie ever. It’s also the best of the few
Bond movies I have seen. The thematic content is rich, and the cinematography
makes the action be quite memorable. Judi Dench gives a great reprisal of the
role of M, but the real star is Javier Bardem as frightening villain, Silva.
Add in a strong script, and Skyfall is
a great action movie.
5. Life of Pi
This is definitely the most thought-provoking movie of
the year. Life of Pi is also one of
the most unusual movies of the year, with a huge budget and a small story. The
acting is great, especially the lead actor who debuted in the movie. The
special effects are stunning, and the story is enthralling. The end of the
movie will keep you thinking on it for a long time. Life of Pi is a riveting movie that must be seen to be believed.
4. The Dark Knight Rises
For four years, the wait for the conclusion to
Christopher Nolan’s trilogy was agonizing. This summer, The Dark Knight Rises was released, and although it was not as good
as The Dark Knight, it was still a
fantastic movie. Yes, there are major flaws, but the emotional resonance of the
movie is too great for me to put it any lower. Christian Bale and Michael Caine
give their best performances in the franchise, with Anne Hathaway stealing the
show fantastically. Although he was no Joker, Bane caused some of the funniest
moments of the year. Overall, Nolan’s trilogy will be remembered as the
definite films for the Caped Crusader.
3. Les Miserables
Let’s get the flaws out of the way first: the close-ups
were annoying at points, and Russell Crowe can’t sing. After that, Les Miserables proves to be a fantastic
film opera/musical. Anne Hathaway’s performance is as great as it was hyped up
to be, but Hugh Jackman gives the performance of his lifetime as Jean Valjean.
It’s the performance of the year, one that deserves to win an Oscar, but
probably won’t. The music is fantastic as expected, and overall, Les Miserables is the year’s most epic
film, and one that should win Best Picture.
2. The Avengers
This movie was THE movie
for me. I saw The Avengers four times
in theaters, each time loving it more. The script is great, not favoring any
hero to be the lead. The action is phenomenal, easily the best action scenes of
the year. The cast has fantastic chemistry, with Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner
as the highlight. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki is also a strong villain. Avengers is also the funniest movie of
the year, surprisingly. So much clever banter is contained in these two and
half hours. Although it’s not my favorite movie of the year, it’s the movie
everyone will remember 2012 for.
1. Wreck-It Ralph
This is it, the best movie of the year. An excellent
animated film goes a long way for me, and Wreck-It
Ralph fits that bill. The vocal performances are great, the animation is
stunning, and the script is tight, fun, and overall, just really good. It’s the
only movie this year to make me cry as well. This film combined two of my
greatest loves, video games and animation, and makes it be not disappointing at
all. For all these reasons, Wreck-It
Ralph is the best movie of the year.
The next five good movies: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey; Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted; The Amazing Spider-Man; Pirates!
Band of Misfits; The Expendables 2
