From intense action thrillers to moving dramas, the Ranker results are in for the best movies of 2012, including The Avengers and Looper.
2012 was a momentous year for film, producing original classics to epic sequels to big franchises like Batman and James Bond, franchises that are still being remade and relevant in 2022. It's been 10 long years since 2012 and there have been many changes in the movie world. Advancements in movie-making technology and even the movie-going experience have drastically changed through the advent of streaming. At the start of 2022, fans over at Ranker took to the polls to reminisce and determine what they thought were the best movies of 2012.
Luckily for voters, the year featured an array of stunning and memorable films in a variety of genres. From high octane action movies to emotionally driven dramas, big franchise sequels to original blockbusters, 2012 had a little bit of something for both the hardcore cinephile and the casual movie-goer.
10 Life Of Pi (2012)
In a year filled with well-known and established franchise films and blockbusters, users might be surprised to see the popular novel adaptation make the top 10, but Life of Pi was no small movie as it was a commercial success, bringing in 609 million dollars worldwide. Beyond its financial success, Life of Pi also was a hit with critics and landed director Ang Lee a Best Director Oscar.
Another important aspect of Life of Pi's success is its popularity not only in the United States but internationally as well. It's a movie that features a diverse cast and a story that is so fantastical, that it can be interpreted in several different ways allowing a wider audience to connect with it in more ways than a more classical drama would allow.
9 Lincoln (2012)
Following the critical success of War Horse, legendary director Steven Spielberg stayed in the realm of historical dramas with a biopic about the final days of Abraham Lincoln. Historical dramas may not be the most flashy of movies, especially when one compares Lincoln to the other films on Ranker's list, but Spielberg's name brings in even the most hesitant movie fans.
But Lincoln's mass appeal is rooted in its all-star caliber cast. Much of the cast received universal claim from audiences and critics alike, but it was Daniel Day-Lewis, who played the titular role, who would go on to win the Oscar for Best Actor, tying Jack Nicholson for all-time record wins.
8 Looper (2012)
Rian Johnson's Looper is the first original film to make the list, a feat that should not go unnoticed as original films typically have a much harder time resonating with audiences when compared to an established intellectual property. While both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis earned immense praise, Willis' performance is considered one of his most iconic to date.
Looper's originality served as a breath of fresh air in a year that was inundated with sequels and remakes. Time travel movies can be difficult to sell to the audience, as they often can be too confusing or complicated, but Rian Johnson's script not only makes Looper thrilling but also makes it accessible and easy to follow.
7 21 Jump Street (2012)
The buddy cop comedy and reboot of the classic TV series featured a stacked cast of bonafide comedic actors and proved that, with the right cast and crew, reboots can also be a commercial and critical success. 21 Jump Street's financial success marked it as one of Channing Tatum's highest grossing movies of his career and spawned an equally profitable sequel in 2014.
Much of 21 Jump Street's success can be found in its brilliant casting and witty script. Individually, Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum had already proven their acting prowess, but together, they had electric chemistry and were an unstoppable comedic force, resulting in consistent laughs and 21 Jump Street being one of the funniest movies of 2012.
6 Wreck-It Ralph (2012)
Most Disney fans would have anticipated a Pixar film to break the top 10 of 2012, but while Pixar's Brave was a success financially and ultimately took home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, fans over at Ranker chose to award the arcade-villain-turned-good-guy, Wreck-It Ralph, as one of the best animated films of 2012.
Wreck-It Ralph's success is rooted in not only having a genuine and heartfelt story, which could resonate with adults and children alike, but its inclusion of cameos from popular video game characters, which became the real draw to this movie. From the villain support group, which included iconic characters like Bowser, Zangief, and Dr. Robotnik, to references to retro games like Pac-Man and QBert, Wreck-It Ralph was a melting pot of new and old, making it a perfect film for any audience.
5 Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
In March 2012, Jennifer Lawrence played the iconic heroine, Katniss Everdeen, in The Hunger Games, which became the third highest-grossing movie of 2012. But it's her second film that year, Silver Linings Playbook, that garnered her critical success and even landed her a Best Actress Oscar win at Hollywood's most prestigious award show.
Silver Linings Playbook never shied away from exploring more profound themes, and director David O'Russell received high praise for his ability to balance the comedic aspects of the film while also tackling more serious subjects, such as mental illness and marital issues. Its appeal also derived from the relationship between Lawrence and Cooper, which felt authentic and made it easy for fans to root for the couple -- laughing and crying throughout their journey.
4 The Avengers (2012)
To call The Avengers anything but a phenomenon would be selling it short. The highest-grossing movie of 2012 and the culmination of five films, The Avengers was the first movie of its kind, and fans came out in droves to see their favorite Marvel heroes team up together for the first time on the big screen.
But the success of The Avengers wasn't simply because Kevin Feige haphazardly assembled some of Marvel's most iconic heroes. Fans of comic book movies had been burned in the past when it comes to comic book movies having too many heroes or villains. But The Avengers balances heart, action, and comedy to provide a much more fulfilling experience and is a living testament that attention to world-building and character development is what audiences truly cared about.
3 Skyfall (2012)
Daniel Craig's stint as James Bond started off with a bang. Casino Royale was lauded and breathed new life into the iconic secret agent. Despite the commercial success of Quantum of Solace, it received generally mixed reviews from critics which resulted in some apprehensions with the release of Skyfall. But much of these apprehensions dissipated, as Skyfall became an immediate commercial and critical success and received widespread praise for its direction, performances, and technical aspects.
Skyfall was a risk compared to its predecessors, as it was a drastic departure from the previous 007 films. While it had some of the most exciting action sequences out of any of the Daniel Craig Bond films, tonally, Skyfall was much darker and focused on the emotional toll that comes with being 007. Ultimately, these risks and deviations from the typical 007 plot would separate Skyfall from the rest of the James Bond filmography and put it in a league of its own.
2 Django Unchained (2012)
The ultra-violent, highly stylized ode to Spaghetti Westerns from the mind of Quentin Tarantino was a smash hit for audiences and critics alike. The film would score five nominations at the Academy Awards, including nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor, winning the prize for the latter two.
While Jamie Foxx and Christoph Waltz as the leads would have been enough to entice an audience, the movie would also mark the first time Tarantino and Leonardo DiCaprio would collaborate with each other. Combine a cast of Hollywood A-listers with Tarantino's signature over-the-top violence and it's a recipe for movie success.
1 The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Clinching the number 1 spot on Ranker's Best Movies of 2012 is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's acclaimed trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises. Expectations were exponentially high due to the massive popularity of The Dark Knight, but The Dark Knight Rises was an immediate commercial and critical success upon its release.
While The Dark Knight Rises could never replicate the performance by Heath Ledger as the Joker, Nolan would instead opt for Batman's most physically imposing villain, Bane. This choice would send fans of the Caped Crusader into a frenzy and Tom Hardy's portrayal was lauded by critics and fans alike, resulting in an epic and satisfying conclusion to Nolan's trilogy.
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