My annual review of 2012 film year

It’s that time of year again when critics give us their top ten film lists. Zero Dark Thirty, The Master, Moonrise Kingdom, Amour, Argo, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook and Holy Motors were some of 2012’s top rated films by North American film critics. 

My top rated films of 2012; the films that made me want to run out and read the book, the script or listen to the soundtrack album, the ones that surprised me with something new and unusual, were Prometheus, Kahaani, Mumbai’s KingBernie, End of Watch, Moonrise Kingdom, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Samsara, Wreck-It Ralph and Comic-con: A Fan’s Hope.

It was not a particularly favorable year for Sci-fi/Fantasy films as several high profile projects fell to disappointing reviews and box office. Among the casualties were; John Carter, Wrath of the Titans, Battleship, Snow White and the Huntsman, Total Recall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. Although, I found that some of these films did not deserve the misfortune they were handed. I quite enjoyed watching Wrath of the Titans, Snow White and the Huntsman, Total Recall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. I think these are all worthwhile films that deserve a second look. 

On the other hand, Sci-fi films that did well this year and were very well received are as follows: The Avengers, Men in Black 3, Prometheus, The Amazing Spider-man, The Dark Knight Rises, The Cabin in the Woods, and Looper. Although frankly, regardless of the critical acclaim, I personally did not care for The Dark Knight Rises or The Cabin in the Woods as much as other people did.

As far as the Action/Adventure/Thriller genre goes, I saw a few good films that included, The Raid: Redemption, The Bourne Legacy, Easy Money, and Django Unchained. Skyfall, the new Bond film, was a disappointment for me and didn’t impress me as much as it did the critics. But then I was never a big Bond fan anyways.

The Drama category had some excellent touching and heartfelt movies represented this year. Among my favorites were; A Separation, Miss Bala, Kahaani, The Intouchables, Mumbai’s King, End of Watch, Midnight’s Children, Life of Pi, and Zero Dark Thirty. Honorable mentions go to commendable films like Monsieur Lazhar, In Darkness, The Kid with a Bike, The Master, Argo and Lincoln.

It was an excellent year for the romantic comedy section, which had some particularly exemplary films released. The following are the ones I enjoyed most; The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Bernie, Moonrise Kingdom, To Rome with Love, Hope Springs, OMG: Oh My God!, and Silver Linings Playbook.

There were plenty of good animated films again in 2012. I enjoyed all of the following excellent films, Wreck-It Ralph, Brave, The Secret World of Arrietty, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Ice Age: Continental Drift, The Pirates! Band of Misfits, and ParaNorman.

Some notable documentaries that I have seen so far, although I should stress that there were many great documentaries which I have not yet seen, include Comic-con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope, Chasing Ice, Bully, Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, The Queen of Versailles, Samsara and The Imposter.

JP

11 comments:

Susan Scott said...

Thank you, I enjoyed this. Here in South Africa, we receive the films a little after they are previewed in the States. Some of them are on circuit here right now. Am looking forward to seeing Lincoln and Django unchained. I like the way you differentiate the genres.

JP said...

Thanks Susan,
You can click on the highlighted films to read my full reviews.

Kelly Wade said...

There are still so many films I need and want to see! The Academy Awards are still a few weeks away so before then I really need to go see Silver Lining's Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty, Lincoln, Les Miserables, and Life of Pi. I also really enjoyed Snow White and the Huntsman although I can see how others wouldn't. I wish going to the theater wasn't so expensive!

Jer said...

Thanks for the post. I'll keep it open and use it to flesh-out my NetFlix queue for the coming months.

Unknown said...

Another South African here. I will read your reviews before I go to the movies next time.

Laura Sherman said...

Thanks for the summary for the year. I don't get to go out often to see films, so your article is one that will save me time when I choose which to view on DVD! Thanks!

Gerald Smith said...

Avengers and spider man were the films of the year in my opinion. Total recall I enjoyed, wrath of the titans I liked, Bond was OK. Batman was good to, but not as good as spider-man.

Nice review. Like the other comm-enter I like the way you split them into categories.

JP said...

Thank you, I appreciate the feedback and I hope you find these movies enjoyable.

Crissa said...

JP,
I agree that I didn't like the Dark Knight Rises as much as I thought I would. I loved Moonrise Kingdom, had mixed feelings about Django Unchained, and was amazed at how much I enjoyed Rise of the Guardians. Did you happen to see that?

JP said...

No I haven't. But now that you mentioned it, I will go out and see it.

Unknown said...

Wow! I feel I'm living in the dark ages! As a busy mom of three I must say I don;t get out to the movies as much as I'd like to, and when I do it's usually for family movies. You've given me lots to think about and great titles to catch on DVD or when they re in limited re-release