Best movies of 2012

by jonnyoldbury | created - 05 Mar 2012 | updated - 08 Mar 2012 | Public

In my humble opinion, these are the best movies that have been released in 2012 or pre-emptively those that will be released later this year. If you are interested see my 2011 list of best movies too.

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1. The Grey (2011)

R | 117 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

64 Metascore

After their plane crashes in Alaska, six oil workers are led by a skilled huntsman to survival, but a pack of merciless wolves haunts their every step.

Director: Joe Carnahan | Stars: Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts

Votes: 263,204 | Gross: $51.58M

2. Man on a Ledge (2012)

PG-13 | 102 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

40 Metascore

As a police psychologist works to talk down an ex-con who is threatening to jump from a Manhattan hotel rooftop, the biggest diamond heist ever committed is in motion.

Director: Asger Leth | Stars: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Jamie Bell, Mandy Gonzalez

Votes: 158,484 | Gross: $18.62M

3. Chronicle (2012)

PG-13 | 84 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

69 Metascore

Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible discovery underground. Soon they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides.

Director: Josh Trank | Stars: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell, Michael B. Jordan, Michael Kelly

Votes: 264,251 | Gross: $64.58M

4. John Carter (2012)

PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

51 Metascore

Transported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior.

Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton

Votes: 285,999 | Gross: $73.08M

5. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

PG-13 | 164 min | Action, Drama, Thriller

78 Metascore

Eight years after the Joker's reign of chaos, Batman is coerced out of exile with the assistance of the mysterious Selina Kyle in order to defend Gotham City from the vicious guerrilla terrorist Bane.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman

Votes: 1,825,027 | Gross: $448.14M

6. The Bourne Legacy (2012)

PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

61 Metascore

An expansion of the universe from Robert Ludlum's novels, centered on a new hero whose stakes have been triggered by the events of the previous three films.

Director: Tony Gilroy | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Scott Glenn

Votes: 315,429 | Gross: $113.20M

7. Skyfall (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

81 Metascore

James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

Votes: 730,616 | Gross: $304.36M

8. The Avengers (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi

69 Metascore

Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner

Votes: 1,458,238 | Gross: $623.28M

9. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)

PG-13 | 136 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

66 Metascore

After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spider-like powers and ventures out to save the city from the machinations of a mysterious reptilian foe.

Director: Marc Webb | Stars: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Irrfan Khan

Votes: 701,490 | Gross: $262.03M

10. Underworld: Awakening (2012)

R | 88 min | Action, Fantasy, Thriller

39 Metascore

When human forces discover the existence of the Vampire and Lycan clans, a war to eradicate both species commences. The vampire warrior Selene leads the battle against humankind.

Directors: Måns Mårlind, Björn Stein | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, Michael Ealy, India Eisley, Stephen Rea

Votes: 161,107 | Gross: $62.32M

11. The Great Gatsby (2013)

PG-13 | 143 min | Drama, Romance

55 Metascore

A writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.

Director: Baz Luhrmann | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire

Votes: 596,124 | Gross: $144.84M

12. Prometheus (I) (2012)

R | 124 min | Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi

64 Metascore

Following clues to the origin of mankind, a team finds a structure on a distant moon, but they soon realize they are not alone.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Noomi Rapace, Logan Marshall-Green, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron

Votes: 643,595 | Gross: $126.48M

13. Gangster Squad (2013)

R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama

40 Metascore

It's 1949 Los Angeles, the city is run by gangsters and a malicious mobster, Mickey Cohen. Determined to end the corruption, John O'Mara assembles a team of cops, ready to take down the ruthless leader and restore peace to the city.

Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi

Votes: 222,641 | Gross: $46.00M

14. The Woman in Black (2012)

PG-13 | 95 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

62 Metascore

A young solicitor travels to a remote village where he discovers that the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals.

Director: James Watkins | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Janet McTeer, Ciarán Hinds, Emma Shorey

Votes: 192,501 | Gross: $54.33M

15. Django Unchained (2012)

R | 165 min | Drama, Western

81 Metascore

With the help of a German bounty-hunter, a freed slave sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal plantation owner in Mississippi.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington

Votes: 1,692,039 | Gross: $162.81M

16. The Raven (I) (2012)

R | 110 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller

44 Metascore

When a madman begins committing horrific murders inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's works, a young Baltimore detective joins forces with Poe to stop him from making his stories a reality.

Director: James McTeigue | Stars: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson

Votes: 88,267 | Gross: $16.01M

17. Total Recall (I) (2012)

PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

43 Metascore

A factory worker, Douglas Quaid, begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Director: Len Wiseman | Stars: Colin Farrell, Bokeem Woodbine, Bryan Cranston, Kate Beckinsale

Votes: 266,183 | Gross: $58.88M

18. Contraband (2012)

R | 109 min | Action, Adventure, Crime

51 Metascore

To protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord, a former smuggler heads to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.

Director: Baltasar Kormákur | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, Robert Wahlberg

Votes: 126,288 | Gross: $66.53M

19. Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

R | 102 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

75 Metascore

Haunted by painful memories and increasing paranoia, a damaged woman struggles to re-assimilate with her family after fleeing an abusive cult.

Director: Sean Durkin | Stars: Elizabeth Olsen, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Christopher Abbott

Votes: 55,782 | Gross: $2.98M

20. The Raid: Redemption (2011)

R | 101 min | Action, Crime, Thriller

73 Metascore

A S.W.A.T. team becomes trapped in a tenement run by a ruthless mobster and his army of killers and thugs.

Director: Gareth Evans | Stars: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Donny Alamsyah

Votes: 216,876 | Gross: $4.11M

21. Iron Sky (2012)

R | 93 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

The Nazis set up a secret base on the dark side of the moon in 1945 where they hide out and plan to return to power in 2018.

Director: Timo Vuorensola | Stars: Julia Dietze, Christopher Kirby, Götz Otto, Udo Kier

Votes: 96,517

22. Lawless (2012)

R | 116 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

58 Metascore

Set in Depression-era Franklin County, Virginia, a trio of bootlegging brothers are threatened by a new special deputy and other authorities angling for a cut of their profits.

Director: John Hillcoat | Stars: Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke

Votes: 253,300 | Gross: $37.40M

23. 47 Ronin (2013)

PG-13 | 128 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy

28 Metascore

A band of samurai sets out to avenge the death and dishonor of their master at the hands of a ruthless shogun.

Director: Carl Rinsch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Hiroyuki Sanada, Kô Shibasaki, Tadanobu Asano

Votes: 170,899 | Gross: $38.36M



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