The Best Films of 2012: Revisiting the Rankings

Daniel Day-Lewis as President Abraham Lincoln in Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Best Films of 2012

After revisiting the best films of 2011 a year ago, Solzy at the Movies is revisiting the rankings for the best films of 2012.

These lists have a way of evolving through the years. Some films have a way of growing on you while one may start wondering what they ever saw in another film. As such, a few films have completely dropped out of my list altogether. I might looked at a film like Ted as being hysterical but as I’ve grown and evolved, it’s just not as funny as it used to be, if it ever was at all. Or there are those films that drop a bit because one bought into the Harvey Weinstein effect at the time–all that to say that Silver Lining Playbook is no longer my #1 film of 2012. Zero Dark Thirty didn’t make my initial list because it went limited in 2012 and wide after the new year in 2013. As a result, it was ineligible for my list. Ten years later, well, you have The Report to thank for why it’s missing.

Upon looking back at the best films of 2012, one thing that I am factoring in is replay value. Take last year, for instance–when Captain America: The First Avenger vaulted out of nowhere and into the top five films. How do they hold up upon viewing when we’re five, sometimes ten, years removed from release? Assuming I didn’t miss anything on Letterboxd, Lincoln, The Avengers, and Pitch Perfect are the films that I’ve watched the most since their 2012 releases. I spent a few days this past year logging in a lot of first and repeat viewings dating back to 2004 and Pitch Perfect has jumped into my most-watched films as a result. Not surprisingly, there are some other films that I haven’t thought about since watching them in theaters.

Here’s to a happy 2023, a new Indiana Jones movie, and my 10th anniversary of writing as a professional film critic!