The Best Movies of 2012

Originally by Ranker Community

Updated September 4, 2020 13.1k votes 1.5k voters 43.5k views168 items

List RulesOnly movies released in theaters in 2012.

This is a list of the best movies of 2012, as ranked by experts and fans alike. The best movies of 2012 include gut-wrenching dramas, mind-bending sci-fi movies and wonderful, romantic comedies that remind movie-goers why they fell in love with movies in the first place. This is a list of some of the best films of the year. Obviously any 'best of' list is going to be subjective, so not everyone will agree. That's the great thing about lists on Ranker: You can change the order with your votes and, in this case, by creating your very own list of the top movies of 2012.

Think "Looper" is the best movie of 2012, hands down? Vote it up, and rank it high on your own list! Did 'Ted' leave you in stitches, laughing days after? Certainly it's one of the best comedy movies to come along in quite a while, but does it deserve to rank #1 on this list? It's up to you to make these sorts of decisions. Whether it's a first-rate foreign film like 'Holy Motors' or a stunning action-adventure flick like 'Skyfall,' or a solid, lighthearted animated family movie like 'Wreck-It-Ralph,' rank away! I can't wait to see which movies come out on top (and which movies get slammed, in the form of down votes, because really, not everyone liked 'Cloud Atlas,' and I'm still hearing people argue about it).

Each and every one of us who've spent a ton of cash to be entertained for a few hours in a darkened theater deserve to be heard. While 2012 certainly brought with it some stinkers (hello, 'That's My Boy'!), there were some real gems, too. And yes, as new 2012 movies come out, add them to your 'best of' list. Several films believed to be Oscar contenders will hit theaters before year's end ('Lincoln' 'The Hobbit,' and 'Anna Karenina' among them).

What are the best movies of 2012? Take a look here and see for yourself.

Please rank your favorite films of 2012. And if you don't see the movie or movies you've been raving about, feel free to add them to this list so everyone can vote for them! For an updated list, check out Ranker's list of the best movies of 2013.

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The Dark Knight Rises
Christian Bale, Michael Caine
Released: 2012
Directed by: Christopher Nolan
The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, based on the DC... more
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The Avengers
Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans
Released: 2012
Directed by: Joss Whedon
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Django Unchained
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington
Released: 2012
Directed by: Quentin Tarantino
Django Unchained is a 2012 American revisionist Western film directed by Quentin Tarantino.... more
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Skyfall
Daniel Craig, Ralph Fiennes
Released: 2012
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Skyfall is the twenty-third James Bond film produced by Eon Productions. It features Daniel... more
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Silver Linings Playbook
Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro
Released: 2012
Directed by: David O. Russell
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Lincoln
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Daniel Day-Lewis
Released: 2012
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Lincoln is a 2012 American epic historical drama film directed by Steven Spielberg, starring... more
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Wreck-It Ralph
Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch
Released: 2012
Directed by: Rich Moore
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Looper
Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt
Released: 2012
Directed by: Rian Johnson
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Life of Pi
Gérard Depardieu, Irrfan Khan
Released: 2012
Directed by: Ang Lee
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21 Jump Street
Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum
Released: 2012
Directed by: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
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Argo
Ben Affleck, John Goodman
Released: 2012
Directed by: Ben Affleck
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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson
Released: 2014
Directed by: Francis Lawrence
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Ted
Mila Kunis, Mark Wahlberg
Released: 2012
Directed by: Seth MacFarlane
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Zero Dark Thirty
Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt
Released: 2012
Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow
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Moonrise Kingdom
Bruce Willis, Bill Murray
Released: 2012
Directed by: Wes Anderson
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Prometheus
Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender
Released: 2012
Directed by: Ridley Scott
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Emma Watson, Nina Dobrev
Released: 2012
Directed by: Stephen Chbosky
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Les Miserables
Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried
Released: 2012
Directed by: Tom Hooper
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Brave
Emma Thompson, Craig Ferguson
Released: 2012
Directed by: Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman
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The Cabin in the Woods
Chris Hemsworth, Sigourney Weaver
Released: 2012
Directed by: Drew Goddard
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The Amazing Spider-Man
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone
Released: 2012
Directed by: Marc Webb
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Flight
Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle
Released: 2012
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
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The Bourne Legacy
Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton
Released: 2012
Directed by: Tony Gilroy
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Pitch Perfect
Anna Kendrick, Elizabeth Banks
Released: 2012
Directed by: Jason Moore
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Seven Psychopaths
Colin Farrell, Olga Kurylenko
Released: 2012
Directed by: Martin McDonagh
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