As more and more time passes with each subsequent year, 2012 continues to stand out as one of the most prolific and impactful individual years when it comes to the overwhelmingly high quality of filmmaking. The year saw the release of a wide array of memorable and acclaimed films of a wide variety, ranging from massive-scale blockbusters that made millions of dollars to smaller-scale indie films that touched the hearts of audiences.
While the year may seem like yesterday to some, the 13 years of time since then have helped cement many of these films as certifiable classics of the modern era. In nearly every major genre, 2012 managed to have a release that helped shape and transform the perception and scope of the genre for the 2010s, with many of the year’s releases still being wildly influential in a modern context. When considering one of the most impactful and memorable years of the 2010s, these are the classics that first come to mind.
10
‘Pitch Perfect’
Combining the stylish fun of a cappella and musical performance with a heaping dose of romance and comedy, Pitch Perfect blends these styles to create one of the defining rom-com experiences of the 2010s. However, more than simply telling a traditional love story with a cappella strewn throughout, Pitch Perfect proves to be more dominantly an impactful story of sisterhood and camaraderie through the lens of a cappella competition.
The mixture of high-energy musical numbers, a wildly compelling supporting cast of characters, and great comedy and emotional earnestness throughout has helped Pitch Perfect attain its classic status over the years. Even as the film would receive multiple sequels throughout the rest of the decade, the original film still stands as one of the premier female-centric comedies that the 21st century has to offer. It certainly also helps that many now-considered comedy stars like Anna Kendrick, Adam Devine, and Rebel Wilson would transform into household names due to the success of the franchise.
9
‘Wreck-It Ralph’
As the medium of cinematic animation transitioned from traditional 2D to computer-generated 3D, Walt Disney Animation Studios faced its fair share of difficulties adjusting to the new standard. However, as the studio finally began to find its footing in the early 2010s, Wreck-It Ralph stood out as one of their first truly amazing 3D films that could live up to the powerful legacy and weight of the studio’s former masterpieces. Even today, after Disney has released many other massively successful 3D films, Wreck-It Ralph remains one of their best films of the 21st century.
The culture of the era quickly fell in love with Wreck-It Ralph‘s love letter approach to the classic days of arcade video gaming, jam-packed with all sorts of Easter eggs and references hidden in every frame. However, it’s the brilliant world-building and character dynamics that have helped the film maintain its classic status for so many years, with the character of Ralph being one of Disney’s most compelling and relatable modern protagonists.
8
‘Sinister’
Often considered to be one of the scariest movies of all time and a poster child for the sorts of somber, high-tension horror that defined the era, Sinister is in a league of its own in terms of early 2010s horror. Evolving the increasing trend of spooky found footage horror movies, Sinister‘s reinvention of the concept by following a character uncovering such terrifying recordings makes for an instantly compelling and deeply unsettling horror experience.
Director Scott Derrickson beautifully creates an experience of high tension and fear with the meticulously crafted horror film, effectively utilizing silence and its uneasy nature to create maximum scares. Even more impressive is how the film capitalizes and releases its tension with some of the most effective and terrifying scares imaginable, helping the film maintain a status as one of the scariest modern horror movies. The film’s inherent influence on the entire genre of horror is still largely felt nowadays, as it helped cement the framework for this style of modern, jump scare-centric horror.
7
’21 Jump Street’
As reboots and remakes of classic properties continue to become the norm of 21st-century filmmaking, it has become an increasing rarity for one of these films to not live up to the original but surpass it in quality and recognition. However, 21 Jump Street proves to be one such exception to the rule, with the hilarious buddy cop comedy antics of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum elevating the film to be one of the most iconic and beloved action comedies of the era.
Part of the genius of 21 Jump Street is that it not only does justice to the premise and setup of the original series but also acts as an ingenious satire and parody of film reboots and buddy cop comedies as a whole. The film is fully aware of its own existence as a reboot of a long-since forgotten property, playing into this fact to create one of the most hilarious and original comedies imaginable. The film proved to be so beloved that it largely surpassed the original series in iconic status, making it so that many audiences could love the film even without knowing that it was a reboot.
6
‘The Dark Knight Rises’
Considering just how much of a box-office juggernaut and cultural phenomenon Christopher Nolan‘s The Dark Knight was, all eyes were on the inevitable sequel to see how it would live up to the masterpiece superhero film. While not as flawless as its predecessor, The Dark Knight Rises still stands as a powerful and deeply memorable finale to Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The film is still considered a classic thanks to featuring a great villain performance from Tom Hardy and a powerful sendoff to Nolan’s universe and iteration of the characters.
The film features a lot of the inherent strengths that persist throughout all of Nolan’s films, yet the sprawling world of Gotham continues to perfectly fit Nolan’s style and approach to storytelling. Individual setpieces like the powerful cold-open and introduction to Bane, as well as Bruce Wayne’s torturous climb out of the underground prison, are among the most iconic moments in the entire trilogy. While the film will always be considered a classic because of its inherent association with The Dark Knight, its individual qualities help it stand on its own as an impactful blockbuster classic.
5
‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’
While The Perks of Being a Wallflower looks to be little more than the traditional coming of age, fish-out-of-water story of an introvert coming out of his shell, it’s primary twist and genuine emotional core have made it a defining teen movie classic. The deeply resonating cast and grounded, realistic characters help the film stand the test of time much more than other cliche-driven coming-of-age films, with The Perks of Being a Wallflower being deeply mature with its approach to storytelling.
Many audiences found themselves resonating with the story of Logan Lerman‘s Charlie, not just because of his journey of opening up and growing out of being a wallflower, but how his story is one of dealing with grief and deep-rooted trauma. Especially for a PG-13 film, The Perks of Being a Wallflower wasn’t afraid to delve into some deeply mature material, weaving together a story of the importance and power of friendship as a tool of recovery.
4
‘The Hunger Games’
Following in the footsteps of other massive YA blockbuster franchises like Harry Potter and Twilight, The Hunger Games would soon become a worldwide global phenomenon that would repopularize the concept of death games in movies and tv. The film would act as the starting point for one of the most successful franchises of the 21st century, ushering in a new wave of YA adaptations attempting to find similar levels of gargantuan success.
There is something simultaneously sickening yet engaging about the concept of a dystopian society sending off children to compete in a battle to the death that makes for such a compelling dramatic watch. The premise itself is already doing a lot of heavy lifting, but the central performance from Jennifer Lawrence is what seals the deal on The Hunger Games being a certified blockbuster classic. Lawrence would soon become a household name and one of the most acclaimed actresses in modern Hollywood, starting with her breakout role in this film.
3
‘The Avengers’
Long before the MCU became the face of modern blockbusters with the likes of Avengers: Endgame and Deadpool & Wolverine, the first Avengers film was a generational, never-before-seen crossover of monumental proportions. The very idea that a group of impactful blockbuster films could all come together to tell a singular cohesive story seemed impossible to pull off, yet The Avengers fulfilled every high expectation and more. Simultaneously acting as a finale for the first phase of the MCU as well as the true starting point for a wide array of crossover shenanigans, the film’s classic status has been solidified since release.
Even outside its connection to the MCU as a whole, the film itself did a brilliant job of being a compelling and interesting blockbuster even to those who hadn’t seen any of the previous MCU films. By bringing together all of these memorable characters, the film establishes one of the most effective supporting casts in blockbuster history, made better by the signature quippy writing style of Joss Whedon that would define the MCU as a whole. Its memorability status is certainly also helped by its breaking of numerous box office records and still being one of the highest grossing movies of all time.
2
‘Skyfall’
Daniel Craig had already proven himself to be an effective modern James Bond in Casino Royale, yet Skyfall proved to improve upon and perfect the formula of Craig’s modern Bond to the point of being his defining entry as the character. Everything that people loved about the hardened, modern take of Craig’s Bond is at its absolute best in Skyfall, elevated by Sam Mendes’ impactful action directing and featuring one of the best Bond villains of all time.
Skyfall goes beyond simply being the best Bond film of the Craig era, but acting as the true culmination of what a modern era Bond film could be, building upon decades worth of Bond adaptations and espionage films to create the perfect modern spy film. Even with subsequent Bond films in the Craig era not being of low-quality, they simply failed to live up to the masterful filmmaking and depth that Skyfall had raised the bar of the franchise to. Many still consider it one of the best Bond films ever made, and its influence on the franchise will surely still be felt for decades to come.
1
‘Django Unchained’
Quentin Tarantino has such an electrifying, entertaining sense of filmmaking craft and prowess that nearly every film that he creates can be considered a classic in some way. Django Unchained proves to be no exception to the rule, yet even among Tarantino’s illustrious filmography, it proves to be one of his most dynamic and memorable cinematic outings to date. It features all the classic Tarantino hallmarks, such as memorable characters, overwhelming violence and gore, and snappy dialogue that keeps the audience engaged from start to finish.
It makes for one of the most cathartic and engrossing films that Tarantino has ever made, with the setting of the Slavery-fueled South acting as the perfect backdrop for a classic Tarantino story of violence and bloodshed. Even over a decade removed from its release, Django Unchained has maintained a legacy as one of Tarantino’s most beloved films and has become a definitive classic of the few 21st century Westerns. The film would even end up winning two Academy Awards to help cement its classic status, winning for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Christoph Waltz.
Django Unchained
- Release Date
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December 25, 2012
- Runtime
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165 Minutes
