Rounding out our genre top 5 lists for 2012 In Review, we tackled one of the most fruitful categories of the year: action films. Join us in the celebration of gut-punching and gun-toting with our collaborative list of the top 5 action movies we watched in 2012.
Honorable Mention: Battleship
I’m glad this one got an honorable mention. A lot of people, myself included, approached this film with a lot of apprehension and to be honest, the idea of basing a movie on a board game is a little silly. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the film was better than average for action film fare. The scenes are well shot, the plot makes sense, and the acting (yes, including Rihanna) was overall pretty solid. -Will
Honorable Mention: Jack Reacher
Based off the popular book series, Jack Reacher is a action/crime/thriller centering around an ex-military cop/ current badass as he helps a defense attorney investigate a fishy multiple homicide. I gushed about Jack Reacher in my review, praising it for all the thrills and one liners. There is still that small part of me that wants to see it in theaters again and an even bigger part of me that can’t wait to share this at home with friends. -Lindsay
#5. The Dark Knight Rises
Possibly the most anticipated movie of this year, there was enormous hype to this movie. And if we’re super honest it may not have lived exactly up to that hype. However, just because it got caught up in the expectations doesn’t mean that it wasn’t one of the best action films this year. You have Batman facing off against his biggest physical threat yet, turning this film into a personal triumph story by its end. Add in a fierce Catwoman in black latex with some wicked combat skills and you’ve got the intense topper to one of this generation’s biggest trilogies. -Jess
#4. Haywire
Steven Soderbergh directs this sleek but brutal action thriller starring former mixed martial artist Gina Carano. The movie is sexy and has style to boot but is most importantly, action packed. The vicious fight scenes are well choreographed and flinch inducing. The savage brawls find their way through an amazing cast including Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas, and Michael Douglas. -Lindsay
#3. Skyfall
Skyfall is a great film that has the ability to appeal to both new and longtime Bond fans. This Bond film again stars Daniel Craig, which means that the action is amped up compared to older films in the series. But, the film harkens back to those older films and brings back some familiar characters fans should enjoy seeing again. The movie is beautifully shot and the performances are great. -Rob
#2. The Raid: Redemption
The Raid: Redemption is the definition of action: gun fights, hand-to-hand combat, knives, and plenty of broken bones left in its wake. Mix in its solid storyline and you have a film you can watch over and over again without getting bored. Ever. It’s a must see and must own. -Nick
#1. The Avengers
When it comes to comic-based movies, rarely will you find one that captures a new audience while getting the stamp of approval from source-material diehards. Marvel’s The Avengers does just that–you would be hard pressed to find anyone who didn’t enjoy this movie this year and that’s why its FTS’s top pick for Action movies in 2012. One of the things that really worked for The Avengers was its unique setup. What usually gets in the way of Superhero movies like The Avengers is properly introducing all the heroes, introduce the villain, set of the conflict, and finally the big fight all within one feature length film. Marvel skips all of that by giving each hero their own movie full of all the necessary character development and saves all the big fun for The Avengers. Let’s see if DC Comics follows Marvel’s lead. -Marc
*Notable Exceptions None of Us Have Seen Yet: The Expendables 2, The Man with the Iron Fists