Best Film of the Summer:
The Dark Knight RisesÂ
This was by far the toughest category to call. Even if there were not a great number of standout films this summer, the ones I loved I really loved, and I could just as easily have given this award to The Avengers, Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World, or several other films listed below.
But at the end of the day, Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight saga simply means more to me than those films. This is a series that helped define the best of cinema’s modern era, and as such, I was more invested in seeing how Nolan would conclude his story than anything else this summer.
To say The Dark Knight Rises did not disappoint would be an understatement. It is a fantastic film. An epic film. An awe-inspiring cinematic achievement, with tremendous performances and an endlessly compelling story that tied together everything Nolan wanted to say with his take on Batman. Occasional nitpick aside, I could not be happier with the finished product. It is an emotional powerhouse, especially in the last half-hour, and that sense of utter satisfaction makes me respect Nolan’s entire series even more.
After all, any movie that compels me to write a 10,000 word analysis in one weekend must be doing something right. The Dark Knight Rises is simply superior, and it is my pick for the best film of the summer.
Check out the epic trailer for the film below:
Runners-Up: As I said before, The Avengers is also deserving of this title. It’s unlike any comic-book film ever made, and if you agree with my opinion that Nolan’s Batman films do not count as superhero flicks, it’s easily the best superhero movie ever made. Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World was an unexpected and entirely successful human-scale drama that will definitely have a place on my year-end top ten.
Wes Anderson topped himself once again with Moonrise Kingdom, his most mature and complete work to date; Hope Springs provided a down-to-earth, intensely honest look at adult relationships; The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted the venerable comic-book franchise in spectacular fashion; And Safety Not Guaranteed was an absolute comedic pleasure, using an insanely clever premise to combine organic laughs with touching pathos.
Though this was not a summer for the record books, the movies that stuck did so in extremely memorable ways, and several of the year’s strongest gems arrived in these last few months. It has been a joy covering this latest summer season, and I look forward to exploring what Fall and Winter have in store.
What were your favorite performances, moments, and movies from summer 2012? Take to the comments and give us your thoughts!
