20 Great Movie Moments From 2012

The Hilariously Inept Car Chase

from 21 Jump Street

One of 2012’s best comedies, 21 Jump Street has many memorable moments to choose from, but the defining scene, to my mind, is the second-act car chase. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum – the former dressed in his Peter Pan costume – move from car to car as they make greater and greater mistakes while tracking a drug crew, and though the scene is sidesplittingly hilarious, it is also surprisingly thrilling. Those thrills, of course, come back to feed the comedy, as our expectation for a big explosion is continually denied – until, of course, chickens become involved.

Ralph Finally Feels Pride

from Wreck-It Ralph

Happy endings are a dime a dozen among Disney flicks, but few feel as completely, utterly earned as the poignant conclusion to Wreck-It Ralph, wherein the main character finally feels pride in his own existence. Not just because he has made new friends, and been accepted by the other characters in his game, but because he made a difference in the life of a lonely little girl, and can see evidence of her happiness every time he acts out his normal game routine. If you have seen the movie, you know the moment I speak of; it’s the part where you start tearing up uncontrollably.

The Bin Laden Compound Raid

from Zero Dark Thirty

In a year filled with big-budget, special effects laden blockbusters, Kathryn Bigelow and company delivered the single best action set piece of 2012 in their depiction of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. Like the rest of Zero Dark Thirty, the scene is built entirely around procedure, dramatizing every method, movement, and precaution Seal Team Six took in taking down the world’s most wanted man. It is an inconceivably riveting sequence – especially considering we all know the outcome – one overflowing with tension, detail, and, ultimately, a melancholy sense of satisfaction.

What were your favorite movie moments of 2012? Would any of these belong on your lists? Which moments do you wish I had included? Sound off in the comments!