Call it a curse, perhaps even laziness on the part of Hollywood creatives, but second sequels have an unfortunate tendency to disappoint. With Iron Man 3 finally in the books, audience opinions remain divided ranging anywhere from the best film of the trilogy to an atrocious bait-and-switch.
For the fanboys out there treating Iron Man 3 like it's one of the worst botches ever, it's nowhere among the worst. In fact, Iron Man 3 ranks on the better side of impressive third chapters in a series.
While Iron Man 3 comes up short in making this list, there are still sequels out there with enough fuel in the tank to keep the cinematic momentum going. There are only a handful that can boast this claim and even fewer that can be called the crowning achievement in a series.
The five films below certainly stand out from the countless missed opportunities found in second sequels.
For any film critic, myself included, compiling together a "best-of" list spanning an entire year is unquestionably one of the most difficult tasks out there. How can you craft a definitive list if you haven't seen every single release out there (or at the very minimum, every wide release)? And how do you weigh a popcorn superhero juggernaut like The Avengers against a slew of thought-provoking art-house films?
I admit, I've missed out on some key awards contenders - Lincoln, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty for starters. So don't expect them to make the list. I do however, plan on seeing several more films from 2012, including the ones mentioned, so there is a possibility this list could be adjusted.
However, for the hundred or so movies I have been privileged to see in 2012, it's fair to say that the fifteen films selected for my "best-of" list left an impression on me that won't leave me anytime soon. These are the films that defined 2012 for me as a critic, a moviegoer and a cinemaphile.
