Best of 2012: Year in Movies

Superheroes reigned this summer at the box office but this year’s best list includes heroes of other kinds, from an American president to U.S. soldiers.

Moviefone.com compiled this list of the top box office films this year. Many of the movies here will likely be showing up on Academy Award lists.

Earlier: Like James Bond movies? Check out what critic Cecilia Cygnar has to say about how Daniel Craig compares to previous incarnations

Here is the complete list with a brief description from Moviefone.com critics:

1. Zero Dark Thirty

It's a story most Americans are now very familiar with: the decade long manhunt for Osama bin Laden, starting in the days after 9/11 and stretching to the night of bin Laden’s death.

2.  Argo

The true story of a group of Americans who attempt to escape Iran during the Hostage Crisis. The movie is both nail-biting and feel-good, as 1970s political issues still bear a strong resonance in today’s volatile landscape.

3.  Les Miserables

This film truly is an embarrassment of riches: brilliant in a long line of “Les Miserables” adaptations, this could end up being the definitive version, Moviefone.com critics said.

4.  Lincoln

A match made in biopic heaven: Steven Spielberg and Daniel Day-Lewis take on the story of The Great Emancipator in "Lincoln."

5.  Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino’s first "western"-themed movie, about a German bounty hunter freeing a southern slave, is at once a commentary on how barbaric the idea of slavery is/was and also a dark comedy about the horrors of the slave trade.

6.  Silver Linings Playbook

The film is a dark comedy with bits of romance thrown in. Two mentally ill people find one another, and work to deal with their shortcomings as well as their obvious budding romance through dance.

7.  The Avengers

The ultimate superhero movie featuring Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk. "The Avengers" isn't just the culmination of a lofty Hollywood game plan, but every kid’s playground fantasy, according to Moviefone.com.

8.  The Master

All of the pre-release coverage for "The Master" focused on the film's thinly veiled profile of L. Ron Hubbard and the establishment of Scientology, but that's not really what the movie's about. Mainly, it's the story of a broken man (Joaquin Phoenix) who has been abandoned by society and is susceptible to manipulation.

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