2012 was a fairly decent year in terms of action movies. Hollywood certainly had a good year, and audiences were feasting on plenty of fight scenes and explosions throughout the year. Now with 10 years between these films, it’s a good time to look at the best action movies that turned 10 in 2022 and reminisce on movies that have turned an entire decade.

Related: Movie Heroes Who Are Good But Not Nice

Reaching a decade in Hollywood and staying memorable is no easy task when one considers the abundance of movies that are released every month. However, these best action movies of 2012 have certainly done their fair share of violence to be remembered.

8 Taken 2

bryan mills on the phone

No one expected Taken to get a sequel, but the memorable action movie with Liam Neeson as the lead certainly delivered with Taken 2. The film doesn’t necessarily tread the same territory, other than the ties to the villain, and the fact that someone is indeed taken in Taken 2. The movie does a decent job of keeping audiences engaged.

Once again, audiences follow Bryan Mills, a former CIA agent, years after his daughter Kim was rescued by Bryan Mills after her kidnapping. In revenge, Mills and his ex-wife are taken hostage, and it’s up to Bryan Mills to let his training take over and to accept help from his daughter, Kim.

7 Jack Reacher

jack reacher with a gun

The popular character from a series of crime thriller novels appears with Tom Cruise as the lead in Jack Reacher. Many were not happy with the casting of Cruise, as, despite his roots and love for action, he was not considered a decent fit for what Jack Reacher is. The film is brimming with great fight scenes but lacks the physicality one would expect from the character and the film.

As a former Military Police officer, Jack Reacher gives himself the dangerous task of investigating the case of a former US Army sniper, James Barr, who has been accused of shooting and killing five people. Action and mystery follow this strange trail.

6 John Carter

john carter riding alien animals

Although John Carter was the failed attempt at a flagship sci-fi franchise, by no means is it a bad movie. Action is abundant in John Carter. Whether it’s with CGI aliens or otherwise. The film certainly has flaws, but nothing is big enough from stopping it from being an enjoyable watch.

The plot for John Carter involves the titular character involved in an incident where he is transported to Mars. From here, he learns of new superhuman capabilities, new allies, new threats, and a mission involving the safety and security of the princess of Mars.

5 Total Recall

Douglas Quaid in total recall

Sci-fi action excels in Total Recall, a film that is often underrated and left out of discussions for its familiarities as a remake. However, Total Recall offers a different take on the original, with a new cast, a set of effects, and a deeper sense of dystopia in its world. Some regard 2012’s Total Recall as weak, but it serves as a good bout for action.

Related: Iconic Movie Characters With Telekinetic Abilities

In Total Recall, Douglas Quaid grows frustrated and stressed with his continuous dreams, in which he takes the role of a secret agent. To help his thoughts, Douglas visits Rekall, a center in which customers can have memories implanted into their brains. After the procedure goes wrong, Douglas awakens with abilities and a mission he forgot that he had.

4 Skyfall

daniel craig as james bond

Despite being more of a spy film with a serious tone, this James Bond feature doesn’t shy away from incredible action. There are some great action set pieces in Skyfall, and it is just one of the many reasons that Skyfall is regarded so highly as a great action film, and one of the best James Bond films.

The film follows Daniel Craig’s other appearances as James Bond, a Secret Service agent who long since retired after being killed in action. When life is threatened in his home country, James Bond returns to active duty to discover the mysterious figure who holds a vendetta over M and puts the Secret Service of Britain at risk.

3 Dredd

karl urban as judge dredd

From the pages of 2000AD exists a world that belongs on the big screen. A gritty dystopia with brave enforcers attempting to bring some sense of order to a broken world. Dredd was an attempt at bringing those pages to life, and it does a great job, in part to the effects, slow-motion, and acting of the dedicated Karl Urban. Fans still clamor for a Dredd 2 years later.

The story of Dredd follows the pages of 2000AD, where characters are introduced to Judge Dredd, a cold-blooded police officer, and his rookie partner, Cassandra, a psychic. Dredd is a judge, jury, and executioner, and the film follows him as he investigates three murders in Peach Trees, a tower block run by the drug lord Ma-Ma.

2 The Avengers

the original 6 avengers

It’s impossible to deny the success of both the critical and commercial Marvel Studios. Their efforts to combine and tether a connected cinematic universe with the MCU paid off massively in 2012’s The Avengers, a film that brought together all actors of previous films, and set up a threat that would be paid off almost a decade later.

The plot for The Avengers is straight from a comic book and features famed characters like Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hawkeye, The Hulk, and Black Widow, as they form a team to stop Thor’s evil adopted brother Loki from taking over the world with a Chitahuri Army thanks to the powers of the Tesseract.

1 The Dark Knight Rises

christian bale as batman in the dark knight

The Dark Knight is often seen as the superhero movie to beat when it comes to comic book movies. The Dark Knight Rises attempted to conclude the gritty and real thriller that embraces its comic roots whilst being something entirely of its world. The action is tense and thrilling, giving way to a new kind of comic book movie.

After suffering a tragic loss of the woman he loved, Bruce Wayne retires as Batman. Broken in body and soul, it takes an imposing terrorist, Bane, and a jewel thief, Catwoman, to make Batman come back to Gotham City, and embrace his truth as the hero Gotham deserves, and the one it needs.

More: The Most Annoying Comic Book Movie Tropes