Best Movie Moments

by Helen Earnshaw | 27 December 2013

Captain Phillips

We have seen some fantastic movies in 2013 that have been packed with emotional and memorable moments. There are some scenes that stun us, make us cry or laugh out loud, and those are the moments that stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

Here at FemaleFirst we take a look at the movie moments that have done all of those things over the course of the last twelve months. POSSIBLE SPOILERS.

- Final Scene In Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is one of the best movies of the year, made even more powerful and emotional by the fact that it is based on a harrowing true story.

The film sees Tom Hanks take on the title role in what is one of the greatest performances of his career to date. And it is from Hanks that we get our first most memorable movie moment of the year.

The scene comes at the end of the movie when Phillips thinks about what has happened to him and what he has come through. The outpouring of emotion from Hanks is truly powerful stuff.

- Smaug - The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

There has been on character that I have been looking forward to seeing all year… and that is Smaug. We have only caught glimpses of him so far in The Hobbit series, but now we were going to see the dragon in all of his glory.

Jackson and the team at Weta certainly did not disappoint, as Smaug is another CGI triumph - also brought to life by the voice and the motion capture performance of Benedict Cumberbatch.

Smaug is a fearsome character that dominates every scene that he is in and is the heart and soul of the second Hobbit film.

- Ryan Stone Talks To A Stranger On Radio In Gravity

Gravity is another of the best films of the year and is the best science fiction film that we have been treated to. Alfonso Cuaron is in the director’s chair and he as delivered a truly beautiful space movie.

While imagery is truly fantastic, Gravity in an intimate and personal story, and we see that mainly with the character of Dr Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock). The best scene comes when she makes contact on the radio with a stranger.

Who knew a conversation could be so powerful. Neither of them can understand what the other is saying, and yet it is totally moving. Stone is alone in space and yet this stranger gives her comfort in what she believes are the final moments of her life.

- Channing Tatum Cameo In This Is The End

This Is The End was one of the summer comedies not to miss as it brought together a fantastic cast. James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Seth Rogen and Emma Watson were all on board as they sent themselves up in hilarious fashion.

While there are laughs and ridiculous scenes throughout, one of the best moments comes in the form of the cameo from Channing Tatum at the end. As the world is being destroyed, poor Tatum has become the ‘pet’ of Danny McBride.

- Hanging Tree in The Conjuring

Sadly, there haven’t been too many great horror movies this year; I would go as far as to say that this genre has been quite disappointing… except for the fantastic The Conjuring.

Directed by James Wan, this was an old-fashioned horror that uses chills and atmosphere to build the scares. One of the best moments come with Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga (playing real life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren) when she has a vision by a tree outside a haunted house.

The quick introduction of a hanging figure is not only shocking but it starts to really ramp up the tension and the atmosphere.

- Mountain Of People In World War Z

World War Z was one of the surprise films of the summer as it surpassed all of my expectations; I tend not to like the zombie film and yet this one really is a lot of fun.

Brad Pitt lead an all star cast and it was great to see him take on a role in a movie like this as he teams up with director Marc Forster for the first time.

One of the best moments in the film came as Brad Pitt’s character Jerry visits Jerusalem. The city is walled - inside people go about their daily lives, outside the zombie clamber to get in. As the noise inside the city grows the zombie make a desperate to get over the wall and they make a people mountain.

- Any Moment With Loki in Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World is one of the movies that I had been looking forward to all year, as I am a huge Marvel fan. The film was bigger, darker and more daring than the one before… not to mention a lot of fun.

However, there is one character that stood out above the rest, and that was Loki. Loki is the role that has made Tom Huddleston a star and one of the most popular characters in the Marvel universe.

He stole every scene that he has was in and provided all of the film’s comedy. From his spacecraft arguing with Thor, his witty one-liners and interesting end, he really was the star of this film and every scene that he was in was a total gem.

- Jaegers vs. Kaijus in Pacific Rim

Another fantastic looking movie of the summer came in the form of Pacific Rim, a movie that saw Guillermo Del Toro. The film followed the human race’s fight against an alien invasion.

The Kaijus are looking to take over the earth, but in a last defence, the Jaegers were created and built in a bid to fight back. The Jaegers were powered by human pilots and did battle with the Kaijus on land, in the sea and in the air.

And it is these battles that are the highlights of the film as they are action packed and they look totally fantastic - the special effects throughout these battles really are top draw.