#10- THE CREDITS MONTAGE (The Inbetweeners Movie)- A nice surprise, this one: clearly taking cues from The Hangover, the writers of the final instalment of The Inbetweeners elected to include a credits scene where the guys arrived back at the airport and introduced their new girlfriends to their parents. Set to the backing of Sean Kingston's Party All Night (Sleep All Day), this scene was so deliciously crammed with in-jokes and so neatly dovetailed the series that it was impossible to omit it from the list.#9- THE RIVER SONG REVEAL (Doctor Who: A Good Man Goes To War)- I think most Doctor Who fans had guessed who River Song was by the time mid-series finale A Good Man Goes To War aired. However, it was the scene between Matt Smith and Alex Kingston where River criticised the Doctor for succumbing to his darkest hour and his famous legacy of fear, only to then redeem him with their near-silent revealing of who she was to him and to the Ponds. Murray Gold perfectly orchestrates his soundtrack in this ambiguous yet utterly effective scene which proved so instrumental (sorry) to the second half of this year's run.
#8- THE COURTYARD BATTLE (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)- Having just rewatched Part 2, I can still confirm that I preferred Part 1 and would still rank Super 8, The King's Speech and Rise of the Planet of the Apes over it, but what a film. The scene where Harry, Ron and Hermione step out into the Hogwarts courtyard to find a raging battle of students, teachers and Death Eaters destroying it is masterfully directed by David Yates, a visual showcase of just how far this British franchise has come in the space of ten years.
#7- JONATHAN AND MARTHA CONVINCE CLARK (Smallville: Finale Part 1)- When Clark Kent feels like all hope is lost as his wedding is gatecrashed by Apokolyps, it takes his mother and the spirit of his father to guide him towards the light in his barn. Annette O'Toole, John Schneider and Tom Welling are sublime in what for me stands as the best scene of the Finale two-parter to this day.
#6- THE TRAIN CRASH (Super 8)- A peculiar choice of mine, this: rarely would I base one of my Top 2011 scenes on its special effects, but Steven Spielberg and co truly outdo themselves with this beautiful, awe-inspiring wreckage of the train freighter from Area 51, perhaps the most realistic depiction of a science-fiction event in the history of the genre.
#5- THE JOKER DIES (Batman: Arkham City)- Easily the most memorable dark moment of the dozens on offer in Arkham City, the Joker's death at the hands of the Dark Knight himself, who then shares his 'final joke' with his timeless adversary is a stunning and breathtaking final twist that should send Rocksteady's version of the DC Universe to big places when they inevitably return for one helluva sequel!
#4- FLY ME TO THE MOON (Portal 2)- Anyone who's played right the way through Portal 2 will undoubtedly remember as I do the thrill of seeing the moon, a shining white surface ready for us to plant a portal on and thus to send Stephen Merchant's hilarious friend-turned-foe Wheatley hurtling into space. Only Valve could pull such a daring move, and then have the audacity to leave us in stitches as the disfunctional AIs also sent into space repeatedly interrupt Wheatley's final speech with random comments about their situation, and it's moments like this which secured the game's place as the second best of the entire year.
#3- THE DOCTOR BEATS THE SILENCE (Doctor Who: Day of the Moon)- How could our favourite Time Lord possibly best the sinister Silence, who had captured Amy and looked set to rule the human race forever? Why, only by using the clip of them commanding humans to kill them on sight against them! This scene was masterfully crafted, merging the American roots of this stunning opening two-parter with the intriguing set-up for this series' hugely ambitious story arc.
#2- I HAVE A VOICE (The King's Speech)- This touching conversation between Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush that forces Bertie to confront his fears of becoming King, climaxing with this momentous line delivered perfectly by Firth, and Rush's brief yet infinitely deep reply "Yes you do." seals the deal on this as one of 2011's best moments.
#1- SNAPE (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)- Above all, the revelation of Severus Snape's secret through a beautiful montage presented in the Pensieve was a perfect conclusion to the character's story arc, brought across amazingly by Alan Rickman and Michael Gambon to pack the most emotional punch any scene in a film or television has attempted this year. Incredible stuff!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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