I think Tron: Legacy, Pacific Rim, and Alita: Battle Angel should all be great for any 12-year-old. High-concept (12-year-old me loved the "what if?" question),

I think Tron: Legacy, Pacific Rim, and Alita: Battle Angel should all be great for any 12-year-old. High-concept (12-year-old me loved the "what if?" question), lots of action, and not too adult. Great suggestions. I think some of the other ones like Oblivion, Contact, and Gattaca might be a bit too dry/subtle/pondering (depending on exactly how tedious he found 2001 to be).