The Best Films of 2014

Well I've got to admit, I started this year not thinking that this would be the biggest year of films because of what the future holds from 2015 onwards. Despite that, this year has been a great year for films and its also been one of the best summers in recent memory. The world's biggest toy company got their very first theatrical film, a shocking revelation about S.H.I.E.L.D. was revealed, Michael Bay returned to destroy our childhood memories once more (twice) and of all the Marvel films that came out this year, only one of them was based on a superhero team that had yet to make their first on screen apperance and it was good to see that Disney and Marvel want to make some of Marvel's lesser known characters, well known like their more mainstream ones. So like with last year, this is just a list of films that I personally thought were good and are worth watching despite the possibly negative feelings that I may or may not have towards the films and I will also use this post to do any more reviews of films that came out this year that I have seen, but have yet to review. So let's get to it in no particular order as such:



RoboCop

Now I first saw this film earlier this year and was able to watch the original film just beforehand and comparing the two like I did in my review of them, it was a tough choice I'll have to admit. This film is good in the sense that it updates the original with CGI elements and using more modern technology or rather makes things look modern and the all star cast is good as well, but the thing that let's this film down, is that it just plays it too safe. The original film was full of violence, humour and drama all the way and a lot of it was actually fun to watch. This film is good, but there is nothing really that makes it better than the original one and if I were to make it, I would have it stay true to the source material and have it have everything that the original had and more. Despite all that, it is a good film and worth watching if you like robots and all that stuff.

The LEGO Movie

One of the best animated films of the year, The LEGO Movie is one film that not only is a technical masterpiece, but its also a lot of fun, full of heart and tells you that everything is awesome (well not everything, but most things). It brings back many childhood memories and you might not know it, but this film has Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman all in the same film, meaning that this film is the first to have a Justice League and none of us even knew it. It sums up LEGO in a nutshell and just tells us that LEGO are not done yet with imagination. Great film that everyone will love and I hope we get more films like this in future.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Another good animated film comes in the form of yet another classic and old cartoon turned into a film (but unlike Smurfs, Transformers and Chipmunks, its actually good). It has time travel and what consequences it may bring and its just a funny film to watch. Its not anywhere near what the LEGO Movie was like, but its still pretty good that shows us that even dogs can be good parents as well as us humans. But I will say, the whole time travel and its consequences idea has been used many times before, but its still worth a watch and you may find some enjoyment out of it.

300: Rise of an Empire

The sequel...I mean prequel...I mean sidequel. Ah, whatever, the second instalment in 300 which feels more like an experience than a film. I mean yeah it does have a story and all that, but really we just want our blood thirsty violence and that's really what we get. When I saw this, I could only see it in 3D and for what it is, it does fit 3D pretty well. Its visually impressive like its predecessor, does well to fill up the gaps that the predecessor left as well as answering any questions that we may have and we get our moneys worth too. Its not as good as its predessor, but is a great film nevertheless.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

There is a lot of problems with this film, I will admit that like wasting the talents of Paul Giamatti and Chris Cooper, too much dubstep, overcrowded with villains giving time for Electro and Green Goblin but not enough for Rhino and just doing everything that made Spider-Man 3 good but not great. Though that aside, I will say that this does well to be better than the first one with more action packed moments and moments that couldn't have been done with the original films like the use of Spider-Sense and whatever else. I think because of the amount of things going on, this is a film worth seeing in 3D or even better, Ultra HD/4K and for what it is, it is a good film, but just has so many problems with it that not everyone will like it.

Godzilla

In my opinion, the best summer blockbuster of this year. Unlike the Sony Pictures film, this film is able to give us the true Godzilla and not some big dinosaur that claims to be Godzilla, but lacks the God part. Anyway, so we have giant monsters and some good acting which you don't often see in films like this. I mean you have Bryan Cranston and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in it, whats not to like. Great film with some great visuals and quite possibly the best monster film out there that does everything right and makes us leave on a high.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

We all know that Last Stand and Origins: Wolverine were terrible in a way and many fans wanted to forget that those films happened. Luckily, Fox decided that they were not going to take it any more and opted for a film that would erase those events and with Bryan Singer back on the directing chair, we got this film. A film that shows us a dystopian future where both mutants and humans are being hunted down by robots who call themselves Sentinels and to prevent this from happening, a mutant must be sent back in time to stop a mutant from causing this thing to happen and I think we can all guess which mutant that would be. If this were the ending to the X-Men films, I would happily call it the definitive ending to at least the original X-Men films. The First Class universe still needs expanding but aside from that, this is how you end a series of great films. Everyone acts well, the desperation is at an all time high and I think its fair to say that this actually could very well be among the greatest superhero films of all time. Its that good.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

So as well as The LEGO Movie, another great animated film that deserves to be a technical marvel with regards to the animation, the realism and the drama that ensures, is this film. It manages to do what any sequel should do which is to surpass its predecessor and this film does that very well. Its action packed with everything put to an almost epic and big scale, has an even balance of humour, fun and drama and is another great film that makes the 3D side of things, totally worth it. If you love dragons, Vikings and fantasy, then you will love this film a lot. You can trust me on that.

Muppets Most Wanted

While not the best Muppet film out there (and let's face it, how are they going to top The Muppets), there is plenty to like in this film. Its got all the known stuff that you'd expect to see in a Muppet film including jokes, pranks, cameos, shattering the 4th wall and a whole pile of original songs too. In my eyes, I kind of see this film as being quite similar to the Great Muppet Caper which makes me wonder, is this film kind of rebooting the old Muppet films? Well anyway, there is a lot to like here, but if you were wanting to see the next big Muppet film, this isn't it I'm afraid. But its still fun though.

Maleficent

So beginning the trend of Disney films based on their own animated films, we get an alternate look at Sleeping Beauty where everything is told from the perspective of the titular character and is kind of different to the original animated film (well at least towards the end that is). I never really thought Angelina Jolie could play a villain so darn well and yet she does a great job of it. Much like with Amazing Spider-Man 2, there are problems with this film like the 3 fairies being nothing like the original and more wiser animated ones, a lot of hate, a bit too much overacting from the main villain (and no its not the titular character herself) and it just leaves people confused and split on opinions. Personally, I like it for trying to give us an alternate path to the original animated film and I also like how Disney are now doing things to please us older fans with all these dark toned films. Not the best film I've seen, but if you want to see one of the greatest villains of all time being a hero for a change, this is the film to give you just that. 7/10

22 Jump Street

There are some people I know that say this film and its predessor aren't that good, but for what it is, I think its great. I mean first of, this film was made by the same people who made Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and The LEGO Movie which even though are both animated, they are both very well done. Now this film feels mostly like a break the fourth wall film in that the characters in it mention the possibility of sequels as well as say things like "its not in our budget". It is very funny and I'm sure you will get a lot of enjoyment out of it, especially if you like action films that have a bit of humour in them.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

It is very long with both its name and its running time, but when you have a story about the survival of 2 species (this case being Apes and Humans), it has to be long to allow drama, suspicions, arguments, bonding and of course a war as well as time for those to arm themselves and deal with casualties. All of that means that this film has a lot going on with both species trying to do all they can to survive, but have to cross the other species path to do so which can bring in tensions between both species as well as some bonding too. It is a very serious and long film and it just follows the same format of many post apocalyptic films, but despite that, it is great with its camera angles and has some very good acting all around too. Can't wait for the third one.

Captain America: The Winter Solider

With Iron Man and Thor having told what happened to them following the events of Avengers Assemble (though both films were good, but not great), Captain America now tells what he did after the Avengers and basically, its just catching up with things he couldn't watch or do while he was frozen. That being said, I liked that he was doing work for S.H.I.E.L.D. following the Avengers until a conspiracy happened regarding Hydra which as a result, would greatly affect what happens on Earth in the MCU. It has lots of character development, great choreography with the fighting scenes (especially in that one elevator scene) and I do sense there being some chemistry with Black Widow and Captain America. It does make me wonder if they love each other or not, but that can be dismissed with Black Widow always trying to find someone for Captain America. Anyway, its a great film that has a balance of drama, fights, some slight romance and humour and pretty much sets the events of future MCU films, making it just as important to watch than Avengers.

Guardians of the Galaxy

So to fill up the gap until Age of Ultron, Marvel decided to brush off the dust on some of their characters that have yet to be in a film and among them, is this very one. I think Marvel did make a huge risk in making this film and having watched it, its easily became on of my favourite Marvel films and was pretty much a huge success. So in a way, Marvel made something out of their lesser known characters and made them popular. While Warner Bros. and DC were saying that the world isn't ready for a live action and feature length Wonder Woman film, Marvel and Disney on the other hand, gave us a talking raccoon. This film is great as its one of the rare summer blockbusters that is feel good, fun, over the top and has an all star cast of characters that you can easily recognize from other films and TV shows and made the walk-man popular again with how its used in the film. Not only that, but the film's soundtrack also became the soundtrack of the year as its mostly songs from the 70s and 80s which I like. It may just be another filler film in the MCU, but its a good one that plays out much better than Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World (though those films are good too, but not as good as this one.

The Inbetweeners 2

Just when you thought the show was done with the film, here is its sequel which in my opinion, isn't as good as the first one, but I did find some enjoyment out of it nevertheless. So the four lads have been to Malia in Crete and following the events of the last film, 3 of them have split up with their girlfriends while one is having trouble with their one. As such, Will and Simon have gone to university, but have felt depressed and choose to withdraw themselves while Neil has been working in a Bank and Jay is taking a gap year in Australia who after sending them an email about how his life is there, the trio decide to go there themselves to see him and cause mayhem and mischief in Oz. Reason why I wouldn't say this is as good as the first one is because the directors are the series creators who don't have much experience in making films than they do in TV. That aside, I thought it was good. It had everything that the show is known for like the adult humour, fart jokes, awkwardness around certain people in certain situations and a whole pile of other stuff too. May not be as good as the first one, but still quite funny anyway.

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Much like with 300: Rise of an Empire, this is another follow up film to a very good film (which says something considering how people view Frank Miller these days) which isn't as good, but much rather sees itself as an experience than anything else. It manages to pack everything that the first film had with the great visuals, writing and acting, but just lacks the brutal impact that the first film had. And of all things, it was a box office bomb. The sumerize the film, its basically what you would expect to see in any typical film about the criminal lifestyle of characters living in the city which is pretty much what the first film did as well, expect this time, in addition to characters from the last film, there are a few new ones here, which makes them have more screen time than the other characters, but that's ok. I only got to see this film in 3D which really was the only format that cinemas were using for this film at the time of its cinema run and honestly, I think the 3D works. Parts of it are flat, but generally, its the best way to see this film for what it is, even if its just like how 300: Rise of an Empire played out.

The Expendables 3

I have to be honest here. This film does everything that the other films did right, but much like with everyone else, it just didn't work. It is still a great homage to all the action heroes of the early days of the genre as a whole as well as introducing us to a new generation of action heroes that will carry on the legacy that the genre made, but when you have an all star cast like this, you'd expect it to be more fun and well it isn't. It pretty much following the same scenario as the other films with the mercenaries given a job by some rich dude (who is basically Harrison Ford being Bruce Willis's character but making it so that they are completely different characters) to take down some guy and the forces that he brings to the table which ends with them in an epic, action packed and over the top shoot down as it were. That scenario, I'm ok with. It may have been done in the past, but as long as the film pulls it off in a way that makes it fresh and not overused, that's fine. It just that, the film makers could've made it better and more fun than what we got. I mean you have Stallone, Schwarzenegger, Snipes, Gibson and Ford all in one film among many other big action stars and yet, you just have to make the film play out in a way that doesn't make it any fun, nor good. Still I found some enjoyment out of it, but if there is going to be another film, they need to do better than this, especially if the series intends to get as many action stars in it as possible.

Horns

So towards the end of October, I had a bit of a break from reviewing the films that I normally review to look at something that is more along the lines of being less of a blockbuster and more of an arthouse film. I know there is a name for this sort of film, but I just can't put my finger on it. Anyway, so this film kind of makes me feel like all of us have very deep and dark thoughts that we never really are able to pull off in reality, but still think about it anyway and we just need the push to do them. With all that said, this film touches on things that are considered good and evil with some strong religious views thrown into it. The story itself is quiet easy to follow, it just trying to get everything else going through your head as its one film that can be quite hard to sit through, especially if you yourself, have religion by your side. But that alone can make this a good film. It is great that Daniel Radcliffe is doing well for himself after Harry Potter and I like how he and the other British actors are able to pull off great American accents which for some people, is never easy to do. Its a good film, but just be warned that when you watch, you may not feel quite the same afterwards.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Its common these days when you have a series of books and the film makers decide to split the last book into 2 or 3 films and Hunger Games: Mockingjay continues that trend. As its also common in the first part of a 2 or 3 part film, all the action, killing and closure comes in the second and/or third part with the first part setting the tone of the later films. Personally as long as it works, then I'm happy. I think because the Hunger Games series has had a very mixed to positive reaction, the film makers made the last book into 2 parts just because of the massive fanbase that the series has (me being among them). Judging this film on its on, I think its good. It does lack action and other things that the other films had, but because of it being the first of a 2 part film, I will accept it for what it is. I actually kind of like films where a rebellion tries to take over because it just shows how many people in reality struggle when things are set into motion by the government and other things. They are very serious and very heavy on drama, but its still good nevertheless.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

The series as a whole, isn't as vastly superior as Lord of the Rings because of the lack of magic that those films had, as well as many people (myself included) saying that this could've been done in just one or two films if the first hour of An Unexpected Journey wasn't wasted on the Company spending all that time in Bilbo's house. But given all that's happened, it is great that we get to visit Middle-Earth again and if this does very well turn out to be the final film based on a story that's based in Middle-Earth, then I'm glad it was this one. It captures the stuff that made the finale of Lord of the Rings great with an epic battle for the Lonely Mountain as well as quite possibly having the best way for someone to say "S**t is about to go down!!". But obviously, you can't beat how Legolas takes down an elephant by himself. That is just too awesome. But that being said, it was a great and satisfying end to the otherwise ok trilogy that this film is a part of and anybody going into this film, it will be full of spoilers if you haven't seen the first and second film.

Night At the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

The last film I talk about this year is also the only one on this list that I've yet to review until now. But first, let me give you my thoughts on film 2 as I've only ever reviewed the first film thus far. I think its good. It is overcrowded, but that's to be expected when you go to one of the biggest museums in the world and I did enjoy it because it was full of action and comedy, great visuals and gives you more of our favourite characters from the last film. It may not be as good as the first one, but I still liked it nevertheless and it gets a 7/10. As for this film which serves as the last film of the series, it seems to have mostly forgotten what happened in the last film which I guess is OK, but still. Its also nice to see some old characters return and even though much like with the last film they go to another museum that comes to life (that is a little bit inconsistent here and there), its not as overcrowded as the last film. Its a fitting end to the series and I like that they dedicated the film to both Mickey Rooney and Robin Williams as this film serves as their last ever film before they passed away. 9/10

Now I know there are a few that I've missed here like the direct to DVD films as well as a few other blockbusters that came out this year. Regarding the latter, I intend to tackle some of those films within the new year. As for the direct to DVD films, well all I can say is all the ones I've seen this year are good and well worth a watch. Its been quite a good year for films with animation going to a great length of quality as well as the summer having been the best it can be in recent years. I look forward to what we have in 2015 and you should too.

Remembering those who have passed:

Philip Seymour Hoffman - A great actor who I have seen in films like Mission Impossible III and of course The Hunger Games films.

Mickey Rooney - Another great actor who was well known for his musical films and has mostly done family films like Night at the Museum and The Muppets.

Rik Mayall - One of the UK's best comedians who has done many sitcoms like Bottom (and its film) and Blackadder as well as a number of films too. Interesting fact: He was supposed to be in the first Harry Potter film as Peeves the poltergeist, but his scenes were cut (though the character does appear in the video games however, but not voiced by him unfortunately).

Robin Williams - One of the greatest actors and comedians that ever lived who has touched millions and has had a place in nearly everyone's hearts and childhoods. Well known for his roles in Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, Hook, Jumanji, the Night At The Museum films and many, many others. As well as a few television roles too.

Richard Attenborough - One of the biggest names in films, but mostly well known for his roles in Miracle on 34th Street and 2 of the 3 (and soon to be 4) Jurassic Park films among many others. Interesting fact: he was born in my home town of Cambridge, UK.