We do this every time around this time of the year. The obligatory top of the year lists. So with 2013 coming to a close, we look forward to the new year. We’ve already showed you which movies were disappointing, but now it’s time to move on from that. In 2014 we will see sequels, prequels, movies based on toys we all grew up on, adaptations, international flicks, documentaries, a historical comedy drama, and so much more.
So while it may be easy just to name off the entire list of films that are coming out from IMDB, the MovieViral staff got together to talk about their most anticipated most of 2014. The five images you see in the header are just only a tease of what movies we have high expectations for, and our number one isn’t even in it. So hit the jump to see our top 20 most anticipated movies of 2014, and which movie made the top of our list.
20 – Jodorowsky’s Dune
Did you know that director Alejandro Jodorowsky, in the 70’s, tried to make a version of Dune that would’ve had a soundtrack by Pink Floyd, art design by H. R. Giger and a cast including David Carradine, Salvadore Dali, Orson Welles and Mick Jagger? Did you know that Star Wars may never have happened, if this film had been made and failed at the box office? These interesting tidbits and more can be found in this documentary on the director’s attempt to adapt and make a version of Dune that never went past preproduction. This documentary sounds fascinating. (CM)
19. – The Hobbit: There and Back Again
While I don’t expect a conclusion with the emotional resonance that Return of the King had, I’ve loved the heck out of my return journey to Middle Earth thus far. This probably really is the last installment in Peter Jackson‘s franchise, and I want to enjoy and appreciate every bit of it. (AG)
18 – The Fault in Our Stars
The movie adaptation of John Green’s best-selling novel is sure to be a huge hit. It has an immense legion of fans (myself included), Nerdfighters and readers alike. This cancer story which isn’t actually a story about cancer is among my favorite books, and so seeing it as a movie that’s had the approval of John Green himself will be exciting. (BCW)
17 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
This is my other big question mark of the year. I love the 1990s Ninja Turtles movies, but I’m always wary of remakes. Director Jonathan Liebesman doesn’t have much of a track record, but I am one of the few people that really liked Battle: Los Angeles. The cast only has a few notables in Megan Fox as April O’Neil and William Fichtner as Shredder. (DK)
16 – The Raid 2: Berandal
The sequel to the no holds bar action thriller will finally be arriving in theaters next year. Making its big screen debut at the Sundance Film Festival next year, Gareth Evans takes us back to the world of gangsters, drug lords, and corrupt policeman that run the streets of Jakarta, Indonesia. The Raid 2’s exciting first trailer introduced us to exciting possibilities now that the world has expanded beyond that one building. (ML)
15 – Hercules
This is one of my biggest question marks for the year. Millennium Film’s Hercules (starring Kellan Lutz) film doesn’t interest me at all, but Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson plays an older version of the half-god here. With Brett Ratner at the helm, this film could go south, but I’m intrigued either way. (DK)
Click here to continue reading out top 20 most anticipated films of 2014.
14 – The Monuments Men
George Clooney has proven to be a solid director, the story sounds fascinating, and I’ve gotten an Argo-type vibe from the trailers with the incorporation of some comedy into an otherwise dramatic setting. And with a cast (Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardian, Bob Balaban, and Cate Blanchett) like that, this could be the first surprise of the new year. (AG)
13 – Muppets Most Wanted
The Muppets are funny for kids and adults alike, and I think this one will deliver. We’ll see Tina Fey as a Russian agent, Ty Burrell as an INTERPOL officer who drives a tiny car, and Ricky Gervais as the token bad guy. Besides that, we also have Constantine, who looks exactly like Kermit the Frog, but with a mole on his lip. It’s time to play the music, dress up right, and get things started when the Muppets return next year. (BCW)
12 – Jupiter Ascending
The Wachowskis most recent attempt at sci-fi, Cloud Atlas, had mixed reactions with its multiple storylines and actors playing multiple characters. With their upcoming sci-fi opus Jupiter Ascending, you have a movie that displays the energy of their most well-known hit, The Matrix, while giving off the vibe and look of The Fifth Element. The trailer makes me want to know more about these characters and the worlds involved even though Channing Tatum has elf ears. (CM)
11 – 22 Jump Street
Already from the trailer it seemed like this’ll be a huge success. Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have a great chemistry together and made the first movie a hit. Now with a sequel that includes self-referential humor and more gratuitous violence towards Hill, it might just be better.
Click here to continue find out what our top 10 most anticipated movies of 2014 are.
10 – The Lego Movie
What once looked like just some large long running-format commrecial as evolved into one of my most anticipated movies of 2014. Consider this: Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys who directed Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street (and it’s sequel 22 Jump Street) are directing. Then there is the voice cast, which includes talent like Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks with Morgan Freeman as a wizard, Will Ferrell as the evil business man in lego form, Liam Neeson as a good cop/bad cop, Will Arnett as Batman, Jonah Hill as Green Lantern, Channing Tatum as Superman, Cobie Smulders as Wonder Woman. With a wonderful collection of characters voiced by a cast with a strong comedic background, what is not to love. (ML)
9 – The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Mockingjay was not my favorite book out of the trilogy. It was so dreary and depressing, I couldn’t even cry atthe end. Catching Fire director Francis Lawrence is returning to direct the last two films and he did an excellent job handling the themes of Catching Fire, so I’m confident in his abilities for Mockingjay. I’m just a bit disappointed that these last two won’t be shot in IMAX, as there are so many sequences that would lend themselves perfectly to the format. (CH)
8 – Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the biggest surprise for me in 2011. I loved the film, and I can’t wait to see where they go with it now. Andy Serkis (Caesar) is one of the best actors of this generation, but he goes mostly unnoticed since he does almost exclusively motion capture roles. (DK)
7 – Transcendence
I am a sucker for thought-provoking science fiction films (see Looper, Source Code). Wally Pfister is one of the best cinematographers in the business, and I expect a fairly seamless transition to his role as a first time director. The just-released teaser has me intrigued, and I hope this will be a welcomed warm-up of originality before the onslaught of summer franchise pictures hit. (AG)
6 – The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man is my favorite superhero and I was totally against the first film in this new franchise, it was just too soon to reboot. But that film turned out okay and then Marc Webb and everyone at Sony dropped the bomb that this film was kicking off a Spider-Man cinematic universe. This film looks crowded with three villains (and a rumored fourth in Shocker), but I’m willing to bet that all of them won’t be tied up in this installment. Get it, “tied up”? Because Spider-Man shoots webs? (CH)
Click here to find out what our top five most anticipated movies of 2014 are.
5 – Godzilla
Gareth Edwards already showed he could make “monsters” with his breakout hit of the same name and the early previews of his Americanized version of the popular Japanese Kaiju film looks very promising. Edwards has mentioned he wants to stay true to the origins of the character, so hopefully this remake will get it right and finally erase the memory of 1998 Roland Emmerich train wreck. (CM)
4 – Interstellar
With The Dark Knight Trilogy behind us, I welcome original Christopher Nolan productions with open arms (The Prestige is an all-time favorite). In typical Nolan fashion, the teaser trailer doesn’t shape expectations too much, but I am more than content waiting to be surprised. (AG)
3 – Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a lovable Superhero in a Marvel universe. Steve’s ineptitudes with modern technology, a political subplot, and the Winter Soldier will all be exciting to see on the big screen. Avengers Phase II has begun, and I’m loving it. (BCW)
2 – X-Men: Days of Future Past
The casts from the original series and the reboot combine in one of the most interesting stories in comic book history. With Bryan Singer back in the director’s seat, this could be the best film yet in the series. (DK)
1 – Guardians of the Galaxy
One of Marvel Studios biggest gambles to date will either pay off or turn out to be a mistake this summer. Based on one of Marvel Comics’ relatively unknown titles, Guardians of the Galaxy features a wide array of characters, both human and alien, with our titular heroes comprised of a half-human/half alien who has no problem kicking ass and making out with hot alien females (Pratt), a vengful muscle-bound green alien who can’t be killed (Dave Bautista), a kick butt female assassin with a questionable past (Zoe Saldana), a gun-toting alien Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and a ginormous tree who can only say “I am Groot” (Vin Diesel). Despite the fact that only a few know about this title, we’ve heard and seen nothing but good things from this James Gunn superhero flick. (ML)
Films like Snowpiercer would have made it on to the list, but due to it’s unknown release date and the fact that Harvey Weinstein has pretty much butched Bong Joon-ho’s original cut, we are not sure what to expect from this(ML). A Millions Ways To Die In The West, Seth MacFarlane’s sophomore film after his comedic hit, Ted, is his take on the cinematic Western and it stars him as a cowardly farmer who seeks the help of a gunslinger’s wife to help him win back the woman who left him. Like many of the early works of Mel Brooks or the Zucker Brothers, MacFarlane has shown he has an adept comedic sensibility to tell a story that plays around with the normal conventions of a genre or popular culture while still following its own path. I feel A Million Ways to Die in the West could be one of the funniest films to catch in 2014 (CM). Let’s not forget Transformers: Age of Extinction. The Transformers films have been hit-or-miss, but Dark Side of the Moon was pretty good. Age of Extinction will introduce the fan favorite Dinobots, so that’s something to look forward to (CH). Noah, Darren Aronofsky’s take on the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, is dark, moody and appears to take a lot of liberties with the tale. But the filmmaker’s track record for always providing compelling drama and harnessing fantastic performances from his actors should prove to be enough so that the special effects laden film doesn’t feel like just another Hollywood blockbust er. Whether it will be a financial success is another matter entirely (DW). Sin City: A Dame To Kill For will mark the first real film from Robert Rodriguez since…well, the last Sin City which was released back in 2005!? The Machete and Grindhouse films (oh, he also made another Spy Kids movie) felt more like the director just biding his time or taking it easy. The first Sin City was a revelation when it was released and created a whole new visual style that no one (not even Frank Miller, the creator of the Sin City graphic novels) could replicate. With the sumptuous Eva Green in the title role as well as the usual assortment of Rodriguez faithfuls in tow, it will be nice to see Rodriguez make a more serious movie again (DW).
So what are some of your most anticipated films of 2014? Did your movie make the list? There are a lot of films with viral potential, and we look forward to covering every single one of them for you guys. Plus anything else that may come our way, like Comic Con and some film festivals too.