The Ten Most Anticipated Films of 2014

Film fanatics are gearing up for a huge year of movies in 2014. This year will see the release of numerous sequels to huge franchises, as well as some exciting new films that are starting to get a lot of buzz. Here is my list of the ten movies I am most looking forward to in the coming year.

10.     Divergent – March 21st

This film based on the book Divergent by Veronica Roth stars Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet, and Theo James. The story is set in a dystopian future society. Lately there hasn’t been many dystopian style films in theaters -- instead most films set in the future nowadays are post-apocalyptic. I am excited to see something that branches away from that. As a huge fan of V for Vendetta, I’m curious to see what sort of take on dystopian society Divergent takes.  

9.     Captain America: The Winter Soldier —  April 4th

This new Marvel chapter stars Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, and Samuel L. Jackson. Though I know this is a very unpopular opinion, I actually wasn’t a big fan of Captain America: The First Avenger. It didn’t hold my attention well and I felt it didn’t stand up to the many other Marvel movies that have been released in the past few years. However, I am looking forward to seeing this sequel. As we’ve seen in The Avengers, placing Steve Rogers (Evans) in modern day society brings in a fantastic element of comedy. I’m looking forward to seeing more of that in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. I also think the addition of the Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) and Nick Fury (Jackson) into the Captain America story will also help to bring some more excitement to the film.  

8.     The Amazing Spiderman 2 —  May 2nd

After the ill-received Spiderman 3, The Amazing Spiderman was a breath of fresh air. Andrew Garfield brought new life into the Peter Parker character and his chemistry with co-star and real-life love Emma Stone is unrivaled. My hopes are high that the mix of comedy, romance, and action that perfected the first chapter will carry into The Amazing Spiderman 2.  

7.     X-Men: Days of Future Past — May 23rd

To be honest, this is the film coming in 2014 that excites me the most. Though I’m not a gigantic X-Men fan, I am a huge fan of many of the actors involved (Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbnder) and I’m extremely interested to see the cast of both the original trilogy and X-Men: First Class interact. I think it will be both fascinating and, possibly hilarious, to watch the characters interact with their former selves. The goal of the time-travelling element of the film and the reason for the uniting of the two casts has been kept under wraps, so I’m thrilled to see how it all plays out.  

6.     The Fault in Our Stars — June 6th

Shailene Woodley makes her second appearance on this list, starring alongside Ansel Elgort and Laura Dern. This film is based on a best-selling teen novel by John Green of the same name, and it has a huge following. I have not read the book personally, but I’ve heard so much about it and the characters that it feels as though I have. Everything I’ve heard supports the claim of a fantastic story focusing on the love between two cancer-ridden teenagers. This film is a guaranteed tear-jerker and I’m looking forward to seeing Woodley and Elgort bring the beloved characters Hazel and Augustus to life.  

5.     How to Train Your Dragon 2 —  June 13th

Jay Baruchel, Kristen Wiig, and Gerard Butler voice the characters in this sequel to How to Train Your Dragon -- this time around we get to see Hiccup (Baruchel) and Toothless five years later. I’m looking forward to seeing how the colony of Vikings has changed since adopting dragons as pets instead of fighting against them. I’m sure there will be some romance in this film as well as the relationship between Hiccup and Astrid (America Ferrera) develops. The film’s IMDB page describes the discovery of new dragon riders in other lands and I’m excited to see how the team at Dreamworks designs new dragon breeds that we didn’t see in the last film.  

4.     Guardians of the Galaxy — August 1st

Guardians of the Galaxy stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel and Lee Pace. I don’t personally know much about this new division of the Marvel franchise, but I do know that Pratt stars as a pilot on the run from the villain Ronan portrayed by Pace. With such a cast and company behind the film, it is sure to be a blockbuster. Fans of the Marvel Comics are sure to flock to the theaters to see the comic book released in 2008 come to life. Marvel movies never fail to rake in enormous crowds, and I certainly look forward to seeing this 10th installment in the Marvel film universe.  

3.     Dumb and Dumber To —  November 14th

It’s been 20 years since we were blessed with Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels on the silver screen as now famed characters Harry and Lloyd. 20 years too long. Though I’m skeptical as to whether the perfection of Dumb and Dumber can be re-created, I feel with both original actors on board it will be worth the wait. And with 20 years to perfect a sequel script to rival the first, I think movie goers are in for a hilarious ride. The release of this film is so unexpected that it's a guaranteed blockbuster after the success of the first. It will also bring a whole new generation into the Dumb and Dumber fan club. Fans of the original film can take their now adult kids to see the second.  

2.     The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – November 21st

Jennifer Lawrence is without a doubt one of the hottest commodities in Hollywood right now -- anything with her name on it garners attention. In the past few years, The Hunger Games has exploded as one of the most popular book-to-film series on the scene. It’s not difficult to understand the craze when you consider all the elements going into the series, including drama, action, and romance. Fans of both the books and films eagerly await the first part of the final installment of the enormous franchise. Sadly, the films will have to march on without the gone but not forgotten Phillip Seymour Hoffman who played the crucial role of Plutarch Heavensbee.  

1.     The Hobbit: There and Back Again — December 17th

This final film in The Hobbit series, and thus the end of the entire Lord of the Rings franchise, will certainly be bittersweet. This film will see the end of the adventures of Bilbo (Martin Freeman), Thorin (Richard Armitage), and the company of dwarves. It will also most likely contain more action than the two preceding films combined. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly), and perhaps even Thranduil (Lee Pace) in action on the battlefield, as the artistic choreography of the elves is often one of the most popular parts of the Middle Earth battle scenes. While I’m enormously anxious to see the final culminating battle of the book that will surely take up a large part of the film, I’m sad that this film will be the last to allow us to occupy Middle Earth. After six films and nearly 15 years, it will definitely be a hard pill to swallow. So thus concludes my list of the ten movies I am looking forward to most in 2014. Considering this is my list, did I leave any great titles out that will make 2014 great?   Photos via: Google