My 5 Most Anticipated Movies of 2014

2014 is shaping up to be a great year for movies. Although some films have already been pushed to next year, there are still plenty of hyped up blockbusters coming our way as well as I'm sure, some under the radar hits. Here's my top 5 list (so far):

1) X-Men: Days of Future Past

I'm a big X-men fan and have enjoyed to varying degrees each installment of the franchise so far. Bryan Singer is back in the director's chair for this one after leaving the franchise following X-2. The film is toting a massive cast mixing both the cast of First Class and the original trilogy. The likes of James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry and Jennifer Lawrence are just some of the big names returning to this one. The film will also feature new characters such as Quicksilver, Bishop and Blink. The plot will follow the X-men in both a dystopian future and the past, as they try to fix their future timeline in the past using time travel. It remains to be seen whether Signer will be able to reach the critical acclaim of his own X-2 and First Class or disappoint fans with another X-3 by Ratner. However, early impressions of this one look good.

70's? Check.

2) Godzilla

I wasn't massively aware of this film until rather recently. Starring Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) and Aaron Taylor Johnson (Kick Ass) the film will follow, well, Godzilla as he wreaks havoc through cities. Its a story that's been told many times now, but this take promises to offer something fresh while going back to the original from the 50's. It's still early but with a May release coming up this is one to keep an eye on. Not convinced? Check out this trailer...

3) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The second installment of the Captain America films, this latest Marvel foray into it's First Avenger's escapades promises something different to the first. Playing out more like a conspiratorial/political thriller, Cap must team up with Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie) to face the Winter Soldier. The film will also surely address Captain America's adjustment to modern life and the fallout from The Avengers while also teasing for the next Marvel films.

Chris Evans as Captain America and Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow

4) The Amazing Spiderman 2

I wasn't a huge fan of the first Amazing Spiderman film. The Raimi films had done a good job of setting up the character and his origin, something that I felt didn't need to be rehashed again while I found the Lizard to be a lesser villain than those shown in the previous films. However, this sequel promises more action, more villains and greater stakes for Spiderman. It looks like Sony Entertainment Pictures is taking a leaf out of Marvel's books and trying to form their own Spidey universe, with a Sinister Six title already green lighted as well as future Spidey titles. I'm interested to see where this goes and I hope Marc Webb can pull it off.

Andrew Garfield as Spiderman/Peter Parker

5) Interstellar

My final pick is Interstellar. I'm a huge fan of Christopher Nolan's work from Memento to the Dark Knight trilogy to Inception. He has a great sense of story and knows how to craft a great plot. The fact that little is known about Interstellar is making me even more excited as Nolan is not only capable of making great films but also great blockbuster films that not only entertain but make money. The fact that this is an original film is greatly exciting. This sci-fi flick about black holes and the exploration of space will star Matthew McConaughey and will release later this year.

So those are my top 5 anticipated picks for movies (so far) this year. Tell me yours in the comments below? Any of these films feature on your top 5?

If you missed my top 5 most anticipated games for 2014, you can check that out here: My 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2014

My 5 Most Anticipated Games of 2014

2014 looks to be another great year for gamers with the next generation consoles looking to extend their reach with hit titles such as Titanfall, Infamous: Second Son, Destiny and Watch Dogs all arriving at some point this year. This is my personal list (so far) of games I am most looking forward to playing in the coming year:

1) Watch Dogs

At first glance the game looks like a cross between Assassin's Creed and Grand Theft Auto, but underneath it is so much more. Set in Chicago and giving the player the ability to control their hi-tech surroundings, the plot follows Aidan Pearce, a vigilante of sorts, who controls certain environmental actions in the game via his smartphone. Aidan can hack ATM's, laptops, trains and interestingly, can access information on NPC's around him. Not much is known about the plot, but with the game coming to most platforms including next-gen this surely will be one to keep an eye on.

Here's the most recent gameplay video:

2) Destiny

Destiny promises to be an evolution in the first person shooter genre. Developed by Bungie, the makers of Halo, Destiny puts you in the role of a Guardian, a protector of the last known human city, with the rest of humanity's colonies swarmed by alien races. It is described as 'mythic science fiction' and takes place in an RPG open-world that is persistent and evolving. The game looks to retain the science fiction shooter element of Halo but in a new and exciting world. Releasing on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, Destiny certainly looks like it has great potential.

Here's the gameplay from E3 2013:

3) Tom Clancy's The Division

Another one on the list from Ubisoft is The Division. First debuted at last year's E3. This 3rd person action RPG looks impressive. Playing as one of the 'division' the player can team up in an MMO-like scenario, much like Destiny, and fight AI as well as other players. The game looks beautiful and the promise of fighting in these areas with other players is intriguing. I can't wait to see how this one turns out.

 

Here's the gameplay from E3 2013:

4) Unknown Assassin's Creed title

I don't hide that I'm a big Assassin's Creed fan, and the promise of a new one is very exciting. Nothing is known about the location of AC: V. But with Black Flag being received well after the disappointing AC 3 then the future is looking up for this franchise.

5) ?

Well, this might be cheating but I'm leaving a spot open. With E3 2014 still to come and the big hitters Microsoft and Sony still keeping a lot of games under wraps till then, I'm looking forward expectantly for what comes next. You can bet on new iterations of old franchises and new IP's to come.


What do you think of these games? What game are you most looking forward to in 2014? Reply in the comments below.