2014 is upon us and with it, we get a year’s worth of new science fiction and fantasy films to look forward to. Will the new year bring more thrilling movies on par with ‘Star Trek Into Darkness‘ (which I liked despite others’ complaints), ‘Iron Man 3’, ‘Gravity‘ and so forth? Here are 22 movies to anticipate along with their plot synopses and trailers (or links to their trailers).
‘The Lego Movie’ – February 7
An ordinary LEGO minifigure, mistakenly thought to be the extraordinary MasterBuilder, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil LEGO tyrant from gluing the universe together.
I could not be more pumped for this movie! Forget ‘Batman Vs. Superman‘, a full year earlier we get Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a rocket-chair flying Abe Lincoln! (Obviously the Disney properties like ‘Star Wars’ and the Marvel superheroes were off-limits since this movie is by Dreamworks.)
‘Robocop’ – February 12
In 2028 Detroit, when Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop – is critically injured in the line of duty, the multinational conglomerate OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer.
View the trailer here.
A lot of fans of the original are skeptical of the remake, but with an all-star cast including Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson and loads of action, here’s hoping that the new version lives up!
‘Divergent’ – March 21
Beatrice Prior, a teenager with a special mind, finds her life threatened when an authoritarian leader seeks to exterminate her kind in her effort to seize control of their divided society.
View the trailer here.
I loved the book, so I am thoroughly excited to see the movie adaptation! I don’t know if it’ll be the next ‘Hunger Games‘, but I expect its loyal following will turn out in full-force.
‘Noah’ – March 28
The Biblical Noah suffers visions of an apocalyptic deluge and takes measures to protect his family from the coming flood.
Well, they’re adapting every other book, why not THE book, The Bible? Darren Aronofsky and an amazing all-star cast look to bring some badass to this EPIC Biblical tale.
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ – April 4
Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.
View the trailer here.
This one is a no-brainer! Marvel is on a roll, so expect this movie to blow away the first movie. Plus we get Black Widow and The Falcon added to the mix.
‘Under the Skin’ – April 4
An alien seductress , played by Scarlett Johansson, preys upon hitchhikers in Scotland in the most sexual and alluring way.
Scarlett Johansson as an alien, picking up men, taking them to her home with the promise of sex (and views of her in an undressed state)? What red-blooded sci-fi geek wouldn’t want to see that – despite what happens to the men she picks up?
‘Transcendence’ – April 18
A terminally ill scientist downloads his body into a computer. This grants him power beyond his wildest dreams, and soon he becomes unstoppable.
This movie brings a darker element to your movie season, but with an amazing cast, this looks quite interesting.
‘Earth To Echo’ – April 25
A group of friends investigate a series of bizarre text messages they receive after a construction project begins in their neighborhood.
This one gave me the heebie jeebies! It sort of reminded me of ‘Super 8’… but scarier! But that synopsis really doesn’t do the trailer justice.
‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ – May 2
Peter Parker runs the gauntlet as the mysterious company Oscorp sends up a slew of supervillains against him, impacting on his life. (I’m guessing this was not written by a native English speaker.)
View the trailer here.
Some people haven’t embraced this take on Spider-Man, but does the inclusion of Electro, The Rhino and Green Goblin sweeten the deal?
‘Godzilla’ – May 16
A giant radioactive monster called Godzilla appears to wreak destruction on mankind.
View the trailer here.
This is sure to blow the 90s version out of the water!
‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ – May 23
The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.
View the trailer here.
Duh! Who’s NOT going to see this one? Expect this to be THE hit of next summer!
‘Maleficent’ – May 30
The “Sleeping Beauty” tale is told from the perspective of the villainous Maleficent and looks at the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse young Princess Aurora.
View the trailer here.
Angelina was BORN to play this role! And Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain, so take my money please!
‘Edge of Tomorrow’ – June 6
A soldier fighting in a war with aliens finds himself caught in a time loop of his last day in the battle, though he becomes better skilled along the way.
The time loop element isn’t quite clear in the trailer, but this is like a sci-fi take on ‘Groundhog’s Day’. It could prove intriguing. I honestly didn’t care for ‘Oblivion‘ so I hope this one is better.
Transformers: Age of Extinction – June 27
A mechanic and his daughter make a discovery that brings down Autobots and Decepticons – and a paranoid government official – on them.
(No trailer yet, but here is a first-look video which features the Autobots in vehicle mod.)
Michael Bay stated that he’s toning down the goofiness this time around and fan-favorites The Dinobots are expected to appear.
‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’ – July 11
Survivors of the simian plague trigger an all-out war between humanity and Caesar’s growing forces.
‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes‘ was highly acclaimed and Andy Serkis‘ performance as Caesar was praised universally. This should be a sure shot.
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ – August 1
A jet pilot gets stranded in space, and must unite a diverse team of aliens to form a squad capable of defeating cosmic threats.
Extremely low quality bootleg trailer:
Marvel seems to have a license to print money, but this is the most obscure property to get a movie yet… could this be Marvel’s first misstep?
‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ – August 8
(No poster yet.)
Aliens invade Earth and inadvertently spawn a quartet of mutated reptile warriors, the Ninja Turtles, who rise up against them to defend the world.
(No trailer yet)
This one has been pretty controversial, so we’ll see how it goes.
‘The Giver’ – August 15
(No poster yet.)
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the “real” world.
(No trailer yet, but here’s a trailer some eighth graders made that’s pretty impressive!)
This book is a best-seller and an award winner, so hopefully the movie lives up to that reputation.
‘Big Hero 6’ – November 7
(No poster, but concept art.)
A group of six superheroes are recruited by the government to protect the nation.
(No trailer, but here’s another first look video.)
This is Disney’s first Marvel animated movie, but the property is even more obscure than ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘… this could work for it or against it. At any rate, they’re really going to have to stress Disney’s involvement as not many Marvel fans are going to blindly turn out for this.
‘Interstellar’ – November 7
A group of explorers make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.
View the teaser trailer here.
Christopher Nolan rarely fails in any capacity. Most of his films have science fiction elements, but this is his first space movie… but we know it’s going to be great.
‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1’ – November 21
(No poster.)
Katniss Everdeen reluctantly becomes the symbol of a mass rebellion against the autocratic Capitol.
(No trailer, but here’s an interview with director Francis Lawrence and the cast.)
How sick was Jennifer Lawrence’s pixie cut in that? Gorgeous! I LIVE for ‘The Hunger Games’, so this is a done deal for me! And the Games are over and the stakes have never been higher. This is a sure fire SMASH!
‘The Hobbit: There And Back Again’ – December 17
The Company of Thorin has reached Smaug’s lair; but can Bilbo and the Dwarves reclaim Erebor and the treasure? And if so, can they hold on to it?
C’mon, you’ve already seen the other two. It’s practically become a holiday tradition at this point. You have to tune in for the final installment.
Also worth mentioning is Snowpiercer, the acclaimed Chris Evans movie directed by Bong Joon-ho, but so far the movie hasn’t gotten a release date.
Which 2014 movies are you most looking forward to?
