The odd thing about doing end of year round-ups is that I tend to find it easier to be disappointed with the films I've not managed to see during the year, than to actually pick my favourites from those I DID see! So despite my best intentions I managed to miss a number of critical big hitters this year (Boyhood, Under The Skin, etc), but there were a lot of other strong films I did manage to see, fortunately. In fact, it was quite hard to finalise this list, but I think I've chosen 5 films that really have stood out in my mind, and gave me a very memorable movie viewing experience.
I don't like to try and put any of my picks in any particular order - I think these films are all tremendous in their own rights, so I think it's unfair to judge them against each other - but I'll start with the not one, but two films that (if you follow this blog) are the most obvious...
Captain America: The Winter Soldier / Guardians of the Galaxy
Despite coming from the same studio, it further highlights just how well Marvel are handling their properties when these films are so different, yet both so successful in their own right. The Winter Soldier was quite a surprise, due to the way it attempted to say something about current affairs and politics (in the light of increasing surveillance and drone warfare) - something Marvel films had previously not tried to do. As well as being a smart thriller, it had killer action scenes, and a BIG twist that really shook up the Marvel Studio's movies in a big way. It even became a pop-culture event as 'Hail Hydra' began trending its way across social networks etc. And to think, some people say Captain America is Marvel's most boring character..?
Guardians of the Galaxy doesn't need any introductions - which is weird to think that, earlier in the year when the first trailer dropped, it was still considered a huge gamble for Marvel Studios. But it proved to be an absolute juggernaut - dominating the Box Office, earning high critical praise, and gaining a big fan following. And deservedly so, as it was possibly the most flat-out fun you could have at the movies this year. It put Director James Gunn on the map, made a star from lead Chris Pratt, and proved that Marvel Studios, at the moment, just cannot put a foot wrong.
Here's what I said about The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy earlier this year...
The Lego Movie
Yeah, sorry, you've got that song in your head now, haven't you? But before this year, who would have thought that a) a film based on Lego would work AT ALL, and b) that it would be as outrageously good as it is? A true Family film, one that can be enjoyed at many levels and speaks to adults and kids (of all ages); it has a wild visual style, and is genuinely funny - and gets funnier with repeat viewings, as the makers densely filled it with so many background visual gags and one-liners.
My review of The Lego Movie from back in February...
Pride
The best British film of the year is one that is uproariously funny, uplifting, sometimes moving - but has a relevance to today's society and politics. If there was one film that should be watched by all audiences this year, it should be this. Not only does it provide great entertainment, hopefully it might make people reflect on the current state of politics in this country, and encourage us all to work together to address the problems we face - and not to single out and blame people who aren't the cause of them.
Here's what I said about Pride back in September...
The Babadook
One of the best offerings of its genre in years, this was a genuinely affecting Horror due to the way it handled a very real and relatable situation, at once wringing every ounce of fear, dread and tension from it - whilst never losing the perspective of its two central characters. Helped by two superb performances, effective production design, and understated yet creepy effects work, this film gave me genuine chills. It cleverly evokes primal childhood fears at the same time as highlighting very real ones any adult who is a parent might have. And, crucially for a Horror, the titular spook gave me cold, fearful sweats...
My other thoughts on The Babadook from October...
As I said, it was tough to pick this list as there were other films I really, really enjoyed this year and would recommend - honourable mentions should go to '71, The Guest, X-Men Days of Future Past, Edge of Tomorrow, Nightcrawler, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The BoxTrolls, and Dallas Buyer's Club amongst others...
I know some critics like to pick the 'worst' film of the year - if I know a film is going to be terrible (e.g. the latest Adam Sandler 'comedy' vehicle) I try to avoid it. But having said that there will inevitably be films that don't live up to expectations. To that end, I would have to say that the film I was most disappointed with in 2014 was...
The Amazing Spiderman 2
Looking back I was, perhaps, too harsh with my review - I know a lot of people enjoyed it, and I can admit that it is a moderately entertaining, passable blockbuster, with a few moments of thrilling effects and action spectacle. However, given that Spiderman is probably in the top three most popular and recognisable Superhero characters, with 50 years of history and some truly great and memorable story-lines and moments in his comics, 'moderately entertaining' and 'passable' really are not good enough. It is pretty tragic that Sony seem to be wasting the potential of this character and his franchise, as exemplified by the fact that this film not only made the same mistakes as its predecessor (leaving some plot lines open, whilst tying others in an unsatisfactory manner), but it also committed the cardinal sin of making an absolute convoluted mess of its plot. By comparison the disappointing Spider-man 3 is a successful film - at least that one knew which story it wanted to tell, and did so without leaving loose ends. It is a real shame, also, that the tremendous work of Andrew Garfield (this role clearly means so much to him) and Emma Stone is overshadowed by the plot problems. Some people might have been able to overlook the narrative issues (and that's before you get on to the wasted and at times campy portrayal of the films villains), but when you're dealing with a character of this calibre, who has so many potentially great stories to put on screen, the effort was simply not good enough.
So that concludes my review of 2014. 2015 is looking an exciting year for big event movies, but hopefully there'll be some real gems from the rest of the movie world in between them, too. Thanks for reading, and see you in the New Year!
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