2014: From Best to Worst

A bloody instant classic!
The Raid 2 was my most anticipated movie of 2014, and it did not disappoint in any way. This is an epic crime saga, with some of the most amazing action sequences I've ever seen. The Raid 2 has everything pretty much! Amazing fight sequences, violent shootouts, and a spectacular car chase sequence! Shot amazingly well and edited with precision, every action sequence is top-notch and rivals any big-budget action film from Hollywood. The story is solid as well, with writer/director Gareth Evans taking many cues from mobster movies. The film also feels like an ensemble piece as well, with a large array of new characters. The cast is solid again, with Iko Uwais still badass as Rama. The newcomers deliver fine work as well, but the true standout is Julie Estelle as Hammer Girl, an assassin who fights with claw hammers. Overall, I can't recommend The Raid 2 enough. It's definitely one of the best sequels ever made, in the line of The Dark Knight and Terminator 2 - in fact I'd say it's better than those two films. It's just a brutal and violent masterpiece of action cinema.

Full Review here

An amazing sequel!
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was one of my favourite movies of 2011, and so I was so excited for the sequel, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Quite frankly, it's a sequel that completely blows the original out of the park. Without a doubt, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of the finest sequels we've had, and in a year full of effects driven blockbusters, it's refreshing to see a film that has a smart script. Like the previous film, director Matt Reeves takes his time to set up characters and their motivations, and thus a lot of the conflict in the climax makes a lot of sense. Not only is the story terrific, but the action is absolutely stunning, with well shot and visual impressive set pieces. The motion capture is top notch as well - the apes look amazing. Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar for his performance as Caesar, he was great. Overall, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is just a masterpiece. It's one of the best movies of the year for sure.

An Australian masterpiece!
The Rover is the second feature from David Michôd, who previously directed Animal Kingdom, which is still my favourite Australian film ever made. This isn't as good as Animal Kingdom, but Michôd's post-apocalyptic crime film is still a masterpiece. His vision is bleak and horrifying, which is why The Rover is not for everyone. There's very little happiness here and a lot of death and violence, which I think worked so well for this film. The acting is terrific. Guy Pearce is so good in this. Whenever I see him in an Aussie film, he's always good in them. Robert Pattinson is great in this, and proves that he is a capable actor outside of the Twilight Saga. Shot on film, the cinematography is gorgeous, and Sam Petty's sound design adds so much to the atmosphere. Overall, this one of 2014's best. With both Animal Kingdom and now The Rover under his belt, I can not wait to see what Michôd does next. Two masterpieces in a row, here's to hoping they keep coming.

The comedy of the year!
A lot of hype surrounded 22 Jump Street. The first film, 21 Jump Street, is one of my favourite comedies of all time. It's got big shoes to fill. Early word of mouth hinted that this even surpassed the original. After seeing it, I can't say that 22 Jump Street is better than the first film, but it is one hell of a great comedy. This still packs a lot of laughs and action, and in terms of production value, there's definitely been a raise. In fact, directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller constantly make fun of the fact that there's been an increase in budget and that it's a sequel. The meta humour is just great! Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum still work great together, the end credits scene is just genius. Overall, 22 Jump Street is definitely the funniest movie I've seen this year. While I think 21 Jump Street is the better film, there's no denying that this is a masterful franchise and I'd love to see it continue.

Godzilla's finest outing yet!
Gareth Edward's reboot Godzilla is possibly the greatest film in the franchise so far. It's an absolute spectacle to behold. Many downfalls that almost all Godzilla films have suffered is the story, characters, and actors. None of this applies with Edward's reboot. Unlike Godzilla films of the past, I took the story seriously here and wasn't bored during it. The characters are all relatable, and we spend a lot of time with them. Lastly, the cast is solid, with great actors including Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, and of course the Heisenberg himself, Bryan Cranston. But of course, the greatest aspect of the movie is Godzilla, and he is utterly amazing in the film. While the tease him in the movie a bit too much, the climax is fantastic, and seeing the king of monsters breathing his trademark atomic breath made me giddy. Overall, Godzilla is an amazing reboot that brings life back into the franchise. I absolutely can't wait to see what's next.

Possibly the best Marvel movie ever!
X-Men: Days of Future Past is not only the best film of the X-Men franchise, it might very well be the best Marvel Comics movie ever. This movie is absolutely spectacular. It may surprise you, but I've always been a bit of a hater of the original X-Men trilogy. I found them corny and underwhelming, and it wasn't until Matthew Vaughn's X-Men: First Class that I started taking a liking to the franchise. Days of Future Past is a fantastic blockbuster, with amazing action sequences and a truly memorable screenplay. There's a good mix of well done comedy to some really touching drama. The cast is great, and we see both the players from First Class to the actors from Bryan Singer's original trilogy. Newcomers are welcome, particularly Fan Bingbing's Blink. Overall, I can't recommend this enough. It's definitely my favourite of the Marvel movies, and terrific summer blockbuster.

Heart-warming and highly enjoyable
Directed by Rob Minkoff, Mr.Peabody & Sherman is definitely one of the best animation films of the year. I had such a great time with the film. The story is actually really enjoyable, and has a heart-felt father son theme at the heart of it. This was surprisingly a very moving film, and I totally got on board with it. The voice acting is terrific, with Ty Burrell and Max Charles delivering fine work for Peabody and Sherman respectively. The humour was amazing as well - I laughed out loud several times. Puns and references to films like 300 were all fantastic, and I loved the animation. Overall, Mr. Peabody & Sherman is one of DreamWorks Animation's finest films. I honestly can't think of anything I didn't like. The story, humour and animation are all top-notch.

The DC movie of year!
While we have to wait another two years Warner Bros to release Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, it's so fantastic we get three solid animated movies to satisfy our DC appetites. Batman: Assault on Arkham is the best of the lot, and it comes pretty close to being my favourite of the DC animated movies. As a fan of the Arkham games, I absolutely loved the story here, and all the subtle easter eggs to comics and movies were hilarious. The voice cast is excellent, with Kevin Conroy always great as Batman, and Troy Baker, who is my favourite voice-actor, providing terrific work for The Joker. What I love most is the film is for the most part a heist movie, and it was great to see DC tackling this kind of genre. In fact, there are a lot of risky decisions in terms of style and content with Assault on Arkham, and I think it absolutely made the film better. I love this film, it's without a doubt the best DC film of the year.

A spectacular blockbuster epic
I'm gonna come clean and say that I am a Michael Bay fanboy. If I want a big budget summer blockbuster, Bay delivers it, particularly with his Transformers series. The fourth film, Age of Extinction is pretty much the same as the others. Any haters of this franchise should stay away, but for fans, you'll have a great time. Age of Extinction was so much fun, and the change in cast definitely helped. Mark Wahlberg was actually terrific here, and Nicola Peltz who plays his daughter was more than just eye candy, delivering a convincing performance. The two work really well together, and sold the father/daughter relationship. As for the plot, it's stupid. There's no improvement with storytelling, and it doesn't help that the running time is nearly 3 hours. However, the action is absolutely spectacular. These are the best visual effects I've seen all year, and the robots look amazing. The set-pieces are all shot beautifully by Amir Mokri, and Steve Jablonsky's score is still as epic as ever. Overall, I had such a great time with Transformers: Age of Extinction. It's not as good as the original, but it's a promising start to a new direction in this franchise. Haters will continue to hate it, but for fans, this is worth the money. It must be seen in 3D on the biggest screen you can find.

Hilarious and surprisingly touching
Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the duo behind the amazing Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street, The Lego Movie is an utter delight. As a huge fan of Lego when I was a kid, the film instantly brought me back to my childhood, and also gave me the sudden urge to buy a new Lego set as well. The Lego Movie is animated gorgeously, and a lot more different from most animations released today. It's animated to look as if it was shot on camera, with stop-motion and anamorphic looks. The humour is also absolutely hilarious, with pop-culture references, countless cameos, and a lot of satire for good measure. However, towards the end there is a huge twist. I won't spoil it, but let's just say I wasn't fully on-board with it. That being said, it still delivered a powerful message for the film, and it does have a lot of emotional weight to it. Overall, The Lego Movie is just fantastic to watch. While I had a few issues with the twist, the animation is breathtaking, and it is an emotionally heart-felt movie. It brought me right back to my childhood.

Liam Neeson at his finest
Non-Stop is an outstanding thriller, and showcases again that Liam Neeson is a terrific screen-presence. Directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed the amazing Unknown, this film really delivers on its title. It's literally Non-Stop suspense and tension. Unlike past Liam Neeson films such as Taken, Non-Stop isn't much of an action movie. Rarely does Neeson's character, Bill Marks, kill anyone. That shouldn't say that the film is boring, in fact there isn't a moment here that I'd call dull. All the performances are solid, from Neeson's badass air marshal to a very out-going and convincing Julianne Moore. Shot beautifully, Collet-Serra uses his plane set well, and twists and turns are very well done. There are times where the script veers into cliché territory, and there are more than one plot conveniences here and there. However, I'm nitpicking at this point. Really this is just a very well made thriller, with a badass hero and some really tense moments.

A godsend for DC Fanboys
I pride myself on being a DC Comics fanboy. I love reading their comics, and I find them far more superior than Marvel. Plus, with the help of Warner Bros. Animation, they've built a pretty solid DC Animated Universe. Directed by Jay Oliva, who helmed my favourite DC Animated movie The Dark Knight Returns, the latest film Justice League: War is a pure blast. Based on the New 52 origin story of the Justice League, this new movie is like a wet dream for fanboys like myself. The action is amazing, the animation looks great, and the story follows the original comic pretty closely, with the exception of some changes which didn't bother me too much to be honest. I thought the voice cast was solid, and the end-credits scene gets me hyped up for their upcoming movies. Overall, I loved Justice League: War and it just makes me even more excited for the day they release a live-action Justice League film.

Gloriously violent and stylised
I absolutely love the original 300. It looked amazing, and made Zack Snyder a household name with slow motion. Based on an unreleased graphic novel by Frank Miller, 300: Rise of an Empire is a worthy sequel to it's outstanding predecessor. The action is just as violent and brutal as the original, despite the blood effects looking a lot more fake this time around. The green screen also looks really noticeable. While Sullivan Stapleton is no Gerard Butler, he gets the job done and is solid in the role of Themistokles. However, it's definitely Eva Green who steals the show. She's sexy and deliciously evil as the villain. Overall, 300: Rise of an Empire isn't on the same level as the original, but it's still entertaining as hell. The slow motion fights are great, and Eva Green's Artemisia is one of the best female villains I've seen in a very long time.

A solid entry in the DC Animated canon
DC Animated movies have always been enjoyable to watch, and the latest entry, Son of Batman, is no exception. This is satisfying throughout the entire running time, with terrific animation and voice acting. Jason O'Mara is great as the Dark Knight, and Stuart Allan is fine as Damian, Bruce Wayne's son. The dialogue is also very strong, particularly the banter between Damian and anyone he pretty much meets. The action is very well done, with a lot of welcome blood shed which I dug the hell out of. My main complaint with the film is that the story is very underdeveloped. The father-son relationship should have been built up, and the ending is way too abrupt. Overall, Son of Batman is a solid DC Animated movie. It's not one of the best, but it does have some enjoyable and violent action sequences.

Surprisingly good
Directed by Tom Gormican, That Awkward Moment is a surprisingly enjoyable rom-com. While many critics have destroyed the film, I thought it was a good and entertaining film. The three lead actors, Zac Efron, Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan, are all great and share a decent amount of chemistry. You really bought the fact that they were all mates. The supporting cast is also solid, with Imogen Poots and Mackenzie Davis delivering fine performances. While the story is fairly predictable, the dialogue is strong, and the film ends perfectly. Production value is also surprisingly decent, with nice production design and some terrific cinematography. Overall, That Awkward Moment isn't anything special, but it does what you want a rom-com to do and does it extremely well. It's a rom-com that guys can enjoy.

An entertaining and well made spy movie
I got exactly what I was after with Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit: a fun time at the movies. There's nothing ground-breaking about the film, but it does what it sets out to do well. Chris Pine is solid in the lead, and Kevin Costner was terrific. Kenneth Branagh stars as the villain and also directs, doing a marvelous job at the helm just like he did with Thor back in 2011. The film looks great, and it's impressive that the most exciting sequence of the film had no one getting shot.

A true disappointment
I'm a huge fan of The Expendables franchise. I loved the first two films, and was absolutely excited for this third installment. Featuring possibly the best ensemble cast of the series yet, I was expecting great things. However, I was disappointed - The Expendables 3 was a massive let down. The writing really has nothing to do with it, in fact I think the dialogue here is pretty damn good. It's funny and I loved the banter between the characters. The actors are still terrific, with new cast members delivering fine performances. Mel Gibson is terrific as the villain, and Ronda Rousey is badass as the token female Expendable. It's the action that really disappoints. All the other films had been R-rated, but here it's PG-13. Thus, the action is so tame. Even in the way the action is shot and edited is sloppy, and the visual effects look extremely cheap. There are some shining moments with the action, particularly in the climax, but overall, this was a truly disappointing Expendables film. It could've been great, as the writing and cast are strong as ever, but the action is so mediocre.

Decent at best
I was a huge fan of the reboot The Amazing Spider-Man. Although there were many haters, I thought it succeeded in revamping Spider-Man and I left the theater very impressed. I was hoping the sequel, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, would be a step up from the first film, but unfortunately I think it misses the mark. During the film's first act, I was loving it. The action was some of the best in the franchise, and the story was interesting. However, the middle section of the film dragged, and there was hardly any Spider-Man scenes. Not only that, the story becomes a convoluted mess, and character motivations soon become questionable. However, the climax of the film is entertaining with great action scenes, but in terms of the story, it really fell flat. The film is only an inch better than Spider-Man 3. While it has many entertaining moments, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 simply has a messy script with too many subplots and characters.

Extremely formulaic yet still enjoyable
Ride Along, directed by Tim Story, is a pretty cliché buddy-cop movie. Right from the get-go, you can literally predict every twist and turn in the film, and all the characters are stock standard. That being said, I still really enjoyed it. While the plot is extremely formulaic, the performances are terrific. Stealing the show is Kevin Hart. Whenever he's on screen, the movie just becomes enjoyable. Ice Cube is also great in the film, and he and Hart share a decent amount of chemistry. The humour here isn't smart, but many of the jokes landed for me and I laughed quite a lot. Ride Along has huge flaws in the scripting department, but overall, I had a good time with it. Considering the fact that I was expecting garbage, the movie really delivered, staying enjoyable throughout the running time.

A pleasant surprise in a very tired franchise
My expectations for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones were very low. I'll be honest, I am a fan of the franchise. Yes, they have milked it way too much and there really wasn't a need to create a whole series off of the first movie. However, the films deliver for me. I get freaked out when I see them. The last entry in the series, Paranormal Activity 4 was pretty underwhelming though, and after that film, I really wasn't expecting anything good from this franchise anymore. This 'spin-off' movie, however, really surprised me. I thought it was creepy and actually started building on the story of this franchise, with the coven and witches. It has huge problems, but considering how bad the last film was, this is definitely a step in the right direction.

Not a high note for Arnie
Sabotage is directed by David Ayer, who helmed the amazing End of Watch. However, it's also co-written by Skip Woods, a screenwriter who's responsible for schlock such as A Good Day to Die Hard and X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Simply putting it, the script for this movie sucked. It was repetitive, sloppy and weak. As a mystery, it just doesn't work, and when the main villain is revealed, it's isn't much of a shocker. The acting doesn't fare much better as well which is why so much of the drama feels so hokey. With all that said, the action is still great. While I wish there had been more action, all the sequences are solid and violent as hell. The most memorable is a shootout in a bar between Arnie and a few gangsters. Arnie does a decent job, but Mireille Enos really steals the show as Lizzy, a mean spirited member of Arnie's crew. Overall, Sabotage doesn't have an interesting script at all, and at one point I even got bored. However, it still delivers what Arnie fans want - it has violent action sequences with practical effects, and there's even some strong comedy here.

Passable but could have been great
The Other Woman is yet another rom-com with female leads in the vein of films like Bridesmaids. However, what could've been great ends up being a barely passable film. The Other Woman is supposed to be a woman empowerment film, but the main characters are so stereotypical and weak that I'm not sure how girls will look up to them. They spend most of the film simply talking about how they want a men in their lives, and show no sign of independence. That being said, Cameron Diaz is surprisingly decent in her role, and Leslie Mann is adorably fun. Kate Upton may have a great rack, but her character was completely pointless and I would've preferred if she wasn't in the movie at all. In terms of comedy, The Other Woman is a mixed bag, with some strong lines and some really generic and immature moments. Overall, the film isn't horrible but there's definitely better comedies out there with female leads.