10. The Giver
Considering the source material, it is entirely conceivable that Hollywood will drop the ball on this adaptation of Lois Lowry's children's novel. The story is relatively dark and explores complicated ideas for a children's story that could be diluted by the hands of executives aiming for mass appeal. Despite the fact that what should be a prominent film seems to be filming under the radar, I am anxious to see the novel I thoroughly enjoyed as a child finally being brought to life on the big screen.
09. Big Hero 6
Ever since The Walt Disney Company acquired Marvel Entertainment fans have been wondering when Pixar would produce a film featuring Marvel's superhero characters. It looks as though Walt Disney Animation Studios will answer that call instead. Now that the studio appears to be in the midst of a Third Golden Age with critically and commercial successful films such as Frozen, I am excited to see what a film that combines Disney's magic with Marvel's proven fun will look like, especially since it will now be a part of official Disney canon.
08. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
I was genuinely surprised by how fun and well-made the first Captain America film turned out. However one of the traits critics and fans love to praise The Avengers for was the films depiction of a lonely and isolated Steve Rogers living in a modern world. Frankly, aside from being out of the loop with a few pop culture references, I did not feel the film touched upon the troubles Rogers was experiencing as an outsider in any significant manner. The Winter Soldier appears to be rectifying that issue by providing social commentary through the conflict between Rogers' old-school moral code and the contemporary shades of grey we operate under. This is a welcomed and intriguing story line!
07. The Lego Movie
Out of all the films on this list I feel like this one could end up being the biggest disappointment. However, the hyper-active tone and absurd combination of classic characters could result in this film being a comedy gem. With the creative team behind successes such as Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street, I am willing to give this film a shot. Besides, the film looks insane and fun enough in its own right and the high-energy tone from the trailers is hitting all the right notes for me.
06. The Hobbit: There and Back Again
I have not seen The Desolation of Smaug as of this writing, so I will admit that the inclusion of this film is based solely on association. As a part of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (which is marvelous) and the first Hobbit film (More flawed, but equally enjoyable), I am anxious to see how this third and final installment of the Hobbit trilogy will connect to the now iconic Rings series.
05. X-Men: Days of Future Past
Despite being concerned by the films promotion prominently featuring cast members of the original X-Men film trilogy while neglecting the cast members from X-Men: First Class (The best in the series), I am still excited to see a fantastic story from the X-Men comic book lore being adapted into a film featuring some of my favorite actors in their respective roles (McAvoy, Fassbender, Lawrence, and the rest of the First Class cast primarily) alongside side intriguing new cast members such as Peter Dinklage's Bolivar Trask.
04. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the surprise film of 2011 that not only lived up to its entertainment potential, but was also a genuinely great piece of science-fiction cinema. This sequel promises not to deliver more of the same material, but instead looks to be expanding on the story that we have come to love. With an impressive new cast including Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke and Keri Russell in addition to the always impressive Andy Serkis as Caesar, this sequel could end up being joining the few considered superior to their predecessors.
03. Godzilla
I was always eager for a great American version of the iconic Godzilla (even though the Roland Emmerich film is a guilty pleasure of mine). However it was not until the recently released teaser trailer for the upcoming reboot hit the internet that was fully behind the upcoming film. The tone and atmosphere of the trailer suggests a grim and intense film that will deliver on the thrills of classic monster films while providing genuine quality and pathos.
02. Guardians of the Galaxy
With an unlikely cast of characters being portrayed by an unlikely combination of actors in a science-fiction action comedy set in space...THIS could be the game changing superhero film that everyone likes to pretend The Avengers is by delivering unusual characters and combining multiple genres to offer a new experience for superhero fans and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
01. Interstellar
After The Dark Knight Rises did not live up to the reputation of its predecessor and Man of Steel became perhaps the most divisive film of the year, Christopher Nolan became an even greater source of nerd contention as geeks questioned who was to blame for the mixed reception of Man of Steel and debated over the quality of the final Dark Knight film. Even as an enthusiastic Nolan supporter, I found myself yearning for the excitement I once had for the filmmaker that had recently been replaced with doubt and disappointment. I was interested in this film long before Christopher Nolan was attached to direct, back when it was announced simply as a film to be directed by Steven Spielberg which would be based on the theories of physicists Kip Thorn and would involve explorers who travel through wormholes. Now, I am even more excited to see what Nolan will bring to the space setting and concept of wormhole travel considering the excellent story and aesthetic style he offered in films such Inception and Memento.
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