My Top 5 Films of 2014 So Far.

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, we’ve passed the halfway point of the year already and June’s pretty much over but on this last day I would like to give you my picks of the top 5 films I have enjoyed the most so far. Now I normally do this around mid-June however a combination of moving back home and laziness have contributed to this late blog post. So with that in mind let’s start.., But before that, HONORABLE MENTIONS!

Here is a few films that I saw this year that just missed the list but are still worth mentioning:

• Lone Survivor (one of the best war films I have seen in years with great acting, incredible action, cinematography and sound design)
• The Lego Movie (one of the most creative, funny and kick ass animated films with kick ass humour, action and amazing voice performances from the cast involved)
• Edge of Tomorrow (the biggest surprise of 2014 so far, this is an interesting, humourous, dramatic and action-packed sci-fi film with awesome performances from Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise

Remember 2013 films released this year DON’T COUNT! So with that out of the way here are my favourite films from 2014, IN REVERSE ORDER!

5. THE RAID 2: BERANDAL

So yeah this one is at an interesting place in the list. Check it, I really liked The Raid: Redemption, it was some filthy martial arts action in a confined location and had some of my favourite kills in any film ever. But I felt like it wasn’t quite enough to blow me away. So in comes the sequel and it pretty much outdoes its predecessor in every way. The story is much denser and more complex, the fight choreography is even more chaotic and complex than before and the cinematography was lovely throughout. Some people will probably say that this film should be much higher on the list, but for me there were a few nitpicks. I felt like there was a bit too much going on in the story department, some of the fight scenes went on a little longer than I would have liked and the overall length of the film I felt could have been shorter. But all that said I REALLY liked this film and it is one that any fan of martial arts or action films in general should check out.

4. 22 JUMP STREET

Now 21 Jump Street was a surprisingly fun film and in the sea of horrible comedy films I’ve had to sit through in recent years this was one I liked, so I was looking forward to the sequel but was also cautious because I didn’t want to be disappointed. Luckily 22 Jump Street was badass and pretty much exceeded any expectations had for it as it was the funniest film I’ve seen in AGES. Phil Lord and Chris Miller do the impossible and create one of the most, if not the most funny comedy sequels ever. The film is self-aware, repeats many of the plot elements from the previous film and yet is still ridiculously funny thanks to the script and brilliant acting from Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and an especially awesome Ice Cube.

3. GODZILLA

This is probably where things are gonna get a bit more controversial, but I don’t care, bring the fire people! For me, Gareth Edwards’ new interpretation of Godzilla is pretty kick ass and considering all of the things that could have gone wrong with this film, the end result is bloody impressive. There is a story that feels big and moves across several locations, we also get treated to a cast of characters who are relevant to the plot and we also get monsters, but the one thing this film gets right more so than anything else in the presentation. The CGI was super impressive and seeing Godzilla fighting 2 other monsters was SO awesome and this film also features one of the most badass kills in any film ever. Now sure there are problems like: a strong start for the story but never stays that consistent, too much teasing for the monster fights, not so interesting human characters and the death of Bryan Cranston early on in the film. But all that aside, for all the haters of this film, just remember this… Godzilla (2014) is FAR better than the 1998 Roland Emmerich version. would you rather have that film as your only western adaptation of Godzilla again? Thought not.

2. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

Honestly if you had told me that X-Men: DOFP would be totally badass, I would have looked at you and said “Are you sure?” Believe me, I saw the trailers and really liked them, but since Bryan Singer hadn’t made a good film since X-Men 2 I was worried for this next instalment. Fortunately my worries were misplaced as the film was SO good and it was like a love letter to fans of the film series and comics. It bridged the gap between the newer and older films and united a massive cast of actors and actresses in one place. There was so much to love about the film from like the action set-pieces, references to comics, visual style and direction, darker and more mature tone and the film’s great sense of humour. But the best thing about the film was the fact that it pretty much fixed the X-Men film timeline by creating a new reality that destroyed the previous one (take that X-Men 3!). For some this is the best comic book film of the year, but for me there is still one that is rises above.

1. CAPTAIN AMERICA 2: THE WINTER SOLDIER

For the people who know me I’d have to ask you, “Was there any doubt in your mind?” I only got to see this film twice, but it still left a massive impression on me. The reason why Captain America: TWS is still my favourite film of 2014 is because it was everything I wanted and then some and considering how plain the first film was, this sequel was a massive surprise for a lot of people. This was a genre-specific film (political thriller mixed in with action) and it did many things that no one expected, in particular re-introducing Hydra and breaking the  secret organization known as SHIELD. What we were given by Marvel Studios was a comic book film which was smart, quick in pace and had lovely character moments too. Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson pretty much perfected the roles they’ve been playing for a while now and Robert Redford, Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan did such a great job in their roles as well. I don’t think anyone expected a Captain America sequel to be so good, but it pretty much was the best effort from Marvel since The Avengers and some believe to be even better than that.

Well that’s my favourite films of 2014 so far. It has been a good year from what I’ve experienced and I’m having a much better time than I ever did this time last year. So what do you think of my choices? Do you like them or hate them? And what are your picks for th year so far? I’d love to read them so comment below and let me know. Until next people, laters! 😀