(PCM) This year is shaping up to be pretty exciting for movie-goers around the globe. With plenty of sequels to some of the most well-know franchises, long-awaited reboots and a growing amount of original stories, 2014 has the potential to be one of the best years for cinema to date. With so many movies to be excited about plus the growing popularity of 3D and IMAX technology, fans will have a lot of options when it comes to the theaters this year. To help inform the public we have decided to put together a list of 5 of the most highly anticipated movies formatted for the IMAX experience hitting theaters later this year.
1) The Amazing Spider-Man 2– Although the first installment in Sony’s Spider-Man reboot wasn’t exactly ground-breaking, it did successfully lay the foundation for a compelling and visually stunning new franchise. Director Marc Webb returns to tell the tale of Peter Parker, your average everyday kid just trying to make it through high school, but with one distinct difference..He’s a Super-Hero! After discovering his powers in the first film, Peter decides to use this gift for good and to serve humanity. But when you spend all day fighting crime and taking down the cities biggest villains, you’re bound to make a few enemies.
Based on the trailer and the constant updates being released by Sony, this is just a taste of what’s in store for our web-slinging hero. With at least two more Spidey films in the making, a Venom spinoff story and the highly anticipated Sinister Six team-up film it’s fair to say that The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a must-see blockbuster for anyone interested in what could be one of the most compelling franchise’s in the making.
2) Transformers: Age of Extinction– In spite of the many criticisms revolving around the original trilogy, most notably the poorly received sequel Revenge of the Fallen, there is no denying that the franchise was an incredible financial success, earning over 2.6 billion dollars and becoming the 4th highest-grossing film series of all time. Dark of the Moon is arguably one of the best 3D movies to date, containing action sequences unparalleled to anything seen in modern day cinema. Three years after the release Michael Bay and company are returning to the world of AutoBots with a completely new human cast and some very exciting robotic additions.
Michael Bay tends to be the butt of many of jokes in the cinema world particularly his tendencies to sacrifice story for over the top special effects. But honestly, isn’t over the top special effects and big explosions exactly what we want to see when it comes to a franchise primarily focusing on giant robot aliens? Age of Extinction will serve as the launching point for a whole new trilogy and the best part..DINOBOTS!
3) InterStellar– We still don’t know much about Nolan’s upcoming project but based on his track record (Inception, Memento), its safe to say that this is one of the most highly anticipated movies of 2014. Based on a group of explorers who use a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel, InterStellar has the potential to be one the best films in recent history.
After spending a decade creating a Batman franchise that managed to elevate the super-hero genre from popcorn-flicks to Academy award winning motion pictures, the visionary director is back to tell an original sci-fi story. It has been four years since the last time we saw something new from the fan favorite film-maker outside of the Dark Knight Trilogy with Inception. The highly praised science fiction drama won four Oscars and was nominated for a total of eight Academy awards, all in all setting the bar pretty high for renowned director.
4) Godzilla– The classic movie monster gets a remake in his epic return to the big screen. Some of todays hottest actors/actresses such as Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad), Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Kick-Ass, Savages) and Elizabeth Olsen (OldBoy, Avengers 2) will team up in this modern day retelling of the iconic monster movie franchise. We still don’t know much about the upcoming sci-fi disaster flick except we will get to see Godzilla taking on M.U.T.O. a monstrous creation which threatens our very existence.
Godzilla will be the second “kaiju” monster film released by legendary pictures in the past 2 years, following Guillermo del Toro’s semi-successful original story, Pacific Rim. Rebooting a franchise as old and as well-established as Godzilla is no small feat when you consider how many times the iconic monster has been seen on the silver screen over the last 60 years. Not to mention the negative stigma that still surrounds Godzilla thanks to Roland Emmerich’s 1998 version that ruined the character for many fans of the franchise. We still don’t have much to go on but so far it looks like the newest installment will finally give fans a reason to rejoice at the sight of GODZILLA!
5) Edge Of Tomorrow– Many of you are probably rolling your eyes at the thought of another Tom Cruise action movie but there is still the possibility that Edge of Tomorrow will be one of the most exciting and visually appealing movies of 2014. Centered around a soldier fighting in a war with aliens who finds himself caught in a time loop reliving his last day in the battle, Cruise teams up with Emily Blount, sharpening his skills along the way.
Love him or hate him there is no denying that there are very few actors who are bigger or more bankable than Tom Cruise. Sticking with the sci-fi genre, Cruise stars in this adaptation of Hiroshi Sakurazaka’s All You Need Is Kill as a soldier who keeps living his last day over and over again. Basically the same premise as Groundhog Day but instead of being stuck in a Podunk little town, Edge of Tomorrow is set in a futuristic mech-warrior universe where the main character dies over and over again.
Im sure many of you out there may not agree with some of our picks or have your own list of the top 5 IMAX movies hitting the theaters this year. We would love to hear from you! Please leave your thoughts or alternate picks in our comment section below.
The post 5 Must See IMAX Movies of 2014 also appeared on PCM Reviews.