The year of film in 2014 has gotten off to a solid start so
far; we’ve seen Oscar winners like 12 Years a Slave dazzle movie-goers in
addition to other flicks such as The Lego Movie making their mark even though
they seem lacklustre at first glance. But the year is also shaping up to return
many franchises to the silver screen, some of which haven’t been heard from in
years. Don’t know what they are? This guide should jog your memory a bit.
March
The Raid 2: Berandal (March 28th)
Perhaps the least well-known film on the list, Berandal is
the sequel to the 2012 Malaysian film ‘’The Raid: Redemption. A thunderous,
brutal and all around excellent film; it had some of the best and most
realistic hand-to-hand combat ever put to film in recent memory. Berandal aims
to feature a more in-depth story featuring protagonist Rama’s attempts to keep
his family safe from the ruthless criminal underworld he wronged in the
original film. Add to this the director Gareth Evans returning and you have a
recipe for even more incredibly tense moments.
April-June
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (4th April)
Three years after ‘’Captain America: The First Avenger’’ and
two years after ‘’The Avengers’’ another popular Marvel superhero makes his
return to the big screen with ‘’The Winter Soldier and already it seems to
rival The Avengers in terms of extravagance. New characters such as the Falcon
and even more special effects than the original film all seek to make ‘’The
Winter Soldier’’ better than the first in every way possible.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2nd)
The Amazing Spider-Man rebooted the famous superhero with
great success two years ago, being more in line with the comics rather than the
realistic tone seen in the Sam Raimi films. The sequel wants to go bigger in
every way; there are more villains this time with Jamie Fox playing Electro and
Paul Giamatti as the Rhino in the cinematic debuts of both villains. Last time
a Spider-Man film tried to handle multiple villains, the reactions were mixed
with many agreeing that Venom (Topher Grace) didn’t have nearly enough time to
develop in Spider-Man 3. Can The Amazing Spider-Man make good on its promises?
Godzilla (16th May)
Aside from the constant stream of Japanese flicks created by
Tohp, Godzilla hasn’t been in a western movie since 1998; directed by Roland
Emmerich, the flick was supposed to introduce the famous monster to western
audiences but instead it fell flat both critically and commercially, often
missing the mark completely when it came to fitting Godzilla’s main
characteristics. Now Legendary Pictures and director Gareth Edwards are
rebooting the series, hoping that lightning won’t strike a second time. Things
seem quite good from the looks of the trailers with Aaron-Taylor Johnson and
Bryan Cranston filling out the main roles. But even with these top tier actors,
the most important priority is to get the titular monster right this time
around.
X-Men: Days of Future Past (23rd May)
It’s been a very long time since the last proper X-Men film;
since 2006’s ‘’The Last Stand’’ we’ve seen a few spin-offs focused on
characters like Wolverine, but never a film that brings together all the
characters to continue the story. That is what makes Days of Future Past one of
the biggest films of the year, not only is every single actor returning to
reprise their roles in the previous three main entries but so is Bryan Singer,
director of Superman Returns and X-Men 2 which many argue is the best of the
series. DOFP seems to have greatness written all over it and comic book fans
should be in for a treat when the film releases in May.
22 Jump Street (13th June)
Similar to 300, 21 Jump Street also achieved a solid fan
following; the buddy cop duo of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, combined with
some witty writing, resulted in a successful comedy which did well enough to
spawn a sequel. 22 Jump Street will be bringing the duo back together, this
time to crack a crime ring inside a fraternity. Comedy lovers will no doubt get
their due when the film launches in the summer.
How to train your Dragon 2 (13th June)
Seeing as the original 2010 film was one the best users of 3D
besides Avatar, How to train your dragon 2 from Dreamworks has received a great
deal of anticipation stretching over four years. The original was a well-loved
animated film but it was snubbed at the Oscars by the likes of Toy Story 3 and
The Social Network. With those films out of the way, 2014 is ample time for
HTTYD2 to make a more long-lasting impression on both critics and movie-going
masses alike.
Transformers: Age of Extinction (27th June)
Michael Bay’s bug budget adaptations of the popular toys have
upset many a critic yet thrilled many an audience and the series returns this
year with the fourth film titled ‘’Age of Extinction’’. Gone are Shia Lebeouf
and Megan Fox and in comes Mark Wahlberg along with many new Transformers of
both the Autobot and Decepticon varieties. Given the huge financial success of
the previous films, ‘’Age of Extinction’’ is sure to give action fans
everything they want to see from a summer blockbuster.
July-September
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (11th July)
After an original series, remake and reboot in 2011, the
Planet of the Apes series returns with ‘’Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’’.
Directed by Matt Reeves and taking actors like Gary Oldman and Jason Clarke on board,
DPOA is set to continue the story of Caesar and his band of super intelligent
apes while also covering the ethical and scientific questions raised in ‘’Rise
of the Planet of the Apes’’. Overly long titles aside DPOA looks to continue
the original’s success this summer.
Sin City: A Dame to kill for (22nd August)
With a nearly ten year gap between it and it’s predecessor,
Sin City: A Dame to kill for has some huge expectations to meet. The film is
another partnership between Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller to bring the
popular comic book to the silver screen once again. The ante is definitely
being upped for the sequel with actors such as Joesph-Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green
and Lady Gaga joining the roster, but the film will also stay true to what made
the original so memorable including a non-linear narrative, fully digitised
sets and of course a gritty and blood-soaked story fuelled to entertain. With
luck, Rodriguez and company will pull through and deliver the sequel fans have
been wanting for so many years.
October-December
Night at the Museum 3 (19th December):
Conspicuously slipping in for Christmas, Night at the Museum 3 marks the latest
in the comedic series after a four year gap. Very little is known about the
plot but both director Shawn Levy and Ben Stiller as security guard Larry Daley
will be returning for perhaps the final instalment in the series. Trailers and
images are sure to pop up on the web later on in the year.
So there you have it, all the film franchises which are
making their return this year. What are your most anticipated films for the
remainder of 2014?
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