Spider-Man's greatest battle leads the charge of high-octane adventures heading our way in the weeks ahead.If this is the month in which you've elected to pay closer attention to upcoming entertainment releases, then count yourself lucky, since although April can often be a hit and miss period, in 2014 it appears to fall firmly into the former category. Barely two to three days will go by without a much-anticipated product of some kind landing in cinemas, television programming schedules or retailers, so industry fans are guaranteed to have a busy yet rewarding time trying to keep on top of it all.
As ever, though, there's no better place to start than right here, as we countdown our Top 5 Most Anticipated Releases of the month and debut our definitive guide to all of April 2014's key release dates:
TOP 5 MOST ANTICIPATED RELEASES
5. LEGO THE HOBBIT- Unlike the somewhat underwhelming LEGO Marvel Superheroes last November, LEGO The Lord of the Rings managed to push Travellers' Tales' beloved franchise of action platformers into bold new territory, and the development team's spiritual successor should hopefully do much the same two years later. LEGO The Hobbit depicts the events of both An Unexpected Journey and The Desolation of Smaug (with There & Back Again set to be launched as post-release DLC later this year), boasting hilarious new team-based gameplay mechanics courtesy of the films' Company of Dwarves, not to mention an expanded open-world rendition of Middle-Earth- honestly, what more could you ask of a game? (Friday 11th- One, PS4, 360, PS3, WiiU, 3DS, Vita, PC)
4. TRANSCENDENCE- In any other month, Johnny Depp's latest big-screen thriller would have a clear shot at the throne for our Most Anticipated Release without a shadow of a doubt. Despite its narrow defeat in that regard, Transcendence could be a true genre game-changer, its dealings with not-so-alien science-fiction concepts enabling it to provide a more grounded take on the limits of modern science (and indeed, the ramifications of our potential future transcendence of them) while simultaneously uniting a whole host of esteemed thespians such as Depp, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Rebecca Hall and Paul Murphy in the process. (Friday 25th)
3. DEREK- Before we go any further, if you've yet to witness the first season of Derek for yourself, then stop reading this article, start a free trial on Netflix and do so this very instant. Back? Barring a select few ardent Gervais apatheists, the general consensus regarding the British director's latest small-screen project was overwhelmingly positive, the only real issue being the pressure exerted on Gervais to match the wonderful first run this Spring. Judging by Channel 4's first teaser trailer for Season Two, however, we're in for another treat, and even if Derek can't buck the trend of Gervais' traditional two-season limit for his shows, it's been nothing short of a pleasure to spend over ten hours in the company of Broad Hill's staff and residents! (Wednesday 23rd & 30th- Channel 4)
2. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2- Regardless of where you stand on the film's oh-so-extensive marketing campaign, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has demonstrated potential in abundance over the past six months or so, and we sincerely hope that it seizes its window of opportunity to impress with both hands, for the sake of the franchise moreso than Sony Pictures' wallets. Hot on the heels of the ferocious Lizard, New York City is about to be beset by Jamie Foxx's Electro, Paul Giamatti's Rhino and Dane DeHaan's Green Goblin, and once again, there's just one web-slinging defender of justice standing between them and national chaos- Spider-Man's greatest battle begins right here...(Friday 18th)
1. GAME OF THRONES- Naturally, though, only one returning entertainment franchise could truly justify its claim to the top spot on our prestigious list. Over the course of just three seasons, Game of Thrones has become something of a cultural phenomenon, and its reign as the king of fantastical televisual drama isn't showing any signs of faltering with the première of its fourth run in the US and the UK (at precisely the same time, no less!). This writer has already read A Storm of Swords Part 2, but will keep schtum for now on the shocks that are in store for TV-exclusive fans this time around, particularly in Episode 2, The Lion and the Rose. Just you wait, though- change is afoot in Westeros, and the Red Wedding was truly just the beginning. (Monday 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th- Sky Atlantic, HBO)
THE RELEASE DATES GUIDE
Monday 7th- DVD & BLU-RAY: The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; TV: Game of Thrones: Two Swords; MUSIC: Now! That's What I Call Music 87
Tuesday 8th- TV: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: Turn, Turn, Turn
Friday 11th- GAMES: LEGO The Hobbit
Monday 14th- DVD & BLU-RAY: Nebraska; TV: Game of Thrones: The Lion and the Rose
Tuesday 15th- TV: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD: Providence
Wednesday 16th- TV: Arrow: The Man Under The Hood
Friday 18th- MOVIES: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
Monday 21st- DVD & BLU-RAY: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty; TV: Game of Thrones: Breaker of Chains
Tuesday 22nd- GAMES: Batman: Arkham Origins- Cold, Cold Heart; TV: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Episode 19
Wednesday 23rd- TV: Derek Episode 1; Arrow: Seeing Red
Friday 25th- MOVIES: Transcendence
Monday 28th- DVD & BLU-RAY: Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom; American Hustle; TV: Game of Thrones: Oathkeeper
Wednesday 30th- TV: Derek Episode 2; Arrow: City of Blood
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