Top 10 Most Anticipated Films Of 2014

Our guide to the hottest upcoming films releasing in the next twelve months.
Let's begin with a word of warning, as such a prelude is necessitated here: 2014 will not likely be remembered as one of the film industry's defining years. Like 2015 (which could in turn either revolutionise or destroy the industry as a whole), the next year of cinema is stuffed full of sequels, prequels and reboots, and while there are certainly a good deal of great cinematic ventures to look forward to, the slate isn't quite as thrilling as it was when we initially looked upon 2015.

Even so, what 2014 does have should still do the box office proud. The main purpose of this article is to educate you, dear reader, on the ten blockbusters and more subtle works of cinema which promise to highlight the next twelve months. First, though, we'll open with those flicks that have narrowed missed out on a place in the final ten, yet which will still definitely warrant the industry and its audience's attention before the end of the coming year...

• #20-#15 (in descending order): How To Catch A Monster (Release Date TBC); Transformers: Age of Extinction (June); How To Train Your Dragon 2 (June); Transcendence (April); Guardians of the Galaxy (August); Captain America: The Winter Soldier (March)
• #14-#11 (in descending order): Into The Woods (December); The Wolf of Wall Street (January); Interstellar (November); 12 Years A Slave (January)

With that business done and dusted, onto the main event. Here are On-Screen's Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2014:

10. THE INBETWEENERS MOVIE 2- Jay, Simon, Neil and Will all made their big-screen debut with The Inbetweeners Movie in 2011, and after the shock smash success of the Brit film here in the UK, Film4 predictably commissioned a sequel. The gang are off to Australia in their second cinematic outing, where an all manner of crass antics will no doubt ensue within moments of their plane landing...(August)
9. AMERICAN HUSTLE- Christian Bale. Jennifer Lawrence. Amy Adams. Bradley Cooper. If those four actors' names aren't enough to make American Hustle an essential night out for viewers, then some serious consideration of your priorities may be in order. Surprisingly, American Hustle is going down a hit with awards committees too, so expect a film worthy of both mainstream and critical audiences here! (January)

8. THE LEGO MOVIE- It was only a matter of time: what with Travellers Tales' amassed acclaim in producing their LEGO videogame franchise from LEGO Star Wars to LEGO Marvel Superheroes, Warner Brothers have now scooped up the rights for a full-blown block-busting motion picture. Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell and Morgan Freeman himself are all on hand to assist in the assembling of potential greatness. (February)

7. THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2- Despite a merely above-average first instalment in his rebooted franchise, the Webbed Wonder is back for a sequel with more villains than ever. Whether a single narrative can handle having Rhino, the Green Goblin and Electro remains to be seen, but the journey to discover the truth of the matter should be akin to that of a rollercoaster ride! (April)

6. DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES- Though an age feels as if it has passed since Rise of the Planet of the Apes' 2011 release, anticipation for the sequel hasn't diminished one iota. For the fictitious world at large, an age has passed- ten years, in fact, in which humanity has virtually gone extinct thanks to a deadly plague, leaving just a few survivors in the midst of an ape civil war. Bring it on...(July)

5. THE BOOK THIEF- Brian Percival's film adaptation of The Book Thief is one of the most anticipated films of 2014 for many movie-goers, and with good reason. Marcus Zuzak's teen fiction novel remains a cult hit, its replication of Nazi Germany still regarded as a chilling, incredible rendition through which an unforgettable narrative is conveyed, a narrative ripe with cinematic promise. (January)

4. THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1- I was taken wholly off guard by the unrelenting strength of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire last month, in no small part as a result of Francis Lawrence's accomplished direction. Lawrence returns for both halves of the franchise's two-part finale, set to commence next Winter as Katniss spearheads a revolution against the omnipotent Capital...(November)
3. MUPPETS MOST WANTED- Not since The Muppets' launch in 2012 have we witnessed a movie reboot which has managed to shock and inspire such a vast plethora of fans old and new. Crafting a sequel in the hope of reaching the same levels of acclaim must have Muppets Most Wanted's production team in angst right now, but the signs that the follow-up could be a hit are particularly strong so far. (March)

2. THE FAULT IN OUR STARS- The Descendants' Shaliene Woodley may have been axed from the cast of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 in post-produciton edits, yet at least she's still got a major chance to shine with this long-in-development adaptation of John Green's beloved sick-lit text. The Fault In Our Stars is already an absolutely essential read, and the film may well earn much the same cult status! (June)
1. X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST- As of December 28th, I can't clearly determine a film set for release in 2014 which has me quite as excited as Les Miserables did this time last year. All the same, of what is on offer, X-Men: Days of Future Past is currently the pinnacle in terms of overall anticipation. The pre-/se-quel brings together the cast ensembles of the original X-Men trilogy and 2011's First Class against an army of time-warping Sentinels led by Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage, and unless the teaser trailer houses literally every subtle and emotional moment in the piece, then Days of Future Past could be the most dramatically charged instalment of the series yet, a true redefining of the benchmark on which superhero films, and indeed movies in general, are currently measured and assessed. (May)