As 2014 draws to a close, we’re sticking to our annual tradition of appreciating our favorite geeky things from the past year. Yesterday we began by looking at some of the biggest disappointments of 2014. With the negativity out of the way, today we’re turning to the positive side of the year. We polled the Fandomania staff to find out what everyone’s favorite movies for 2014 were, and here are the results.
Guardians of the Galaxy
“There hasn’t been a movie for a long time that brought me back to my childhood like this one did. It wasn’t just the nostalgia of the soundtrack and references; it was just plain fun. A nearly perfect movie.” – Chad Walker
“The least known team in Marvel’s cinematic universe managed to blow away expectations with the most fun comic book movie of the entire Marvel roster and James Gunn’s best directorial work of his career.” – Jason
“How original, I know. Everyone and their mother loved this movie but let me tell you. I never knew one could shed tears over a tree. While Chris Pratt walked away as everyone’s crush because of that movie, Groot was my main man.” – Kendra Beltran
“Even though I’m a comic fan, I had never read anything with the Guardians prior to the movie. If you had told me that I’d fall in love with a loud-mouth raccoon and a tree, I wouldn’t have believed you, but that’s exactly what I did. I am Groot.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
“Marvel really hasn’t gone wrong with its movies so far. Guardians of the Galaxy was a fun adventure from start to finish. I enjoyed the kooky cast of characters and the soundtrack was par excellence.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
“No one thought this would work. I mean a movie with a talking raccoon and a tree? Yet it was one of the best movies of the year. It had humor, mystery, and touching moments. Rocket and Groot stole the show, in my opinion. Hopefully these outlaws team up with the Avengers later on. It would be hilarious.” – Nikki Day
“Best overall movie experience in 2014, hands down. A well-crafted adventurous and humorous romp with superheroes, villains, Chris Pratt with muscles, an awesome mix tape, a tough guy talking tree, a talking raccoon, and a dancing baby tree. Dance-off, Bro!” – Ava DiGioia
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
“I never expected The Winter Soldier to become my overall favorite Marvel Studios movie, but now here we are. It twists the superhero genre into political intrigue with a combination of high flying action and Tom Clancy-esque espionage.” – Jason
“Who would have thought a movie released in April would dominate the box office? And it was so good. There was not a down beat to be had and it’s a great adaptation of a great comic. The whole cast was great and the twist of Hydra really helped change the Marvel Universe. I can’t wait to see how this impacts Avengers 2.” – Nikki Day
“Fun fact — I am not a big fan of Bucky Barnes, but I adore The Winter Soldier. With a turn for the brainwashed best friend, a more-adapted Steve, and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., this movie had everything a comic fan or a plain movie-verse fan could hope for. Bring on Phase III!” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
“Sebastian Stan. I mean, this movie made Captain America more likeable to me. He was dealing with being the modern world and reemergence of Hydra. The movie was great from start to finish and will lead to a much darker storyline in the future.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
X-Men: Days of Future Past
“I grew up on the X-Men comics, and my favorite parts of canon are the ones focused on Professor X and Magneto’s complex relationship. This movie helped to tie together both the past and the present into a great exploration of not only their history, but also the ways they have affected all those around them.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
“Time-traveling Wolverine; the characters’ younger selves teaming up with their older selves to set right what had gone wrong; some of the best actors of each age group in Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence. A riveting tale brought the movie franchise canon back into balance.” – Ava DiGioia
“I’m generally a much bigger fan of the Marvel Studios movies than I am of the Marvel films made by other companies, but Fox’s Days of Future Past is good enough to make me take pause. It amazingly makes me almost forget about the mess that was X-Men 3.” – Jason
“This movie made up for X-Men: First Class and The Last Stand. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Quicksilver’s appearance was one of the best things about the movie, one of many highlights.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
The LEGO Movie
“A movie built around LEGOs… you’re kidding, right? But, with witty pop culture references and one-liners, this movie showed us that toys can be snarky and fun. ‘I’m Batman.'” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
“What grownup went opening weekend all by herself and saw this? This one. I absolutely loved the message that even the most normal person on the surface can be extraordinary in the grand scheme of things.” – Kendra Beltran
Edge of Tomorrow
“Tom Cruise has been showing up in thoughtful sci-fi roles for the past few years, and this year’s Edge of Tomorrow presents the best of them. The movie plays smart with some usually clumsy sci-fi tropes, and Emily Blunt kicks an astounding amount of ass.” – Jason
How to Train Your Dragon 2
“Dragons! Another great story that was also enjoyable for most ages. It moved the story forward from the first movie. The coming of age chapter for Hiccup, his friends, and their dragons is told with humor, beautiful animation, and a gamut of emotions that leave you feeling fantastic and hopeful.” – Ava DiGioia
The Skeleton Twins
“Bill Hader is my imaginary husband and Kristen Wiig is my best friend, so you can imagine my excitement when this was announced and how wide eyed I sat in the theater when it came out. It was far from a blockbuster but it touched on the reality of depression, addiction, and suicide beautifully while still attaching humor to make it a full circle story of one aspect of the human experience.” – Kendra Beltran
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
“The new era of Planet of the Apes movies is giving us really good and provocative science fiction that isn’t just about the action. It questions morality and human society in the way good sci-fi always should do.” – Jason
Godzilla
“Sure, the big guy doesn’t make an appearance until halfway into the movie but I still loved it. I liked Ken Watanabe’s inclusion in the film. Bryan Cranston gave a great performance that was woefully cut short. It was epic watching Godzilla fight against the mutated creature.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
Maleficent
“Sometimes movies have perfect casting for their characters, so much so that you can’t imagine anyone else in the role. This is what happened here, with Angelina Jolie showing us that we don’t know all there is to know about the Sleeping Beauty tale. You could feel her anguish, her joy and, in the end, you wanted her to win no matter what.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
Big Hero 6
“First time out with Disneyfied Marvel characters, and it worked. Appealed to not only the age group it was aimed at, but also all the ages above that number. I belly laughed till tears came. I was filled with sadness till tears came. I forgot that I was viewing an animated movie because the characters were so well developed and the emotions so real. It will become part of the home collection that will be watched repeatedly.” – Ava DiGioia
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
“I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s always been on my list before and for good reason. I adore the film series. I know some people don’t like it as much as LOTR, but I love it. It does have flaws, I won’t deny that, but I think it’s a wonderful story to be told. The acting is fantastic and I can’t wait to see how it wraps up.” – Nikki Day
The Boxtrolls
“If The LEGO Movie wasn’t around this year, I’d pick this as the best animated film. Plus it gave people some of the best and easiest Halloween costumes.” – Kendra Beltran
