Does a blockbuster have to be simplistic? Good vs evil, bombastic special effects, product placement and completely sold on special effects... that kind of thing. Or can a blockbuster be intelligent? Personally, I think blockbusters can be dumb as fuck or smart as science and stuff. I don't mind them being dim witted, as long as they dazzle me with something I haven't seen before or make me care about their simplistic characters! But neither do I mind if they make my mind do some mental somersaults.
Anyway, enough with the questions and half-hearted answers. I'm counting any film with a budget of over $100 million as a blockbuster for this list. As far as I can tell, I saw 17 films released this year with that kind of meg-budget behind them. With a top 10 list like this, there always has to be losers, so the ones that missed out on a place in the final 10 were: Transformers: Age of Extinction, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Hercules, Pompeii, RoboCop, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and (whisper it) Guardians of the Galaxy (sorry everybody in the world ever!)
So without further ado, here are my top 10 blockbusters of 2014:
10. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Epic end to what shouldn't have actually been a very epic story. The best compliment I can pay this film (and Peter Jackson) is that ever since I saw it, I have been desperate to have an LOTR binge session.
9. How to Train Your Dragon 2
Wish I'd seen this in a cinema on the biggest screen possible.
8. Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Again, wish I'd seen this on a sensible sized screen, rather than on a crappy little screen on a plane to Cuba.
7. Edge of Tomorrow
Just for the joy of seeing Tom Cruise playing a coward and getting killed over and over again.
6. Godzilla
Got to go to the premiere of this for Filmoria and chat to Bryan Cranston on the red carpet. Shame he didn't have a bigger role in the actual film though.
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past
Not a huge superhero movie fan but this was an epic cast and had the added bonus of time travel. That Quicksilver scene was jaw dropping.
4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
The Apes of Wrath return in a sequel that was at least as good as its predecessor. I just love the way these films are so tragic. We all know where it is all leading but it has been a hell of a ride getting there so far.
3. The Wolf of Wall Street
Not sure if this is really a blockbuster but it has the budget to back it up and a huge cast going balls out. Jordan Belfort is a disgusting man who I really hope gets nothing from this movie but what a movie it was. Also contains the funniest scene of the entire year.
2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1
Aided immeasurably by Lawrence’s powerful performance, Katniss is still the current queen of science fiction cinema and if Mockingjay is anything to go by, this franchise is building to an explosive and no doubt incredibly emotional conclusion.
1. Interstellar
Emotion + Intelligence + Spectacle = A near perfect blockbuster
What were your favourite blockbusters of 2014?
More 2014 lists at I Love That Film:
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