10) Star Trek: Into Darkness
The second instalment in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek series featured beloved British actor Benedict Cumberbatch to play its central villain Khan, and I think that was one of the best decisions made this year. Cumberbatch brought menace and intimidation to the notorious character, and brought the film considerably higher than it would have been without him. With skilful casting and a well-realised world, Star Trek: Into Darkness managed to impress me far more than I had imagined.
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| Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch) |
With a cast as funny as James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel & Michael Cera (just to name a few), it isn't hard to see why This Is The End was my favourite comedy of the year. The fact every actor in the movie simply played an exaggerated version of themselves added to the hilarity, and the plot itself was humorous enough to keep the jokes flowing at a more than consistent pace. There may have been more jokes about penises than needed, but that doesn't detract from how funny This Is The End really was.
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| James Franco (As himself) |
8) Wreck-It Ralph
A small loophole in this list, Wreck-It Ralph was technically released to American audiences well before the end of 2012, but over here in England we didn't get to experience this amazing Disney animation until February of this year. Wreck-It Ralph celebrated video games with its constant nods to iconic heroes and villains from countless beloved genres, and appealed to all audiences regardless of age. I'd go as far to say that it's not only one of my top movies this year, but one of my favourite animated movies I have seen.
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| Wreck-It Ralph (John C. Riley) |
7) Evil Dead
Evil Dead is a phenomenally gory film. I don't remember the last time I cringed so much that I almost had to cover my ears just to block out the incredibly realistic sounds featured in Fede Alvarez's re-telling of this classic horror story. I think this is the first example I've experienced a horror movie re-make which is not only as entertaining as the original, but surpasses it on almost every level. The only thing that this updated version was lacking was iconic actor Bruce Campbell, but even that is fixed in a very brief post-credits scene. It's definitely not for everyone, but Evil Dead is a gruesomely enjoyable film.
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| Mia (Jane Levy) |
Following his 2009 sci-fi success District 9, director Neill Blomkamp delivered yet again with his bleak vision of a future where the rich live on an orbiting space-station called Elysium, whilst everybody else resides on the dirty slums of Earth. Matt Damon is at the helm as Max, but the show is definitely stolen by Sharlto Copley who featured in Blomkamp's other movie, this time as a violent killer named Kruger. Elysium featured some of the best CGI I have seen, and had action scenes which were exciting and eventful. The story wasn't always as engaging as it could have been, but it was easily my second favourite sci-fi movie of the year.
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| Kruger (Sharlto Copley) |
5) Gravity
Many hailed Gravity as one of the best films so far this decade, and although I don't agree with that, it was definitely one of the most engaging movies due to the phenomenal musical score and breath-taking cinematography. Although Sandra Bullock was the leading role as engineer Ryan Stone, George Clooney stands out due to the fact he seems a lot like you'd imagine an astronaut would. The real star of the show however is space itself; as it sucks you in and doesn't let go until the final few minutes of the movie.
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| Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) |
4) The Conjuring
2013 was certainly the year of James Wan when it came to horror, and The Conjuring was the movie which stuck with me for days after leaving the cinema. It created tension unlike anything else in recent memory, usually to an unbearable level. The plot wasn't hugely original, but being based on real-life paranormal researchers Ed & Lorraine Warren was a nice touch, especially as the couple were presented very realistically by Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga, respectively. James Wan's clever camera-trickery and terrifying imagery meant that The Conjuring didn't need to use any violence or gore in order to earn itself a '15' rating, which is based solely upon how scary it is, making it my favourite horror film this year.
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| Ed Warren (Patrick Wilson) |
3) Prisoners
Prisoners was a real surprise this year. It certainly wasn't an easy watch, and was incredibly dark at times, but leading man Hugh Jackman managed to convey the emotions a father who has lost his daughter would go through so successfully that the violence and torture was almost justifiable. Jackman is definitely not the only talented actor in the film however, with Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano being just as much of an on-screen presence. With a twist I personally didn't see coming at all, Prisoners is a movie which is ridiculously engrossing and interesting, if a little edgy at times.
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| Alex Jones & Detective Loki (Paul Dano & Jake Gyllenhaal) |
2) Django Unchained
Another loophole, Django Unchained was released in the UK January of this year, so it qualifies to be on this list. Tarantino more than delivered with his post-civil war movie which focused on freed slave Django (Jamie Foxx) and his quest to find and save his wife Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) from despicable plantation owner Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio). The music is perfect, the action is perfect and the acting is more than perfect. Django Unchained and the #1 spot are fairly interchangeable, as both are excellent movies which should be seen by everybody.
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| Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio) |
1) Captain Phillips
Easily the most tense, nail-biting movie I have ever seen, Captain Phillips is terrifying from start to finish. Based on a real-life ship Captain by the same name, the movie focuses on the boarding of his ship by Somalian pirates and the eventual hostage situation which ensues. Legendary actor Tom Hanks portrays the Captain to such a believable degree that my heart was beating out of my chest towards the closing scenes of the movie. I will be incredibly surprised if Hanks doesn't earn several Oscars for his performance in Captain Phillips as it is effortlessly the best piece of acting I have seen all year.
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| Captain Phillips (Tom Hanks) |
And so there are my favourite movies I have seen this year. It's certainly a mixed-bag when it comes to genres, but each and every film on this list stuck with me for a long time after watching. I'd like to thank everybody who has supported me by reading the many posts I have written this year, as it really does mean a lot to know I have an audience for the countless reviews I've put out. Lets hope that 2014 has many more movie-going experiences which surpass the amazing things released this year!
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