This year I discovered that working at a movie theater over the summer enables you to see a lot of movies! Though I couldn’t see every movie that came out in 2014 (which was a bit of a slow year in film), there were some real gems I was able to see. Keep in mind that this is just my own opinion, and that as of writing this I have not had a chance to see Mockingjay or Snowpiercer, both of which have had very positive audience and critical reception.

Big Hero 6

Starting out this list is the movie I’ve seen most recently, and Disney’s first animated Marvel movie. It is about Hiro Hadashi, his relationship to his brother, a big inflatable robot named Baymax, and a group of friends getting together to fight an evil villain.

At first it sounds like pretty standard family movie/superhero movie fare, but Big Hero 6 delves deeper. It’s a little hard to talk about without giving a lot away, but it deals with loss in a very real way that few movies do, let alone those meant for children. Hiro as the main character goes through a very relatable character change, and the other elements of the film, such as Baymax and his other friends, only help reinforce it.

While the plot itself is fairly predictable, it’s the characters that make Big Hero 6 so enjoyable. It has one of the most diverse casts of main characters I’ve seen in a long time, with refreshingly unique personalities. But even so, it’s hard to beat the adorable Baymax; he really is the heart of the film (and sure to spawn about a million toys) because of his universal cuteness and role as both comic relief and a logical foil to Hiro’s emotions. There’s just so many great things about Big Hero 6, it’s best to just see it for yourself.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie sort of surprised everyone when it came out very early this year. Here we have another family/kid’s movie with huge appeal. Teenagers, children, and 20-somethings alike all flocked the theater to see this movie. It capitalized on all of our childhoods – our love of Legos, and all the different characters they portrayed. As someone who would intermix different kinds of Lego sets as a child (Harry Potter and Star Wars characters often went on adventures with knights and dragons) it was particularly exciting to see how The Lego Movie weaved all these different characters together into one huge movie.

It also helped that it had such huge star power behind it, with names like Chris Pratt, Morgan Freeman, and Elizabeth Banks headlining. They’re all fantastic in it, but it’s not just that that makes the movie wonderful. A big part of it is the movie’s partially live-action third act, which taps into the imaginative way children play with Lego sets. The way the live action interacts with the animation is beautifully done. It is a funny, touching feel-good movie, and certainly a must-see.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

What is even left to say about this one, really? Even for the high standards set by Marvel with the Avengers, Winter Soldier rises above and beyond on every level. The story perfectly rides the line between complicated and convoluted without becoming too hard to understand (unless you haven’t seen the first Captain America movie). There’s a lot going on in it, but it’s presented in a way that allows die-hard Marvel fanatics, casual movie-goers, and everybody in between to enjoy it.

And I haven’t even mentioned the characters yet! Scarlett Johansson is at her badass best as Black Widow in this movie, and Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, and the one and only Samuel L. Jackson are also brilliant as Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, and Nick Fury, respectively. It’s paced incredibly well, with high-octane action scenes and quiet moments interspersed perfectly. Winter Soldier is sure to go down in the pantheon of great superhero movies, and is arguably one of the best the Marvel cinematic universe has to offer.

Gone Girl

This is one of those movies that’s basically impossible to talk about without spoiling the whole thing. Suffice it to say, this has one of the most intriguing plots I’ve seen in a film for a long time. It goes even deeper than what the already mysterious teaser already lets on.

If you don’t care about spoilers, I would encourage anyone to look up the “cool girl speech” from the movie, or the book it’s based on. It serves as a kind of very real feminist statement from a character who is pretty objectively a terrible person in every other way.

These kinds of conflicting sides a personality are what make Gone Girl so interesting; you don’t know who to root for or what you want to happen in the end. Gone Girl, with its complex characters and its hugely polarizing ending, is sure to be talked about for years to come.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Here we go, my favorite movie to come out this year, and for so many reasons. The humor, the characters, the soundtrack, the way it ties in to the Marvel universe as a whole – the list goes on. It’s refreshing to see something so different get popular in the way Guardians of the Galaxy has, especially because the Guardians are not a particularly well-known Marvel property. Especially when compared to Marvel mainstays like Iron Man, Captain America, and Spider-Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy is a much more niche series. But with this movie, they’ve exploded in popularity.

Not only did the movie do well at the box office, but the other merchandise has been selling well, too. It makes me happy, because I believe that it really does deserve the attention. It was just so fun to watch. Many people have pointed out flaws in the story or the characterization, but I simply don’t care. This movie is way too much fun to watch for me to nitpick every last detail. I love everything about it. Maybe it’s more of a personal thing for me, but I can easily overlook any flaws it does have. I now sit here, eagerly awaiting Guardians of the Galaxy 2 in 2017.

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Joel Wallick is currently pursuing a degree in film studies at Bowling Green State University with a minor in creative writing.  He has been gaming since early childhood, beginning with Pokemon Silver. Follow him on Twitter @SuperNerdJoel

Did Joel miss any great films of 2014?  Let us know in the comments below.

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