The 10 movies you need to see in 2014

The Lego Movie (7th February)

Minifigure Emmet discovers that he’s "the Special," the saviour of the Lego universe, and has to stop evil Lord Business from gluing all the Lego bricks together. So far, so predictable – but The Lego Movie looks set to merrily subvert the hoary old Hero’s Journey. There are plenty of gags for older Lego fans, like the Blue Spaceman’s cracked space helmet, and an awesome cast including Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks and Liam Neeson. Oh, and a year before Batman vs Superman hits cinemas, you’ll be able to see the superheroes teaming up in this. Voiced by Channing Tatum and Will Arnett, no less.

Veronica Mars (14th March)

The first cinematic Kickstarter success story, this spin-off of the cult TV show raised a whopping US$5.7 million on the crowdfunding site. It picks up 10 years after the show’s finale, with the titular private eye revisiting her hometown in a bid to clear her ex-boyfriend of a murder rap.

Creator Rob Thomas stresses that you don’t need to have seen the show to understand the film – and as a glimpse at the future of crowdfunded film-making, it’s essential viewing.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (4th April)

The Marvel superhero returns for his first outing since Avengers Assemble – and this film looks like a very different beast to the four-colour heroics of his first two movies. Based around the popular "Winter Soldier" storyline, it looks set to be a more nuanced look at government agency SHIELD’s activities, paying homage to the conspiracy films of the 1970s. Marvel’s even gone as far as casting All The President’s Men star Robert Redford in a key role.

Transcendence (18th April)

Christopher Nolan’s regular cinematographer Wally Pfister makes his directorial debut with this tale of artificial intelligence gone wrong. Johnny Depp stars as a scientist whose consciousness is uploaded into a computer after a terrorist attack – but as he discovers newfound powers, he quickly becomes a threat.

Pfister’s rounded up a stellar cast, with Kate Mara, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman and Cillian Murphy in supporting roles – and it’s certainly going to look fantastic. Will Pfister outshine Nolan this year? We’ll just have to wait and see.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2nd May)

The first of the rebooted Spider-Man films boasted fantastic chemistry between its leads Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, but the tone hewed a little too close to gritty superhero films like The Dark Knight for comfort. Fortunately, the sequel seems to be harking back to Spidey’s more vivid four-colour adventures, with the web-slinger taking on villains Electro, the Rhino and the Green Goblin in a Times Square showdown. While, presumably, juggling his active social life and relationships.

Godzilla (16th May)

Monsters director Gareth Edwards has past form with giant creatures – now he’s got the most iconic one of all to play with. And an appropriately colossal budget. He’s spent it wisely, rounding up a cast including Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston to flee from giant radioactive beasties as they demolish major landmarks. Unlike the lamentable 1998 film, this one looks – from the glimpses we’ve seen – to have nailed the look of Godzilla, so hopes are high.

X-Men: Days of Future Past (23rd May)

Twentieth Century Fox is pouring everything into its latest X-Men adventure, recruiting Bryan Singer, the director of the first film in the series, and cribbing from perhaps the best-loved story in the comic book’s history.

The time-hopping plot sees Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine travelling to the 1970s in order to avert a mutant apocalypse in the future. Accordingly, the film features almost every actor who’s appeared in the series, from the original films to the 1960s-set prequel First Class.

It could be a feast for the senses, or a bloated, overstuffed mess – only time will tell.

Guardians of the Galaxy (1st August)

Marvel Studios is taking a big risk with its upcoming film, eschewing Earthbound superheroes in favour of a Star Wars-style space adventure spectacular based on a comic book that no-one’s heard of. Which stars, among others, a tree-person who can only say the words "I am Groot!" and an anthropomorphic raccoon. The tree’s played by Vin Diesel. The raccoon’s played by Bradley Cooper. Karen Gillan from Doctor Who is in it, and she’s bald. This is actually a thing that is happening.

Interstellar (7th November)

Little is known about Chris Nolan’s upcoming sci-fi epic, apart from the fact that it’s about scientists who discover how to travel far out into the universe through a wormhole.

One thing’s for sure, though – it’s set to be spectacular, with Nolan using his favourite IMAX format to shoot aerial footage by whacking the camera in the nose cone of a Learjet. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and (of course) Michael Caine star.

The Hobbit: There and Back Again (17th December)

Some may question Peter Jackson’s wisdom in turning a 310-page children’s fantasy novel into three three-hour-plus movies. But we’re so delighted to return to Middle-Earth that we just don’t care. The final instalment in the Hobbit trilogy is set to be the darkest and most emotional of the three, with deaths and betrayals on the menu. Along with a generous helping of epic battles and spectacle too, of course.