2014 was a great year for movies across all genres. The ten highest-grossing films in the world that year include Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Guardians of the Galaxy, Maleficent, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and Interstellar. Of these box office hits, seven of these films are part of a film series.

The Best of 2014

The newest offerings were Guardians of the Galaxy, which went on to become a series. Maleficent is another film that is seeing its third installment with Angelina Jolie as the title character. Interstellar is remembered as one of the only space movies that was so saturated during this time that was actually memorable. Christopher Nolan’s direction captured an accurate depiction of how black holes looked like five years before the discovery.

One of our guilty pleasures during this time period was the dystopian and post-apocalyptic films that came after the Hunger Games. You had Divergent and The Maze Runner start their own film series in 2014 in the sci-fi/action genre. Besides Nolan, some of our favorite filmmakers came out with films that hit theaters in 2014. Wes Anderson, David Fincher, James Gunn, Kevin Smith, Ava DuVernay, and Luc Besson all had amazing offerings this year. Anderson released his seventh film, The Grand Budapest Hotel. Gone Girl was Fincher’s ninth film. Gunn made his Marvel debut with Guardians of the Galaxy. Prior to that, he directed two films: Slither (2006) and Super (2010). Smith came out with his 10th film and second offering into the horror genre with the game-changing Tusk. Duvernay made her third film with the historical film drama Selma. From the director who gave us Léon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, Besson offered a new female action star with Lucy.

Take a look below at our top picks of the best movies that came out in 2014:

• 8. Whiplash

  J.K. Simmons is usually a great reason to tune in to any film, but in 2014’s Whiplash, he is truly a nasty person. When paired with Miles Teller, you can’t help but take on the aspiring drummer’s anxiety and fears as Simmons abuses him and other prospective leads in the cut-throat industry that is to become a professional musician.

• 7. John Wick

  From the film that birthed an entire franchise of Keanu Reeves kicking complete a–. The film’s first offering had audiences up in arms about how Wick’s puppy that was helping him cope with the loss of his wife was killed by assassins wanting his car. The franchise yielded three more films and revitalized Reeves’ acting career.

• 6. Guardians of the Galaxy

  As James Gunn’s first Marvel project, he blew expectations out of the water with the Guardians of the Galaxy. He nailed it with the film’s iconic soundtrack, the action scenes, the side-splitting comedy, and the color palette of the space-themed film. Gunn stated that Chris Pratt’s audition for Star-Lord was so good, he was prepared to offer him the role, even if Pratt didn’t lose fifty pounds for the character in time.

• 5. Nightcrawler

  Jake Gylenhaal’s performance in the neo-noir psychological thriller is easily in our top 3 performances of his, if not the very best. In the film, Gylenhaal is a complete delusional sociopath who discovers the world of Los Angeles’ crime journalism. To prepare for the role, the actor had the idea to lose 20 pounds, as he visualized Lou as a gaunt coyote.

• 4. Birdman

  Michael Keaton really lost his mind right before our eyes in this quirky film following a washed-up superhero actor desperate to revive his fading career by writing, directing, and starring in a Broadway production. We also see a gritty side of Emma Stone in the film, who plays his daughter.

• 3. Tusk

  Justin Long used to solely be known for comedy, but you’d be surprised to know he has starred in his fair share of fantastic horror films. Long first appeared in Jeepers Creepers in 2001, then in Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell eight years later. Then, in 2014, Kevin Smith’s Tusk completely blew our minds. The film is both utterly disturbing and hilarious. After you watch it, you will never forget it.

• 2. Gone Girl

  This David Fincher-directed film has been remembered as one of the most iconic female-led revenge roles. Rosamund Pike delivered a brilliant performance as Amy. Ben Affleck’s Nick and Pike’s Amy are two dreadfully self-centered characters who would stop at nothing to do what is necessary to survive, regardless of who it may hurt.

• 1. The Grand Budapest Hotel

  Wes Anderson blew our minds with the aethetics of this 2014 hit starring our favorite, Ralph Fiennes. When paired with Tony Revolori, the duo made for such an entertaining mashup of chaos that makes it a fun film to rewatch over and over again. According to the director, the cast stayed in the same hotel and insisted that all make-up and costume fittings happen in the lobby to speed up filming.

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