MenStuff’s Top 5 Action Movies Of 2014 (So Far)

2014 has already been jam-packed with some man-tastic action movies – more so than any other year it seems – but while we head into the holiday period and prepare for some Christmas and family-themed flicks, lets take a look back at some of the biggest and best big-screen action blockbusters that tickled our fancy this year:

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Marvel’s own big-screen adaptations have always been great, but the studio has somehow managed to find an even greater stride with “Phase 2” of their cinematic universe.

The second Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, completely flipped what people expected to see in the sequel, showing a different side of S.H.I.E.L.D, the universe and Captain America himself.

The action was immense, the interaction between Cap and the modern world he is trying to adapt to was endearing, and the story ended up being arguably the most pivotal in terms of what Marvel has planned for Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Snowpiercer

OK, so technically Snowpiercer came out in 2013 in some foreign countries, but it only managed to hit South African cinemas recently, so it counts.

Snowpiercer is one of the most interesting and unique films to come out this year, showcasing a claustrophobic setting aboard a bullet train traveling across a post-apocalyptic Earth.

Chris Evans once again does a fantastic job in the lead of the film, portraying a tragic yet admirable hero who has a dark past of his own. The movie is great from start to finish, features some intense action sequences, and may even lead you to ask some questions about society – which are some pretty good boxes to tick.

Transformers: Age of Extinction

While the Transformers series always has the audience divided, there’s no denying that Age of Extinction was the biggest and most insane Transformers movie to date – and that’s not a bad thing.

There’s no one who does spectacle like Michael Bay, and he really delivered this time around, adding Mark Wahlburg to the cast, who was able to hold his own and join in on the fight, compared to the more passive Shia LeBouef, who was more of an onlooker.

Seeing the Transformers go from powerful beings on Earth to an absolute state of survival and desperation was quite a progressive approach to the world, and of course, visually, it pulled no punches on delivering some serious robotic eye-candy.

Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy was undoubtedly one of Marvel’s most bizarre and ambitious efforts to date, but what director James Gunn produced really shut the sceptics down.

GotG is arguably one of the best Marvel films to date, bringing a sense of humour, exploration and the more fantastical elements of the Marvel universe to light, featuring characters like Rocket Raccoon and Groot interacting with the talents of Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, and Dave Bautista – it’s all awesome to watch.

Guardians outrageous sci-fi setting never lacked any human-touch, which is something that makes it so likeable and relatable to comic book fans and new adopters around the world.

Godzilla

A Godzilla remake was definitely in need after the strange 1998 film from Roland Emmerich left an unsatisfied taste in everyone’s mouths. Well, young director Gareth Edwards took on the monumentally daunting project and delivered in every way.

This is a movie of tremendous visual daring, magnificent special-effects work and surprising moral gravity, and Edwards got the look, feel and timing of delivering the iconic Japanese monster on screen at just the right time.

There are very few movies that can exhume the sense of dread, fear and true amazement at the same time, and Godzilla managed to do that this year.

What was your favourite film this year (so far)? Let us know in the comments section below: