2014 was an unusual year for cinema—a mix of modern classics and second-tier works from acclaimed directors. While filmmakers like Wes Anderson, David Fincher, and Richard Linklater didn’t necessarily hit career peaks, they still delivered some of their most polished and enjoyable work, making for an exciting, competitive Oscars race. Meanwhile, studios like A24 began to cement themselves as major players in indie cinema, and international auteurs delivered captivating, boundary-pushing stories.
Here’s a look back at the 25 best movies of 2014:
25. Faults
Faults is par for the course for Riley Stearns. It has many of the thematic and tonal beats that he’s dove deeper into with each film that passes. It doesn’t nearly scratch every itch that his other two films do, but I still wound up being enthralled with the story and world he builds within the beige walls of those motel rooms. I imagine he’ll keep adventuring further and further out of them with each feature he directs.
Read our full review of Faults
24. The Boxtrolls
23. Fury
22. While We’re Young
21. Guardians of the Galaxy
As if Marvel couldn’t improve on the foundation they’d already built for themselves, they brought James Gunn on to make a surprisingly energetic, original hit with Guardians of the Galaxy that would infuse new juice into everything Marvel did after the fact. Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, and others helped bring in a new order to the MCU.
Read our full review of Guardians of the Galaxy
20. Heaven Knows What
19. Godzilla
18. Nightcrawler
17. Force Majeure
16. It Follows
15. Paddington
14. The Trip to Italy
13. John Wick
12. Boyhood
11. A Most Violent Year
10. Edge of Tomorrow
9. The Lego Movie
8. Neighbors
7. Inherent Vice
6. Laggies
5. Clouds of Sils Maria
4. The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Grand Budapest Hotel stands as one of the most ambitious and widely celebrated films in Wes Anderson’s career—a visual symphony of symmetry, color, and control. It marked a turning point for Anderson, both critically and stylistically, encapsulating nearly two decades of his evolving artistry into one meticulously crafted package. While it’s easy to see why The Grand Budapest Hotel has been called the quintessential Wes Anderson movie, there’s something about its ornate façade and heavily curated design that, for some viewers, keeps it just out of emotional reach.
Read our full review of The Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Phoenix
Among Christian Petzold’s consistently excellent work, Phoenix is still his crowning achievement—a film where everything, from its quiet pacing to its final devastating note, is perfectly calibrated. It’s one of the best foreign language films of the 2010s, and arguably one of the most essential films of the post-Holocaust cinematic canon. It reminds us that the most explosive revelations don’t always come with fire and fury, but with a single look, a single song, and the unbearable weight of finally being seen.
Read our full review of Phoenix
2. Whiplash
Damien Chazelle’s jazzy powder keg never loses sight of the finish line. Boiling with camera flourishes and hazy sets, Chazelle announces himself with Whiplash as either cinema’s savior or antichrist.
Read our review of Whiplash.
1. Gone Girl
