Best Movie Posters Of 2014

by Helen Earnshaw | 25 December 2014

Movie posters are a fantastic tool when it comes to promoting a movie and they can tell you as much or as little about a film as you like. 2014 has been packed with great posters that have had us running to the nearest cinema to check out the latest releases.

Now that 2014 is coming to a close, we take a look at some of the best film posters that we have seen over the last twelve months - and boy were there plenty to choose from.

- Under The Skin

There have been some great science fiction movies to hit the big screen this year, and Under The Skin is one that has been whipping up a storm on the festival circuit. It may have divided opinion amongst the critics, but it was a ballsy role choice fro Scarlett Johansson, who took on the central role of an alien.

Johansson takes centre stage in the poster for the film, in what is a rather haunting piece of cinema and really captures the whole mood and look of this film - which is one of the most unique of 2014.

- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was one of the summer blockbusters that I was looking forward to the most… and it was one of the big budget films that really did not disappoint. Directed by Matt Reeves, this sequel to Rise of the Planet of the Apes really was one of the standout films of the year.

There were a series of great head shot character posters that were released for the film, and the close-up of Caesar really was one of the best. As if one terrific poster wasn't enough, Caesar on horseback was also another great piece of artwork as it highlights the development the apes had made. It also hints that this sequel was going to be much bigger than the first.

- Godzilla

It has been a while the Hollywood brought a Godzilla movie to the big screen - the last time was the Matthew Broderick film in 1998 - but this summer saw the iconic monster return in a brand new film with Gareth Evans in the director's chair for the first time since he made his debut with Monsters.

The earlier posters for Godzilla were by far the best as fans that were eagerly waiting to see what the main man was going to look like got little teasers as to what they were going to expect.

- Maleficent

We haven't seen much of Angelina Jolie on the big screen this year, apart from her leading performance in Disney's Maleficent. Maleficent was a re-telling of the Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent story that we all know so well.

Jolie takes centre stage in this great poster and she really did look the business in full Maleficent costume - there really isn't any other actress who could have pulled off the look necessary for this role.

- Fury

Brad Pitt returned to a leading role this autumn for the first time since World War Z, as he teamed up with director David Ayer for the first time. The World War II movie followed a tank crew as they face deadly missions behind enemy lines.

This was the first poster for the film to be released and I just love the minimalist look to it that puts Pitt centre stage. This may be a World War II movie, but Fury is also a character piece and this poster really reflects that.

- Interstellar

I have been a huge fan of director Christopher Nolan for many years, and he made his long awaited return to the director's chair in November with the highly anticipated Interstellar, which saw Nolan return to the science fiction genre. This was Nolan's first movie since The Dark Knight Rises and saw him work with Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, and Casey Affleck.

A series of great posters were released to whet everyone's appetite about the scale of the movie - the poster showed hinted at the outer space was going to look like while also setting some of them on earth.

- The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars was one of the most popular movies of the summer as the John Green novel of the same name was adapted for the big screen by director Josh Boone and starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort in the central role of Hazel and Gus.

The movie follows two cancer-suffering teens as they fall in love for the first time. This poster perfectly captures that aspect of the story and is perfect for the teen audience at which this movie was targeted. I think it is a very sweet poster.

- Nightcrawler

Nightcrawler may not have been one of the biggest movies of the year, but gained critical acclaim and has seen Jake Gyllenhaal recently receive a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Best Actor.

There is a real retro and pulpy neo-noir feel to this poster that I just love and the newspaper print captures what they movie is all about.

- Birdman

Birdman may be a movie that is hitting the big screen at the beginning of 2015, but this great poster was released in the past year. Birdman is one of the first 'must see' movies of the new year and is currently the favourite to scoop the Best Picture Oscar in a few weeks time.

I am a personal fan of the animated style posters and we really haven't seen too many of them this year. Michael Keaton takes on the role of Riggan in the film, and this beautiful poster shows him as a man and the character that he wants to leave behind.

- Avengers: Age of Ultron

Avengers: Age of Ultron is set to be THE movie not to miss this year and it is the 2015 film that I cannot wait to see - it really is going to be another terrific Marvel film from director Joss Whedon and comes three years after the billion dollar success of Avengers Assemble in 2012.

This brand new poster features all of our favourite character Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye as well as new additions Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver… and our heroes really do have their hands full. It looks like it is going to be bigger and darker than the first. Can't wait to see it!!!