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Top Ten Film Posters of 2014

2014 was a tremendous year for cinema and one of the best of all time. The posters, on the other hand, weren’t the greatest. Still though, some did make an impact and represented their movies well. Here is the list of best posters for movies released in 2014.

10. Interstellar

Interstellar has a couple of strong posters, but I personally prefer the one that features an alien ocean and the characters researching it. This poster represents the coolest and most memorable sequence in the movie, so it’s only natural to choose it for this list. I loved its color palette too.

9. Boyhood

This is by far the simplest poster on this list, but one of the most effective. Boyhood is after all about, well, boyhood. Thus, it was only fitting to give it a poster that features a child at its center. I loved how he was positioned on the grass and in the bottom of the picture with the green grass being a rare, but interesting choice for a poster.

8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

I do realize that most people would choose the Caesar close-up as the best poster for this tremendous sequel, but I prefer the other one myself. The collapsing bridge and Caesar on horse leading an attack through the river made for instantly recognizable imagery. It’s the coolest poster on this list.

7. Gone Girl

Simple was apparently the name of the game for 2014 movie posters as exemplified by the main poster for Gone Girl. But I would rather have simple and effective than overly complicated and cluttered. Affleck being smaller and in the center while Pike’s eyes creepily watch him from above perfectly embodies the film’s central theme and relationship. Its blue color is so nice too.

6. PK

Bollywood movies rarely get their proper due on these movie posters lists, but I am changing that by putting one on my list. PK is not just a wonderful, truly stupendous film, but it also got a poster to perfectly represent it. It features a very hot, ripped Aamir Khan holding a radio to cover his genital area. It’s a sexy, memorable poster that also effectively conveys its SF roots.

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel

I don’t care for this movie as I don’t like Wes Anderson’s style of filmmaking, but even I have to admit that this poster is incredible. After all, this flick features stunning production design, so it’s fitting that the poster emphasized that. The titular hotel is gloriously detailed and lavish, making for one of the most whimsical posters out there.

4. The Babadook

This is again on the simpler side of things, but The Babadook does have a simple premise itself, so this choice for a poster was great. The titular figure with the claws and the hat is so interesting and it instantly hooks you in its mythology. The other poster with the main characters inside the figure is also a solid one.

3. Winter Sleep

This Turkish drama is one of the best films of the year. Its poster is among the most underrated of the bunch. The winter landscape is well emphasized, but it is the impressionist touches in how the humans are drawn where the poster really makes an impact. It’s artistic, authentic and instantly recognizable.

2. Inherent Vice

I did not care for this Paul Thomas Anderson vehicle, but the poster is quite the opposite. A woman lifting her legs while lying on her stomach isn’t in and of itself remarkable, but how her legs circle around the letters of the title was so unique. The purple coloring also made the poster visually dazzling.

1. Blue Ruin

I don’t like this movie. I’ve only watched it recently and I found it to be a failure for the most part. But this is a list about the best posters of the year, so the quality of the movies is irrelevant. A man preparing to shoot another man who is lying on the ground, the car besides him and the gorgeous, striking lettering of the title above him all made this poster so beautiful and memorable. I am also a sucker for the blue and orange combination for my posters, so this is right up my valley. It’s a bad movie, but it simply got the best poster of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night – The red and black colors are striking and the figure is quite menacing, but I personally expected an even stronger poster given that this movie is so artistic.

Leviathan – Foreign movies had some superb posters this year and the one for Leviathan is no different. The rocky terrain and the animal skeleton made it so intriguing.

White God – All the dogs going down the streets to fight for their rights is a fittingly powerful imagery for this very moving Hungarian drama.

Nightcrawler – The one with the car is fine and all, but the poster that is just the close-up of Gyllenhaal and his sunglasses is the best one for this movie.

Birdman – There are many posters that this overrated movie got and most are great. The red one is artistic while the one with the winged man on his head is super memorable.