My Top 10 Sci-Fi Things I Am Looking Forward To In 2014

By Ken Parker

I have some questions and things I am looking forward to in 2014 in the world of Sci-Fi and Fantasy.  It is going to be a big year and some of these can't come soon enough.  My interests in movies and television has led to the following list of things I will be watching closely in 2014.

Which Marvel Sequel will kick butt? We have Captain America: Winter Soldier and X-Men – Days of Future Past both coming out in the spring and both have sharp looking trailers for promotion. X-Men has Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen so I give X-Men the advantage but Captain Scarlet is from The Avengers and Scarlet Johansson is in it, so no surprise if that film ranks higher overall. More than likely one of these films will be the box office king for the year unless movie goers suddenly get sick of superhero films. April 4 sees Captain America and May 23 is when The X-Men return.

Has Marvel Gone too far with Guardians of the Galaxy? This film could fail miserably. It is not connected that well to the existing Marvel movie mythology and so will not get the built in audience that Thor and Captain America will. Still, if the trailer is impressive and the release date well planned, it could do well and support the cause for other Marvel films. It could also speed up the superhero saturation of the market.

Will Godzilla Rise Again? For some reason people laughed at the teaser for the new Godzilla film. Not sure why, it looked pretty spectacular and scary as hell. But the perception in most people's minds is that Godzilla is a silly rubber suited monster from Japan or a bad film from the 90's. Giant monsters have enjoyed a mini revival of sorts with the success and fun of Pacific Rim but unless the new Godzilla can shake the perceptions of silliness, it could be a box office failure. I hope it is a darker, scarier film and you can do scary giant monsters. Godzilla appears on May 16, only has a week before The X-Men come to town.

Which Sci-Fi Film will come out on top? We have two bigger films coming out this year, Interstellar and Jupiter Ascending. Christopher Nolan is helming Interstellar which looks to be a good old space exploration film which I so badly want to see. The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) are ready with Jupiter Ascending which looks to be an adventure in space looking like The Fifth Element. That is not a bad thing and while I feel more connection with Interstellar, until I see a real trailer for it, I am not too sure. Jupiter Ascending is out on July 18 and Interstellar is not out until November 7.

2015, the new 1982. 2015 is looking to be the biggest fan-geek movie year of all time. We should see some trailers and teasers for most of these in 2014 and might be some of the more memorable movie going moments this year. What will Ant-Man look like? A new Terminator is back. Batman vs. Superman and a reboot of Fantastic Four is in the cards. We also have a brand new Mad Max: Fury Road and Jurassic World to enjoy. And that is not all. The next Avengers film and the return of Star Wars to to round it off.

Throw in possibly Prometheus 2, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon 2, Doc Savage, Tomorrowland, Frankenstein, Passengers, Crimson Peak, B.O.O. -Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, San Andreas 3-D, Despicable Me – Minions, Assassin's Creed, The Jungle Book, The Peanuts, James Bond 24, The Hunger Games 4, Mission Impossible 5 and so many others. No doubt something has got to give and some of these movies may be forced into 2016. It will still be interesting to see most of these trailers or at least hear about casting and see some photos in 2014.

Gerry Anderson's Legacy – I am looking forward to at least two things from this year. First, the novel release of Gemini Force One, a never completed project that Gerry's son, Jamie, is producing with the hopes of a book or TV series to follow. The book should be out in April.

I am also looking forward to seeing photos and even trailers for the WETA produced Thunderbirds Are Go TV series slated for 2015. It would also be good to see some kind of Gerry Anderson tribute special on TV at some point.

Marvel's Agents of Shield has a spectacular episode. Still waiting for this underperforming show that isn't bad, but isn't quite where we hoped it would be. For a Joss Whedon show, it does not match the usual standard. I would hope to see some episodes this second half of season 1 to fit this bill and not have to wait until season 2.

Peter Capaldi as the Doctor – Not since the original return of Doctor Who in 2005 have I been this excited for the next season of Doctor Who. Hints that the series will change a bit and the fact that this new Doctor looks to be different than the young, cool and goofy style of the previous 2 incarnations are part of what makes me interested. I like Clara and can't wait to see Jenna interact with Capaldi. Doctor Who is back this fall.

Seeing classic Doctor Who episodes I have never seen – this is my number one thing for 2014. We have had a taste with “The Enemy of the World” and “The Web of Fear” but now I am ready for “The Massacre,” “The Macra Terror,” “Marco Polo” and so many more. Fingers crossed that things get sorted out and these stories start to see the light of day.

Tatiana Maslany gets her Emmy finally – You didn't think I was going to let this drop, would you? There is no way that anyone who has seen Orphan Black would think Maslany should not deserve an Emmy and this year the Emmys will get another chance to redeem themselves and make right this injustice. First up is the Golden Globes where she has at least been nominated! Orphan Black returns to BBC America on April 19.