Best-Reviewed Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movies 2014

Critics Consensus: With intelligence and emotional resonance to match its stunning special effects, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes expands on its predecessor with an exciting and ambitious burst of sci-fi achievement.

Synopsis: Ten years after simian flu wiped out much of the world's Homo sapiens, genetically enhanced chimpanzee Caesar and his ever-growing band of followers has established... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell

Directed By: Matt Reeves

Critics Consensus: Its message may prove elusive for some, but with absorbing imagery and a mesmerizing performance from Scarlett Johansson, Under the Skin is a haunting viewing experience.

Synopsis: Disguising herself as a human female, an extraterrestrial (Scarlett Johansson) drives around Scotland and tries to lure unsuspecting men into her van.

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Lynsey Taylor Mackay, Dougie McConnell

Directed By: Jonathan Glazer

Critics Consensus: A case study in less-is-more filmmaking, Coherence serves as a compelling low-budget calling card for debuting writer-director James Ward Byrkit.

Synopsis: Eight friends at a dinner party experience a troubling chain of events due to the malevolent influence of a passing comet.

Starring: Hugo Armstrong, Emily Baldoni, Nicholas Brendon, Elizabeth Gracen

Directed By: James Ward Byrkit

Critics Consensus: With just enough human drama to anchor the sweeping spectacle of giant monsters smashing everything in sight, Gareth Edwards' Godzilla satisfyingly restores the franchise's fire-breathing glory.

Synopsis: Ford Brody (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a Navy bomb expert, has just reunited with his family in San Francisco when he is forced to go to Japan... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche

Directed By: Gareth Edwards

Critics Consensus: Interstellar represents more of the thrilling, thought-provoking, and visually resplendent filmmaking moviegoers have come to expect from writer-director Christopher Nolan, even if its intellectual reach somewhat exceeds its grasp.

Synopsis: In Earth's future, a global crop blight and second Dust Bowl are slowly rendering the planet uninhabitable. Professor Brand (Michael Caine), a brilliant NASA physicist,... View Full Synopsis

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine

Directed By: Christopher Nolan