The greatest spectacle is Edge of Tomorrow. It also has the best visual effects, as well as the best visual effects artefact in the form of the battle suites. The best animation is in Big Hero 6, a movie that also has my favorite character, the inflatable robot.
My favorite performance is by Michael Rooker, playing the leader of the bandits in Guardians of the Galaxy. It is followed by that of Nate Parker in Non-Stop, and is enhanced by the exciting character transformation near the end. The best performance, however, is by Johnny Harris, playing the leader of a team of soldiers in Monsters: Dark Continent. Following that is one by Tom Wilkinson, playing a sad detective in Good People.