My 2015 in Film

Revenge of the Cringe-Worthy Clipart

A lot of movies came out in 2015. Did I see all of the most notable ones? HA HA HA HA HA HA.

Perhaps one day, if this eventually becomes my full-time job, and I have the income level and the time, I'll be able to see more of the movies that peak my interest. Until then, I'm somewhat regulated to seeing mostly blockbuster fare, which isn't a terrible thing either.

So here are my quick thoughts on the movies I saw in 2015. They aren't ranked, but rather presented in the order they were released. And you'd probably be able to guess what my #1 movie is, and where's the fun in that?

Mild SPOILERS ahead, I guess.

Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1, 2015)

The Avengers is one of my top 5 films of all time, so I was obviously waiting in eager anticipation to see Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye all on screen together again. Age of Ultron turned out to be a good movie. Emphasis on good, It's fun and fast-paced, and there's enough action to prevent anyone from getting bored. Each Avenger gets their appropriate amount of time to shine,and Ultron's an entertaining villain. But, there's really not much else to Age of Ultron besides that. It isn't the MCU-shaking film we we wanted or we were hyped up for by the people behind it, and that's another problem. The MCU-shaking stuff is just foreshadowed and takes up too much time. Ultron also struggles to differentiate itself from its predecessor, lacking the sharp writing and sheer joy of having these characters share a frame, as well as retaining the original's basic plot frame. If you're a huge fan of the Marvel movies so far, you'll love it. If you're a critic of Marvel and the superhero genre in general, this does nothing that will change your mind or make you think. It's an enjoyable, but very flawed, 2 hours.

Rating: 8.0/10 flying cities

Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15, 2015)

Mad Max: Fury Road isn't a movie you'd think would turn out being fantastic. It's a revisit to an 80's film franchise (which are films I haven't  seen yet, but look forward to watching), and it's story is basically a group of people trying to get somewhere but then going back, with explosive action in between. But, yeah, Fury Road  is amazing. Everything about it is amazing. The stunts (both with cars and actors), practical effects ("How did they do that?!" will be uttered more than once), characters (Furiosa. You go, girl.), the simple but interesting story, etcetera, etcetera. I wouldn't say Fury Road is for everybody, but if you're any sort of movie fan, this is a must-see. The only bad thing I can say is that there are some bits that are too weird, and are weird for the sake of being weird. But I guess why it's called Mad Max.

Rating: 9.1/10 blood bags

Jurassic World (June 12, 2015)

Like Age of Ultron, the best thing about Jurassic World is that it's a really enjoyable 2 hours. I think if you're a fan of the original (and, yes, that one's still a lot better), you'll find something to like in this. The callbacks to Jurassic Park in Jurassic World are aplenty and not too intrusive. The thing that confuses me, though, is that the idea it seeks to scrutinize, which is the escalation consumers seek in their entertainment, is also embraced. I mean, it poo-poos the trend of things like FILM SEQUELS trying to have bigger set-pieces and explosions, and yet it has bigger set-pieces and explosions. I think that this could have been a great outlet to show the dangers of making things bigger and better, but it ends up just sorta blending into that same mass of movies. But, WOW, CHRIS PRATT HAS A RAPTOR SQUAD AND IS RIDING ON A MOTORCYCLE TO FIGHT A GIANT DINOSAUR! SO COOL!

Rating: 8.2/10 gyrosphere rides

Inside Out (June 19, 2015)

I really need to see Inside Out  again because the way I saw it wasn't what I would call an ideal way to watch a movie. I saw it early on a Saturday morning with a theater of kids. I was a bit tired and I wasn't fully engaged in the movie. That being said, I still found Inside Out to be a really great animated movie, explaining how emotions work with memorable characters and pretty freakin' clever imagery. The voice cast is near-perfect (Amy Poehler IS Joy), as is the animation. The story of how Riley and her emotions deal with a life-changing event is one I think many, both young and old, can relate to and find comfort in, and that's an absolutely bold and fantastic thing for a family movie to achieve. Welcome back, Pixar! 

Rating: 8.4/10 trains of thought

Ant-Man (July 17, 2015)

Ant-Man was a huge breath of fresh air for me. Up to this point, there hadn't been a Marvel movie that I thought was terrible, but Age of Ultron made me think the superhero blockbuster maestros were beginning to rely too much on formula. Then along came Ant-Man, an origin film that succeeds because of its small-scale (Pun intended? You decide!) and unique (for a superhero movie, anyway) premise. Edgar Wright's departure just before filming started is felt in the finished product, but his replacement, Peyton Reed, both seemingly maintains the tone Wright intended while, at the same time, not diving into imitation territory. The cast is great, as are the visual effects, and it left me eagerly wanting to see more of the adventures of Ant-Man. The villain, though, like many other Marvel other big-screen baddies, is under-developed, and I think the connections to the larger MCU can feel intrusive at times.

Rating: 8.5/10 quantum realms

The Martian (October 2, 2015)

The premise of "astronaut stranded alone on Mars" sounds like the premise for a more somber, philosophical movie, a movie that isn't The Martian. The best part about The Martian is that it's able to balance humour with drama, with neither undermining the other. And, yeah, it's a darn funny movie that's able to see the comedy and happiness that can come from watching someone survive on Mars. Matt Damon's excellent, successfully carrying so many scenes on his own with his charm and sympathy. The rest of the cast, which consists of like EVERYONE, also do fine jobs, especially Jeff Daniels. I think it's also fair to say this is the best "Mars" has ever looked on screen. It's very easy to forget that the landscapes Damon is seen trekking through are on Earth. Seriously, it looks amazing! I think the film's running time could have had a few minutes or so shaved off, and the climax made a bit tighter, as I found myself getting restless towards the end. But, think of The Martian as a mix between Interstellar and Cast Away. If that isn't appealing to you, I don't know what is. 

Read my friend Nathan's review here!

Rating: 8.6/10 potatoes

The Peanuts Movie (November 6, 2015)

If any movie, in my opinion, absolutely needed to rely on nostalgia to be good, it would be The Peanuts Movie. I feel as though any big change to the look and themes of Charles Schulz's creations would start more riots than if DC announced that Batman would be played by Adam Sandler. Indeed, Peanuts works so well because it stays true to Schulz's form, combining 3D animation with the jumpy, flat-ish look of the original cartoons, and having the story remained focused on Charle Brown's continuing struggle to get some good luck and Snoopy's quest to defeat the Red Baron. True, nothing in Peanuts is ambitious, but, then again, it never needed to be. This is how you adapt a classic cartoon to modern film, Alvin!

Rating: 9.0/10 typewriters

Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18, 2015)

The best movie I've seen this year is also the last one I saw this year. I could (and have already) spend hours talking about what The Force Awakens did right, what it could have done better, and what it sets up, and I really, really like being able to talk about Star Wars in that way. The Force Awakens is not perfect. At all. But, it does everything it needed to do right so right, that its flaws can be forgiven. It returns us to everything that made Star Wars great in the first place while setting it on an interesting and exciting new course. We've taken our first steps (again) into a larger world.

My more in-depth thoughts:

SPOILER-FREE

SPOILER-FILLED

Rating: 9.5/10 maps to Luke Skywalker

Welp. That's it for this year. 

Any other movies from this year you would recommend? Feel free to leave some suggestions below!

Have a safe New Year!

Noah