For the first time ever we’re bringing you the best movies of 2015! This list is a bit different from our comic section in that we’re just picking the top five movies of the year and ever writer is getting their own pick. Without further ado, here’s the #1 movies.
DUSTIN: Chappie
Chappie is one of the best movie’s I’ve seen in a long ass time. Not only were the special effects wonderful and realistic, but the story was there to support the graphics and the world. Director Neill Blomkamp has always been able to deliver on both fronts, but it’s the emotional journey that he brings about with Chappie, his maker and his surrogate family that makes this film standout from his impressive resume. Sharlto Copley, a favorite of Blomkamp’s, delivers a performance that resonates with you and shows just how incredible of an actor he can be given the right material. Another thing that stands out about this film is the performances of all of the main characters. Hugh Jackman plays the unlikable heel, while Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser surprise with their performances. At the end of the day I picked Chappie because I want to watch Chappie again… and again. I think that says more about a film than anything else. I’ve seen plenty of ”great” films that I never wanted to watch again.
DAVE: Mad Max: Fury Road
George Miller’s long awaited return to The Wasteland had been in gestation for so long that many thought it would never see the light of day. Back in the 90’s, when it was originally mooted, Mel Gibson was all set to reprise his role as Max Rockatansky and in the early years of the last decade it was suggested the movie could be animated. It eventually saw the light of day in 2015 as a live action, full-on assault on the senses, with Tom Hardy replacing the long gone Gibson in the title role. Fury Road is short on plot: it’s basically one long car chase with a grunting, monosyllabic Max helping Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) escape the clutches of maniac despot Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) with several of his other wives in tow. The film received ire online from anti-feminist keyboard warriors, but the fact that in 2015 a film that literally spells out the fact that women “are not objects” is actually controversial is a sad indictment on society. The film’s feminist undertones and overtones are much-needed, frankly, but this film is much more than that. It looks spectacular - Miller’s heady universe is gothically beautiful, the (mostly practical) effects are jaw-dropping, and a brilliant cast play it straight when it lesser hands it could have been over the top. It is genuinely a work of genius, and proof that action films don’t need to be dumb or filled with CGI to work.
CAMERON: Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Now, I want to state that I am NOT fanboying over this by any means. This is a 100% NON BIASED #1, and I’ll explain why. There was not a film this year that I sat in the theater and became a 12-year-old kid again. This film is everything great about filmmaking! From story to visuals, The Force Awakens delivers on every single level. I won’t give away anything about the story, but it basically follows Rey as she discovers something interesting and meets Fin, an ex-Storm Trooper, and find themselves in the middle of something much bigger. J. J. Abrams absolutely impressed me with his directing, especially considering Fin, Po, and Rey are such young and new actors and actresses. Rey absolutely stole the film, but in a close second for me was Kylo Ren. With such a deep villain, it makes the entire story that much more interesting….and that ending…. all of you who have seen it know! This film is beyond good and that’s why it is the Best Film of 2015!