Hits
Jurassic World
Jurassic World was one of the most anticipated films of the year, and it most certainly delivered. A brand new cast gave it a refreshing boost that proved it is a franchise that will stand the test of time, as it does not rely on particular actors. It was a classic Summer blockbuster, and rightly became the third highest grossing film of all time.
The Martian
There was very little talk of the Martian until it was in cinemas, but it deserved the attention it ultimately got. It was a very timely film; with much talk about manned missions on Mars, it created a "what if" scenario that many would not have considered, and that's an interesting concept in itself. It was able to be funny while still taking itself seriously, which put it a notch ahead of other Sci Fi films of recent times.
It Follows
Personally my favourite film of the year, and one of my favourite films of all time. It's everything a horror needs to be. It's scary without needing to frighten you, the tension will have you trying to pause it or look away and the imagery is second to none. There's no such thing as the perfect film, but It Follows comes pretty close.
Bridge of Spies
Steven Spielberg is still at the top of his game. The atmosphere, theme and emotional fluctuation is so trademark Spielberg that the film almost feels sentimental. He's a real magician with a camera. Tom Hanks put in a great performance, and the score is memorable too. The combination of people involved meant that anything less than amazing would have been disappointing. Thankfully, it wasn't.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Like Jurassic World, it was highly anticipated. It could have fallen victim to being too nostalgic and not producing a worthwhile storyline, but it didn't at all. The new cast stole the show and the old cast offered some memorable moments. The story made sense and didn't feel forced. The film's cycle hasn't quite finished yet, but it's likely to become one of the highest grossing films of all time. It makes Star Wars the number one franchise in the world once more.
Honourable Mentions: Inside Out, Song of the Sea
Misses
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond
This isn't a miss because it was a bad film, it just promised to be so much more. It had moments where it was great, but it never really packed a full punch. The film succeeds in terms of trying to restore and reproduce old values and inspire the audience, but fails in terms of telling a story. It was an enjoyable film nonetheless and the visuals were wonderful, but I'm not quite sure who the target audience is.
Poltergeist
The original is a great film. This remake is absolute muck. There's not much else to say really. Avoid at all costs.
The Good Dinosaur
I really wanted this film to be good. A combination of aspects landed it in the miss pile. It was released at a really bad time, with Star Wars coming out in the same month. Pixar had also released a film earlier in 2015, and people weren't excited about The Good Dinosaur. The characters weren't all that interesting and the story never made me want to continue watching. It's an okay film, but poor by Pixar's standards.
Krampus
You can never really expect a horror film to be good, so it didn't exactly disappoint but it was just visually too dark, and couldn't decide if it was a horror or a comedy. It had potential to be good, it could have capitalized on an interesting concept, but it never delivered. David Koechner's typecast character is intolerable and should never have been in Krampus, but that's just the tip of the iceberg.
