Honourable Mention: Star Wars Episode VII
#10: Shaun the Sheep
Despite being at a low ranking in the original list, I did end up seeing Shaun the Sheep twice in cinemas back in the early months of 2015...mostly because it was a choice of either rewatching and finding the post-credits scene or Fifty Shades of Grey, and there was no way on earth that I was seeing that travesty. Anywho, this film did end up being a sweet little picture from the guys at Aardman, complete with plenty of gags and some strong stop-motion animation, even if some of the character designs of the humans were a bit iffy and the generic backdrop didn't lend itself to much creativity (then again, it's meant to be a generic city, so...). I'd say it was worth the time to see it twice, especially thanks to its particularly short runtime.
#9: Tomorrowland
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond was a film that had imaginative trailers and an intriguing premise, but overall kinda failed in its screenwriting sector. While Brad Bird remains a great director (and I really hope this doesn't cause him to back away from showing off his live action talents) and the acting from the core three is fine stuff, it's the disinteresting visuals in the third act and the long journey that transpires beforehand which ultimately brings the film down. By no means a bad film, nor worthy of being the box office dud it later became, but in need of a few fixes.
I was pretty excited for this film all the way back when it was meant to be released in 2014, and with excitement levels for the film increasing as the release came ever closer, I wasn't certain it would pull it off. And yet, as being one of my favourite popcorn flicks of the year; where you can switch your brain off and enjoy the sight of seeing Colin Firth take on an entire church filled with homophobic racists to the sound of 'Free Bird' or a poorly-CG'd Taron Edgerton on a stunt double doing some form of back flip. It was good quality action and comedy which made a great treat for a usually dull period in film viewing.
#7: Ant-Man
This is a case of being a 'Minority Report' (no, not the Tom Cruise film), as the majority of those I've spoken to about Ant-Man seemed to really enjoy it, and some of them do consider it one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And while I can still see some of its merits, I think it all comes down to the talent behind the camera being based around a comedy background; a genre of movies which rarely hit a good mark with me (prime examples this year being Trainwreck and Pixels). Perhaps their touches were too evident to me subconsciously and as such it made me like this film less. It's still good - just a little more flawed than the usual quality we expect from Marvel Studios.
#6: Inherent Vice
I remember being very excited for this film. I remember being very bored during the film. I remember little else about the film except that I was losing interest by the end of the first hour and, despite the occasional laugh, wasn't really doing anything to captivate me. I'm seeing it reach many top ten lists of the year and I'm wondering "What do they like that I don't?", but I'll likely never find out...unless I want to witness a really awkward sex scene between Joaquin Phoenix and Katherine Waterston again.
#5: Big Hero 6
Again, a case of Minority Report - this film ended up winning the Best Animated Feature award at the Oscars, and everyone I spoke to loved it (heck, one of my closest friends would quickly rush out to see it again after our group viewing in February), and yet I was indifferent to it. Was it the predictable story beats? The standard Disney animation? Its unmemorable plot? It's a tad saddening, especially when considering that I have liked Disney's recent efforts (Oddly enough, 2011's Winnie the Pooh is the personal highlight of the past decade, but it's largely forgotten) and a big chunk of Marvel's work.
#4: Spectre
Spectre has had something of a tricky period since its release, with UK critics applauding it and US critics being more spiteful of it. And it's understandable why, considering how after having a one-shot as extravagant as the one at the beginning would lead itself to high hopes, only for the film to dip in quality after that and a somewhat messy conclusion. But that doesn't stop it from being a good film, nor an enjoyable one that only really stops in the middle for some boring exposition. No, it's not better than Skyfall - it's a different creature that still deserves some attention.
#3: Peanuts
I think my hopes were a little too high on this nostalgia fest. I mean, I definitely liked it - quite a bit in fact - and was more than happy with the approach it went with both visually and in story terms, but the overuse of Snoopy's adventures against the Red Baron and a few other minor niggles may have dampened things a little. Plus, judging by the audience I was with, it didn't work in bringing in new audiences - I was likely the one laughing the most during the film, whereas the rest of the audience were more appealed by the trailer for the next thrilling instalment of the Alvin and the Chipmunks series that played before it. That saddens me, especially for a film that was ultimately quite good. I'm kinda glad they aren't taking the sequel route with the film yet either because it's a sweet singular product.
#2: Inside Out
I'm not sure how it was possible, but my hype for this film reached exponential heights as soon as word from Cannes rolled in about the film being great. I didn't care about the big plothole where they could have easily sent back the core memories or the possibility of the emotions having their own emotions in their heads - I was just so happy that we had gotten one of the best Pixar films in years. I remember rushing off to see it the first moment I had the chance following a holiday abroad; I remember laughing an awful lot and coming close to tears multiple times; I remember sitting there during the credits and contemplating whether or not this was my new favourite film; I remember rushing off to see it again within a week, and a third time a month later when an opportunity came up, and once the DVD came out I quickly grabbed a copy and watched. I've seen Inside Out five times now. I was right in putting it on this list - I was just one space off.
Like Inside Out, I've seen Age of Ultron about five times. Three in cinemas, and twice at home. And after five viewings in different formats (2D, 3D, and IMAX 3D), I've come to the conclusion that Avengers may in fact be a little underrated. Of course it wasn't going to meet the expectations everyone had, nor was it going to be better than the first Avengers back in 2012. But what we got was still a strong continuation of the MCU that had great and memorable moments, complete with two superb group shot sequences, a Hulk VS Hulkbuster battle and a death which is - so far - staying put. Take that, Doctor Who.
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