A trend that has emerged in the last few years has been looking forward to films that are years and years off. I will admit, seeing what’s coming in the years ahead can be a pretty exciting thing. Unfortunately, it seems to always be at the cost of the present. Sure, 2016 looks to be massive, but that doesn’t mean we should crossing our fingers for 2015 to be over quickly. There may not be the number of huge blockbusters coming out this year than compared to 2016, but 2015 has enough promising and highly-publicized material to keep our attention. So here are my most anticipated films of 2015.
Honorable Mentions: Mission Impossible 5, The Good Dinosaur, Tomorrowland
1.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (May 1)- This one is a no-brainer. I loved
The Avengers just like everybody else on the planet (In fact, I saw it in theaters three times), and I so excited for Writer/Director Joss Whedon to reunite Earth Mightiest Heroes with a few new additions to take on Ultron. Infinity War may be grander in scope, but Age of Ultron is looking to be a more personal and tight film with the promise of characters getting more focus than last time (Looking at you, Hawkeye). Adding in new Avengers like Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Vision, it will be interesting to how Age of Ultron is going to pull off this many characters and subplots. This will definitely be the biggest film of 2015. You can bet on it.
2.
Chappie (March 6) - Neill Blomkamp’s debut feature
, District 9, was my favorite film of 2009. His sophomore effort,
Elysium, was a major disappointment. While that should push
Chappie further back in the list, the fact that it is such a departure from either of those two films is what grabs my attention. Instead of getting another film where the everyman is the key to saving an entire people or species,
Chappie is promising to be a more intimate and relatable story with comedic elements woven in. A coming-of-age story with a sci-fi spin sounds unique and I’m hoping this lives up to the hype in the way Elysium didn’t.
3.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (December 18) - I have to be honest, I’m not that big of a Star Wars fan. Of course I watched all the movies when I was a kid just like everyone else and I even had several Lightsabers of my own. The reason I put it in the Top 3 is because of how tantalizing and exciting the idea of a new Star Wars film is. Yes, the sequels and prequels had a lot of hype, but with those films, we already had an idea of what they were about. We know almost nothing about the film other than it takes place 30 years after Return of the Jedi. We know nothing of the story or the new main characters, which is a rarity today with social media. If not
Age of Ultron, The Force Awakens will be the most publicized film of 2015 simply because of the Star Wars name. In a way, it kind of already is. It may not reach theaters until the end of the year, but that won’t stop the hype and speculation from building. But the fact that we are getting a new Star Wars film for the first time in 10 years is enough to get excited.
4.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 (November 20) - This is it. The Hunger Games franchise will finally come to an end this year. I’m not entirely sure what users on this site think of the series, but I’m personally a fan. I read all three books when I was in high school, and while
Mockingjay is my least favorite of the series, the creative team behind the films has done an admirable job adapting the final book to screen with Part 1, even if it can’t help but feel like the prelude it is. I’m hoping that this continues on into Part 2. I don’t know what everybody’s final thoughts will be once the credits roll, but whenever a franchise I’ve stuck with since the beginning comes to an end, I can’t help but feel sentimental.
5.
Crimson Peak (October 16)- What most people would never suspect about me is I’m a huge fan of horror. Horror is genre that is very difficult to nail down. It’s why I get so happy whenever somebody gets it right. And Guillermo del Toro is one of those directors. The fact that he has assembled an A-list cast for what is essentially a haunted-house film makes the wait all the more agonizing. I’m the kind of horror fan who is very hard to scare. What I’m counting on this film to do is to terrorize me. But with glee.
6.
The Fantastic Four (August 7)- I’m prepared for the possible backlash I’m going to get just for even mentioning this film, let alone putting on the list. There are few things we know about this film and the things we do know have already forced people to write this off completely. I’ll admit, the changes to the source material have frustrated me, too. Altering much of Dr. Doom’s backstory and even name I think was completely unnecessary. Especially since he is one of Marvel’s best villains. Changing the team’s costumes into containment suits makes me want to slam my head into a wall. So after the criticism I just levied against the film, why did I put it on here? Honestly, it’s because we know so little. While most comic book movies release official stills of the character(s) a year and sometimes two years out, Fantastic Four comes out in nine months. Just going by that already tell us this is going to be a very different and radical superhero flick. Besides, it can’t be worse than the two films directed by Tim Story.
7.
Spectre (November 6)- I don’t consider myself a James Bond fan. I haven’t seen a lot of the films in the franchise, so I just go into each one expecting to be entertained. However,
Skyfall was one of my favorite films of 2012 and I’m excited to the follow-up has in store, especially since it is bringing up the cast and creative team behind
Skyfall.
8.
Jurassic World (June 12)- The
Jurassic Park franchise is one of those film series where I can look at it and say, “Well, at least the first movie was good.” And while I enjoyed Colin Trevorrow’s debut feature,
Safety Not Guaranteed, nothing about it made me believe he was the perfect choice to revive a series like Jurassic Park. But maybe now that the franchise has had 14 years to rest it can feel rejuvenated.
9.
Inside Out (June 19) - The last great Pixar film was 2010’s
Toy Story 3. Since then, the animation studio has been cranking out worthless cash-cows (
Cars 2) or creative misfires (
Brave). 2014 was the first time since 2005 we went a year without a Pixar film. Their next film, centered on five different emotions in a young girl’s head, is already looking to be a return to form for them. I’m very optimistic about this one since everything I’ve seen so far has been promising. It also doesn’t hurt this won’t be the only Pixar movie coming out this year.
10.
Mad Max: Fury Road (May 15)- This one has been a long time coming. I actually concerned at one point that it would just be one of those films that the director or writer keeps bringing up for years, say it will start shooting soon, but never actually moves forward. Do I hate it when that happens. But this summer, it’s finally coming. I saw
The Road Warrior for the first time over a year ago, which peaked by interest for this film. But it was the insane-looking trailers that sealed the deal for me. I really hope this one is as cool as it looks.
What are movies you are most excited for next year? Whatever they are, let me know in the comments below.