As 2015 draws to a close, we’re sticking to our annual tradition of appreciating our favorite geeky things from the past year. Yesterday we began by looking at some of the biggest disappointments of 2015. With the negativity out of the way, today we’re turning to the positive side of the year. We polled the Fandomania staff to find out what everyone’s favorite movies for 2015 were, and here are the results.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
“I grew up with Star Wars, and it’s been a significant part of my life for as long as I can remember. The Force Awakens feels like something I’ve been waiting for all my life, and it’s better than anything else I’ve seen in a long, long time.” – Jason Dorough
“Hands down, best movie for me — The Force Awakens. As a major Star Wars fan, there could be some bias, but it was everything I wanted from a new movie in the franchise. Loved the new characters and the connecting parallels to the previous sagas, not just in the story but in the shape of the story. Abrams treated the original characters with much respect and dignity, allowing them to show who they had become in their world. It may be a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but the story still lives on.” – Ava DiGioia
“It’s exactly what I was hoping for and more. JJ really brought it with this movie. It felt like a return to the original trilogy while completely avoiding the problems of the prequels. So, so glad that it lived up to expectations!” – Chad Walker
“The Force Awakens is a beautifully made and endlessly fun adventure that injects some much-needed diversity into the Star Wars franchise while remaining true to its roots. This was my first time seeing a Star Wars movie upon release, so the build up and whole experience has been really exciting for me. There’s also loads of fodder for speculating and theorizing what might come next!” – Celeste Monsour
Avengers: Age of Ultron
“It’s Avengers, and robots, and setting up the Civil War storyline… Great, meaty story for fans of Marvel characters. No, it’s not a perfect movie — like what happens to Quicksilver — but the introduction of Vision makes up for some of that nonsense.” – Ava DiGioia
“I enjoyed seeing the introduction to new characters and seeing the regular Avengers gang come together to fight off Ultron.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
“I realize that the team plot was a bit disjointed, but the underlying focus on Ultron and Vision was what reeled me in. James Spader’s voice and Paul Bettany’s wit can erase a lot of other faults.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
Ant-Man
“Like most, I wasn’t necessarily expecting much from this one. Then it turned out to be a really fun movie. It’s not my favorite of the Marvel movies, but it’s definitely above a certain other one that came out this year.” – Chad Walker
“Even with production issues near the beginning, and the departure of Edgar Wright, Ant-Man was an enjoyable and funny romp. Most comic universes are filled with a varied array of characters, and Marvel has yet to shy away from the nuances of its entire universe. This film falls on the quirky, campy end of that scale. If one likes that type of story, it’s a great, funny movie.” – Ava DiGioia
“This Marvel offering was simple, fun, and well-written. It lacked the 1001 subplots of Avengers 2 and kept things entertaining.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
Mad Max: Fury Road
“I never watched the original Mad Max movies but heard such good reviews on this one that I had to give it a try. I’m glad I did, since it turned out to be a surprisingly feminist-positive plotline with great action to boot.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
“Fury Road is an entirely surprising movie. I never was a big Mad Max fan, so I didn’t follow this film’s production at all. After seeing it on a whim, I was blown away by just how great it is as a progressive action movie full of awesome battles and outstanding characters.” – Jason Dorough
Inside Out
“For a movie marketed towards elementary aged kids, it made a lot of grown ups sit back and say, damn. We are who we are based on a lot of things, but what moments really shape the core of who we are, and as we make new memories every day, which ones are really worth storing away?” – Kendra Beltran
Pitch Perfect 2
“A guilty pleasure movie that actually stands up as a sequel to the original! And I enjoyed checking in on the Barden Bellas once again. At some point, though, everyone’s got to grow up and leave college behind.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
Kingsman
“Dear people who made this, you know your commercials painted a whole different picture. It was like seeing Kick-Ass for the first time. Those who didn’t know what to expect got a big dose of exhilarating violence.” – Kendra Beltran
Jurassic World
“Every time I watch a Jurassic movie, I keep wondering why they didn’t learn from history. But then again, if they did that, we wouldn’t get to see Chris Pratt facing off against dinosaurs, so I’m glad we keep getting to see nature win over science.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
Straight Outta Compton
“The foundation of this movie goes to show that the artists who helped shape the genre didn’t just change music but culture as a whole. With that, bye Felicia!” – Kendra Beltran
Cinderella
“I was skeptical at first, but this simple and charming version of the classic fairytale was magical. I loved the acting, costumes, and overall warm and fuzzy feeling I got from the movie. And come on, Robb Stark (Richard Madden) was in it.” – Mandi Harris Bowerman
Goosebumps
“The fact that the movie played out like an actual R.L. Stine book made 8-year-old me ecstatic. The twists and special cameo made 28-year-old me cry.” – Kendra Beltran
Magic Mike XXL
“Sometimes I don’t care about plot. Sometimes I just want to see guys strip. Thank goodness the Magic Mike franchise is there to fulfill my needs.” – Kimberly Lynn Workman
American Ultra
“A surprising love story among a haze of smoke. Not sure why pairing neurotic Jesse Eisenberg and the always moody looking Kristen Stewart works, but they did it again.” – Kendra Beltran
