Top five movies of 2015


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Top 5 movies of 2015

In between cramming for exams and catching sleep, take time to unwind with some of the best movies of 2015.


1) “The Force Awakens”

et me get a little ahead of myself here. I can say without a doubt that the new “Star Wars” movie is probably going to be the biggest box office hit of 2015. On Oct. 25, Variety.com said “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has broken every IMAX record by generating over $6.5 million in ticket presales. On Dec. 7, Huffington Post estimated that “The Force Awakens” is set to debut with an opening weekend gross between $170 and $220 million domestically.

It’s already a smash hit and audiences haven’t even seen more than two consecutive minutes of footage yet.

Little is known of the plot as of now except for the fact that fans can count on seeing Carrie Fisher and Harrison Ford reprising the roles of Princess Leia and Han Solo respectively. Not knowing anything though is really going to be an asset for this film. In the age where movie spoilers are leaked daily and sequels end up being contrite and predictable, I have high hopes for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”


2) “Mad Max: Fury Road”

ecause my best friend works at a movie theater, was a time over the summer where I saw this movie at least once a week. Coming off of “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome,” literally two and a half hours of desert panning footage would have been more interesting.

But George Miller saw an opportunity and made two and half hours of pure action and plot. The film follows Max Rockatansky as he unwittingly gets pulled into helping the sex slaves of a desert warlord escape their captivity and search for freedom. I may be biased because the cast is overwhelmingly female, and it’s always nice to see women as something other than arm candy.


3) “Straight Outta Compton”

As a NWA fan, I have to admit, this movie played fast and lose with the history of the rap quintet by downplaying certain character actions. Still, the development and pacing of the film is something that set it ahead of other films in the box office.

Ice Cube’s son, O’Shea Jackson Jr. looks so much like his father, who he plays in the film, that it’s spooky. The film also hits close to home, featuring Detroit in several hard-hitting scenes.

I’m ecstatic it was nominated for a Screen Actor Guild award for best cast. They certainly deserve it.


4) “Ex Machina”

Weird doesn’t even begin to describe “Ex Machina.” This independently made film follows Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) a programmer at a company who wins a contest that enables him to spend a week at the private estate of Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), his firm's brilliant CEO. What Smith doesn’t know is that he has been brought before Bateman to test an Artificial Intelligence robot named Ava to see how she learns and adapts to humans.

What makes “Ex Machina” weird isn’t the acting or cinematography, which are both beautiful, but the overlying message. After emotionally processing the last 25 minutes of the film, it really leaves you asking yourself: what separates us from machines?


5) “The Martian”

It’s the classic story of man vs. wild. In 2035 Mark Watney, an American astronaut, is left behind after a Mars mission goes awry and must survive until help comes his way. Without giving too much away, this movie was everything Alfonso Cuarón tried to make with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney in “Gravity” but failed.

What’s unique about this movie is that because of the time this is set, everyone in the film is technically a millennial. It’s refreshing to see a film where we’re portrayed as functionally competent and not snotty teenagers.

Plus, it’s nice to watch right after the existential crisis you’ll have post “Ex Machina.” 

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About Jordyn Hermani

Troy senior Jordyn Hermani, Editor-in-Chief of Central Michigan Life, is a double major ...

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