Top 5: Anticipated Movies of 2015 5. [Unknown] Cop out answer. Honorable mention. Whatever you want to call it, I can’t finalize the last entry, and I think the reality is that nothing seems worthy of inclusion with the rest. Jurassic World looks like a SyFy TV movie. The Terminator Genisys first trailer proved better than expected but still…an aging robot, remake/reboot and that god-awful name. Inside Out contains promise, but the Pixar name doesn’t guarantee quality (Cars 2, Brave). No one is excited for Fantastic Four; not even Fox. I’m certain at the end of the year there will be a sleeper hit that should have nabbed this spot, but right now it isn’t obvious. 4. Ant-Man Last year, I defamed the first Guardians of the Galaxy trailer (the movie didn’t even make my anticipated list), but it ended up being one of my favorites. I trust the Marvel logo (despite lackluster entries such as Thor: Dark World and Iron Man 2). I will follow the same approach with Ant-Man. Yes, the first trailer looks generic. Yes, the behind the camera loss of Edgar Wright hurts. Yes, its a weird choice to start with Scott Lang instead of Hank Pym. But this is Marvel. They turned Captain America into the best told action story and a bunch of a**holes in space into the funniest movie in years. Make Mine Marvel! 3. Furious 7 Not many series have their best entry be the fifth. Not many franchises grow each year in over the top antics, cast, budget, scope and remain enjoyable. Those movies aren’t Fast and Furious. This series won’t win any awards, but it is pure action and fun. The trend looks to continue within this series, which isn’t trying to tell a complicated plot, but is just about revenge and choreographed stunts. None of the maneuvers are realistic anymore, and that’s okay. Instead of looking at this series like an action-adventure entry, fans should view this like a superhero film; characters possess microsecond reflexes, intuition and drive cars which ignore Newton’s laws. 2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens J.J. Abrams made one of the best Star Wars movies this century (see Star Trek); I can’t wait to see what he creates with the license. The first trailer detailed a new cast of characters, animatronics, gorgeous landscapes, meanancing Stormtroopers and a triple-bladed lightsaber (that’s more than even Darth Maul!). This was more relevant to Star Wars than the entire prequel trilogy. This entry looks to pass the baton from the original heroes to a new generation of rag-tag Rebels out to save the galaxy. Disney doesn’t typically make poor business decisions, and they’ve proven a reverence for the creative process (even while they squeeze every marketing dollar out of a product) and fans should see their faith rewarded Winter 2015. 1. Avengers: Age of Ultron Joss Whedon is one of the best storytellers in Hollywood; he never made a bad movie or tv series (Dollhouse? never heard of it). He is able to juggle a robust cast of characters. Each one is provided a moment to shine and adds unique voice to the team. Typically, ensemble stories fall apart under the weight of too many plotlines and personalities to juggle. Not Avengers. From title card to schwarma, the story managed to capture humor, action, character moments and a fast-pace adventure. Age of Ultron looks to focus on the interactions of the team and still contain large action set pieces. Downey, Evans, Hemsworth and the group spent the last seven years playing these roles perfectly and under the watchful eye of a talented director this will hopefully turn in the best performance to date. After the positive momentum from Winter Soldier and GotG, Disney/Marvel is proving why the comic book bubble is not in danger of bursting (well…until Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives). Level Up, Friends!
