Age of the Geek

10 films of 2015
 
 

     It's that time of year again. The magical time between Christmas and the New Year where nothing is happening, forcing all those in my profession to reflect on the last 12 months.
     Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's good to look back, and people love lists.
     2015 has been a strange year for movies. There weren't a lot of big titles this year, but the big ones were really big. As usual, this is not a list of the best movies of the year. Some of them I thought were pretty great, others less so, but still worthy of note.
     Ant-Man
     Marvel Studio's official end to their Phase Two project turned out to be the little movie that could. In development since before Robert Downy, Jr., turned Iron Man into a household name, the story behind getting "Ant-Man" to the big screen is as interesting as the movie itself.
     "Ant-Man" was always a long shot for stardom. Though he's a founding member of The Avengers, the character has never had the level of exposure icons like Captain America and Thor received. When director Edgar Wright, the comedic genius behind "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz," walked off the movie after one too many conflicts of creative differences, many wondered if Marvel Studios would see their first major flop.
     Instead, Peyton Reed, a director not really known for anything other than some TV work and a handful of romantic comedies, took over the project and came out with a perfectly enjoyable movie.
     Now, granted, "Ant-Man" was probably aided by low expectations. Sure, the plot is virtually identical to the first Iron Man movie, with the addition of some heist movie elements, but nobody goes to a Marvel movie to see something original. They go to see something fun, and "Ant-Man" delivered.
 
Avengers: Age of Ultron
     On the opposite end of the expectation spectrum we have "Avengers: Age of Ultron."
     Joss Whedon's first Avengers movie remains one of my favorites, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fairly predictable. Like all first outings in a super-hero franchise, it takes its cues directly from the source material. The formula of super-heroes crossing paths and fighting each other, only to resolve their differences and join forces against the real villain is a longstanding tradition. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
     It's not until the second movie of the franchise that comic-book adaptations are really allowed to experiment with the unexpected. That's what Whedon did.
     Unlike its predecessor, "Avengers: Age of Ultron" isn't the climax to a multi-movie story arc and it doesn't need to follow the expected story beats of a typical comic adaptation. It's just an Avengers movie.
     Sure, there's the obligatory world-ending threat and the Hulk fights one of his allies again, but it's nice to see the Avengers in a movie that you don't know exactly what to expect before you get into the theater.
 
Inside Out
     I have to admit, I didn't love "Inside Out."
     It's not a bad movie. It's not even bad for a Pixar movie, which I hold to considerably higher standards. But "Inside Out" just didn't grab me like it did so many others. I couldn't figure out what its message was supposed to be, which is not a great sign for a movie that's literally about exploring emotions.
     As usual for Pixar films, the jokes were great and there was at least one part that made me tear up a bit, but I spent a lot more time in this movie being bored than I expected.
 
Jupiter Ascending
     "Jupiter Ascending" is not a great movie, but it gets an A for effort. Mostly for the simple fact that it's just about the only movie on this list that isn't a sequel or an adaptation of an existing property.
     It's an interesting phenomenon. From an objective standpoint, "Jupiter Ascending" is not that different from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in quality. Both movies are space fantasy dramas with questionable plots and acting. But while the new Star Wars movie is currently making all the money in the world, "Jupiter Ascending" passed by largely unnoticed.
     I'm guilty of ignoring this movie myself. While I will no doubt see Star Wars at least once more in theaters, I did nothing to support a new potential sci-fi universe.
     Perhaps that will be my New Year's resolution.
 
Jurassic World
     I didn't think this many people still cared about dinosaurs.
     Before Star Wars snatched it away, "Jurassic World" briefly held the record for best opening weekend. A surprising turnaround for a franchise that had long since lost any of the good will Stephen Spielberg built with the first movie.
     After two disappointing sequels, it was hard to believe that the story of Chris Pratt and his raptor sidekicks would be anything but an entertaining train wreck. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
     Given the choice, I'd still watch the first movie, but I'd pick "Jurassic World" over either of the other sequels.
 
Mad Max: Fury Road
     OK, enough with the mediocre films for a bit. Let's talk about something that was actually good.
     What's not to love about this movie? It's an hour-long car chase with gun fights, brutal deaths, a fire tornado and one crazy pale fanatic whose only job is to play guitar on top of a truck.
     More importantly, "Mad Max: Fury Road" is a rare gem in this day and age: A critically and financially successful Rated R movie. In a time where most studios are unwilling to release a movie that goes higher than a PG-13, "Mad Max: Fury Road" serves as a reminder that there is still a market for action movies with adult content.
 
Terminator: Genysis
     Speaking of franchises that have been neutered by PG-13 ratings, "Terminator: Genisys" ended up being exactly as dumb as its name suggested.
     The time travel element of the Terminator franchise has always been somewhat inconsistent, but I'm not sure even the writers of this movie knew what they were doing when they wrote this mess. If they did, they didn't bother telling the audience.
     At the height of their arrogance, the writers left several sub-plots dangling, expecting the audience to come back for the next installment for answers. Instead, the movie flopped so hard it's doubtful that the next installment will happen.
     Foreshadowing is fine, but your movies have to be able to stand on their own.
 
The Hateful Eight
     I'm cheating here because I haven't actually seen "The Hateful Eight," but it was this or "Pitch Perfect 2."
     From what I'm hearing from friends who have seen it, this is Quentin Tarantino at his finest. Like "Reservoir Dogs," the bulk of the movie is simply a large number of exaggerated characters talking and, I assume, occasionally killing each other. Tarantino is an acquired taste, but if you like sharp dialogue and tense stand-offs, it's hard to do better.
 
Spectre
     The Daniel Craig era of the James Bond series has been an unusual one. When "Casino Royale" rebooted the character, it dropped most of the fantastic tropes the franchise had become known for in favor of emulating other spy thrillers of the time. No more exploding pens and death lasers. This was a serious, more realistic James Bond.
     However, starting with "Skyfall," the series started to revert back to its former self. With "Spectre," that transformation is all but complete. The cars have machine guns and the watches explode. The bad guys love to monologue and have absurdly villainous lairs.
     Daniel Craig is apparently contracted for one more Bond film. I fully expect a parachute with the British Flag at some point in the next installment.
 
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
     And last, but not least, Star Wars.
     I find more flaws in the film as time tempers my initial excitement, but that's OK. My main interest in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was never in the film itself as much as the possibilities it opens for other media.
     After all, Episode II and III are deservedly panned, but those two movies set the stage for a six-season television series and countless comic books that feature some of the best stories in the franchise.
     Episode VII was an OK movie on its own, but its greater contribution will be all the new stories it will inspire down the road. I'm particularly looking forward to the ones about my new favorite character, Poe Dameron, not to mention the villainous Kylo Ren.
     And that's my annual movie recap. Stay tuned next week as we go from looking back to looking forward for what to keep an eye out for in 2016.
 
 
     Travis Fischer is a news writer for Mid-America Publishing and can't wait for 2016.