Top 15 Most Anticipated Films of 2015
#15-11
#15: The Conjuring 2 (June 8)
Back in 2013, The Conjuring scared the living shit out of me. It was hands down one of the scariest films I'd seen in my life, and definitely among the best made. The Conjuring stood out from the pack of shameless horror cash grabs (always inspired by Paranormal Activity) that have ruined the genre for a simple reason; it took itself seriously. It didn't construct itself like just any old horror movie, it paid attention to the fine details of filmmaking and took care of how it was presenting itself, meticulously crafting the scares and the suspence that riddled the film. So, with all of the same writers and directors and crew back, and both Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson reprising their roles (and add in an awesome trailer), there is no reason not to be crazily psyched for The Conjuring 2, which promises to be every bit as terrifying as the film it is continuing.
#14: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them (November 11)
Any time the Harry Potter universe returns to the big screen, it is a shoe-in for this list. However, competition was so hot this year that Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them found itself on the back end, but managed to keep out of the 'Honourable Mentions' section. The reason it is so low on this list is a double-edged sword; we know barely anything about it. With very few details and a frustratingly unrevealing trailer/glorified title sequence, Fantastic Beasts is taking the Force Awakens route and choosing to remain secretive with its details. While this presents an exciting cinema experience, it also leaves me nowhere near as excited for this as I am for other films. Star Wars gets away with the 'Secretive Strategy' because it has Star Wars in its name, that alone gets you hyped. Fantastic Beasts has no connection to Harry Potter in its name, and even the film appears to be a very distant cousin, meaning that it will be relying on a whole heap more than just its popular relations to be a success.
#13: Passengers (expected December 21)
One of the very few dramas on this list, Passengers makes it on here due to three very clear factors; Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence and Morten Tyldum. Chris Pratt is absolutely dominating the box office at the moment. His last two major releases, Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World, were a hot topic of conversation and a massive money maker, but now it seems like he's looking to get into the Drama game and aim for Oscar glory, something his co-star is all too familiar with. Jennifer Lawrence simply cannoy do wrong, it seems, and will be hoping Passengers is every bit as awesome as it seems to be. The story follows a passenger on a spacecraft (Chris Pratt), who is awakened 60 years early by a glitch in the system. Faced with the prospect of growing old and dying alone, he decides to wake up a second passenger (Jennifer Lawrence). So we have an awesome premise, and add in the fact that it is the second English-language feature from Morten Tyldum, whose first effort was The Imitation Game, and we have a potentially Oscar powerhouse on our hands.
#12: The Magnificent Seven (September 22)
The original Magnificent Seven is, quite simply, my favourite Western ever. With an absolute all-star cast and a heartfelt story, it was a sure fire classic of cinema and has not been forgotten in the hearts of many. However, there is something special about this film that made it okay when a remake was announced; The Magnificent Seven itself was a remake. Based on the 1954 Japanese masterpiece Seven Samurai (somehow an even better film), The Magnificent Seven wasn't an original work, and so this year we are being given a new spin on it. With the challenge of bringing together a cast to try and rival the one you can see above, they have done alright; Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Matt Bomer, Vincent D'Onofrio, Ethan Hawke, Camg Gigandet and Peter Sarsgaard are just a few of the names involved in this blockbuster. The story of seven gunslingers hired by a poor village to protect them from a band of savage thieves, The Magnificent Seven was a fantastic film, and I cannot wait to see it back on the big screen with a new set of heroes.
#11: Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (expected October 20)
At the end of the day, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back will be one of the most surprising inclusions on this list. Though it wasn't incredibly well received, I really loved 2012's Jack Reacher. Tom Cruise is just about the biggest action star on the planet, despite his age, and his role as Jack Reacher is incredibly entertaining, although not necessarily faithful to the source material. A beast in a fight, and witty enough to keep a smile on the audiences faces, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back is, to me, a good time guaranteed. After only just managing to get a sequel, I'm hoping audiences change their mind about this character going forward, and that we can round it off with a trilogy (or even a quadrilogy, if Cruise is feeling up to it).