[Narrator]: These 2015 films made us cheer, laugh, cry, and everything in between.
[Rey]: There were stories about what happened.
Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 10 best movies of 2015.
[William Brandt]: Benji open that door right now.
[Benji Dunn]: Yeah, I'm trying.
[Narrator]: For this list, we're looking at those films that had their wide theatrical releases in 2015,
and we're basing our choices on a mix of their critical and commercial success,
overall popularity, and our own opinion.
[Marquis Warren]: Let's slow it down.
Let's slow it way down.
[Narrator]: Number 10: Room
[Jack Newsome]: You're scared.
[Joy Newsome]: I know.
[Narrator]: Based on screenwriter Emma Donoghue's novel of the same name,
may not have set the box office on fire, but it's quality
and the positive critical response it received are undeniable.
The Canadian-Irish drama-thriller stars Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and son
who are confined to a tiny room.
After they make their escape however, they must face the perils of the outside world.
[Jack]: Icy windows, and hundreds of cars and birds, and grandma and grandpa.
[Robert Newsome]: Jack, someone here would like to meet you.
[Narrator]: The two stars more than manage to carry the film practically all by themselves,
thanks to their nuanced passionate performances,
and the story, while unforgivably tense,
goes to great lengths to show the unstoppable power of maternal love.
Number 9: Carol
[Carol Aird]: Dearest,
there are no accidents.
And everything comes full circle.
[Narrator]: Nominated for 5 golden globes, Carol is another understated yet terrific movie.
Hailed as the best movie of the year by multiple outlets,
the romantic drama tells the story of a shop girl slash aspiring photographer
who falls in love with an older woman.
Who also happens to have a husband and a daughter.
[Harge Aird]: You're always the most beautiful woman in the room.
[Narrator]: While this may not sound as exciting as some of the other entries,
the film's acting and direction are some of the best seen in 2015.
Meanwhile, its 1950s New York setting provides an elegant and nostalgic
backdrop for the personal drama covers.
If the critical acclaim and multiple award nods its received so far are any indication,
Carol will definitely be one to watch out during award season.
[Harge]: It shouldn't be like this.
[Carol]: I know.
[Narrator]: Number 8: The Revenant
Inspired by the novel based on a real-life frontiersman Hugh Class,
The Revenant tells the dark and disturbing story of a man who survives a vicious bear attack,
and hunts those who let him for dead.
The biographical Western thriller is one of the most stunning films of the year,
as it's filled with gorgeus shots by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki
[Man]: Get to the pool.
Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu plots and paces the movie perfectly.
And the amazing cast, including Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Hardy turn in terrific performances.
[Hugh]: He's afraid.
He knows how far I can find him.
It's one of Leo's finest movies,
and one for which we hope he'll finally get his academy award.
[Hugh]: I'm not afraid to die anymore.
I've done it already.
[Narrator]: Number 7: The Hateful Eight
[Marquis]: You got room for one more?
[Narrator]: Just squeaking in to round-out the year in style,
Quentin Tarantino's second western sees the director deliver yet another masterpiece,
that cements him as one of the greatest filmmakers of our generation.
[John Ruth]: Now we're talking!
[Narrator]: The movie contains an all-star cast,
all at the top of their game,
as they potrait dangerous strangers who seek refuge from a blizzard in a stagecoach stopover.
[John]: Okay everybody, hear this. I'm taking this woman to hang.
[Another Man]: Rewards...
[John]: Ten thousand dollars. That money is mine boys.
[Narrator]: Set post-civil war, The Hateful Eight
is filled with Tarantino's trademark style and dialogue.
[John]: I ain't too anxious to be handin' out rides
[Marquis]: Real trusting fellow, huh?
[Man]: Not so much.
[Narrator]: And the gorgeous cinematography is matched flawlessly by the beautiful score
from iconic composer Ennio Morricone.
If this movie doesn't bring back the western, we don't know what will.
[John]: No one said this job was supposed to be easy.
[Marquis]: Nobody said it was supposed to be that hard either.
[Narrator]: Number 6: Ex Machina
Just when we though science fiction was dying genre,
incomes Ex Machina, a fantastic sci-fi mystery thriller that no one saw coming.
[Ava]: Hello.
[Narrator]: Centered around a programmer who's hired to perform the turing test on a human like robot,
Ex Machina was not only the year's best,
but is also arguably one of the most memorable sci-fi movies in recent memory.
[Ava]: Isn't it strange, to create something that hates you?
[Narrator] It's visually striking, and thrilling, as any great sci-fi should be.
[Nathan Bateman]: Structured gel, I had to get it away from circuitry.
I needed something that could arrange and rearrange in a molecular level.
[Narrator]: While at the same time introducing complex themes and concepts,
that left viewers thinking, long after the credits finished rolling.
[Caleb Smith]: Did you program her to flirt with me?
[Nathan]: If I did would that be cheating?
[Caleb Smith] Wouldn't it?
[Narrator]: Number five: The Martian
[Mark Watney]: But if I can figure out a way to make contact with NASA, then none of this matters anyway.
[Narrator]: Riddley Scott is one of the greatest directors of our time.
So it was time for him to give us a another great movie, after his recent attemps fell flat.
[Man in the background]: I'm having this. [Robin Hood]: Right,
[Robin Hood]: I'm done.
The money is divided,
and so shall we be.
[Narrator]: Enter The Martian, an exhilarating and funny story about an astronaut,
who is mistakenly left behind on Mars, and is forced to survive.
[Mark]: I gotta figure out a way...
...to grow...
...3 years worth of food here.
On a planet where nothing grows.
[Narrator]:The movie blends the survival story perfectly with suprising humor,
gorgeous cinematography, and some incredible performances.
[Woman]: Prep emergency departure.
We're scrubbed, that's an order.
[Narrator]: While the sci-fi flick does focus on thrills and excitement...
[Woman]: Watch out!
[Narrator]: ...it remains grounded in emotion, satisfying critics and audience alike,
scoring a 93% on RottenTomatoes and grosing over 580 million dollars at the box office.
[Mark]: In your face, Neil Armstrong.
[Narrator]: Number 4: Sicario
[Soldier]: Hold it there.
[Agent]: While Sicario is a more subdued entry compared to the blockbusters that appear on this list,
that doesn't mean the action-thriller isn't excellent.
[Agent]: FBI!
[Narrator]: The story follows an FBI agent who is brought
into the escalating drug problem at the US-Mexico border...
[Alejandro Gillick]: Every day I cross that border.
People are kidnapped and killed.
[Narrator]: ...And features mesmorizing performances from stars Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro.
[Kate Macer]: Who do you work for now?
[Alejandro]: Well I go where I'm sent.
[Narrator]: It's a dark tale full of violence and brutality,
but it also features some thought-provoking messages regarding its realistic story line and themes.
[Alejandro]: You saw things you shouldn't have seen.
[Narrator]: Exciting, dramatic and haunting all-in-one, Sicario suprised everyone,
and has been wracking up the award nominations, near and far.
[Kate]: Just wanna know when I'm getting it too.
[Narrator]: Number 3: Inside Out
[Disgust]: I'm done.
[Anger]: Congratulations San Francisco, you've ruined pizza, first the Hawaiians, and now you.
[Narrator]: Really, anything with the Pixar and Disney names attached to it is bound to be good.
But Inside Out is something else entirely.
[Joy]: These are Riley's memories, and they're mostly happy you'll notice, not to brag.
[Narrator]: The story is completely unique and original,
focusing on a young girl's five personified emotions, as she struggles to adapt to a new city.
[Riley Andersen]: My name is Riley Andersen, I'm from Minnesota, and now... I'm up here.
[Narrator]: The 3D-animated adventure flick makes you laugh...
[Fear]: Brainfreeze!
[Narrator]: ...And cry,
[Joy]: I could listen to her stories all day.
[Narrator]: ...While simultaneously touching your heart, and assuring you that everything is gonna be okay.
[Joy]: Wha-, who, wait what?
[Fear]: Almost finished with a potential disasters, where scenario is either quicksand,
spontaneous combustion or getting called on by the teacher.
[Narrator]: Visually stimulating for the kids, and thought-provoking for the adults, the comedy-drama
mixes the ages of its audience members perfectly and provides something for everyone.
[Disgust]: Guys, what's puberty?
[Joy]: I don't know, it's probably not important.
[Narrator]: Number 2: Star Wars Episode 7 - The Force Awakens
In what was no doubt the most anticipated movie of the year, and arguably one of the most anticipated movies ever,
J. J. Abrams again delivered another delightful, moving and overall wonderful science fiction movie experience.
[Han Solo]: The dark side.
The Jedi.
[Narrator] Mixing memorable new characters with the iconic cast of the original trilogy,
[Han Solo] It's true.
All of it.
[Narrator]: The epic space opera follows the resistance and The First Order
as they battle in some of the most spectacular and imaginative action sequences in recent years.
Surpassing all expectations, The Force Awakens easily stands among the originals
and kickstarts a new series for a new generation.
[Han Solo]: Chewie.
We're home.
[Narrator]: Before we reveal the best movie of the year, here are some honorable mentions.
[James Donovan]: Constitution. That's what makes us americans.
Shouldn't we show our enemy who we are?
[Amy]: Ooh, I like Tom's sweater.
[Amy]: He's doing, like, the "to catch a predator" look.
[Kim Townsend]: Amy!
[Amy]: What?
[Rachel Kushner]: Look, I don't want you hanging around with me. I don't need your stupid pity.
It's fine you can just go.
[Greg Gaines]: No, no. You got it all wrong. I'm not here 'cause I pity you.
I'm actually here because my mom is making me.
[Rachel]: That's actually worse.
[Tony Evers]: You're not built for this. These boys come in hand, they gotta fight for life.
People die in the ring. Your daddy died in the ring.
[Adonis Creed]: I don't know him. That got nothing to do with me.
[Walter Robinson]: We got two stories here. The story about the degenerate clergy,
and the story about a bunch of lawyers turning child abuse into a cottage industry.
Which story do you want us to write? 'Cause we're writing one of them.
[Steve Jobs]: I sat in the garage and invented the future, because artists lead, and hacks ask for a show of hands.
[Paul]: Look, even though it's following you, I can still see it. It's not done with me either. Like I told you, all you can do is pass it along with some notes.
[Narrator]: Number 1: Mad Max - Fury Road
In an age where many action movies rely heavily on CGI,
it's exciting to see a film that uses a lot of actual stunts, and stunt people,
such as the case for this action extravaganza.
The story follows Max as he helps a group of women cross a post-apocalyptic desert
[Max Rockatansky]: You can get in.
[Furiosa]: Not without them.
[Narrator]: But that's really just an excuse to crash cars and make things go boom.
While the action is mind blowing and refreshingly sensational,
the movie story also takes its time to develop characters, and inject some humanity amid the chaos.
[Furiosa]: They are looking for hope.
[Max]: What about you?
[Furiosa]: Redemption.
[Narrator]: Kudos to 70 year old director George Miller,
who pretty much wipes the floor with every other action director working today,
thanks to this fourth installment in the Mad Max franchise.
Do you agree with our list? What was your favorite movie of 2015?
[Claire Dearing] Corporate felt genetic modification would up the wow factor.
[Owen Grady]: They are dinosaurs, wow enough.
[Narrator]: For more amazing Top 10s published every day, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com
[Rey]: Just let it in.