While there weren't a ton of movies in 2015 that I really liked (yes, this list suffers from fill-the-last-couple-spots-with-something syndrome), there were some at the top of this list that were absolutely fantastic. Most of the movies I enjoyed were sequels, in one form or another. But I only truly realized this when I looked at my list. It didn't feel like a rehash year, though I suppose an argument could be made for it. I was surprised by a lot of these movies, especially my top picks. So, while it wasn't one of the best years ever for me with regard to movies, it certainly wasn't disappointing either.

10. San Andreas

What can I say, other than it was okay? Despite not being very special, the movie managed to grab my attention and hold it until the end. All the while I was enjoying watching it. Although, not all the time to be honest. The 'moment' at the end there was embarrassingly cliche and nonsensical. But oh well, I guess this movie didn't climb higher than number 10 for a reason. I thought the characters were pretty much all likable in their own way, which went a long way to keeping me entertained. I especially liked the upcoming architects performance and his role in general as well. Slice the tires. Brilliant.

9. Terminator Genisys

I don't know why people are so harsh on new Terminator movies. They aren't that bad. In fact, they are pretty good. They are not destroying your childhood if you watched the first one and liked it better than the new ones. While I didn't think Salvation was a great movie, I do remember thinking 'hey, this is okay'. I liked Genisys a whole lot better than it though. I thought most of the characters were fine. I liked Schwarzenegger's throwbacks to the previous movies too. I also thought the story was actually pretty good and it was entertaining to see it unfold. I guess I'm a sucker for time travel stuff, but that's fine. I just like a good time-mind fuck and Genisys surely gave me that.

8. Ant-Man

In all honesty, I was slightly disappointed with Ant-Man. I was expecting it to be a weirdly crazy action movie. It was still a crazy movie, but more of a predictable nature. Trailers may have ruined some of this for me, as all the best action sequences are in the trailer (I hate trailers) and I was sort of expecting something more. But putting that aside, Ant-Man was a very entertaining movie to watch. The main character is genuine and likable, the movie has a healthy dose of funniness and it does some clever things with matter of perspective and size. The ending sequence was very impressive to watch visually, I'm just not sure I was into the reason of why things were 'solved'. It felt a little too convenient just for ending's sake. But regardless, fun movie to watch.

7. Ted 2

I was warned beforehand that this was not as good as the first movie. And no, Ted 2 is not as good as Ted. Not just because of the 'new' nature the first movie had, but it also misses a couple of things here and there that made the first so hilarious and fun to watch. That said, Ted 2 is still fun to watch. Besides obvious jokes that make it worthwhile, it also actually tries to address the subject of what a person is, what a satient being is and what property really is. It is hit and miss on some notes here, but when it does hit, it makes you think. Who knew a movie of this type would make you seriously think and question the nature of things? The fact it manages to do that while being pretty funny along the way is impressive.

6. Ex Machina

The premise is relatively boring, but the execution is very strong in Ex Machina. The movie makes you think. Hard. Mostly it just makes me think... what was her question at the end there... really? Was it even a question? Her actions in the moments after that are one of the things that makes the movie crazy. And I'm not even entirely sure if the movie is good crazy, crazy crazy, or just poor crazy. Ex Machina does one thing extraordinarily well: it really makes you question human rights. For any sensible person, basic human rights are a given and very straightforward. You don't need to think about them, you just know them. You can't kill another person, of course. You can't keep another person against their will, of course. You can't needlessly of selflessly harm another person, of course. These and far more basic rights are second nature, yet why did I doubt - if only for a second at times - if these rights also applied in the situations shown in Ex Machina? Contrast to this, the ending doesn't even matter. Good, bad, whatever. The real essence of the movie, and what it should be praised for, is how it makes you think and second guess yourself.

5. Avengers: Age of Ultron

The worst thing to say about Age of Ultron is that it was 'just' another Avengers movie. It didn't do anything out of the ordinary. It was more or less what you expected it would be. But since you'd expect it to be a good and fun movie, that's a good thing. It has some great action sequences and the dynamic between all the characters is just very entertaining to watch. I didn't like Ultron's attitude at times though. It felt a little too much like he was trying to be funny. Which he was on occasion, but they were trying to lay it on a little thick. I will say I was pleasantly surprised by what I thought was an obvious set up for one of the characters dying, being cleverly averted. Overall, a very enjoyable watch. One of those movies you can watch again later. And it's not necessarily a worse movie than the first one. I did enjoy the first one more, but that is entirely because it was the first. Not in the case of Ted where it was also less good of a movie in its own right.

4. Creed

Who expected this to be great? I didn't. I liked the Rocky series a good amount growing up. But even while being a child I thought they were B-movies. Which is saying something. Just to be clear, I thought those movies were great B-movies. But Creed rises above them in a way that I can't quite place my finger on. Maybe I have just matured myself and I can more clearly see the drama that is going on in Creed and value it for what it is trying to do. Maybe that always was present in the Rocky movies and I just didn't see it as clearly. Or valued it as much. Whatever the case may be, I didn't expect Creed to hit me on so many levels. I do have affinity with fighting so it remains a subject I can fall in favor of easily. I also seem to grow more appreciation for Sylvester Stallone with each movie I watch of him. He was one of the great action movie hero's while growing up, and seeing how he is trying to handle leaving behind a legacy makes me respect him that much more. It helps that his performance in Creed is quite good. I remember one of the fights being shot particularly impressively. It never cut the camera throughout the entire fight, yet shows the fight from all angles. I was disappointed to see the final fight not being shot this way, but it is understandable given the timeline. In the end, it is pretty hard for a drama to grab me and hold my full attention throughout, but Creed certainly did. I'd almost toss it up there with Warrior as one of the best movies I've seen with fighting as subject matter.

3. Furious 7

This is right up there among the best Fast & Furious movies. Maybe it even is the best. Fast Five was the 'first' movie in this vain, really, but in Furious 7 the entire crew seems closer together. It's super weird to give a movie additional acclaim because one of the leads had died in an (non-related) car accident while his shoot wasn't fully done and they filled in the remainder using his brothers as body doubles along with some costly CGI. But it did add a certain amount of respect to the film for me. While watching it, it became pretty obvious which parts were shot using body doubles as the camera tried to not shoot Walker's face. Of course, the CGI was even more noticeable. But, all this stuff was done in service of the movie and it was done with a tone of respect that I could really appreciate at the time. I imagine if you have no idea what happened in real life to Paul Walker, Furious 7 must be a confusing movie in the way it wraps up. But if you did, which we all do(?), it feels pretty well done. Again, it's weird to say, but it does add something to the movie. It helps that the entire movie on its own merits is awesome to watch. There's a good amount of typical Furious nonsense action sequences in it, that almost put Dom's rescue jump in 6 to shame. It hit a pretty good emotional note at the end, with great symbolism that I truly admired. But leaving that stuff aside, the movie is packed with 'oh, shit' and dumb moments that you would watch this for. It's pretty hard to imagine this movie would have been better any other way.

2. Star Wars Episode VII The Force Awakens

The first ever truly great Star Wars movie. Don't worry, before you rush to reply how I don't know anything, let me assure you I am fully aware I'm in a very small minority here for thinking this. But yes, while I did like Star Wars before, I always thought all the movies were pretty overrated. We all know the new trilogy has received its fair share of criticism, but I honestly didn't think the older ones were that much better. And what better point of reference than the old trilogy for The Force Awakens, when they act as if the new trilogy never happened. Keeping it short, I always thought the movies suffered from spotty acting and direction at best and I didn't find them believable in the slightest. I talk about it in detail in My Thoughts. The thing is, The Force Awakens addresses all complaints I had with those movies and builds around it to the standards of today. It's hard to believe the movie has largely likable characters and believable sequences. I also thought the performances were great throughout. It managed to be one of the few movies this year I'd go back to the theater for to watch it again. (And again).

1. The Martian

Once again, I'm grateful I do not read books. Apparently, this movie didn't fully live up to expectations of those who read the book, even though it clearly is one of the best movies of the year. In my case the actual best. I didn't even find any flaw that detracted from my enjoyment of the movie, but I suppose expectations can tarnish that, even if the quality remains the same; 'worse' can become a substitute for 'different'. Which is one of the reasons I will always stay away from books of fiction. In my experience though, The Martian was quite easily the best movie of the year. My number 2 doesn't really come close in all honesty. And that doesn't say something about The Force Awakens' quality, it says something about The Martian's. The entire set up doesn't sound like it would be entertaining for over 2 hours: a human expedition on Mars goes wrong and one man gets left behind. He needs to find a way to survive on Mars. That's it. That is what the movie is about. There is nothing else going on. No extra terrestrial life, no treasure hunt, no love story, nothing. Survival on Mars. Not only does it manage to keep that entertaining for 2 hours straight, it manages to do so while being very, very tense and exciting. I still can't grasp how they pulled that off. I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion of the movie. On top of that, there is some genuinely good humor in it. There is nothing I can write here that accurately explains how good the movie is. It truly is better than the sum of its parts. It instantly became my favorite space travel movie of all time, one of my favorite movies of all time, and my favorite movie of 2015.