Worst Movies of 2015

Well, it's that time of year again. 2015 has been an awesome year for movies and I've managed to see 60 so far with only a few weeks left of December. 

Unfortunately, for all the good films that are released, there are always going to be bad films to balance out the year.

It's time for me to reflect on the year. I've made up my picks for the worst films of the year but, before that, I've chosen two special mentions. 

Most overrated film of 2015

Jurassic World

Ultimately, 'Jurassic World' is generic. It's a relatively good time as far as blockbusters go but I wouldn't look too deep. It has some laughs and there are enough dinosaurs to keep you occupied but as far as being on the same level as 'Jurassic Park', it isn't even in the same league. There's not much of an attempt to do anything spectacular with the film to make it different or unique. Instead, there's a big dinosaur that is set loose in the park with an excessive amount of CGI. This was a fantastic opportunity to breath life into a dead franchise and return it to the glory of the original film, to capture some of that magic with technology they didn't have in 1993. They could have taken it in so many different directions with the park being opened up but instead they go the easy route of just having a big, DNA spliced, CGI dinosaur to wreck havoc.

I found it ironic that the film itself is centred around the parks issue of bringing in more customers by creating this super-mega-ultra dinosaur. Everything has to be bigger and better and it backfires on them. This seems to be the case with 'Jurassic World' because after the first three movies, instead of coming up with something original and innovative, they just opt for a bigger dinosaur than the last in a desperate attempt to bring in cinema goers. Unfortunately, it broke the box office records so there will no doubt be another 4 or 5 of these to look forward to.

Biggest let down of 2015

Crimson Peak

'Crimson Peak' was definitely the biggest let down of the year. I was so looking forward to Del Toro's new masterpiece but it wasn't nearly as great as I was hoping it was going to be. Despite being a beautiful film to look at, it's undeniably a let down. It had all the potential to be a great film but squanders it on an over-complicated, benign and dull plot. Guillermo Del Toro gave us 'Pan's Labyrinth' and I was hoping this was going to top that masterpiece but it seems I was expecting too much.

It is a confusing and convoluted story that boasts a unique plot twist that turns out to be a massive disappointment. For the entirety of the film we are wanting to discover what the answer to the mystery is but, at the crucial moment, we don't really care that much. It is a pretty boring and unoriginal "twist" that made my stomach sink. I kept waiting for something more but more never comes. It gets more and more ridiculous by the end and I was totally out of the film by the big finale. 

'Crimson Peak' isn't a horror film, I'd say it was more of a gothic romance tale, despite the misleading marketing of the film. I was searching for the deeper meaning and trying to dissect it in a different way because I wanted so much to enjoy this film but, conclusively, it's not scary, it's a bit predictable and feels a little pointless.

Let's get down to the list. These are my own personal choices for the worst of 2015 and I'm pretty sure there will be a few that will be in dispute but that's all part of the fun!

Here we go.

10. Focus

For a film called 'Focus', ironically, that was exactly what the film lacked. It was a film that had a serious amount of potential but ultimately didn't deliver. It felt more like a vehicle for Will Smith rather than a smart, sexy movie about a con artist couple. It was confused, convoluted and not nearly as intelligent as it thought it was. If you could make it through the dreadful romance plot then you would make it to an ending that claimed to have fooled you but, in reality, just irritated you.

9. Kill Your Friends

'Kill Your Friends' was unoriginal, tiresome, terribly executed and, in all honesty, badly acted. This film is simply a combination of different films that have been repackaged in an attempt to make us forget that we have already seen it. It poorly imitates them and fails to come up with something original. It'll leave a bad aftertaste in your mouth and make you wish you'd just watched 'American Psycho' instead.

8. Insidious: Chapter 3

Overall, 'Insidious: Chapter 3' is a piece of horror trash that will make you jump but pretty much nothing else. The best ideas in the film are either totally ruined by cheap scares or not explored enough to be of any value. There are endless plot holes and problems that you could pick apart for days but, in the end, it's not even worth the effort... 

'Insidious: Chapter 3' is a film that has been designed for money making. It's a 15 rated horror flick to bring teenagers into the cinema so that they can rake in the money on tickets and popcorn. It was an insulting film for any horror fan and is one of the reasons why the genre has so little respect.

7. Poltergeist

This badly thrown together remake with predictable jump scares was made purely to cash in on a 30 year old movie's good reputation.

It's a horror film that's not scary and that's pretty much what it boils down to.
As a remake, it doesn't do anything new and just recycles all the out of date cliches in a cheap money grab. I felt robbed at the end of this movie which is not the best way to feel coming out of the cinema...

6. Terminator Genisys

I am a die hard fan of the James Cameron films so 'Terminator Genisys' inevitably had a lot to live up to. Despite being associated with the terminator franchise, I think if you look at it as a stand alone film it still doesn't stack up too well.

It managed to take everything that you loved about the original two films, totally erase them from the timeline and then replace them with a boring, CGI ridden mess that is unoriginal, pointless and unintelligent. Playing like Schwarzenegger's greatest hits, it was a sad reminder of how great the original films were and how far we've strayed from them. Re-living scenes that you've seen in a better film is no way to enjoy a movie, I'd rather just watch the original classic and be done with all these remakes. 

5. It Follows

This is a strange film that has ended up on my list because it seems that it has appeared on a lot of top ten lists instead. For me, 'It Follows' was a horror with no horror, it's a sexually transmitted ghost that will follow you wherever you are. It was obviously a throwback to the horror movies of the 80's but fails to actually deliver on any of the levels that the 80's horrors do. The plot leaves hints and unanswered questions but, at the end of the day, you don't end up being that interested in finding out the answers. What's the point in all the mystery if we're not even slightly interested in solving it? 

Maybe this is one that's flown straight over my head but if you have to look that deep to find the good in a horror film then surely that can't be a positive?

4. Spectre 

Sexist, dull, convoluted, out of date and a bit boring. 'Spectre' is the 24th instalment in the Bond series and quite possibly one of the worst in my opinion. The whole film feels like a cheap rip off of James Bond. Bad writing, horrendous characters, dull performances and lazy filmmaking makes 'Spectre' unoriginal, lifeless and pretty tiresome.

I could have forgiven all of the flaws of the flaccid and tired 'Spectre' if it was, at the very least, a bit of fun. However, it's the fact that it takes itself so seriously that makes it even harder to swallow. It is so full of its own self importance that it forgets that it has to be backed up with a quality film. I think it's time for the Bond series to take a breather and re-assess its place in modern cinema and examine how it can move with the times. 

3. Unfriended

Where do you start with a film like 'Unfriended'... It is a film set entirely on the laptop of an infuriating teenage girl who is Skyping her even more irritating friends when a mysterious user decides to kill them all one by one. The premise alone should have been an indicator to the quality of this film. It was so focused on whether or not it could tell the story in this way rather than if it should. 

When you strip away the annoying gimmick of having it all set on a laptop screen, it had shallow and irritating characters, a stale and clichéd plot, terrible tension, zero horror and is predictable right up to the end. It is a shameful addition to the horror genre and I genuinely don't ever want to have to sit through it again. Ever.

2. Jupiter Ascending

A huge and nonsensical film that is confused, convoluted, hollow and contrived. Some movies are so bad that they are good... However this film is just so bad that it's terrible. You've got crazy performances like Eddie Redmayne playing a pantomime villain alongside bland and forgettable performances from Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis. The plot is so overly complicated in a wild attempt at grandeur that it becomes ridiculous.  It's an overblown CGI-fest that looks as fake as the enthusiasm from the actors in the film. All the money in the world couldn't save this train wreck and there was a lot of it... $176,000,000...

1. Knock Knock 

Coming in at number one is 'Knock Knock'. There are no redeeming qualities for this movie. A home invasion "horror" that makes no sense, has a horrific performance from respected actor Keanu Reeves and makes a mockery of every audience member in the cinema. It's like a B-movie disaster without any of the fun or any of the horror. It plays like a bad student film and is so ludicrous that I'm shocked it was allowed to be released. I really have no idea what they were going for with this film, it has no motivation or any idea where it's going. It's not funny, so it can't be a black comedy... It's not scary or tense, so it can't be a thriller or a horror... So what is it? 

It was monotonous to watch and made me think of all the things I'd rather be doing with my life than watching this fiasco. Abysmal writing, appalling acting and horrendous filmmaking makes 'Knock Knock' my pick for worst film of the year.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my picks for worst films of the year, did you agree with my list? 

Or was I way off?

Either way, it's been an interesting year for films so stay tuned for my top ten films of 2015!