BEST OF 2015 - MOVIES, TV AND GAMES

2015 has been a mixed year. We've seen some great pieces of film and TV come out, but also some horrific events the world won't soon forget. We also got a new Star Wars film. More on that later. Without further ado, here's my list of the top ten Movies, TV shows and Games 2015 had to offer:

10: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Spectre was going to take this spot, but the scene where Bond starts groping the widow, whose husband he’s just killed, was just too off-putting. Other than that, it fully deserves to be here.

In Age of Ultron, the Avengers re-unite to bring down a robot of death created by none other than Tony Stark. At the time, I thought this movie was brilliant. Sadly, with the aid of time, I’ve come to realise it’s pretty much a re-skin of the first movie. Having said that, the addition of Vision to the Marvel Cinematic Universe was a great move. Thankfully, I have a strong sense next year’s Captain America: Civil War will blow it out of the park.

9: Batman: Arkham Knight

It was hard to choose which game to put here, tis or Halo 5: Guardians. The thing that secured Batman’s place on the list was simple: Halo 5 had more things wrong with it. In Arkham Knight, Scarecrow, with the help of the mysterious ‘Arkham Knight’, over-runs Gotham with a wave of villainy. Batman steps up to the challenge….you can probably guess the rest. The reveal was seen a mile off, and the game had way too many issues upon release, but some outstanding graphics and great gameplay saved the game from disaster, although only closely.

8: Jurassic World

Jurassic World was a triumph at the box office. The mixture of beloved franchise and Chris Pratt is always going to work well. Guardians of the Galaxy showed us that. Despite being far too similar to the first one, Jurassic World had some great action scenes and some really good GCI. It also featured an actor from just about every Marvel movie ever. The only major down-side was a pretty poor performance by Bryce Dallas Howard, who plays Claire in the film.

7: Daredevil

Marvel/Netflix’s Daredevil ticked all the right boxes. It was dark, it was gritty, and we finally had a good Marvel villain who wasn’t Loki. It may have taken a while to get going, but on the whole Daredevil was a great series. And, thank god, it was a thousand times better than that god-awful movie we don’t like to talk about.

6: Star Wars: Battlefront

Battlefront has kind of divided fans. Some love it, some loath it. And then there’s me in the middle wavering between the two sides. I won’t deny the fact that you’re only buying half a game is complete bull crap. It is. I’m reminded every time I play it. But the attention to detail and stunning graphics more than make up for it, even if it is just a reskin of Battlefield.

5: Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate

Syndicate is pleasantly surprising. I didn’t get it upon release simply because the recent games have been a bit disappointing for a series that used to be so utterly brilliant. Then I played it, and I was shocked. It’s actually really fun. As soon as I finish it, my review will be going up. I’m just thankful Ubisoft didn’t ruin my favourite time setting: Victorian London.

4: Kingsman: The Secret Service

You can consider this and number three equal, because they’re just as good as each other in their own ways. Kingsman took the spy genre of James Bond and made it hilarious. That’s pretty much it. It was another great comic-book adaptation from the people who bought us Kick Ass, and I can’t wait for any possible sequels coming in the future.

3: The Martian

I love The Martian. It’s a great movie. A tale of survival above everything else always stands a good chance of being a good movie. A star-studded cast and great directing made it a great viewing.

2: Mad Max: Fury Road

This so nearly took the top spot. Having not seen the other films, I began watching the movie a bit confused. That soon ended once the ridiculously awesome explosions started kicking off. I didn’t really know what to expect, so I wasn’t disappointed. The use of insane practical stunts and a great soundtrack made the movie unimaginably good. I can’t wait for the 5th instalment. Actually, consider tied for the number one spot. I just remembered how cool it is.

1: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Was there ever any doubt? Yes, parts of the movie are incredibly similar to the original. There are two ways the movie remedies this. 1: It’s Star Wars. 2: Everything in the movie, from the practical effects to the new characters, is utterly brilliant. There’s a reason it was the most hyped movie of the year, possibly ever, and there’s a reason it’s doing so well financially: Star Wars has been given new life. Out with the dull space politics, and back to the stuff we know works. Good news is, we only have to wait a year and a half until Episode 8. And there’s even a spin off before then.

I will just say, yes, I know Fallout 4 isn't up there. Seeing as I haven't played it, I only have the joyous screams of Xbox Live parties to go on. You know who you are...

So, that was 2015. I know there’s stuff I’ve missed off the list. There’s even stuff I’ve forgotten about. But this is my list, so I can do whatever the hell I want.

Happy New Year everyone.