Top 79 Ranked

The Greatest Films of 2015

The Greatest Cinematic Masterpieces of the Year

Explore the top-rated films including Mad Max, Spotlight, and The Revenant. Discover the definitive guide to the year's best cinematic achievements.

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About Movies in 2015

The year 2015 arrived at a unique crossroads for the film industry, standing as both a grand finale for traditional practical filmmaking and a bold prologue for the franchise era that would soon dominate the decade. When film fans look back at this specific sequence of twelve months, they often describe it as the year blockbuster cinema regained its soul. It was a time when the biggest spectacles on the planet felt driven by singular authorial voices rather than committee decisions.

The clear champion of this sentiment was George Miller and his relentless masterpiece, Mad Max: Fury Road. After decades in development hell, Miller delivered a high octane opera that relied on practical stunts and tangible metal. It reminded audiences that action cinema could be high art, earning ten Academy Award nominations and proving that a reboot could surpass its predecessors by simply being better than everything else on screen. It was a visceral, tactile experience that stood in stark contrast to the increasing reliance on digital green screens.

While Miller was conquering the wasteland, another titan returned to reclaim his throne. The release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens was a cultural earthquake. J.J. Abrams successfully revitalized a dormant galaxy by leaning into nostalgia while introducing a charismatic new generation of heroes. For a brief moment in December 2015, the entire world seemed to be looking in the same direction, sharing a communal cinematic event that felt rare even then. It shattered box office records and confirmed that the theater was still the ultimate destination for global storytelling.

However, 2015 was not just defined by massive IPs. It was a year of incredible texture in the mid-budget and prestige spaces. Todd Haynes gave us Carol, a lush and agonizingly beautiful romance that showcased some of the finest acting of the century. Alejandro Inarritu pushed Leonardo DiCaprio to his physical limits in The Revenant, a grueling survival epic that finally secured an Oscar for its leading man. Meanwhile, Denis Villeneuve solidified his status as a modern master with Sicario, a tense and morally murky thriller that proved audiences still had an appetite for challenging, adult-oriented dramas.

The year also signaled a shift in how we tell stories about power and truth. Spotlight took an unglamorous, methodical look at investigative journalism, eventually winning Best Picture. Adam McKay reinvented the financial thriller with The Big Short, using breaking-the-fourth-wall techniques to explain the global housing crisis. Even in the world of animation, Pixar reached a new emotional peak with Inside Out, a film that mapped the human psyche with such sophistication that it changed how families discuss mental health.

Ultimately, 2015 survives in our memory because it felt balanced. We had the crowd-pleasing thrills of Creed and Jurassic World, the indie charm of Tangerine, and the chilling psychological depth of Ex Machina. It was a year where quality and quantity seemed to exist in perfect harmony, offering a reminder that the silver screen can be a place of both immense scale and intimate truth. It was a vintage year for moviegoers, providing a diverse slate of classics that have only grown more respected with time.

The Complete Rankings

Based on the top picks in drafts on SnakeDrafts

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79
2015 in Dope (2015)
Dope
2015

Malcolm is carefully surviving life in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles while juggling college applications, academic interviews, and the SAT. A chance invitation to an underground party leads him into an adventure that could allow him to go from being a geek, to being dope, to ultimately being himself.

Crime
Drama
1h 43m
Rick Famuyiwa
Shameik Moore, Zoë Kravitz, A$AP Rocky, Kiersey Clemons
78
2015 in Self/less (2015)
Self/less
2015

An extremely wealthy elderly man dying from cancer undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness to the body of a healthy young man but everything may not be as good as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origins and the secret organization that will kill to keep its secrets.

Science Fiction
Action
1h 57m
Tarsem Singh
Ryan Reynolds, Ben Kingsley, Natalie Martinez, Matthew Goode
77
2015 in The Program (2015)
The Program
2015

An Irish sports journalist becomes convinced that Lance Armstrong's performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances. With this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose Armstrong.

Drama
1h 43m
Stephen Frears
Ben Foster, Chris O'Dowd, Guillaume Canet, Jesse Plemons

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76
2015 in The Peanuts Movie (2015)
The Peanuts Movie
2015

Snoopy embarks upon his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis, while his best pal Charlie Brown begins his own epic quest.

Comedy
Animation
1h 28m
Steve Martino
Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Marleik 'Mar Mar' Walker, Alex Garfin
75
2015 in Mr. Holmes (2015)
Mr. Holmes
2015

In 1947, long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeeper's son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.

Drama
Crime
1h 44m
Bill Condon
Ian McKellen, Laura Linney, Milo Parker, Hiroyuki Sanada
74
2015 in Chappie (2015)
Chappie
2015

Every child comes into the world full of promise, and none more so than Chappie: he is gifted, special, a prodigy. Like any child, Chappie will come under the influence of his surroundings—some good, some bad—and he will rely on his heart and soul to find his way in the world and become his own man. But there's one thing that makes Chappie different from any one else: he is a robot.

Crime
Action
2h 0m
Neill Blomkamp
Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Ninja
73
2015 in The Visit (2015)
The Visit
2015

A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents' remote Pennsylvania farm for a week, where they discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing.

Horror
Thriller
Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie
72
2015 in Terminator Genisys (2015)
Terminator Genisys
2015

The year is 2029. John Connor, leader of the resistance continues the war against the machines. At the Los Angeles offensive, John's fears of the unknown future begin to emerge when TECOM spies reveal a new plot by SkyNet that will attack him from both fronts; past and future, and will ultimately change warfare forever.

Science Fiction
Action
2h 6m
Alan Taylor
Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jason Clarke
71
2015 in Jupiter Ascending (2015)
Jupiter Ascending
2015

In a universe where human genetic material is the most precious commodity, an impoverished young Earth woman becomes the key to strategic maneuvers and internal strife within a powerful dynasty…

Science Fiction
Fantasy
2h 7m
Lana Wachowski
Channing Tatum, Mila Kunis, Sean Bean, Eddie Redmayne
70
2015 in The Second Mother (2015)
The Second Mother
2015

After leaving her daughter Jessica in a small town in Pernambuco to be raised by relatives, Val spends the next 13 years working as a nanny to Fabinho in São Paulo. She has financial stability but has to live with the guilt of having not raised Jessica herself. As Fabinho’s university entrance exams approach, Jessica reappears in her life and seems to want to give her mother a second chance. However, Jessica has not been raised to be a servant and her very existence will turn Val’s routine on its head. With precision and humour, the subtle and powerful forces that keep rigid class structures in place and how the youth may just be the ones to shake it all up.

Drama
1h 52m
Anna Muylaert
Regina Casé, Camila Márdila, Karine Teles, Lourenço Mutarelli
69
2015 in Child 44 (2015)
Child 44
2015

Set in Stalin-era Soviet Union, a disgraced MGB agent is dispatched to investigate a series of child murders -- a case that begins to connect with the very top of party leadership.

Crime
Thriller
2h 17m
Daniel Espinosa
Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Fares Fares
68
2015 in Minions (2015)
Minions
2015

Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill, a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb, hatches a plot to take over the world.

Family
Animation
1h 31m
Kyle Balda
67
2015 in While We're Young (2015)
While We're Young
2015

An uptight documentary filmmaker and his wife find their lives loosened up a bit after befriending a free-spirited younger couple.

Comedy
Drama
1h 37m
Noah Baumbach
66
2015 in Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
Pitch Perfect 2
2015

The Bellas are back, and they are better than ever. After being humiliated in front of none other than the President of the United States of America, the Bellas are taken out of the Aca-Circuit. In order to clear their name, and regain their status, the Bellas take on a seemingly impossible task: winning an international competition no American team has ever won. In order to accomplish this monumental task, they need to strengthen the bonds of friendship and sisterhood and blow away the competition with their amazing aca-magic! With all new friends and old rivals tagging along for the trip, the Bellas can hopefully accomplish their dreams.

Comedy
Music
1h 55m
Elizabeth Banks
Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Rebel Wilson
65
2015 in The Good Dinosaur (2015)
The Good Dinosaur
2015

An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.

Adventure
Animation
1h 33m
Peter Sohn
64

The true story of Whitey Bulger, the brother of a state senator and the most infamous violent criminal in the history of South Boston, who became an FBI informant to take down a Mafia family invading his turf.

Drama
Crime
2h 3m
Scott Cooper
63
2015 in Bone Tomahawk (2015)
Bone Tomahawk
2015

During a shootout in a saloon, Sheriff Hunt injures a suspicious stranger. The doctor's assistant, wife of the local foreman, tends to him in prison. That night, the town is attacked and they both disappear—only the arrow of a cannibal tribe is found. Hunt and a few of his men go in search of the prisoner and the foreman's wife.

Western
Horror
2h 13m
S. Craig Zahler
62
2015 in Mistress America (2015)
Mistress America
2015

A college freshman cures her disappointment and loneliness by allowing herself to be pulled into the wacky schemes of her future stepsister.

Comedy
1h 24m
Noah Baumbach
Greta Gerwig, Lola Kirke, Matthew Shear, Jasmine Cephas Jones
61
2015 in Magic Mike XXL (2015)
Magic Mike XXL
2015

Three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, he and the remaining Kings of Tampa hit the road to Myrtle Beach to put on one last blow-out performance.

Comedy
Drama
1h 55m
Gregory Jacobs
Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash
60
2015 in Southpaw (2015)
Southpaw
2015

Billy "The Great" Hope, the reigning junior middleweight boxing champion, has an impressive career, a loving wife and daughter, and a lavish lifestyle. However, when tragedy strikes, Billy hits rock bottom, losing his family, his house and his manager. He soon finds an unlikely savior in Tick Willis, a former fighter who trains the city's toughest amateur boxers. With his future on the line, Hope fights to reclaim the trust of those he loves the most.

59
2015 in Paper Towns (2015)
Paper Towns
2015

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge, he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Quentin arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Quentin soon learns that there are clues, and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer Quentin gets, the less he sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Mystery
Drama
1h 49m
Jake Schreier
Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith
58
2015 in Tomorrowland (2015)
Tomorrowland
2015

Bound by a shared destiny, a bright, optimistic teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor jaded by disillusionment embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of an enigmatic place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as "Tomorrowland."

Adventure
Family
2h 10m
Brad Bird
Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Hugh Laurie
57
2015 in Legend (2015)
Legend
2015

Suave, charming and volatile, Reggie Kray and his unstable twin brother Ronnie start to leave their mark on the London underworld in the 1960s. Using violence to get what they want, the siblings orchestrate robberies and murders while running nightclubs and protection rackets. With police Detective Leonard "Nipper" Read hot on their heels, the brothers continue their rapid rise to power and achieve tabloid notoriety.

Crime
Thriller
2h 12m
Brian Helgeland
Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston, David Thewlis
56
2015 in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
2015

At the height of the Cold War, a mysterious criminal organization plans to use nuclear weapons and technology to upset the fragile balance of power between the United States and Soviet Union. CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB agent Illya Kuryakin are forced to put aside their hostilities and work together to stop the evildoers in their tracks. The duo's only lead is the daughter of a missing German scientist, whom they must find soon to prevent a global catastrophe.

Comedy
Action
Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki
55

Simon and Robyn are a young married couple whose life is going as planned until a chance run-in with Simon's high school acquaintance sends their world into a tailspin.

Thriller
Mystery
54
2015 in The Boy and the Beast (2015)
The Boy and the Beast
2015

Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.

Action
Adventure
1h 59m
Mamoru Hosoda
Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shota Sometani, Suzu Hirose
53
2015 in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
2015

Greg is coasting through senior year of high school as anonymously as possible, avoiding social interactions like the plague while secretly making spirited, bizarre films with Earl, his only friend. But both his anonymity and friendship threaten to unravel when his mother forces him to befriend a classmate with leukemia.

Drama
Comedy
1h 45m
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Olivia Cooke, Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Connie Britton
52
2015 in Trumbo (2015)
Trumbo
2015

The career of screenwriter Dalton Trumbo is halted by a witch hunt in the late 1940s when he defies the anti-communist HUAC committee and is blacklisted.

Drama
2h 4m
Jay Roach
Bryan Cranston, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Louis C.K., David James Elliott
51
2015 in Spy (2015)
2015

A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

Action
Comedy
2h 0m
Paul Feig
50
2015 in Cinderella (2015)
Cinderella
2015

When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters. Never one to give up hope, Ella's fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger in the woods.

49

Armed with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, master thief Scott Lang must embrace his inner-hero and help his mentor, Doctor Hank Pym, protect the secret behind his spectacular Ant-Man suit from a new generation of towering threats. Against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Pym and Lang must plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Science Fiction
Adventure
1h 57m
Peyton Reed
48
2015 in Macbeth (2015)
Macbeth
2015

Feature film adaptation of Shakespeare's Scottish play about General Macbeth whose ambitious wife urges him to use wicked means in order to gain power of the throne over the sitting king, Duncan.

Drama
War
1h 53m
Justin Kurzel
Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Paddy Considine, Sean Harris
47
2015 in The End of the Tour (2015)
The End of the Tour
2015

The story of the five-day interview between Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace, which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace's groundbreaking epic novel, 'Infinite Jest.'

Drama
1h 46m
James Ponsoldt
Jason Segel, Jesse Eisenberg, Mamie Gummer, Mickey Sumner
46
2015 in Trainwreck (2015)
Trainwreck
2015

Ever since her father drilled into her head that monogamy isn't realistic, magazine writer Amy has made promiscuity her credo. As much as she enjoys an uninhibited life free of commitment, Amy is really in a rut. While writing a profile about charming and successful sports doctor Aaron Conners, she finds herself actually falling in love for the first time -- and what's more, Aaron seems to really like her too. Amy starts to wonder if it's time to clean up her act and face her fears.

Comedy
Romance
2h 5m
Judd Apatow
Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, LeBron James
45
2015 in The Walk (2015)
The Walk
2015

The story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974.

History
Drama
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, Charlotte Le Bon, James Badge Dale
44
2015 in In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
In the Heart of the Sea
2015

In the winter of 1820, the New England whaling ship Essex is assaulted by something no one could believe—a whale of mammoth size and will, and an almost human sense of vengeance.

Thriller
Drama
43
2015 in Far from the Madding Crowd (2015)
Far from the Madding Crowd
2015

In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a hardworking young sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a handsome and reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.

Drama
Romance
1h 59m
Thomas Vinterberg
Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge
42

As the war between the Capitol and the districts reaches its peak, Katniss Everdeen embarks on a perilous mission to liberate Panem and confront President Snow. Joined by a team of trusted allies, she navigates deadly traps, shifting loyalties, and the heavy cost of rebellion, determined to bring freedom to her people and end the Hunger Games once and for all.

Action
Adventure
2h 17m
Francis Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson
41
2015 in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation
2015

Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating 'The Syndicate', an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.

Action
Adventure
2h 11m
Christopher McQuarrie
40
2015 in Spectre (2015)
Spectre
2015

A cryptic message from Bond’s past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Action
Adventure
39
2015 in Mountains May Depart (2015)
Mountains May Depart
2015

The life of Tao, and those close to her, is explored in three different time periods: 1999, 2014, and 2025.

Romance
Drama
2h 7m
Jia Zhangke
Zhao Tao, Zhang Yi, Liang Jingdong, Dong Zijian
38
2015 in Listen to Me Marlon (2015)
Listen to Me Marlon
2015

With exclusive access to his extraordinary unseen and unheard personal archive including hundreds of hours of audio recorded over the course of his life, this is the definitive Marlon Brando cinema documentary. Charting his exceptional career as an actor and his extraordinary life away from the stage and screen with Brando himself as your guide, the film will fully explore the complexities of the man by telling the story uniquely from Marlon's perspective, entirely in his own voice. No talking heads, no interviewees, just Brando on Brando and life.

Documentary
1h 43m
Stevan Riley
Marlon Brando, Stella Adler, Bette Davis, Montgomery Clift
37
2015 in Love & Mercy (2015)
Love & Mercy
2015

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

Drama
Music
2h 0m
Bill Pohlad
36
2015 in Crimson Peak (2015)
Crimson Peak
2015

In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers.

Horror
Mystery
Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Charlie Hunnam
35
2015 in It Follows (2015)
It Follows
2015

A young woman is followed by an unknown supernatural force after a sexual encounter.

Horror
Mystery
1h 41m
David Robert Mitchell
Maika Monroe, Keir Gilchrist, Daniel Zovatto, Jake Weary
34
2015 in Shaun the Sheep Movie (2015)
Shaun the Sheep Movie
2015

When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it's up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.

Family
Animation
1h 25m
Mark Burton
Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes, Omid Djalili, Rich Webber
33
2015 in The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
The Diary of a Teenage Girl
2015

Minnie Goetze is a 15-year-old aspiring comic-book artist, coming of age in the haze of the 1970s in San Francisco. Insatiably curious about the world around her, Minnie is a pretty typical teenage girl. Oh, except that she’s sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend.

Drama
Romance
1h 42m
Marielle Heller
Bel Powley, Kristen Wiig, Alexander Skarsgård, Christopher Meloni
32
2015 in The Brand New Testament (2015)
The Brand New Testament
2015

God lives in Brussels. On Earth though, God is a coward, morally pathetic and odious to his family. His daughter, Ea, is bored at home and can't stand being locked up in a small apartment in ordinary Brussels, until the day she decides to revolt against her dad...

Comedy
Fantasy
1h 54m
Jaco Van Dormael
Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Yolande Moreau, Catherine Deneuve
31
2015 in Goodnight Mommy (2015)
Goodnight Mommy
2015

In the heat of the summer lays a lonesome house in the countryside where nine year old twin brothers await their mother’s return. When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before and the children start to doubt whether this woman is actually who she says she is.

Horror
Mystery
1h 40m
Severin Fiala
Elias Schwarz, Lukas Schwarz, Susanne Wuest, Hans Escher
30
2015 in Taxi (2015)
Taxi
2015

Hamburg, mid 80s, Alex is a cabby. The sound is hard, pubs are dark and loud, people constantly argue about anything and everything, people smoke all the time, and not just cigarettes. Alex wants love and freedom and sleeps with Dietrich. It's far from being love, but the sex is okay. With Marc, a little person full of dignity, she finds more than that. The rest is struggles with her passengers, the indifferent and the doomed, brutes as other nuisances. This sort of life could go on and on, Alex could drive away from her own life and in doing so lose Marc and not getting rid of Dietrich. Wouldn't there be a small monkey with the same invincible desire for freedom as hers.

Romance
Comedy
1h 34m
Kerstin Ahlrichs
Rosalie Thomass, Peter Dinklage, Stipe Erceg, Robert Stadlober
29
2015 in Bāhubali: The Beginning (2015)
Bāhubali: The Beginning
2015

The young Shivudu is left as a foundling in a small village by his mother. By the time he’s grown up, it has become apparent that he possesses exceptional gifts. He meets the beautiful warrior princess Avanthika and learns that her queen has been held captive for the last 25 years. Shividu sets off to rescue her, discovering his own origins in the process.

Action
Drama
2h 39m
S. S. Rajamouli
Prabhas, Rana Daggubati, Tamannaah Bhatia, Anushka Shetty
28
2015 in The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin
2015

9th century China. Ten year old general’s daughter Nie Yinniang is abducted by a nun who initiates her into the martial arts, transforming her into an exceptional assassin charged with eliminating cruel and corrupt local governors. One day, having failed in a task, she is sent back by her mistress to the land of her birth, with orders to kill the man to whom she was promised – a cousin who now leads the largest military region in North China. After 13 years of exile, the young woman must confront her parents, her memories and her long-repressed feelings.

Drama
Action
1h 45m
Hou Hsiao-hsien
Chang Chen, Shu Qi, Zhou Yun, Satoshi Tsumabuki
27
2015 in Victoria (2015)
Victoria
2015

A young Spanish woman who has newly moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.

Crime
Thriller
2h 18m
Sebastian Schipper
Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Max Mauff
26
2015 in Tangerine (2015)
Tangerine
2015

It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and Sin-Dee is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, the working girl and her best friend, Alexandra, embark on a mission to get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity.

Comedy
Drama
1h 27m
Sean Baker
Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Karren Karagulian, Mickey O'Hagan
25
2015 in Beasts of No Nation (2015)
Beasts of No Nation
2015

Based on the experiences of Agu, a child fighting in the civil war of a West African country. Follows Agu's journey as he's forced to join a group of soldiers. While he fears his commander and many of the men around him, his fledgling childhood has been brutally shattered by the war raging through his country, and he is at first torn between conflicting revulsion and fascination.

Drama
War
2h 17m
Cary Joji Fukunaga
Abraham Attah, Idris Elba, Emmanuel Nii Adom Quaye, Opeyemi Fagbohungbe
24
2015 in Youth (2015)
Youth
2015

Two lifelong friends bond whilst vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena, Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda. And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy, an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance?

Comedy
Drama
2h 5m
Paolo Sorrentino
23

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.

22
2015 in The Danish Girl (2015)
The Danish Girl
2015

When Gerda Wegener asks her husband Einar to fill in as a portrait model, Einar discovers the person she's meant to be and begins living her life as Lili Elbe. Having realized her true self and with Gerda's love and support, Lili embarks on a groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Drama
1h 59m
Tom Hooper
Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts, Ben Whishaw
21
2015 in The Lobster (2015)
The Lobster
2015

In a dystopian near future, single people, according to the laws of The City, are taken to The Hotel, where they are obliged to find a romantic partner in forty-five days or are transformed into animals and sent off into The Woods.

Comedy
Drama
1h 59m
Yorgos Lanthimos
20

Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.

Adventure
Action
2h 16m
J.J. Abrams
19
2015 in Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Straight Outta Compton
2015

In 1987, five young men, using brutally honest rhymes and hardcore beats, put their frustration and anger about life in the most dangerous place in America into the most powerful weapon they had: their music. Taking us back to where it all began, Straight Outta Compton tells the true story of how these cultural rebels—armed only with their lyrics, swagger, bravado and raw talent—stood up to the authorities that meant to keep them down and formed the world’s most dangerous group, N.W.A. And as they spoke the truth that no one had before and exposed life in the hood, their voice ignited a social revolution that is still reverberating today.

Drama
Music
2h 27m
F. Gary Gray
O'Shea Jackson Jr., Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Neil Brown Jr.
18
2015 in Mustang (2015)
Mustang
2015

In a Turkish village, five orphaned sisters live under strict rule while members of their family prepare their arranged marriages.

Drama
1h 37m
Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Güneş Nezihe Şensoy, Doğa Zeynep Doğuşlu, Elit İşcan, Tuğba Sunguroğlu
17
2015 in Steve Jobs (2015)
Steve Jobs
2015

Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

16
2015 in Creed (2015)
Creed
2015

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Drama
2h 13m
Ryan Coogler
15
2015 in Anomalisa (2015)
Anomalisa
2015

An inspirational speaker becomes reinvigorated after meeting a lively woman who shakes up his mundane existence.

Animation
Drama
1h 31m
Duke Johnson
14
2015 in 45 Years (2015)
45 Years
2015

There is just one week until Kate Mercer's 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate.

Drama
Romance
1h 35m
Andrew Haigh
Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James, Dolly Wells
13
2015 in Son of Saul (2015)
Son of Saul
2015

In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival trying to save from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son, seeking to give him a proper Jewish burial.

War
Drama
1h 47m
László Nemes
Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont
12
2015 in Bridge of Spies (2015)
Bridge of Spies
2015

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union captures U.S. pilot Francis Gary Powers after shooting down his U-2 spy plane. Sentenced to 10 years in prison, Powers' only hope is New York lawyer James Donovan, recruited by a CIA operative to negotiate his release. Donovan boards a plane to Berlin, hoping to win the young man's freedom through a prisoner exchange. If all goes well, the Russians would get Rudolf Abel, the convicted spy who Donovan defended in court.

Thriller
Drama
Why it ranks

Spielberg delivers a stately, impeccably mounted Cold War thriller that champions the quiet dignity of due process. Through a lens of vintage craftsmanship, the film elevates a bureaucratic exchange into a tense, humane drama about the moral weight of individual integrity.

11
2015 in Brooklyn (2015)
Brooklyn
2015

In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Eilis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.

Romance
Drama
1h 51m
John Crowley
Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Emory Cohen, Jim Broadbent
Why it ranks

John Crowley avoids the traps of sentimental period pieces by anchoring this immigrant tale in a sharp, luminous emotional honesty. It is a deceptively simple coming-of-age story that captures the profound ache of being caught between two worlds with immense grace.

10
2015 in Ex Machina (2015)
Ex Machina
2015

Caleb, a coder at the world's largest internet company, wins a competition to spend a week at a private mountain retreat belonging to Nathan, the reclusive CEO of the company. But when Caleb arrives at the remote location he finds that he will have to participate in a strange and fascinating experiment in which he must interact with the world's first true artificial intelligence, housed in the body of a beautiful robot girl.

Drama
Science Fiction
1h 48m
Alex Garland
Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander, Oscar Isaac, Sonoya Mizuno
9
2015 in Room (2015)
Room
2015

Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman and her young son finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

Drama
Thriller
1h 58m
Lenny Abrahamson
Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, Sean Bridgers
Why it ranks

This claustrophobic miracle of a film transforms a horrific premise into a transcendent exploration of maternal resilience. The narrative shift from agonizing confinement to the overwhelming sensory shock of the outside world is executed with rare emotional precision.

8
2015 in Carol (2015)
Carol
2015

In 1950s New York, a department-store clerk who dreams of a better life falls for an older, married woman.

Romance
Drama
1h 58m
Todd Haynes
Why it ranks

Todd Haynes crafts a ravishing, tactile romance that pulses with the ache of unspoken desires. Every Super 16mm frame is drenched in mid-century atmosphere, capturing a forbidden intimacy that feels both transgressive and timelessly elegant.

7
2015 in Inside Out (2015)
Inside Out
2015

When 11-year-old Riley moves to a new city, her Emotions team up to help her through the transition. Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness work together, but when Joy and Sadness get lost, they must journey through unfamiliar places to get back home.

Animation
Family
1h 35m
Pete Docter
Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader
Why it ranks

Pixar achieves a sophisticated psychological depth by literalizing the internal architecture of the adolescent mind. It manages to be both a colorful marvel for children and a profound, devastating meditation on the vital necessity of sadness in the human experience.

6
2015 in The Revenant (2015)
The Revenant
2015

In the 1820s, a frontiersman, Hugh Glass, sets out on a path of vengeance against those who left him for dead after a bear mauling.

Western
Drama
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter
Why it ranks

Alejandro González Iñárritu delivers a brutalizing sensory experience that pushes the limits of naturalistic photography. The film functions as a primal, visceral endurance test where the sheer physicality of the performances competes with the terrifying beauty of an indifferent wilderness.

5

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and most everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order.

Action
Adventure
Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne
Why it ranks

George Miller orchestrates a gargantuan symphony of kinetic violence that renders every other modern action spectacle obsolete. This is a masterclass in visual storytelling where pure velocity and tactile practical effects redefine the boundaries of the cinematic frame.

4

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

Why it ranks

Ridley Scott rediscovers his rhythm in this refreshing celebration of scientific ingenuity and human optimism. It strips away the brooding self-importance often found in modern sci-fi, favoring a crisp, problem-solving wit that makes high-stakes survival feel infectious and exhilarating.

3
2015 in Spotlight (2015)
Spotlight
2015

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Drama
History
2h 9m
Tom McCarthy
Why it ranks

The procedural drama finds its zenith in this quiet, relentless examination of institutional failure and journalistic grit. Its power lies in a surgical avoidance of melodrama, choosing instead to honor the grueling, incremental labor of uncovering the truth.

2

An idealistic FBI agent is enlisted by a government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico.

Why it ranks

Denis Villeneuve constructs a suffocating atmosphere of geopolitical dread where the moral lines are as blurred as the dust-choked border. The film operates with the cold efficiency of a predator, utilizing a haunting score and predatory cinematography to deconstruct the futility of the drug war.

1

The men who made millions from a global economic meltdown.

Comedy
Drama
2h 11m
Adam McKay
Why it ranks

Christian Bale transforms Michael Burry from a clinical data-cruncher into a heavy metal drumming nerve ending, capturing the social friction of a man who sees the math while everyone else sees the party. It is a definitive pivot point in his career where he traded his leading man magnetism for a jagged, antisocial eccentricity that pulses with autistic integrity. He pins the entire film's moral core to a glass eye and a basement office, proving that stillness can be just as explosive as a tantrum.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts

The Revenant, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, is renowned for its gripping tale of survival and features Leonardo DiCaprio in an Oscar-winning role. The film's immersive cinematography and raw storytelling make it a standout from 2015.

'Mad Max: Fury Road' exemplifies 2015's return to practical effects and author-driven blockbusters, blending high-octane action with innovative visual storytelling. Directed by George Miller, it revitalized the franchise era with its authentic stunt work and striking dystopian aesthetic.

'Spotlight' delves into investigative journalism exposing systemic abuse within the Catholic Church, highlighting themes of truth and accountability. Its stark and meticulous narrative structure contributed to its acclaim and importance among 2015's films.

'Inside Out' offered a unique exploration of human emotions through a creative narrative, pushing animated storytelling into more psychologically rich territory. Directed by Pete Docter, it bridged family entertainment with profound emotional depth.

'The Martian,' directed by Ridley Scott, combined science fiction with survival drama by depicting an astronaut stranded on Mars using ingenuity to survive. Its optimistic tone and scientific accuracy made it a notable 2015 film.

'Ex Machina' introduced a thought-provoking and intimate examination of artificial intelligence and consciousness. With a minimalist setting and intense character-driven plot, it pushed the genre towards philosophical inquiry rather than spectacle.

'The Big Short' blends comedy and drama to unpack the complexities of the 2008 financial crisis, using innovative narrative techniques like breaking the fourth wall. Directed by Adam McKay, it's praised for making a dense topic accessible and engaging.

'Carol' is a poignant romantic drama that explores themes of love and societal constraints with nuanced performances. Its meticulous period setting and emotional subtlety distinguish it within the 2015 films, reflecting a more auteur-driven approach.
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