One of the most anticipated summer movie seasons in as long as I can remember begins this Friday. In the summer of 2015, we will get yet another explosion of Marvel hero movies, an update on several beloved franchises, some ambitious new takes on familiar stories and even some wonderful smaller movies that might spoil the big budget party. By all estimations, it’s going to be a very fun ride.
With that in mind, the staff of Film School Rejects has come together to form our list of the 15 must see summer movies of 2015. Ranked from 1 to 15, this list represents the films we don’t think you should miss for any reason. It includes a number of titles for which we have very high hopes as well as a few gems that we’ve already seen and for which we can actively vouch. We spend so much of our time digging into the great Coming Soon pile on the horizon that we’re pretty confident in our recommendations.
Without further ado — because we’re not so fond of ado — here are the Must See Summer Movies of 2015:
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Marvel Studios
We’ve already published our review of Age of Ultron. It’s an exhausting but ultimately rewarding experience that throws you right into the fight alongside a host of familiar characters. In facing their greatest challenge yet, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must come together with faces old and new to save humanity from a threat of their own creation. Every single frame of this movie contains a hero you love (or a new character you may grow to love) doing something cool. The supposed final Marvel project from Joss Whedon has big action, it has levity and it raises the stakes for Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk and the rest of the crew. In a summer full of big budget action movies, it’s rare that the biggest (and likely most expensive) also stands to be the most interesting and well-acted, but that’s the magic of what Marvel Studios has done.
Release Date: May 1
2. Mad Max: Fury Road
Warner Bros.
In a post apocalyptic wasteland, one filmmaker has always risen to the challenge of making the most ambitious, crazy-as-hell vehicular chaos movies. He’s been doing is since 1979’s Mad Max. Now George Miller is back 36 years later with a new take on the character made iconic by Mel Gibson. This time he’s got all the modern upgrades: new visual effects, cameras that can be placed in unique places while stunt cars do crazy movements. Even Tom Hardy in the role of Max is a modern upgrade. Everything about this movie, including the bonkers trailers they’ve released, says that it’s going to be one of the most uniquely wild experiences we’ll all have in a theater this summer. I say “we” because of course we’re all going to see it, right?
Release Date: May 15
3. Pitch Perfect 2
Universal Pictures
The first Pitch Perfect was a delightful surprise. Anna Kendrick and crew were immensely charming as they led their audience into the world of competitive a cappella and it was, for lack of a better term, aca-awesome. Now we can’t aca-wait to return to their characters for another go-round. The sequel will see the Barden Bellas take their talents to an international competition where things will undoubtedly become fierce. Based on its trailer, Pitch Perfect 2 has the same kind of moves as the first film. And that’s good enough, as that first film was great.
Release Date: May 15
4. Tomorrowland
Walt Disney Pictures
George Clooney stars in The Incredibles director Brad Bird’s vision of Disney’s world of tomorrow. It’s the story of a young girl and a former child prodigy who embark on a mission to find a place that exists somewhere else in space and time. A place where anything is possible. Based on the previews, Tomorrowland is imagination run wild with a side of Clooney charm. It even has a dash of Hugh Laurie. If the ambitious visuals weren’t enough of a selling point (and they are), the cast should be more than enough to get us into a theater.
Release Date: May 22
5. Me and Earl and The Dying Girl
Fox Searchlight
It isn’t all going to be big budget sequels and action movies. There are little movies that leave a big impression upon their audience coming this summer. Such is the case of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon’s Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a dramedy about friendship and loss that won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. We reviewed it at Sundance, saying that it “deserves a spot in the home and hearts of anyone who loves movies and loves life.” We’ve also gushed over its trailer in a similar fashion. For this particularly charming, heart-felt film, we are beginning to run out of superlatives. This is hands down one of the best movies of the year, regardless of season.
Release Date: June 12
6. Jurassic World
Universal Pictures
The collective interest in Jurassic World has seemingly waned recently. It may have something to do with the outcry over Joss Whedon calling a clip from the film sexist (an observation that was pretty spot-on). It could also have something to do with Whedon’s movie, Age of Ultron, being the brightest shining light of summer and also its first participant. It’s hard to look past the behemoth of the Avengers sequel and really get excited about anything else. None of that has deterred our interest in Jurassic World. The most recent trailer makes it look like an all-out dino war film, which will undoubtedly be different. We have faith in the likes of director Colin Trevorrow (Safety Not Guaranteed) and leads Bryce Dallas Howard and Chris Pratt. We’ve been yearning for dinosaurs on the big screen for years. Yes Jurassic World, we’re still in. And we have a feeling that by the time June rolls around, everyone else will still be in, as well.
Release Date: June 12
7. Inside Out
Disney/Pixar
After dabbling in sequels and then taking 2014 off completely, Pixar is returning to your local cineplex in a big way this year. Their first of two 2015 releases drops in the middle of a crowded summer, but Inside Out is born of the kind of pedigree that should compete well for our attention. It’s got one of Pixar’s most impressive voice casts (including Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Diane Lane and Mindy Kaling), it’s the long-awaited next project from Up director Pete Docter, and it looks absolutely adorable. Combine all of that with the ambitious premise — it takes place inside the mind of a teenage girl — and we’ve got ourselves an animated break in our otherwise live-action-heavy summer.
Release Date: June 19
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