Movies that most exceeded your expectations in 2015

[octagon]

caveat: I don't go to theaters so there's a lot of 2015 I haven't seen yet

Ex Machina - I'm always a little surprised when something lives up to the kind of hype/buzz this got here but in this case I even thought 'wow, they were actually kind of underselling it'.

Jupiter Ascending - I was expecting a visually impressive trainwreck but this was really, really good. It's a shame nobody else thought so cause I wouldn't have minded more.

The Force Awakens - In one sense this an obvious cheat since my expectations were so high. It's also a bit of a cheat because I wasn't 1000% totally blown away while watching it. So in that way it was almost a bit of a letdown. But in the roughly 24 hours since I've seen it I haven't been able to stop thinking about what this line of dialogue might have meant, where this plot point might go, am I too old for Dai...never mind that one...the point is it's engaged my imagination in a way I really didn't expect and that hasn't happened since Empire.

[stvn1974]

Star Wars The Force Awakens. After what Star Wars had become with the Prequels and the Special Editions coupled with how Abrams ruined Star Trek I was hoping for the best but expecting crap. Instead I got a film on par with the the theatrical cuts of the Original trilogy.

[Chaotic]

Originally Posted by octagon

Jupiter Ascending - I was expecting a visually impressive trainwreck but this was really, really good. It's a shame nobody else thought so cause I wouldn't have minded more.

[Chaotic]

Dope
In the Heart of the Sea
Creed
The Martian
Ant-Man

[chris_sc77]

Mad max 4
Bone Tomahawk
Chiraq
Hateful Eight

[MechaGodzilla]

Originally Posted by octagon

Jupiter Ascending - I was expecting a visually impressive trainwreck but this was really, really good. It's a shame nobody else thought so cause I wouldn't have minded more.

This is my pick as well. Yes, Fury Road and Force Awakens were good too and I enjoyed them, but everyone else did as well and I always thought the trailers for both looked awesome so no huge surprises there. Jupiter Ascending was a critical and commercial flop but turned out to be much better than I dared hope, and is probably the only movie that really exceeded my expectations in a big way this year. I think it might even grow on me over time.

[Foggy]

I think I need to make a thread called Movies from 2015 that you had neither strong or negative reaction to.

[Adam_ME]

Kingsman: The Secret Service - I went into this one about as blind as you can. I'd caught maybe one trailer, but didn't remember much about it. It was a sneak preview screening over a month before its official release. Hell, I didn't even know what the movie would be rated(I'd assumed it was a PG-13 flick). Holy hell, did this one catch me by surprise. It was like someone took Kick-Ass and James Bond and mixed them in a blender. One of the craziest, funniest movies I've seen in a long time. The fight in the church has forever changed the song Freebird for me. As has the final action sequence(before the mid-credits one) with KC and the Sunshine Band's Give It Up. Matthew Vaughn is one twisted but brilliant filmmaker.

Creed - I expected something really good after all the positive, glowing reviews cropped up, but leading up to its release, I was not interested at all in this flick. I thought it might be decent, but the trailer was underwhelming and looked like a lame hip hop version of Rocky. Boy, was I wrong. It's probably the best sequel in the series(although I have a soft spot for Rocky III) and a damn fine sports drama in its own right. And that score was epic!

It Follows - I'd heard great things, but it's been so long since I saw a genuinely scary horror flick. I thought maybe I'd become too cynical and numb to that genre as I approach 40, but not after seeing this movie. A clever concept brilliantly executed. I was creeped out the entire time right up until that chilling final shot. And again, that score was inspired.

Goosebumps - I am not a Jack Black fan to say the least. He's ok in small doses, but I was not expecting much at all from what looked like a Jumanji wannabe. Instead, I got a witty, well-acted, occasionally scary, fun little movie that far exceeded Jumanji. In fairness, I've never read the books, so I went into this blind and with no preconceived notions of what it should be like. But this was probably the biggest surprise for me in all of 2015.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens - I was cautiously optimistic from the moment it was announced. But I'd been burned so badly by the prequels and disappointed by Star Trek Into Darkness, that I refused to allow myself to get suckered by the hype. It turns out I had nothing to worry about. Abrams, Kasdan, and the entire cast and crew nailed it. Sure, it's derivative, that final space battle was a bit of a letdown, and Luke had even less screentime than Vader in Revenge of the Sith, but you could nitpick any movie to death if you wanted to. What a fun 2 1/4 hours that really did make me feel like a kid again. This is popcorn cinema at its best. It rejuvenated the franchise, washed away the foul stench(say those words in your best British Carrie Fisher voice) of the dreadful prequels, and has me genuinely geeked about Episode VIII. Thank goodness we only have to wait another 16 1/2 months.

[spectre08]

Originally Posted by Foggy

I think I need to make a thread called Movies from 2015 that you had neither strong or negative reaction to.

just to cover all bases

[MovieKing101]

Inside Out
Creed
Straight Outta Compton.

[Troll2fan]

Creed - I had a feeling that I'd like the movie, but I feared that it was over-hyped and would be a let down. My fears were unwarranted and I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.

Kingsman: The Secret Service - Like Adam_ME, I knew very little of the movie going in, and didn't know what to expect. I found the movie to be both funny, enjoyable and serviceable, but the church scene blew me away. I remember rewinding and watching it three times during my first viewing of the flick. That scene alone is worth the price of admission.

[Abby is Q]

Ex Machina. I thought it looked like a silly "made for Syfy channel" movie when I first saw the trailers. I didn't see it until the video release and I had heard all they hype, so my expectations were a bit higher by the time I saw it, but after watching it it became one of my favorites of 2015.

Can't say anything else exceeded my expectations. Everything else I saw was about what I expected or worse.

[JamesKurtovich]

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

[Ironhorse75]

Fury Road

At the most I was expecting an enjoyable blockbuster. I didn't expect the piece of art that was gifted to us.

[scooter123]

The Final Girls - Upon hearing the plot I was pumped, then found out it was rated PG-13, which damped my spirits a bit. Still i watched it and was very very surprised by it. It not only pays homage to the 80s slashers it also at the core of it is a touching mother daughter story. And the "bette davis" scene is one of the most iconic movie moments of the year for me.

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse - It sucks that paramount tried out its new, wide release then vod soon after approach to this. This should have been promoted more because it was a very funny and action packed unconventional zombie movie.

Trainwreck - Having not been a huge fan of Judd and his previous films, and also having a practically unknown lead, I was sure about how good this would be. Boy was I mistaken. It was hilarious, and touching. And Amy is now getting the recognition she deserves.

We Are Your Friends - I can see where all the criticism comes from for this film but honestly I loved the music and the energy Zac gave to the performance.

Ricki and the Flash - Went in expecting an average family dramedy, I got that and more with the stellar cast. And Meryl performing rock songs, doesn't get any better.

Mad Max: Fury Road - Hold Crap! The trailers just made it look like an action epic, but not to the extent that the film was. Everything about it was just fantastic and it deserves all the hype and hopefully awards that come to it.

[Zivouhr]

The following went above what I was expecting:

Mission Impossible Rogue Nation (motorcycle scene)
Martian 3D (final act)
Peanuts 3D (smile on my face most of the movie)
Spectre 007 (lots more action and great action too)
Good Dinosaur 3D (3D way better than Pixar's prior mild 3D efforts)
Star Wars VII 3D (went beyond my expectations, awesome)

[Karmasux96]

Nice thread OP. Was thinking about making this one myself.

For me:
Jurassic World: Was expecting something closer to Terminator Genisys in terms of quality. Writing sure wasn't the greatest but I definitely had a lot more fun than I thought I would.

Mad Max: Kept my expectations low and couldn't believe what I was watching. Even with the positive buzz a couple months before release I wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. Exactly the movie I wanted this year.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens: I tried to keep my expectations level since I fully expected to be disappointed. I absolutely love this movie. Legit chills down my spine in several scenes both times I've seen it.