2) The Martian
Worldwide Box Office: $597 Million (#10)
I’m sure that this movie placing so high isn’t something all of you will agree with, but in a year packed full of superhero films and sequels, The Martian really did feel like a breath of fresh air. It was also a return to form for Sir Ridley Scott after the divisive Prometheus and the downright awful combination of The Counsellor and Exodus: Gods and Kings. Not to mention that this film will definitely get you excited about Alien: Covenant!
The Martian performed better than expected at the box office (especially for an original sci-fi story), but it’s easy to see why. The story of astronaut Mark Watney (a superb Matt Damon) was compelling from start to finish, and Scott effectively managed to get across the feeling of what it would be like to be trapped on a faraway planet with no way of reaching home, despite the movie frequently cutting to events back on Earth.
Visually, The Martian is definitely one of the best looking movies of 2015, but it’s kind of amazing to think that watching Matt Damon use his own waste to grow potatoes in a claustrophobia space capsule was so damn interesting. It’s a testament to the actor that he had moviegoers rooting for every little thing he did as he fought to overcome the odds and survive being left behind.
All that being said though, it still wasn’t 2015’s best sci-fi film….
