Top 10 Movies of Summer 2015 (From Worst to Best)

Welcome everybody to another controversial edition of J-Bang Rankings! Today, I am ranking all of the 10 movies I saw this summer from the bad to the best! The summer season has grown to be known as "the season of summer blockbusters" and this year was no exception, but that's not to say that there weren't any truly disastrous films either. But be warned that this list is constructed 100% out of my own opinion, so please respect it, and in return I will respect your opinion. Because, we're all humans, and as humans, each of us have a different taste in what we want and are guaranteed to have different opinions. And if your favorite movie is not listed, it's not because it wasn't worthy, it's simply because I had no interest in seeing it. That being said, let's rev up our engines! Ready? Set! GO!
                                                   
                                                            Number 10: Fantastic Four

The "Not-so-Fantastic Four" was literally one of the WORST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN! I came in with high hopes that 20th Century Fox would have finally produced a good "Fantastic Four" movie the would redeem the comic book team's past iterations. What I got instead was an incomplete 1st draft of a movie with a lame script, no fun, and no action! The characters felt one-dimensional and shallow and the editing from scene to scene was atrocious! This movie was dull from the start to the abysmal finish, and ultimately ended up winning the "first film to be so bad that it actually made me angry" award. 

                                                           Number 9: Tomorrowland

"Tomorrowland" looked to be very promising at first glance. It was the first collaboration between director Brad Bird and Disney since they made Pixar's "The Incredibles." It starred George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Britt Robinson and was one of the very few "original" movies to be released in the sequel-reboot dominated year of 2015. So what happened? Well, after a very good, imaginative first act, the movie quickly fell apart and struggled to find a plot. By the time the movie reached its climax, it just became a lost cause, bequeathing on to me the same emotion the three main characters felt when they finally found "Tomorrowland:" Disappointed and let down!

                                                            Number 8: Terminator: Genisys

I'm not kidding, this movie actually spelled the word "Genesis" like that on the title card. "Terminator: Genisys" somehow ends up feeling like a generic action movie. The movie uses time-travel to propel its plot but in the rare moments that the film uses to explains what's happening, instead of helping me and the audience understand it better, it just comes off as confusing. The dialogue feels repetitive and unimaginative and the action scenes feel forced and after a short while, also begin to feel boring. I can only be entertained for long until I realize how dull it is to continuously shoot at an "unstoppable" robot from the future over...and over...and over again. Truly, the only redeeming quality of "Terminator: Genisys" was the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger as the T-800. 

                                                                 Number 7: Ted 2  

I liked the first Ted movie! It had a compelling story, interesting characters and alot of classic Seth MacFarlane humor. "Ted 2" came back to turn the raunchy, unadulterated humor up a notch but in an effort to be funnier than the first one, it refuses to provide a good, cohesive plot. Ted 2 is obviously the funniest out of the two, and the on-screen chemistry between Johnny (Mark Wahlberg) and Ted (Seth MacFarlane) is spot-on, but with some jokes and scenes dragging on for too long and a plot that slowly reverts back into that of the first film, I couldn't help but to feel somewhat underwhelmed. 

                                            Number 6: Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation

IT PAINS ME to put "Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation" at number 6! It's fun, smart, action-packed, pulse pounding and EASILY has the most unpredictable plot of the year! It is a true compliment to the spy genre and one of the biggest surprises of the summer of 2015. As much of a pleasure it was to watch this movie, it just so happens that I liked the next 5 movies better...

                                                               Number 5: Ant-Man

When you go into a movie theater to watch a film about a superhero whose superpower is to shrink and control ants, you go in with low expectations. Personally, since I'm a Marvel fanboy at heart, I came in to watch "Ant-Man" with zero expectations. Safe to say, considering its position on this list, "Ant-Man" earned my praise! Rather than using the classic "save the world" plot device, "Ant-Man" operates more as a heist film. A stellar cast that includes Paul Rudd, Michael Douglass and even Michael Pena help make "Ant-Man" one of the funniest superhero movies since "Guardians of the Galaxy."

                                                        Number 4: Straight Outta Compton

I'm not a fan of Biopic movies, but if I had to pick a favorite, "Straight Outta Compton" would win my vote, hands down! "Straight Outta Compton" follows the professional and personal life of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy-E. Although it includes funny moments and straight-up awesome acts of rebellion, "Straight Outta Compton" isn't afraid to showcase the harsh repercussions of fame and power as well as showcase the harsh reality of gang life and police brutality. Plus, the soundtrack played throughout this film is stellar!

                                                     Number 3: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Action! Adventure! Boom! Pow! Wham! Avengers: Age of Ultron has the pleasure of being the most EPIC of Superhero movies, based on the sheer size and scope of it all. When Tony Stark creates a sentient robot, with the intention of protecting the world, the robot goes rogue and decides the best way to keep the world safe...is by destroying it, so it's up to the Avengers to stop him. The action is as hard-hitting as a Hulk-Buster, and the pace is just as fast and fluent as Quicksilver. Character interactions feel natural, James Spader is the perfect actor to portray the villain, Ultron, and Paul Bettany steals the show as the newly introduced, but all powerful android known as "The Vision." 

                                                    Number 2: Mad Max: Fury Road

"Oh, what a day! What a lovely day!" I expected "Mad Max: Fury Road" to be good, but I never expected it to be THAT GOOD! With the scenes filmed mostly with practical effects, "Fury Road" delivers the action-packed vehicular warfare better than any "Fast and Furious" movie could ever hope to achieve. But for me personally, it was the character development and the little moments shared between them that really "drove" this film home for me. Max (Tom Hardy), the mysterious man with the irredeemable past, Furiosa (Charlize Theron), the heroin who puts her life on the line in hopes of finding freedom within the savage land, and Nux (Nicolas Holt), the impressionable crony who begins to question his own loyalty towards the villain, Immortan Joe. All stories shared and intertwined with each other and told with practically little dialogue!

and finally, my favorite movie of the summer of 2015 is....

                                                             Number 1: Jurassic World

Are you shocked?! You shouldn't be! "Jurassic World" came out better than I could have ever hoped! Sure, the plot was simple, but it didn't need to be an Oscar nominee, it just needed to be good, better than the last two "Jurassic Park" sequels and it sure as hell was! Watching "Jurassic World" in a theater packed to the brim with people, delivered a rare one-of-a-kind experience where I actually felt that I was at the park itself. The movie is scattered with tense moments of suspense, action, and admirably appreciated usage of nostalgia. It was a great film for the summer, and currently sits as my favorite film of the year!

J-Bang Reviews Present: Straight Outta Compton

I'm gonna be listening to old school gangsta rap for about a month! "Straight Outta Compton" provides a nice and refreshing break from an action-packed season of summer blockbusters, while also giving a detailed and engaging view of the career of hip hop's most notorious rap group.

"Straight Outta Compton" follows the rise and fall of the N.W.A. (Don't know what that stands for? Google it...) and follows the trials and tribulations of Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr.), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), and Eazy E (Jason Mitchell). There's alot to like about this film, so I'll get started with the obvious one...the soundtrack! The music is just incredible, which it should be considering it's a movie based on a music group. The lyrics are just as powerful today as they were back then and gurantees a head bop or a foot tap sooner rather than later. Most notably, the best thing about "Straight Outta Compton" is how REAL it is. What I mean by that is that it showcases the real struggles of living in an improverished neighborhood like Compton, that is showcased to share the same traits of living in a Detroit, or Brooklyn. Gang Violence and Dope Dealing is a real problem in multiple neighborhoods and when mainstream society only see those factors as a main representation of that community, it becomes harder for anybody to get out of the hood and be given an oppurtunity to rise above it. The director, F. Gary Gray, makes that point evident by having the name of Compton dismissed numerous times in early moments of the film. It also showcases the harsh politics of show business through the motives of Paul Giomatti's character, Jerry Heller, and R. Marcos Taylor's Suge Knight.

In terms of acting, every one brings their A+ performances to the table. You hate the characters you're suppose to hate and you fall in love with the characters you're suppose to love with. Everyone has cohesive chemistry on screen and Hawkins, O'Shea Jr. and Mitchell bring an abudance of sympathy and empathy to the main three of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Eazy E. Plus, the youthful hip hop appearances of an early Tupac and Snoop Dogg starting out in the biz are fun little easter eggs.

The tone of the movie shifts DRASTICALLY after the second act. It feels like the characters see making music as a personal gateway to form comradery amongst themselves in an attempt to deal with serious issues like gang violence and police brutality, but then, once everyone becomes famous and decides to go solo, blood starts to boil, and jealousy, envy, loyalty and pride somehow ends up becoming a dangerous side effect of being given money and power for the first time. It's truly depressing but understandable. The only complaint I have about this movie is about the same complaint I have with every biopic I watch. It was just so long!

"Straight Outta Compton" truly gives us a much needed break from the action and sci-fi films of summer 2k15 while also giving us a well rounded underdog story as well as a thoughtful tribute to the legacy of the N.W.A. "Straight Outta Compton" gets a J-Banging score of 4.6 out of 5.

 

J-Bang Reviews Present: Fantastic Four

Before I get started I must clarify the "Fantastic Four" is a Marvel movie made by 20th Century Fox, not Marvel Studios! Marvel Studios produced the entertaining, fun, action flicks, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Ant-Man, whereas Fox produces the X-Men movies. Marvel Studios DID NOT make "Fantastic Four." 20th Century Fox did. Now with that having been said, I declare the Fantastic Four to be ONE OF THE WORST MOVIES OF 2015!!!!

My favorite film genre are comic book movies so trust me when I say this movie is terrible! The plot is Reed Richards (Miles Teller) helps create a machine with the ability to teleport people to other dimensions. When Reed and his friends test this out, things go awry in the dimension they visit, and return to Earth with new cosmic superpowers. Believe it or not, the best scene of this film is when they get their powers. That's literally it! As soon as the movie starts, the pacing is so slow, that it almost gave me a headache. The script is dull and it feels like every actor in the movie's performance is phoned in. Plus, when watching this movie from start to finish, for a movie that feels so dull, it also feels very rushed. It's like the movie starts with Act I, skips Act II, and goes straight to Act III. It's like a whole chunk of this movie is missing. And the action, Oh God, the action in this movie. Guess what?! IT'S NONE-EXISTENT!!! The trailers lied to you!!!There is no action. The only interesting piece of action that comes within this film is in the form of a 20 second highlight reel for a government presentation. 

The other piece of action comes in the form of a disappointing boss battle with the film's villain, Dr. Doom, played by Toby Kebbell. The picture you see above is the character of Doom, which is a far-cry from how he looks in the comic books. In the comic books, he is an evil war-lord of a fictional country called Latveria, and whose only purpose in life is to conquer and rule over all. This Doom is a mutated chrome burrito who wants to destroy Earth because he was left in another dimension for a year. It's easy to understand why someone would be mad about that but "Come On!" His actions leading up to this makes absolutely zero sense! Doom comes across a new team of teleporters, asking for their help, is taken back to the military base to receive medical treatment and to have tests ran on him, then decides he wants to go back home to the new dimension, but not without killing every one he sees and everyone on Earth. This is not only one of the worst film renditions of Doom ever, but also one of the worst villain performances ever. Surprisingly, Doom is not the only unlikable character in this movie. Even our "heroes" of Reed Richards (Miles Teller) Sue Storm (Kate Mara) Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell) are terrible at acting their parts. Their characters just feel so shallow and uncaring that when they finally become "a team" at the end, it feels unearned and undeserved. 

Fantastic Four has never had a great representation on film, but this movie takes the cake as the WORST VERSION OF THEM ALL. It's so bad that it actually makes me feel ANGRY!!! This movie tries so hard to be different from any previously released comic book movie that it ultimately ends up being flat-out boring and even disgusting to look at. Do yourself a favor folks and don't even attempt to see this poor excuse of a superhero movie. In all honesty, 20th Century Fox should've never released this movie! Fantastic Four gets a 1.5 out of 5.