What a year! 2015 will go down in history as the year when the most records were broken, even if the biggest of all blockbusters may be said to lack in originality (let's be fair, Furious 7, Jurassic World, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens can't be said to have the most compelling stories). But if the blockbusters impressed us only with the twists and the spectacle, there were other movies which made up for what with the most intriguing and complex stories.

For this reason, it is pretty difficult to choose the best movie of the month/the best 12 movies of the year - and this partly because any list is subjective, even if it aims to be otherwise. For this reason, we have expanded ours to include 15 of the best movies of last year - while some months didn't impress us in any way, some other were filled with beautiful (from an aesthetic point of view) flicks.

Keep on reading and do tell us if you agree - and keep in mind that there are some spoilers in here!

15. Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation

As previously said, there were big blockbusters which impressed with the twists and turns they made. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation is one of them, with a further adagio: it was one of the most fun rides of the year, which ones again proved that Tom Cruise is one of the biggest action movie superstars, even if he is well beyond his 50's.

If we were to compare it with some other franchises, we'd say that Rogue Nation is the love child of James Bond and Fast and Furious. And that is because it is a spy movie with so over-the-top stunts that you cannot simply conceive that they were done in any other way than with CGI. But here is where you are wrong - it is all true (with a few minor alterations), from the intro scene in which Cruise hangs on a plane's door to the (literally) breathtaking scene in which he holds his breath for 6 minutes or so.

This is the kind of dedications which isn't encountered in many movies. And even if it was just for this reason, this movie would still be on our list. But it isn't just because of that - as some reviewers said, this is the best spy action movie since Casino Royale, with a plot which (even if it rehashes similar tropes) can stand on its own against many others on this list.

14. Inside Out

The only animation on this list, Inside Out is one of the most original movies in years. The premise is pretty simple - what happens literally in a girl's head when she encounters an unexpected situation?

The movie's main asset is, however, in how it manages to transform complicated psychological concepts (such as subconscious, memory, imagination, and so on) for everybody to understand them. From this perspective, this is the perfect family movie, which can be revisited again and again, no matter how many years pass.

Of course, it can be said that it suffers from a reductionist approach, since only 5 emotions are presented in the movie. However, Inside Out completely pulls you in and makes up for it - after all, combining all of these emotions one with another can create other types, which weren't presented.

With Inside Out, Pixar has shown that animated movies are its domain. Too bad it fell short with The Good Dinosaur.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZLOYXKmIkw

13. The Hateful Eight

No list with the best movies of a year can be complete without a Tarantino film. And, for us, The Hateful Eight is that film. Sure enough, it isn't as bombastic as Django Unchained, just like it isn't as complex as Pulp Fiction. But maybe this is a better thing, since in this way the director had more time to approach his characters and bring them to life.

And all of them are alive - from Samuel L. Jackson's Major to Zoë Bell's supporting character. In just a couple of seconds, you know who they are and what their role is in the entire plot.

And even if some say that Tarantino overdid it with the usage of nigger or with the violence (Kurt Russel's Hangman elbows a woman, seemingly without reason, in the first minutes he is introduced), this is still one of the masterpieces of the year. We cannot even fathom the thought of this movie never being made because the script was leaked.

And if you want to see one of the best female performances of the year, watch The Hateful Eight and pay attention to Jennifer Jason Leigh's Daisy Domergue.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_UI1GzaWv0

12. Kingsman: The Secret Service

This might just be the most innocent movie on this list, if we are to take into account the subjects debated in it (but no, it isn't). Matthew Vaughn returns with Kingsman: The Secret Service, after resurrecting the X-Men franchise and after bringing to life the most violent antihero we've seen in quite a while (Chloë Grace Moretz's Hit Girl).

Kingsman: The Secret Service is pure and violent fun. It is in no way a movie you see for other reasons than for entertainment, quips, and twists. There isn't too much to say about the plot, which can be said to be paper-thin (and out of the early James Bond movies). But the cast is excellent, the pace is likewise, and in-your-face action is like never before.

Since we mentioned James Bond, we can add a bit of trivia in here - Colin Firth based his character on the 1967 Casino Royale main character. On the other hand, Samuel L. Jackson didn't - but you can see from a mile away where he took his inspiration from.

You can literally feel the energy exploding in your face from the first minutes the movie starts. And, by the end of it all, you actually want to be in that cell with that Princess (you would, anyway, but the entire movie would make you want it even more).

11. Spy

Yet another spy movie, but this time a comedy, makes it on this list. If Kingsman: The Secret Service had an over the top plot, Spy takes the cake - a bit overweight CIA agent goes undercover in order to prevent global annihilation. And when you have names like Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham thrown into the fold, you ask yourself: why is this movie so good?

We have no idea. But it is. And mainly because of Paul Feig's direction and script, who always manages to capture the best out of his leading ladies. Yes - his comedy is a bit obvious at times, but it always works. And when someone manages to make you feel that something outrageously bland isn't so, that someone is a genius.

This is the third time we mention the James Bond franchise on this list, without a James Bond movie making it on it. Spy is what Austin Powers used to be - and that says a lot, we believe. If Kingsman: The Secret Service had action brought as close as possible to the viewer's eye, Spy brought comedy to the same distance.

10. Bridge of Spies

Tom Hanks is one of the best actors still. Steven Spielberg is one of the best directors. Saving Private Ryan is still their best movie together - but Bridge of Spies certainly put up a fight for this place, without all the shooting and all the explosions and deaths. And yes - this is yet another spy movie (although it is in no way like the others on the list).

If you want to see a modern film about the Cold War espionage, then see Bridge of Spies, which benefits from a brilliant direction and an even more brilliant main actor. Just like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, this movie proposes another perspective on the darkest decades of the 20th century - but, unlike the former, Bridge of Spies is more sentimental and emotional.

But, unlike the 2011 spy film, this one is for all the audiences.

To be noted, the Coen brothers contributed to the script - so this is one more reason to watch Bridge of Spies.

9. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

What can be said about Star Wars: The Force Awakens that hasn't been said before? Besides the huge box office success, the movie breathed new life into a franchise which seemed dead. Yeah, some say that it borrowed too much from A New Hope - but those people still saw it multiple times.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the behemoth it deserves to be. We are looking forward for whatever comes next (Rogue One)!

8. Spotlight

Spotlight is one of the best movies of the year, even if it was literally unnoticed. It is the kind of realistic look to the biggest scandals in the world we would like to see more often.

Spotlight is centered on the child molestation scandal which shook the Catholic Church to its roots - it is the story of the Boston Globe journalists who discovered the cover up and told the world the truth as it was. And the movie's main asset is that it doesn't transform its protagonists into heroes of any kind. Just like any other, they were simple, normal men and women who took their job seriously.

The cast is a stellar one: Mark Ruffalo (MCU's Hulk), Michael Keaton (Burton's Batman), Rachel McAdams (one of the stars of the upcoming Doctor Strange), John Slattery (Howard Stark in Iron Man 2), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Billy Crudup (Watchmen).

See Spotlight and you will find it hard to believe that the same director (Tom McCarthy) helmed one of 2015's worst movies as well (The Cobbler). See Spotlight and you will find the same excitement, enthusiasm and depression all real journalists feel.

7. Straight Outta Compton

Who would have thought that a movie documenting the rise of NWA, with unknown actors in the lead roles, would be so successful?

Straight Outta Compton was the sleeper hit of the year, even if it took quite a few liberties with the actual biography of the group. But, sometimes, these liberties are much needed, in order to better describe what can be now called a legend. With this movie, director F. Gary Gray showed why NWA is right up there, with the Rolling Stones, The Doors, and all the other greats.

And, at the same time, he showed that a minuscule budget and unknown leads can make a blast at the box office when the story is good.

6. Creed

This year was definitely the year of the sequels - and Creed is the second best of them all. Who would have believed that there is still life in the Rocky franchise, 10 years after Rocky Balboa seemingly brought everything to a stop?

This time, it is Silver Stallone's Rocky who is the ages and experienced one, sitting in the corner and advising a young boxer. And it is Michael B. Jordan who portrays the son of Creed from the original movies, proving once again that he is indeed one of the best actors of his generation and that Fantastic Four was just a fluke.

This isn't the first time director Ryan Coogler has worked with Michael B. Jordan - Fruitvale Station is an equally powerful movie. And seeing that Marvel trusted him with Black Panther's first solo outing, we can only look forward to this director's next projects.

Also, Stallone said that he is done with Rambo - but he has great plans for Creed. Bring it on!

5. Ex Machina

Ex Machina is one of those movies you have to watch multiple times in order to catch all its nuances. And that is because the smaller details are the ones which count the most. For an SF movie, it relies mostly on the ideas presented, rather than on the special effects - there is CGI in it, but only to help the story and not to take over, as we see with many of nowadays similar productions.

Ex Machina is an uncommon movie for that matter and reminds us what humanity really means (granted, to a larger extent). It is beautifully filmed, with a beautiful cinematography, and has a main cast of only 3 actors - after all, an enigmatic and compelling masterpiece doesn't need too much in order to work (of course, others appear as well, but for couple of seconds only).

Ex Machina plays with the viewers' minds - and that is especially because of Alicia Vikander's mesmerizing portrayal of Ava. Oscar Isaac is also great in the role of this modern Frankenstein, while Domhnall Gleeson is the perfect lab rat to experiment on.

If you were to choose a single SF movie of 2015 to see, this is it.

4. Sicario

Denis Villeneuve directed one of 2013's best movies (Prisoners, with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal). In 2015 he came with Sicario, proving that he has evolved as a director.

An idealistic FBI agent is called to help a governmental task force in its war against drug lords - this seems like a straight out action movie plot. Except it isn't. It is a thriller which takes its time to create the atmosphere, with a few sudden outbursts of action along the way. By the end the viewer realizes what has happened, the wolves have taken over completely.

It can be said that this movie is made entirely with the actors' expressions and gestures. The script is strong and the lines are the same - but it is Benecio Del Toro (first and foremost), Emily Blunt, and Josh Brolin who instill true life into these characters. And the thing is that it has one of the most relevant (for our times) stories worth watching - and for that, for the subject it chooses, it is interesting, exciting and depressing at the same time.

Make time for this one - even if you have to skip all the other movies presented in here before it.

3. The Big Short

The best thing about The Big Short is that it doesn't dumb down the story for everybody to understand it. Sure enough, you have from time to time a Ryan Gosling breaking the 4th wall, or a Margot Robbie explaining a concept in a bubbly bathtub, while drinking champagne. But that is just about all - and, despite that, this is still the most enriching movie of the year.

And it is enriching in the sense that the viewer can understand what is happening with the world - by looking at past events, the viewer can predict future ones. And this is exactly the note in which The Big Short ends - bleak and completely without any hope.

The other best thing about The Big Short (if we may say so) is the cast, particularly Christian Bale and Steve Carell - both of them should win at least a nomination for supporting/main actors at the Academy Awards (they already received at the Golden Globes). We could compare this to The Wolf of Wall Street - but while the latter focused only on one wolf, The Big Short presents us the entire pack.

Unfortunately, unlike with Sicario, there is no escaping from the predators.

2. The Revenant

Come to think about it, Steve Carell cannot win the Oscar this year, because Leonardo DiCaprio will. The Revenant is a tour de force for the (already) veteran actor, whose character has to face the hazardous weather, the Indians, the wildlife, and the betraying companions in order to survive.

The plot is fairly simply for that matter. But no matter how simple it could have gotten, it would have still been an amazing flick. Beautifully shot and cut, the movie surprises even if the audience knows what is about to happen.

For example, the trailer teased (yes, that was just a tease) that Hugh Glass will be attacked by a bear. So what! That scene gets more and more intense with each bite and each claw on the back. And when you see the bear coming for a second round, you're asking yourself how the movie can continue without its main character.

Hugh Glass is the vengeful ghost and Leonardo DiCaprio brought him back to life. And the movie will continue to surprise, even if its metaphors are seemingly easy to grasp.

1. Mad Max: Fury Road

As said, 2015 was the year of the sequels - Mad Max: Fury Road pulled no punches and threw us straight into the action.

The biggest complaint brought by the naysayers is that Mad Max: Fury Road was just one big car chase. And that it was - the simplicity is what makes this the best movie of the year (paired, of course, with top-notch effects, superb cinematography, and an epic main cast). It had no time to lose the pace with side-plots or twists or such - from the beginning until the end, it was the best and most fun roller coaster ever.

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