The 5 Best Movie Scenes Of 2015

• The Party – Age of Ultron

You’d expect the Avengers sequel to be highlighted by one of the big battle scenes or action pieces. However, the real highlight comes early in the movie as the Avengers gather for a big party scene and we see them cutting loose, having a good time, chatting it up and enjoying themselves. It’s just so great from the way War Machine (Don Cheadle) tries to tell his own action stories to Thor bantering and the requisite cameo from Stan Lee. The best bit is when Tony (Robert Downey Jr.) tries to prove Thor’s hammer can be lifted, first with his gauntlet, then working with War Machine. The others try with Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) acting like he’s about to Hulk out but the rest aren’t amused. The most brilliant is how Captain America (Chris Evans) actually does seem to move it an inch to Thor’s concern, then relief when it doesn’t happen. It ends with Ultron’s first attack but it’s nice to see Earth’s Mightiest Heroes be normal people for once and that it’s the character, not the action, that makes a Marvel movie shine.

• The T-Rex vs Indominus – Jurassic World

Jurassic World had flaws but you can’t argue the climax among them. As Owen (Chris Pratt) tries to defend a pair of kids from the Indominus Rex, the vicious super-dinosaur created for the park and its raptor buddies, Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) gets an idea. Running to a long-hidden gate, Claire opens it with a torch and with a roar emerges the Tyrannosaurus Rex from the original movie who’s been locked up for the last twenty years. Stomping onto the park square, the T-Rex charges and battles the Indomunius, the two monstrous beasts going at it hard, the T-Rex proving itself tougher despite the Indomunius being bigger. Eventually, the T-Rex sends the other dino into the nearby lagoon where the even more monstrous Mosasaurus emerges to swallow it up. Proof that you just can’t beat the original when it comes to being the baddest dino on the block and a triumph of modern CGI clashes.

 

• Mexico City Mission – Spectre

The James Bond movies set the standard for opening action sequences and this is one of the best yet. It stars with Sam Mendes doing a single-camera take of a man in a skeleton costume walking with a beautiful woman through the streets of Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festival. We follow them through a hotel, up an elevator, a steamy kiss and then the woman in bed and surprised when the man removes his costume to reveal himself as a suited Bond (Daniel Craig) who says “I’ll be right back” before heading out onto the roof of the building. Bond is spying on a meeting but it goes badly, an explosion that takes out a building and knocks him on a couch. Chasing his target on foot, Bond sees the guy getting into a helicopter in the town square and hops after him, the chopper flying about above the terrified crowd. It ends with Bond finally managing to toss the guy from the copter and take off into the distance. It’s a sequence that has you marveling “only Bond” and why he’s lasted so long.

 

• The Last Ride – Furious 7

From the start, the major question about this latest entry in the action franchise was how it would deal with the tragic death of Paul Walker, who had shot most of his scenes before his fatal car accident in 2013. The tension was high with fans wondering if Brian would be killed off as well and it was teased in the film with several close calls. In the end, however, Brian survived, returning home as Mia (Jordanna Brewster), reveals they’re expecting a second child. Watching them together, Dom (Vin Diesel) realizes this is Brian’s life now and he has to let their criminal ways go. He decides to go on a private drive and as he pulls up at a light, another car joins him. Thanks to some CGI, Walker is there, grinning brightly as he and Dom start off driving. A montage plays of various top moments from the entire series of Brian as Dom’s voiceover states that no matter where their paths take them, they’ll always be brothers. As the cars race to a fork in the road, Brian turns off toward the sunset as the haunting theme of “When I See You Again” plays over it all. A beautiful send-off for Walker and his character and how this bromance was always the heart of the action spectacular.

 

• Rey vs Ren – Star Wars: The Force Awakens

In a film packed with one amazing scene after another, it saves the best for the climax. In the snowy forests of Starkiller Base, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), having just killed his own father, Han Solo, faces off against Finn (John Boyega) in a lightsaber fight, the two going at it before Ren knocks the saber away and slashes Finn across the back. Holding out his hand, Ren tries to summon the saber (once Luke’s) into his hand but it seems to resist. He pulls and it flies out…and spins right past Ren and into the waiting hand of Rey (Daisy Ridley). As John Williams’ iconic “Force Theme” plays, Rey ignites the saber and battles it out with Ren.

At first, Ren has the advantage as they fight across the snowy plains and rocks, clashing against each other as Ren says he can teach Rey the Force. Remembering words given to her before, Rey closes her eyes and when she opens them, she’s attuned and takes the fight to Ren, kicking him down, slashing his outfit and finally creating a massive scar across his face as he can’t believe the tables are turned. A quake separates them as they glare at each other, each knowing this isn’t over. A terrific turning point for the new saga that sets Rey up as a hero and one of the best moments of the entire series as well as one hell of a fight.