Just missing out on a place in the top ten were…
11. Room
12. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
13. Ant-Man
14. The Lobster
15. The Gift
16. Spectre
17. The Hateful Eight
18. Creed
19. Amy
20. Straight Outta Compton
It should probably be noted that the likes of The Hateful Eight and Creed would surely have been rated higher this year had the majority of our UK writers had the chance to see them before 2016.
How the top ten would have looked if we’d gone with UK release dates…
1. Ex Machina
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
3. Mad Max: Fury Road
4. Whiplash
5. Inside Out
6. Carol
7. It Follows
8. The Martian
9. Kingsman: The Secret Service
10. Sicario
Our writers individual favourites of the year…
Gary Collinson – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Oliver Davis – Whiplash
Luke Owen – It Follows
David Opie – Mad Max: Fury Road
James Garcia – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Eddy Gardiner – Ex Machina
Helen Murdoch – Ex Machina
Amon Warmann – Whiplash
Tom Beasley – Inside Out
Sara Hemrajani – Carol
Samuel Brace – Whiplash
Ricky Church – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Andy Naylor – Ex Machina
Robert W Monk – Carol
William Fanelli – Ex Machina
Manny Camacho – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Tom Jolliffe – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Chris Cooper – Whiplash
Gav Logan – Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Scott Davis – A Most Violent Year
Justin Cook – Ex Machina
Robert Kojder – Room
Kat Kourbeti – Sicario
Kris Wall – Ex Machina
Paul Risker – Exit
Villordsutch – Ex Machina
Thomas Harris – Carol
Gary McCurry – Whiplash
Rohan Morbey – Carol
Mark Clark – Mad Max: Fury Road
Jake Peffer – Room
And our previous Top Tens…
2014 – Guardians of the Galaxy
2013 – Gravity
2012 – The Dark Knight Rises
2011 – Drive
2010 – Inception
What are your picks for the best movies of the year? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below…
Originally published December 31, 2015. Updated November 29, 2022.
