As we are on the cusp of a new year, it is the perfect time to reflect on last year’s transformative moments. From politics to pop culture, 2015 marked a year of standout change. No industry underwent more changes in this past year than the film business, as 2015 offered so many cinematic standouts.

Reboots were particularly popular this past year. While some of them, such as Fantastic Four, are downright cringe worthy, others proved to be refreshing takes on past ideas. For example, George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road was undoubtedly one of the best movies of 2015. The film is a modern version of the 1979 Mad Max, starring Mel Gibson. While paying homage to the original plot, Fury Road had fortifying originality. The 1979 original was dominated by men, but in Mad Max: Fury Road placed a heavy significance on women. Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron) was a prominent character, leading a group of women and the straggler Max, through a post-apocalyptic wasteland in hopes of crushing their tyrannical enemy, Immortan Joe.

Another popular reboot released in 2015 was Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World. While the plot of the movie does not offer anything drastically exciting, watching the movie provides viewers with a great deal of fun. Who wouldn’t love watching an epic battle between a genetically modified dinosaur and a Tyrannosaurus Rex?

Sci-fi also had a strong year in 2015. One of the most popular, and quite possibly the top movie of 2015, would be JJ Abrams’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It’s been ten years since a Star Wars movie has been released, and quite honestly 32 years since a good one. The film offers the perfect juxtaposition of the old and new. The film revitalizes everything that made the original trilogy so groundbreaking. From Han Solo’s (Harrison Ford) iconic demeanor, to the epic battles among Jedi, the movie recreates all of the emotions felt the first time you watched Star Wars. The Force Awakens also made a few trademarks of its own. The cast of the movie features a lot more diversity by including a black man, woman, and Latin American man as the leading trio. Through the revitalized plot and new modern twists, it is exactly the type of movie where you wish you could watch it for the first time over and over again.

Ridley Scott’s The Martian was another critically acclaimed sci-fi film of 2015. The story follows astronaut and botanist, Mark Watney (Matt Damon) who is left stranded on Mars and desperate for survival. The film follows Watney’s emotional and physical deterioration, as those on Earth attempt to bring him home. The Martian features some of Hollywood’s biggest actors, and the varying dynamics between their characters are what make the film so enjoyable. Matt Damon had an outstanding performance channeling humor in Watney’s perilous situation.

Animation also had a major presence in 2015, with Pixar releasing its first original movie since 2012’s Brave. Inside Out was by far the best animation film of the year, as it appeals to both children and adults. The plot follows the emotions that reside in a young girl´s head as she deals with immense change in her life. Inside Out will take you on an emotional roller coaster ride, as almost all Pixar movies do. This one, however, is particularly sentimental as it chronicles the ups and downs of childhood.

Finally, one of 2015’s best movie’s was the Andy Sorkin penned Steve Jobs. An earlier attempt at a Steve Jobs movie resulted in 2013’s mega flop, Jobs. Delivering a more gripping and intriguing plot, Steve Jobs offers an eye-opening look into the complex life of Steve Jobs. Michael Fassbender’s performance mirrored Job’s real life mannerisms and behavior, so it is no surprise that he has already been nominated for a Golden Globe.

The past year offered a wealth of standout films that embraced diversity and originality. A fan of cinema can only hope the entertainment industry continues to make progressive strides in 2016.