Top 10 Most Anticipated Action Films of 2015

In recent years, action cinema has been at the top of its game. The last two years have delivered some absolutely incredible action films: The Raid: Redemption, Django Unchained, Looper, Dredd, Snitch, The Wolverine, Drug War, etc. Unfortunately, 2014 has been an incredibly weak year for action cinema so far. I expect the fall to fix this problem with bad ass cinema like The Guest, John Wick, Fury, and eventual foreign films making their way to the U.S.

Therefore, I think it is time that we look forward to 2015; the year that is being dubbed the biggest year of blockbuster/franchise cinema in movie history. However, I am looking forward towards the more typical action films depicting ordinary people in extraordinary situations, epic shootouts, and lengthy fist fights. Therefore, I have selected the 10 action films I am most excited for confirmed for release in 2015. I have excluded foreign films because their U.S. release dates are impossible to predict until about a few months before they come out. Therefore, this is more of a list on American productions and co-productions that I am stoked for. I am excluding huge films like Avengers: Age of Ultron and Star Wars Episode VI because they are more like science fiction adventures than straight forward action films. Terminator: Genisys is different because it's more action packed and reliant upon real world guns than light sabers and Hulks.

10) Transporter Legacy (dir. Camille Delamarre) - After the dismal Transporter 3, it seems right to reboot the series. I had no issues with Jason Statham in that film, but director Olivier Megaton ruined that film with his awful taste in editing and camerwork. This new Transporter film will act as a prequel to the original 3 films. I know that I shouldn't expect a lot out of this film but I still find myself a little excited to see the character and his bad ass martial arts and car driving skills return.

9) Run All Night (dir. Jaume Collet-Serra) - Liam Neeson and Jaume Collet-Serra reunite for the third time for this new action film. The film pits Neeson up against a former mob boss in an act to protect his family. Man, Neeson sure is churning out these action films isn't he? Anyways, this film sounds more action centric than Neeson and Serra's previous two films Unknown and Non-Stop. Let's hope it delivers the goods.

8) The Gunman (dir. Pierre Morel) - After delivering the parkour goods in District: B13 and showing us how bad ass Liam Neeson could be in Taken, it seems that Morel is back to deliver another gritty action film. The film stars Sean Penn, an actor never known for action cinema, in a film packed with A-list actors like Javier Bardem and Idris Elba. This seems like another attempt at placing an aged actor like Liam Neeson or Denzel Washington into an action role. Now that Pierre Morel is no longer making films for EuropaCorp, I hope that he can churn out an amazing action film devoid of Luc Bessons's PG-13 fingers.

7) Blackhat (dir. Michael Mann) - Blackhat lands on the list simply because it is directed by an auteur of action/crime cinema. Michael Mann is a fabulous filmmaker well known for his masterful action films like Thief, Heat, and Collateral. And while Mann's previous output lacks his older works' expertise and is unfortunately filmed in bizarre looking High Definition Digital, Blackhat is a return to the kind of character driven R rated action that Mann used to excel at so long ago. Starring Chris Hemsworth (Thor), I highly anticipate this January release.

6) Tak3n (dir. Olivier Megaton) - Just take a gander at that screenshot and tell me you aren't excited for this? Anyways, this film can go two ways. Taken 3 can redeem Olivier Megaton's terrible track of weak action filmmaking or it can continue to prove that Megaton is one of the worst action filmmakers in the business. The plot of this is a mix between The Fugitive and Taken, an awesome combination if you ask me. I am extremely excited for this film and hope that Neeson can deliver the goods one final time as everybody's favorite ass kicking dad. It's surprising to see that Liam Neeson is churning out action films faster than Jason Statham or anyone else at the moment. Way to go Neeson.

5) Terminator: Genisys (dir. Alan Taylor) - We are now moving into big budget action territory. The previous five films have small to medium sized budgets. But everything from here on now is definitely blockbuster filmmaking with a focus on action. I still can't believe Terminator 5 is actually happening. Unlike the Transporter franchise or something small like that, the Terminator franchise is a legendary film series that started off with the highest of highs. I have major hesitations about this film because it looks to reintroduce time travel, star current day Arnold Schwarzenegger (an actor whose recent output has been incredibly weak), and be directed by Alan Taylor who butchered Thor: The Dark World. I am still excited for this because it is the Terminator franchise that we are talking about. We'll have to wait and see but I am incredibly hesitant about this one.

4) Mission: Impossible 5 (dir. James McQuarrie) - Now this is what I'm talking about. McQuarrie and Cruise killed it with Jack Reacher, an absolutely incredible action film from 2012. With the two bringing their action mastery to the newest Mission: Impossible film, I couldn't find myself more excited. The last MI film was great and this should be a sure fire success. This film is unfortunately coming out the same time as Star Wars Episode VI and will hopefully not lose money because of this.

3) Fast and Furious 7 (dir. James Wan) - Few recent films have had as much turmoil behind the scenes as this one. With the loss of Paul Walker in 2013, Fast and Furious 7 was forced to reshoot and rearrange its script into something workable. Regardless of how you feel about this series, this is easily the most anticipated of the entire franchise considering the amazing ending of Fast and Furious 6 and Paul Walker's passing. With icons like Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, and Tony Jaa joining the cast, Fast and Furious 7 is gearing up to be one of the best action films of 2015. It'll also be interesting to see how the filmmakers salvage what was left of Paul Walker's footage and pay tribute to him at the same time.

2) Bond 23 (dir. Sam Mendes) - Mendes delivered one of the finest James Bond films ever made with 2012's Skyfall. Even though it seemed that Mendes would not return, he apparently has confirmed that he will return for Bond 23. No one knows anything about this film really, but it's James Bond! You're sold already! Craig's performances as Bond are some of the greatest in action cinema. I hope that Bond 23 can stack up to Skyfall and deliver the same level of fabulous storytelling and hard hitting action.

1) Mad Max: Fury Road (dir. George Miller) - Star Wars could be cancelled this year for all I care because Mad Max is back! George Miller, the director of the original Mad Max trilogy, is also back! Words can't describe my anticipation for this post-apocalyptic piece of awesomeness. Vehicular mayhem and gun fire will reign supreme when this film comes out and blows everyone's minds. This is exactly what I want from an action film and we're getting it from Warner Bros. of all studios. Whether it is rated PG-13 or R, vehicular mayhem will always look impressive.