3. The Revenant
In folklore, a revenant is a corpse that has returned to terrorize the living, so that's immediately something we're interested in. Ain't nothing better than a western revenge story, and that's exactly what The Revenant delivers. It's about a fur trapper (Leonardo DiCaprio, who is still unjustly angling for that first Oscar) who is mauled by a bear, then robbed and left for dead by his three compatriots. Since this is Leonard DiCaprio in the leading role and not Sean Bean, the trapper survives the attack and sets out to air his grievances against those who had wronged him. The film features Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, and Domhnall Gleeson as DiCaprio's traitorous friends, three actors whose respective stars have been on a meteoric rise over the past few years. Great actors, an acclaimed director in Alejandro González Iñárritu (his past projects include Amores perros, 21 Grams, and this year's Birdman), and an engaging "good man hunts down his friends-turned-enemies" story? We're there.