5. The Theory Of Everything
Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory Of Everything made a star out of London-born actor Eddie Redmayne, stuck an Oscar in his hand, and presumably helped him land the starring role in the new Harry Potter prequel trilogy Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. In all the success and hype, its easy to forget that The Theory Of Everything isnt a Hollywood production. Its worth remembering that it heralded from British production company Working Title Films. It was also, of course, ruddy excellent. Its easy to see why Redmaynes star rose so astronomically off the back of this one. His performance as Professor Hawking isnt just good - its transformative. Hes so convincing that, when his head thumps to the ground during a vital scene, theres always an audible gasp from the audience. Now thats emotional engagement. Wed best not forget the films other star, Felicity Jones. As Jane Wilde Hawking (whose book inspired the film), Jones is no less impressive. Stevens condition is tragic for her, too, and its interesting to see a biopic thats willing to spend time with other characters besides its lead. Praise be to the scriptwriters Anthony McCarten on that one. It may feel a long time ago (The Theory Of Everythings UK release came in January 2015), but this excellent movie is certainly worthy of a place on this list.