My 10 Favorite Non-Human Characters of 2015: A Collection of Dinosaurs, Jerky Creatures and Bing Bong

In a cinematic world of superheroes, dinosaurs, robots and animated characters I’ve found myself liking non-human characters more than human characters. 2015 was loaded with unique creatures that proved themselves to be three-dimensional,  full of surprises and terrifying. These creations are rarely remembered come awards time so I figured I would give them some props and spread the love.

The following post examines my favorite non-human characters.

1. Blue – Jurassic World

Blue was hands down the best part of Jurassic World. I don’t remember any of the humans names but Blue and her crew have stuck around in my memory. Blue has an actual character arc that feels relatable. She seems trustworthy but betrays the humans when she meets the pesky new dominant animal that is loose in the park. However, she totally redeems herself when she fights the Indominus Rex to save her humans. That is awesome!

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2. Ava – Ex-Machina

Alicia Vikander needs an Oscar nomination (the Golden Globe nomination is pretty awesome!) for her sly work in Ex-Machina. Ava is artificial intelligence perfected and I love that she plays everybody while seemingly playing nobody. The performance is so layered and Ava might be one of the best written and performed characters of 2015.

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3. Bing Bong – Inside Out

Poor Bing Bong. I won’t say more. However, this imaginary friend will break your heart and have you singing a pretty great song. It is hard to recommend Inside Out because I know whoever watches it will need a box of tissues.

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4. The Jerky following Creature – It Follows

Where did it come from? Where does it go? You know nothing about the creature from It Follows. In fact, when you think you know the rules it changes everything! This thing leaves more questions than answers and I love that. I also love that you can never relax with it hanging around because it is always walking towards you.

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5. Louise – Spring

Louise is like the creature from Species if it was sensible, romantic and not a total jerk. Louise is an original creature that enjoys long talks and turning into a squishy thing who kills frat boys. I really like the movie Spring and appreciate that it gave the world a new character. I like what directors Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead say to say about Louise to the AV Club:

It felt like there was something sort of rebellious in the act of creating a new monster. Because for some reason it was something that so few people attempt to do now. Usually, when people want to tell a monster story, it’s a vampire, it’s a werewolf, or it’s an alien. It’s always got to be one of those things. That’s pretty much it, conceptually.

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6. The Man Who Can’t Breathe – Insidious 3

I love the Insidious villains. They are pure evil and have no problem wrecking havoc on nice families. The Man Who Can’t Breathe carries on the villain tradition and you will cover your eyes every time he is on screen. He creeps, peeps and makes a poor girl destory her leg casts via kicking a bed post. The dude is the worst and he is the stuff of nightmares.

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7. Vision – The Avengers: Age of Ultron

It is about time Paul Bettany got some screen time after voicing Jarvis for years. The guy is a intelligent badass who can lift Thor’s hammer while droping some philosophical musings. The Avenger’s will need him around when it comes time to battle Thanos.

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8. The Werewolves not swearwolves – What We Do in the Shadows

One of the best parts of What We Do in the Shadows are the interactions between the Werewolves and Vampires. Rhys Darby is my hero and I hope they get a spin off.

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9. Jason Statham and Rose Byrne’s hair in Spy. 

What I love about Spy is that everybody is funny. It is unselfish comedy that allows a character’s hair to be its own character. I 100% believe that Byrne’s hair in Spy weighs at least 20 pounds and I actually think Statham could rock a pretty sweet mustache.

You need to watch Spy.

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10. The Potatoes from The Martian

I know that The Martian potatoes are only vegetables but they played an important part in keeping Matt Damon alive. The Martian is a fantastic crowd pleaser and without those potatoes it would’be ended in a very depressing manner. Thank you potatoes.