A round-up of some of the most exciting Hollywood films to release in 2015

The Jungle Book

The year is about to end and it's time to take Hollywood's highs and lows into account. Almost all the genres experienced remarkable upswing. There were awesome moments from the world of VFX, animation and motion-capture too.

At this rate, one can only hope the upcoming year continues to carry the momentum further. Will Hollywood continue to shock and surprise us? hitlist points out some films that are are eagerly awaited in the coming year.

The Jungle Book
Director: Jon Favreau
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Idris Elba, Bill Murray

Lowdown: In 2016, a massive Jungle Book adaptation directed by Andy Serkis (of Gollum fame, known for his advents in motion-capture) is going to release. Before that, in 2015, we have an adaptation of the same story but with a slightly different technology. It's easier to be excited about both the endeavours given the fact there aren't films around that would do justice to Rudyard Kipling's body of work.

Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Cast: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson

Lowdown: Other than being Paul Walker's sweet swansong, this sequel has a lot of things - not just cars - going for it. It's supposed to be the finest piece of the long- running franchise. Of course, one can't discount the memories attached to Walker, who ironically lost his life last year in a car crash.

The Divergent Series: Insurgent
Director: Robert Schwentke
Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Theo James

Lowdown: Love for franchise must be in the air. Capitalising on the young adult novel of the same name and picking up from where its first installment left, this film showcases the female protagonist's grit. The difference is that obstacles have been upgraded and triumph is her only option.

The Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank
Cast: Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell

Lowdown: This is the ultimate movie adaptation of the popular comic series. For a change, the idea is to go back to the beginning and the movie will focus on how the four superheroes became who they ended up as. On top of that, the ensemble is mouth-wateringly promising with some of the finest young talents in town.

Untitled Cameron Crowe Project
Director: Cameron Crowe
Cast: Emma Stone, Bradley Cooper, Rachel McAdams

Lowdown: From the director of films such as Jerry Maguire ( 1996) and Almost Famous ( 2000), this film is expected to be awesome. However, given the limited information made available, we can only hope that this love triangle drama is worth the wait.

Fifty Shades of Grey
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Lowdown: When a tiny teaser of this film was released in 2014, it created enough noise to not only trend on Twitter while raising the temperature but also got the censor's knickers in knots. A bold adaptation of a bolder novel is bound to make the most of the curiosity. And by curiosity, we mean uninterrupted sex.

Mission: Impossible V
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Rebecca Ferguson

Lowdown: Set for a Christmas release, three things are dead sure about this project because a) Tom Cruise is going to defy age as usual in his role as Ethan Hunt; b) The film is going to be a blockbuster as usual; and c) Absolutely nothing, about the film's plot has been made public yet - as usual.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2
Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Lowdown: It's an all-and-out fight. And very few are going to survive the clash. Regardless, the onus is once again on Katniss Everdeen to deliver what is right and save what she can from the locking arms of an authoritarian state. This movie will also mark Philip Seymour Hoffman's goodbye.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

Lowdown: Once again the biggest of superheroes are going to strut their stuff - like never before though Ultron wants to set a new world order - something the good guys won't accept that easily - leading to a clash between the mightiest of mightiest. One heck of a spectacle for us to behold, right?

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
Director: J.J. Abrams
Cast: Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Lowdown: Apparently, the director of this has-to-be-either-an-epic-or-a-dud effort is so paranoid about the script that he has apparently even covered the windows of his office with black wallpaper. Sigh. We can only expect that this installation does justice to the generated hype.

Inside Out
Director: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Cast: Diane Lane, Amy Poehler, Kyle MacLachlan

Lowdown: For the first time in almost a decade, Pixar didn't have a single feature film release in 2014. Looks like the company is making the wait worth our while by combining animation and live action. This film explores five emotions through a young female character.

Terminator: Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Cast: Emilia Clarke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jai Courtney

Lowdown: As is the template on all the films that has the term ‘Terminator' in its title, the actual premise is to avoid the end of the world. This mega adventure too relies on the same. But the big difference is Arnie playing an ageing Terminator. For good or for worse, he kept his word and came back, didn't he?

Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Vincent D'Onofrio

Lowdown: The term ‘Jurassic' has been legendarily associated with Steven Spielberg for all the appropriate reasons. However, this time around, a new team has taken upon themselves to make a film based on the ferocious - now thankfully extinct - creatures thanks to some genetic goof-up.