4. Iron Man
Controversial placing, this. Pretty much everyone considers this to be the best Pre-Avengers film, and its not hard to see why. Robert Downey Jr. gives an utterly magnificent performance as Tony Stark- so good, in fact, it almost singlehandedly propelled his comeback as Hollywoods biggest current star after years in the drug-fuelled wilderness. It is not bogged down with references and foundation-laying for The Avengers. It was something different, fun, and an antidote to the all-consuming darkness of The Dark Knight. Whilst The Dark Knight was the best film of the year, Iron Man was the years best blockbuster (well, on a par with Indy 4, but thats just a matter of taste) So why is it so low, you may ask? Well, for me it all just felt a little bit by-the-numbers. I think it surprised everyone how good it was, but as a comic book fan and a movie-lover, it just didnt feel like a truly great film, just a damn good one. Its not a bad film. It is NOT a bad film, Im not saying that. I just felt it could have been even better than it was.