2. Thor
Like The Incredible Hulk, Thor the movie surprised me so much, because I always disliked Thor the comic. A bloke with a stupid helmet, a sleeveless costume and long blonde hair quoting Shakespeare never appealed to me, but once again how wrong I was. The most I became psyched for this was when Kenneth Branagh was announced as director- of all the people, what a bizarre choice. But what a great one. Whilst Jon Favreau, Louis Leterrier and Joe Johnston are interesting and solid choices, Kenneth Branagh is in my mind one of
the great directors. He has a very unique style, and has prints are all over Thor. So Thor is definitely the best-directed of the Pre-Avengers films. And, barring a few exceptions in the top entry, this is the best-acted of all the films- getting the kind of pedigree Anthony Hopkins brings to a film makes it all the better for me, and whilst Tom Hiddlestons Loki is the best comic book villain weve had on screen since The Joker, it is Chris Hemsworths wonderful performance as Thor that I love so much. The music is marvellous, Agent Coulson plays a much bigger role, the conflict is utterly believable and engaging, and the fish-out-of-water humour never feels forced. And I think Thor surprised everyone- but it still doesnt make the top spot. That honour goes to