It was inevitable that there were going to be quite a lot of masked men on this list but there is also a touching tale of unlikely romance and a bunch of very hot strippers (yay!).

This year has been a fantastic year for the big screen with the highest-grossing film of all time in the UK coming out and one of the most successful film trilogies of modern times finishing.

But unfortunately we couldn’t include them so, after a LOT of deliberation, here are ten of the best films of 2012…

The Avengers

This superhero film, where Iron Man and co have to overcome their differences in order to save the world from an evil villain, was a huge summer blockbuster. And yes, we reckon the amount of hot men in it also helped!

Skyfall

It was dubbed the best Bond flick of all time before it came out and then it actually became the most successful Bond film and the highest-grossing release of the year. If you haven’t already, watch it now.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film was probably the most-anticipated film of the year and quite rightly so. He waved goodbye to the franchise in style and while many would say it wasn’t as good as The Dark Knight, we still think it was pretty good.

Prometheus

Director Ridley Scott spoke about this Alien prequel for years and it finally came to fruition this year much to the delight of sci-fi fans around the world. Michael Fassbender is another reason to watch it.

The Amazing Spider-Man

Marc Webb, along with the help of the loveable Andrew Garfield and the gorgeous Emma Stone, took a slightly different route for this reworking of the superhero story. It was brave to do it so soon after the Tobey Maguire version but it certainly paid off!

Silver Linings Playbook

It is a strong contender for a number of film awards and quite rightly so. This movie, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, has gripped audiences and critics alike. In fact, many are saying it is THE best film of the year.

Magic Mike

When the news came through that Channing Tatum was going to a film about strippers, we don’t think anyone would have thought it was going to be as good as it was. But it is genuinely great fun and has become one of the standout movies of the year. And yes, we are totally biased as women!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure

Peter Jackson has taken on quite the task. To compliment his three Lord of the Rings films, he is now doing three Hobbit films, the first of which came out this month. While hairy feet and angry elves aren’t really our thing, this looks like it could be a record-breaking trilogy in the making.

Argo

Directed by and starring Ben Affleck this political drama, based on real-life events, has reminded everybody of the greatness he showed with the screenplay for Good Will Hunting back in 1997. All we can say is it’s brilliant to see Ben back to his best.

The Hunger Games

It has catapulted Jennifer Lawrence into the limelight and cemented the film franchise, which is based on the popular novels by Gary Ross, as a force to be reckoned with. If this first instalment is anything to go by, fans are in for a real treat.