Many of the best ever films are adapted from great literary works. Writers like Stevenson and Clemens and Dickens wrote in a time when the closest thing to a movie was the stage. They and others were successful due to well crafted stories that developed timeless characters that move the readers emotions from anger to delight to deep thought (as in the great mystery novels).

Yes spiderman and the hulk and such others can be entertaining, but they don't have the story depth James Michener, or the subtle emotions that Ernest Hemingway cleverly gave his characters, or page turning drama of Tom Clancy's epics. For me Iron Man was entertaining, but it takes a back seat to films like Spartacus (starring Kirk Douglas) or Ben Hur (starring Charlton Heston). Zombies and Space Monsters may make money for their producers, but they will be forgotten as their replaced by the next fad of the day. However classics like Gone with the Wind and Cleopatra still hold interest due to being more than just the good guys chase and kill the giant evil spider.

Just because a film is older should not be a reason to dismiss it. Many versions of the Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol" have been made, but for me none has yet to eclipse the 1952 version staring Alastair Sim as Scrooge.