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2016 is going to be a huge year for movies, with Batman vs. Superman, Independence Day 2 and Captain America: Civil War all on the horizon.

But apart from the usual Hollywood blockbusters, we reckon we should all start watching more British films too. And here's why!

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Find out who the next big Hollywood actors will be

British actors have taken over Hollywood and American TV: Tom Hardy is one of the world's biggest movie stars, the cast of Game of Thrones is full of Brits and the two main stars of one of the highest-grossing films ever are both British.

But all those British stars have to get their start somewhere, and it's usually in British cinema! Before Benedict Cumberbatch was Doctor Strange, Khan and Billy Bulger in Black Mass, he played smaller roles in Atonement, Starter for 10 and even Heartbeat.

Tom Hiddleston appeared in countless British movies and Casualty before he was Loki, while The Force Awakens star John Boyega got his break in Attack the Block.

Simon Pegg, Eddie Redmayne, Keira Knightley: the list goes on. So the next time you sit down to watch a British film, remember: you could be watching the making of a star.

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The British sense of humour

American comedies never quite capture that uniquely British sense of humour: the sarcasm, the irony, the laughing-in-the-face-of-disaster black comedy.

Where else could Shaun of the Dead, Life of Brian or Four Weddings and a Funeral have come from? The British sense of humour just can't be replicated.

Even our grim movies have their funny moments!

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Unlikely heroes

While Iron Man, Thor and Captain America are off saving the world, British movie heroes tend to have less ambitious goals like getting back with their girlfriend in the middle of a zombie apocalypse or saving North Norfolk Digital from a crazed ex-DJ-turned-terrorist.

The heroes of British cinema are humble and unlikely, which makes them much easier to root for. After all, no-one likes a show-off.

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Learn about our culture, icons and history

If you're like us, you probably regret not listening a bit harder in history when you were younger as it turns out all that boring stuff your teacher was blabbing on about was actually quite interesting. But who has time to go through textbooks again?

Luckily, British cinema is littered with entertaining lessons about our culture and history. In the past few years alone, we've had The Theory of Everything about one of the world's greatest minds, The Imitation Game about Alan Turing, the WWII hero who was tragically marginalised in his later years, and Suffragette about Emmeline Pankhurst, the women's rights activist who fought for women's right to vote.

There have been countless adaptations of classic British novels and plays too, including Sense and Sensibility, Great Expectations and Pride and Prejudice. And, of course, film is the primary way for people who find theatre boring to enjoy the works of William Shakespeare.

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British horror is ridiculously terrifying

Maybe it's because it's closer to home, maybe it's the lower production values or maybe it's just that we're really good at telling ghost stories; either way, British horror is so terrifying that it makes us want to drink tea incessantly while telling ourselves everything is going to be alright.

The list of classic British horror is nearly endless, with The Wicker Man, Don't Look Now, 28 Days Later, Peeping Tom, Kill List, Hellraiser and Witchfinder General among the best, and plenty more new terrors released every year!

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Check out the very best of British television and cinema at amazing prices on the musicMagpie Store in our Best of British collection!