Captain America: The First Avenger (12A)

Captain America: The First Avenger (12A)

MARVEL are having a bumper year. After surprising us all with the hugely enjoyable Thor they've only gone and done it again.

Captain America looked to be another tough sell. How do you make the US's flag-waving, patriotic poster boy work in 2011?

Answer: You set your film during the Second World War.

After a present-day opening in which the Captain is found buried in the Arctic - a set-up that will come to fruition with Marvel's massive Avengers movie next year - we're back in New York circa 1942 where weedy Steve Rogers (Chris Evans made scrawny thanks to brilliant CGI) is refused entry to the army.

A chance meeting with Stanley Tucci's Dr Erskine changes all that and quicker than you can say "60 Second Workout" he's transformed into a buff Super Soldier - and gets a tan in the process.

Best lines ... Tommy Lee Jones as a hard-ass Colonel
Best lines ... Tommy Lee Jones as a hard-ass Colonel
After a brilliant musical interlude it's off to fight Hugo Weaving's occult-loving Nazi Red Skull. Director Joe Johnston acknowledged Indiana Jones (which he worked on) as a reference and there's a sly nod to the Ark Of The Covenant as Weaving finds a supercharged ancient treasure then scoffs: "And the Führer digs for trinkets in the desert."

The action-packed second half sees the Captain and his team do a 12A-rated Inglourious Basterds on the Nazis. It's fairly spectacular - the airborne climax being the best sequence - but means we hear less of the film's smart and funny script.

Tommy Lee Jones's hard-ass Colonel gets the best lines, while Tucci and Weaving duke it out for the best OTT German accent, with Tucci taking the crown. Alongside them Evans - despite being a gifted comic actor - wisely decides to play it straight.

The Brits here are all on great form, with Toby Jones as a Nazi scientist, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark (Iron Man's dad) and Hayley Atwell as the feisty love interest.

There is a mid-section lull where the plot loses momentum - and Weaving's stormtrooper henchmen redefine the idea of faceless goons - but these issues aside, this is up there with Iron Man and Thor and a welcome addition to the Marvel universe. Roll on 2012