Captain America: The First Avenger

"As Marvel heroes go, Captain America must be the most vanilla of the lot."

"The final piece of the Avengers jigsaw falls efficiently into place: decent acting, decent action, a few too many “we’re all heroes inside” platitudes. But it’s no star-spangled sick-maker, either."

"Has a winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit."

"It goes without saying it's preposterous. But it has the texture and takes the care to be a full-blown film."

"Mission accomplished, fairly enjoyably yes, but that's about it."

"Sticking to its simplistic, patriotic origins, where a muscular red, white and blue GI slugging Adolf Hitler in the jaw is all that's required, Captain America trafficks in red-blooded heroes, dastardly villains, classy dames and war-weary military officers."

"Charming, handsome and full of pep – all 70 year-old Cap lacks is a knockout blow. Still, Johnston should be saluted for old-fashioned heart in a cynical age, while Marvel should be confined to barracks for cynical marketing."

"If you like your comicbook action pulpy and sweetly old-fashioned (our hero has never been kissed so don't expect much raunch) this may keep you entertained until the next superhero flick rolls along. Which should be any second now."

"For the most part, it manages to balance laughs, genuinely rousing moments, and a fully packed agenda into something fleet enough to keep running under the weight of its rich ambitions."