Captain America: The First Avenger

Are you Avenger-ed out yet? Marvel Studios are banking not, and hot on the heels of Thor comes the final instalment of what is essentially a set of prequels for Joss Whedon's 2012 team-based extravaganza. If you are suffering from superhero ennui, that's a shame - because as it turns out, Captain America: The First Avenger might just be the best of the Marvel crop since the original Iron Man.

It's true that it doesn't aspire to be anything particularly weighty or original - but at what it sets out to do, it rarely puts a foot wrong. Director Joe Johnston, in full-on Rocketeer mode, crafts a charming and entertaining period action romp that may never exactly hit an unpredictable beat, but is no less enjoyable for it.

It's no mean feat making mass-appeal entertainment out of the one superhero who more than any other is rooted in flag-waving patriotism - already the film's title has been shortened to simply The First Avenger for distribution in some territories - but in practice these elements are impressively dialled down. Rather than simply being "America versus the bad guys", the support cast employs English, French and even German allies in addition to keeping its cartoonishly villainous antagonists as a distinct and secretive arm of the Nazi party rather than representative of the enemy as a whole.

What's more, the clever script gives motivation for super soldier Steve Rogers' decision to dress in the stars and stripes beyond simple love for his nation and flag. It's an idea unique to the film rather previous comics-based versions of the character, and that it provides an excuse for an Alan Menken-penned song and dance number simply makes it all the more worthy of applause.

Where the film really succeeds, though, is in its assembly of a terrific cast who collectively strike a perfect balance between earnest sincerity and an awareness that this is all a bit of daft fun. In the former camp, Evans impresses as the square-jawed hero - although if anything, his best moments come before his transformation from scrawny nobody into pec-tacular superman.

Veering more into the "having a ball" side of things, meanwhile, Tommy Lee Jones atones for previous crimes against comic book movies (Batman Forever) as the gruff yet sympathetic general in charge of things, while Hugo Weaving and Toby Jones bring a shade of Mr Burns and Smithers to their scenery-chomping villainy.

Perhaps more than any other of the Marvel films before it, Captain America is acutely aware of its position as the latest in an ongoing series - and for arguably the first time, assumes a certain amount of knowledge and interest on behalf of the viewer. It's not that any prior knowledge is necessary to enjoy it, but those who've seen Iron Man 2 and Thor will get a kick out of seeing Tony Stark's father as a major supporting character, or the assorted references to the latter’s mythology. As we gear up towards a film that will fully pull all these strands together, it's notable that we’re already seeing instalments that draw upon what's gone before rather than ignoring it.

Although there's little more the film could do to heighten anticipation for The Avengers, this is - crucially - simply an enjoyable and inherently likeable popcorn action flick entirely on its own merits. Just as with X-Men: First Class, the period setting gives fresh life to the genre - and it's further evidence that a good cast and well-rounded characters are the best recipe for success.