Push All Style, No Coherence

Joss Whedon directs Robert Downey Jr. in superhero blowout

(NEWSER) - Sure, it's an effective moneymaking scheme: release movies about individual superheroes, then one about all of them. But with Joss Whedon at the helm, The Avengers really works. What critics are saying:

• "Even if you don't particularly like comic-book adaptations, this film just might make a believer of you," writes Kenneth Turan in the Los Angeles Times . "Whedon is the key reason why this $220 million behemoth of a movie is smartly thought out and executed with verve and precision."

Chris Evans stars in Joe Johnston's film

(NEWSER) - Captain America: The First Avenger, starring Chris Evans, isn't exactly deserving of 50 stars, but as far as superhero flicks go, it's an enjoyable, if somewhat enhanced, period piece. Just don’t expect Dark Knight-quality stuff.

• "Captain America, like its unapologetically corny hero, is propelled by unpretentious and plucky ingenuity,” not to mention a “winningly pulpy, jaunty, earnest spirit,” writes AO Scott in the New York Times . “Enjoyably preposterous” and “occasionally touching,” “its goal seems to be refreshment rather than reinvention.”

Robert Downey Jr. saves flashy sequel, say critics

(NEWSER) - Iron Man 2 is clunkier than its predecessor and its self-destructive hero has succumbed to boozy overconfidence, but Robert Downey Jr. saves the film, not to speak of the world, say critics.

• This movie is "bigger, louder and dumber than its predecessor" but still plenty of fun, writes Bill Goodykoontz at the Arizona Republic , praising Downey's "enormously entertaining" performance as the Marvel Comics superhero.

Heath Ledger's final performance burns in the dark

(NEWSER) - Dark Knight swoops into cinemas tomorrow and critics say the hype is more than justified. "This is not merely a Batman movie," Amy Biancolli writes in the Houston Chronicle. It is one of the year's best films "and far and away the most hypnotic chiller." The bleak Gotham tale is "audacious and unnerving while consistently being fun and entertaining," writes Claudia Puig in USA Today. More»

They all want to, though

(NEWSER) - Everyone wants to like Hancock. The idea of a slovenly, booze-swilling superhero screwup is undeniably priceless. But “the finished product is so poorly conceived and misguided that even Will Smith… can't save it,” writes Claudia Puig of USA Today. The movie starts out irreverent and fun, then veers sharply into a melodrama “trying to be a heavier, larger-than-life romance with historical, spiritual, and sci-fi implications." More»