Based on a popular graphic novel of the same name, The Losers is a classic vengeance tale with all of the violence, comedy and dark edges you’d expect from a Vertigo comic. It’s translation to the big screen is therefore an event to be looked forward to…

Not unlike the A-Team, who we still have to look forward to incidentally, the Losers are initially not Losers at all. They are a crack squad of CIA operatives. But when out on a mission in South America they disobey direct orders from their mysterious handler, ‘Max’, by going into the residence of a drug dealer in order to save a group children/drug mules before a air strike is initiated. This disobedience results in the deaths of all of those children and the abandonment of the squad, who are also presumed dead.

The group is consequently left mooching around in South America until they are approached by Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who offers them the chance to get revenge on Max. Thus begins the shiny series of scraps, explosions and witty one-liners that build into the final face-off where all of the plot twists and character revelations are hurled around in a melee of plot exposition, CGI effects and grand gestures.

The film is fast-paced, it looks great and is genuinely funny. There’s very little originality in the way it’s shot or pieced together, but the charm of the actors carries the various archetypal characters neatly throughout their enjoyable journey. Jeffrey Dean Morgan does a great balancing act between the satire inherent in the plot (sadly it’s not as strong as in the comic) and the excessive silliness that was bound to make up the bulk of the battle scenes in a film aimed primarily at teens (its a 12A). Meanwhile Chris Evans is given a healthy quota of gags and one-liners, and Columbus Short offers the majority of wise-cracks. There’s plenty going on and it’s all good fun.

The main downside is that in making the film upbeat, fun, and suitable for a younger audience, the studio has neglected the dark edge that comes with so many Vertigo comics. But then again, for a film that’s all about comedy, violence, and visual excess, the dark edge might only add an unnecessary turn-off for the main audiences of this film.

If you want an easy watch that’s guaranteed a few laughs then this is one of the best on offer at the moment. Just don’t expect to remember it in a year’s time.