--- title: "Kick-Ass: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/kick-ass/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/kick-ass" critics_score: 75 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Kick-Ass (2010): what the critics said Critics' score 75 from 22 reviews: 17 positive, 3 mixed, 2 negative. ## Little White Lies — Matt Bochenski Rating 4/5/5. 1 April 2010. The critic hails Vaughn's comic-book adaptation as a fresh, irreverent breath of air in the superhero genre. It singles out the sharply scripted mix of sex, violence and knowing wit for particular praise. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/kick-ass) ## Empire — Chris Hewitt Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2010. The critic hails the film as an evolutionary leap for Vaughn, a thrilling, violent and darkly funny comic-book movie made with creative freedom. He singles out the world-class action sequences, tonal shifts and performances, especially Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/kick-ass-review/) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 31 March 2010. The critic finds Kick-Ass a hilarious, outrageously violent black comedy that twists superhero tropes into something anarchic and irresponsible. He singles out the film's genius for provocation and incorrectness, particularly in the Hit Girl action sequence. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/mar/31/kick-ass-review-film) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2010. Festival review. The critic calls it an adrenalin-fuelled shot in the arm for the superhero movie, likely to become a cult classic with strong box-office potential. It highlights the over-the-top violence and strong performances, particularly from Chloë Moretz as Hit-Girl. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/kick-ass/5011630.article) ## Total Film — Mark Salisbury Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 16 March 2010. The critic calls it the most refreshing spandex cinema in years, a profane, violent, gory and gleeful romp that pokes fun at po-faced superhero films. He praises Vaughn’s handling of tone and character, and singles out the twisted father-daughter dynamic of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. [Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/kick-ass-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic deems it a triumph of wit, energy and visceral violence, an assured leap for Vaughn. He singles out the strong central performances, especially Aaron Johnson and Chloe Moretz, and the audacious, funny deflation of superhero and teen-movie conventions. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/first-review-kickass-kicks-ass-7419146.html) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 2 September 2010. The critic finds the film hugely enjoyable, riddled with profanity, jet-black comedy and kick-ass action. He singles out Chloe Moretz as the ultra-violent, potty-mouthed Hit-Girl as the standout star, along with strong turns from Cage and Mintz-Plasse. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/dvd-kickass-15-2068831.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 16 April 2010. The critic calls the film a seductive but disturbing mix of slick mayhem and profanity that captures young male fantasies, praising the live-wire energy and Chloe Grace Moretz's performance while noting its R-rated brutality and cultural provocations. It positions the movie as a timely exhibit of hyper-violent pop culture. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-apr-16-la-et--kickass-20100416-story.html) ## Time Out — Ben Walters Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 30 March 2010. The review finds the film an efficient, reference-packed action romp with engaging performances, especially from the young leads. It notes the hyper-violent tone and post-Tarantino ultraviolence as defining elements. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/kick-ass) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Rating C+. 15 April 2010. The film squanders its clever premise of an ordinary teen becoming a superhero by opting for stylized comic-book bigness over real stakes. It shines in scenes featuring Chloe Moretz's memorable Hit-Girl but otherwise feels like an ersatz blockbuster. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/kick-ass-1798164765) ## Slant Magazine — Nick Schager Rating 2/4. 14 April 2010. Vaughn's film is a sloppy trifle that panders to fanboy audiences with wish-fulfillment and pop-culture references but lacks grit or imagination as either satire or entertainment. It fails to develop characters or earn its heroics beyond cheap thrills and profanity. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/kick-ass/) ## The Hollywood Reporter — The Associated Press Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 16 April 2010. Festival review. The critic describes an awkward everyman who succeeds as a crime-fighter without powers, noting strong performances especially from Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl. The film mixes fanboy wish-fulfillment with ultraviolence but struggles to sustain its balancing act. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/kick-ass-film-review-29392/) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Fi1m's normalised score 40/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2010. The critic examines the film's extreme violence, particularly scenes featuring an 11-year-old girl as a vigilante, questioning audience tolerance for such brutality in a comic-book adaptation. It notes the performances and the filmmakers' restraint in not killing the child character but highlights how the movie reflects jaded cultural attitudes toward screen bloodshed. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/movies/18scott.html) ## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 19 April 2010. The review criticizes the film's cynical use of an 11-year-old girl in hyper-violent scenarios, likening it to violence's answer to kiddie porn and faulting the script for coarsening viewers. It finds the rest of the movie secondhand and overly reliant on familiar comic-book excess without effective satire. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/04/26/street-justice) ## Collider — Matt Goldberg Rating A-. 16 April 2010. The critic praises the film's fun, balanced mix of heart and extreme violence, highlighting strong performances by Aaron Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz, and Vaughn's direction that captures comic-book chaos with childlike joy. [Read the review](https://collider.com/kick-ass-review/) ## Den of Geek — Mark Pickavance Rating 5 out of 5. 12 March 2010. The film is brilliant and the best comic book movie of 2010, more consistently entertaining than The Dark Knight. It cleverly upends superhero conventions with brutal yet balletic action sequences and strong performances, especially from Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/kick-ass-review-4/) ## Eye for Film — Max Crawford Rating 4.5/5. 26 March 2010. The review describes the film as delivering exactly what it promises—an energetic, self-aware superhero parody with cartoonish violence and strong performances. It singles out Hit-Girl as the standout character and praises Matthew Vaughn for keeping studio interference at bay. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/reviews.php?film_id=18586) ## /Film — David Chen Rating 9/10. 16 April 2010. The critic finds the film an irresistible, over-the-top culmination of recent action and superhero trends, expertly fused by Vaughn into something fresh and crowd-pleasing. They highlight Chloë Grace Moretz’s scene-stealing Hit-Girl performance and the film’s humorous, excessive violence. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/508622/davids-kick-ass-movie-review/) ## The Wrap — Leah Rozen Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 15 April 2010. The critic defends the film against accusations of being morally reprehensible, calling it a wildly fun superhero movie that upends tired formulas cleverly. She singles out the extended shootout scene that references and tops Tarantino’s Kill Bill for its dazzling violence and humor. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/kick-ass-too-offensive-oh-lighten-16365/) ## Digital Spy — Simon Reynolds Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 13 March 2010. Kick-Ass is a hell of a ride and a fresh, vigorous love letter to superhero stories with punk rock energy. It excels in its energetic action sequences and standout performances from Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz as the memorable father-daughter duo. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a205110/kick-ass/) ## HeyUGuys — Craig Skinner Rating 4/5. 13 March 2010. The critic calls the film audacious and hugely entertaining, a fun mix of over-the-top action, comedy, and comic-book references that delivers crowd-pleasing vulgarity and spectacle. They single out Chloë Grace Moretz’s layered, pitch-perfect performance as Hit-Girl for particular praise. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/review-kick-ass/) ## Paste — Sean Edgar Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 16 April 2010. The critic calls it a pitch-black love letter to the genre that realizes fears of violent vigilantes in ironic fun, praising the manic energy, Chloë Moretz's Hit-Girl, and how it blends teen memoir with violent satire. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/chloe-moretz/kick-ass-review) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/kick-ass.md