Empire by Chris Hewitt (1)

A ridiculously entertaining, perfectly paced, ultra-violent cinematic rush that kicks the places other movies struggle to reach.

San Francisco Chronicle by Mick LaSalle

It brings together several popular strains of contemporary moviemaking and combines them into one big, shameless, audacious, compulsively watchable, irresistibly likable piece of pure entertainment.

Variety by Joe Leydon

Equal parts audacious dark comedy, wish-fulfillment fantasy and over-the-top, tongue-in-cheek action-adventure.

Time by Richard Corliss

Kick-Ass moves with such bloody assurance that you'd be forgiven for not seeing how smart it is. But smart it is. Smart, important and deadly.

ReelViews by James Berardinelli

The best superhero movie since "The Dark Knight" (and far less serious in tone or approach), Kick-Ass earns its name in every way.

New York Post by Kyle Smith

A brutally funny deconstruction, a hybrid of “Watchmen” and “Superbad” filtered through John Woo. It’s a boisterously original piece of entertainment . . . that isn’t for everyone. Note the rating, which should be triple-R, as in Really, Remarkably R.

Philadelphia Inquirer by Steven Rea

Kick-Ass has punk energy, ace action moves, and a winning sense of absurdist fun.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch by Joe Williams

Maybe I enjoyed the similarly themed Kick-Ass because it took me back to that innocent time. Or maybe it's because this is the most brazenly funny bloodbath unleashed on the public since "Pulp Fiction."

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Director Matthew Vaughn has provided an imperfect but still wickedly hilarious take on Mark Millar's deconstruction of superhero mythos.

Entertainment Weekly by Owen Gleiberman

An enjoyably supercharged and ultraviolent teen-rebel comic-book fantasy that might be described -- in spirit, at least -- as reality-based.

The Hollywood Reporter

Its balancing act between innocence and gore perfectly matches the expectations of genre fans, who should embrace the movie.

Arizona Republic by Bill Goodykoontz

It's also perfectly content to be an insanely violent, funny take on an established genre. And in that respect, Kick-Ass lives up to its name.

Time Out by Joshua Rothkopf

For those of us who find somber superhero movies faintly ridiculous, Kick-Ass is a one-film justice league.

Boxoffice Magazine by Pete Hammond

A clever movie premise based on an obscure comic book has been turned into, okay we’ll say it, a fanboy’s kick-ass wet dream of a movie that could be a surprise Spring smash.

New York Magazine (Vulture) by David Edelstein

Kick-Ass is a compendium of all sleazy things, and it sings like a siren to our inner Tarantinos.

Orlando Sentinel by Roger Moore

An awkward blend of ultra-realistic violence, boundaries-bending satire and low comedy.

Village Voice

Never as shocking as it thinks it is, as funny as it should be, or as engaged in cultural critique as it could be, Kick-Ass is half-assed.