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Aaron Taylor-Johnson is no stranger to the world of superhero movies. In 2015, he joined the biggest cinematic franchise of all time in its 11th film, starring as Quicksilver, the twin brother of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Alas, in a shocking subversion of fan expectation, his character died in the film’s explosive climax, although a lightning-quick superhero falling to a spray of bullets frustrated some fans. Nine years later, Taylor-Johnson was back in the Marvel universe, this time as Kraven the Hunter in the film of the same name. However, the movie’s $62 million box office haul against a reported budget between $110 million and $130 million is the best illustration of its disastrous theatrical run.
Without any doubt, Taylor-Johnson’s most successful foray into the superhero genre was his first, starring as a high-school geek dreaming of saving the world in Kick-Ass. An adaptation of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.‘s comic book series of the same name, Kick-Ass debuted in 2010 when Taylor-Johnson was just 20 years old and quickly became a cult classic. At the global box office, the movie earned just under $100 million on a reported budget of $28 million.
The film was also a hit with critics, who awarded a “certified fresh” 78% score on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The consensus on the site reads, “Not for the faint of heart, Kick-Ass takes the comic adaptation genre to new levels of visual style, bloody violence, and gleeful profanity.” This April, you’ll be able to catch this gem of a superhero film on Plex.
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The Violence in ‘Kick-Ass’ Was a Big Controversy
At the time of its release, Kick-Ass faced backlash for its extreme violence and foul language in a film that seemed marketed to a younger teen audience. So severe was the backlash that acclaimed critic Roger Ebert even called the film “morally reprehensible,” taking specific umbrage with young Chloë Grace Moretz‘s involvement in said violence and language. A synopsis for the movie reads:
“Using his love for comics as inspiration, teenager Dave Lizewski decides to reinvent himself as a superhero — despite a complete lack of special powers. Dave dons a costume, dubs himself “Kick-Ass” and gets to work fighting crime. He joins forces with the father/daughter vigilante team of Big Daddy and Hit Girl, then befriends another fledgling crime-fighter called Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), but a scheming mobster soon puts their alliance to the test.”
Kick-Ass will stream on Plex this April. Stay tuned to Collider for more streaming stories.
