Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Movies, Ranked According to Critics

2. He starred as the titular crime fighter in Matthew Vaughn’s 2010 film “Kick-Ass.”

Rotten Tomatoes score: 76%

Synopsis: The film, based on Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.’s comic-book series of the same name, starred Taylor-Johnson as an unpopular, nerdy teen from New York named  Dave Lizewski. 

To protect civilians, the optimistic and naive Dave donned a makeshift superhero suit and took on the moniker Kick-Ass. 

“Kick-Ass” received mixed reviews from critics. The film’s violence, gore, and liberal use of expletives were refreshing for some critics, but others found it distasteful. 

“Fast, periodically spit-funny, and often grotesquely violent, the film at once embraces and satirizes contemporary action-film clichés with Tarantino-esque self-regard — it’s the latest in giggles-and-guts entertainment,” Manohla Dargis wrote for the New York Times. 

Many called Chloë Grace Moretz a scene-stealer as 11-year-old Mindy McCready Hit-Girl, but it was difficult to overlook the controversy surrounding the young actor playing a murderer and using profanities. 

“When filmmakers nudge a child into viewing savagery as slapstick, are we not allowing them to do what we condemn in the pornographer — that is, to coarsen and inflame?” Anthony Lane wrote for the New Yorker.