The twin apexes of the superhero genre are undeniably Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and Joss Whedon’s The Avengers. While the former proved that a film about a costumed hero can truly be art, the latter broke the mold for how comic books can be brought to life, converging several franchises into one blockbuster event. However, one great distinction needs to be made about both films: they’re rated PG-13.

Even while some of Nolan’s trilogy strays close to extreme violence, the truth is that R-rated superhero films have yet to establish themselves as reliable box office draws. The mediocre box office performance of films like Dredd and Watchmen underscore an apparent hesitation from audiences to embrace R-rated superheroes. So the fact that Kick-Ass 2 even exists at all is a bit of an anomaly. Continue reading Review: ‘Kick-Ass 2’ →