Review: Kick-Ass (15)****

Being a superhero is a dangerous business in Matthew Vaughn's coming of age tale, based on the comic written by Mark Millar and John S Romita Jr.

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Adapted for the screen by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, Kick-Ass is a thrilling, hilarious and at times heartbreaking portrait of

teen angst that will undoubtedly raise eyebrows for its foul-mouthed sword-wielding children and graphic violence.

Kick-Ass pits one regular teenager, without a single super power to his cumbersome name, against real life bad guys

Geeky Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) lives with his father (Garrett M Brown) in New York.

"My only super power was being invisible to girls," notes Dave.

During a conversation with his comic-book obsessed pals, Dave wonders if a normal guy could transform himself into a bona fide superhero.

So the teenager buys a wetsuit off the internet and becomes the heroic Kick-Ass.

Unfortunately, his first forays into crime-fighting end with serious blood loss and a trip to the hospital.

But soon he's at the centre of a real life battle between good and evil.