4. Kick-Ass (2010)
LionsgateAfter dropping out of both X-Men: The Last Stand and Thor, Matthew Vaughn finally got his chance at directing a comic book movie with Kick-Ass. Instead of the blockbuster budgets of the projects he had been previously attached to, the director instead opted for a $28m R-rated comedy that both deconstructed the superhero genre and provided a stylish and violent action movie. With the project being independently funded, Vaughn was given the creative freedom to make exactly the kind of movie he wanted, a move that paid off in spades. The script by Vaughn and frequent collaborator Jane Goldman is packed with both character moments and irreverent comedy, all aided by superb performances from the talented cast, with Nicolas Cage and Chloe Grace Moretz stealing the show as Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. The action sequences are expertly-staged and the humor perfectly-pitched, creating an alternative superhero movie that embraces the tropes of the genre while simultaneously subverting them.