Kick-Ass trailer kicks ass

How much ass does Kick-Ass kick? If early test screenings are to be believed, an assload. Watch the first trailer right here, but don't be offended by the polite language.

Matthew Vaughn has gone from being Guy Ritchie's gimp to one of the most promising British directors around. Not only was Layer Cake a pretty solid gangster movie in its own right, but it gave the world Daniel Craig as Bond. Stardust was an ambitious, if flawed, fantasy epic. And let's not forget, he dodged the bullet that was X-Men: The Last Stand.

Kick-Ass, then, looks like continuing his run of form. The Mark Millar graphic novel is almost as acclaimed as the author's own Wanted, which bodes well in this writer's book. It tells the story of a kid who suits up to become a DIY superhero, a bit like Spider-Man but without superpowers and jizz metaphors.

This green band trailer doesn't even skim the surface of the level of sex, violence and bad language in Millar's graphic novels (the character of Hit-Girl, played by 12 year-old Chloe Moretz, introduces herself with the line, "Okay cunts, let's see what you can do!") but it's a nice introduction to the Kick-Ass universe.

And, if you didn't catch it, the character of Big Daddy is actually your daily Nic Cage fix, tipping Kick-Ass from a 'must-see movie' to a 'Knowing double bill' movie.