"It does just enough nodding toward the graphics of drawn superheroes, and then gets that out of the way and settles down into a clean, efficient and entertaining thriller."
— Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"For all its insidious slickness ... the film is easier to take than, say, Kick-Ass or V for Vendetta, both of which came to the screen saddled with misguided pretentions. No pretentions here."
— Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
"Already thin material is watered down even more without a supplementary iota of charm borrowed from the comic's modest reserves."
— Simon Abrams, Slant Magazine
"The film never is boring, but it's never engaging, either, because its heroes hit every target in sight, while the villains, despite holstering much greater weaponry, never hit anybody. So forget about suspense."
— Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter
"...a busy, unsatisfying comic thriller, poorly acted by a grab bag of new faces and franchise movie refugees, and set to a hard-rock soundtrack."
— Dan Kois, Village Voice