Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass (2010)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Length: 117 minutes
Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity, and some drug use - some involving children



This is definitely not your traditional, knight-in-shining armor super hero movie. Kick-Ass is the everyman perspective on what would happen if the average person decided to fight crime; what ensues is a lot of, well, ass kicking, typically at the expense of the movie's namesake. While you won't go buy the action figures for your kids, Kick-Ass is a refreshing perspective on what is more often a stale and repetitive genre.

The titular character is your average high school, comic collecting geek Dave Lizewski, played by Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy, Chat Room). Sticking to your traditional storyline, Dave decides to don a costume and fight crime under the moniker "Kick-Ass". Instead, it seems Dave can only succeed in getting his ass kicked. I really enjoyed the anti-superhero in the fact that Dave isn't some normal guy that is bitten by a radioactive spider or born with mutant powers: he is just a normal guy dreaming of bigger things. Soon, Kick-Ass's antics and internet popularity lead to the attention of the local drug syndicate who believe he is killing the group in hopes of cleaning up the streets.

However, the trues heroes behind these heroic deeds are the awesome duo of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, respectively played by Nicolas Cage (The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Season of the Witch) and Chloe Moretz (Let Me In, (500) Days of Summer). I'll admit, I've never been a big fan of Nicolas Cage; but he truly is one of the brightest spots in this film. His quirky demeanor and vengeful tutelage of his 11-year old daughter all make for some great scenes - in particular one scene involving Cage's character shooting his daughter repeatedly so she can learn to handle the pain...let's just say it really sums up the movie. But beyond all else, Chloe Moretz is AMAZING! As the 11-year old, foul mouthed, deadly and lethal Hit-Girl, Moretz creates an original anti-hero that announces her presence to the world with a memorable performance. Hit-Girl is Rambo, a dictionary on expletives, The Matrix, and a little girl all rolled into one: very lethal indeed!

Before I get to the negative parts, I want to emphasize that I really enjoyed Kick-Ass; it is a fun movie with lots of laughs and some good action scenes. I left the film entertained and satisfied; however, I did feel that the movie fell short in some regards. The whole idea behind Kick-Ass, based on its graphic novel roots, is an average guy trying to be a super hero and failing, failing majorly hardcore. While Kick-Ass never really does achieve any success in fighting crime, he still gets the girl, he still defeats the villain, he still lives to see another day. As hard as Kick-Ass tries not be just another superhero movie, well, it still is. After reading about some of the differences between the graphic novel the movie is based on, I was even more frustrated by the film. Without going into too much detail at the sake of ruining the story, the book does a much better job of keeping the "heroes" flawed and average as opposed to the film which ultimately just creates another superhero franchise. I realize book-to-movie translations are never perfect, but if you want a better example of anti-heroes, I'd still recommend Watchmen.

In the end, Kick-Ass isn't flawless, but it is a damn good time. It's refreshing to find a superhero movie that avoids being overly serious without being too campy at the same time. Striking the right balance allows the film to transition from comedy to the more dramatic bits with relative ease. As the summer blockbuster season begins to heat up, I seriously hope you'll take the time to check out Kick-Ass...just leave the kids at home for this one.

Final Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Favorite Quote:
Kick-Ass: "How do I get a hold of you?"
Hit-Girl: "You just contact the mayor's office. He has a special signal he shines in the sky; it's in the shape of a giant cock!"