This is one badass movie. It's bloody, hilarious, and has a young girl beating big dudes up and cussing furiously along the way. This is what I'm talking about. Now is it really true that sometime in our lives, maybe even now, we fantasize about being a superhero? Yes, probably. Have we fulfilled that dream? Probably not. Why? Maybe because we're too much of a wimp to try it out. In this great film by Matthew Vaughn, that fantasy came true. This movie is definitely not for everyone. Don't be fooled by the trailers. This isn't a film for young kids or the faint of heart. It's gory like a Quentin Tarantino masterpiece. It's language is harsh at times and the jokes are very explicit. Call it "Superbad" with a little extra twist; there are superheroes. All those components, when put together, work amazingly. It has the right amount of rauchiness but at the same time, the perfect amount of heart. "Kick-Ass" brings out the vulnerable superhero from all of us.
The great imagination of being a superhero turns into a reality when a regular high schooler named Dave (Aaron Johnson) decides to try his hand at fighting crime. He's just a regular teen who "just existed". He wasn't into sports, wasn't the smartest kid, and girls didn't seem to like him much. It was just him and his three friends fooling around at comic book stores after school. Soon, Dave buys a funny looking green costume online. It looks ridiculous, and that's one of the funny parts of the film. It's stupid and not intimidating at all. Nevertheless, he puts it on and names himself Kick-Ass. Of course, like any superhero, nobody knows his true identity. None of Dave's friends know that he is Kick-Ass. So he begins his tour as a superhero, and things don't seem right. He first tries to fight a couple of thieves who are attempting to steal a car. It doesn't work out too well. He gets beat up and even worse, as he's walking away, he gets hit by a car. He's sent to the hospital bleeding out real human blood. This shows that despite being a superhero, he's a vulnerable human being like all of us. He gained some fame, but it wasn't until he decides to fight 3 guys who are ganging up on one guy that he broke through. As he begins to fight them, he attracts the attention of the people around him. One kid pulls out his cellphone and records it, posts it on Youtube, and the sensation of Kick-Ass is born. With the help of the loving, but obsessed Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and his daughter Hit Girl (the tremendous Chloe Moretz), they begin their reign. These two are masters at their crafts, and Big Daddy is relentless in teaching Hit Girl the ways of a superhero. Soon, obstacles begin to stand in their way, like the police department and the one and only Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). The fights that the good and bad guys take part in are pretty darn cool. Trust me.
The whol cast is brilliant, but the one who totally steals the show is Chloe Moretz, a young 13-year-old actress who plays the totally badass Hit Girl. To think she was only 11 when they shot this film is mind-boggling. She slips that occasional cuss word, and gets grown men bloody from their heads to their toes. She stabs then and pops them right in the head with a gun. She's ruthless and a master at her work. The young actress pulls it off flawlessly. This performance will get her started for sure in her career. Aaron Johnson plays the role of Dave and Kick-Ass with heart and determination, always reminding us that he's not a superhero but just someone who dares to be one. And Nicholas Cage surprised me in this film. I've always known that he is a fine actor, but I didn't know he would play such a vital Role in this film. There are also strong supporting performances by Mark Strong and Mclovin from "Superbad".
"Kick-Ass" is a great film of people willing to obtain superhero-like powers. Not super speed, the ability to fly, or breathing out fire, but rather the willingness to make a change and end the corruption. We need more people like that in the world. In one scene, Kick-Ass is called crazy. He realizes that he's not the crazy one, but that we are for just standing there and watching the madness proceed. "Kick-Ass" is a terrific combination of being funny, violent, and tragic while at the same time being a hugely entertaining journey of a ridiculously fake superhero who will seem like a real one to all of us.
Rating: 31/2 out of 4
