Ok Let me state the following before going on with this review...
THIS MOVIE FUCKING KICKED ASS!!!!
Whew!...
Ok!
Now...
Where do I start on how awesome this movie was?!
Ok, well the basic premise of the story revolves around everyday high schooler/comic book nerd/ superhero wannabe: Dave as he goes out and takes the alter-ego named "Kick-Ass". Although his superhero career starts off with some messy results at first, he then becomes a youtube sensation. The film then goes on to introduce us to the idea of superheroes who actually in our real-world, but in a way that truly hasn't been done before. The difference between this and something like Watchmen is the fact that Dave has nothing going for him both in and out of the costume and he is almost sad and pathetic in his attempt to become a superhero. Despite all of these feelings towards this character, we still can't help but cheer him during the low points and high points in his outtings because to quote Dave...
"at some point in all of our lives, We all wanted to be a superhero."
The Positives of the film! The script! The script is just very tight and pretty much is Dave's story. The film nails the aspect of being that invisible kid at high school, who isn't the jock, the super brains, or the popular kid; but is the kid that is just there. The script of the film also doesn't take complete left-field turns...well any that are out of the realm of what this film sets up. It's a comic book film? Yes, but its one that knows what it wants to be. it wants to be a comic book brought to our world and it's going to take the audience on a wild ride. The story was just so relatible for the first act that you buy this kid's story and his reasons for wanting this extra-ordinary lifestyle. Hook, line, and sinker; this story got me right from the get-go!
The acting. Aaron Johnson is pitch-perfect as Dave AKA Kick-Ass. He doesn't have anything going for him as a high schooler or Kick-Ass apart from a gimmick (not to reveal spoilers here) that does give him a bit of a fighting chance. Johnson just nails that geek comic nerd that just wants to be like the heroes he's read all of his life and you can't help but just cheer him on though the film. He is an immediately likable, but somewhat irrational character. He is the guy us virgin comic nerds grew up as who comes to learn what it means to be a superhero and what ramifications that has on the world around us. Johnson just did a fantastic job selling the 17 year old kid.
Later in the film we are introduced to superheroes Hit-Girl; the foul mouthed 9 year old, who automatically will generate applause and a huge fan-base! Chloe Moretz does an awesome job at portraying this killer of a 9 year old, who also happens to be a super-badass! There are so many awesomely hilarious and badass scenes with Hit-Girl that could be hard to narrow down and pick as a favorite. Hit-Girl is one badass character who is sure to become the talk of this film!
Big Daddy; the infamous Nicholas Cage doing his best Adam West Batman impersonation...Enough said!!!!
and Red Mist; the rich and pot smoking superhero. Christopher Mintz-Plasse does a suitible job as Red Mist. Without giving away spoilers, he does what he needs to when the time calls for him to. Good job though! Lastly, Mark Strong was great as the main villain of the film as a mobster hunting down the superheroes. His motivation is clear and it is suitable for the film. I dug it!
The one person that needs to get credit for this film is director: Matthew Vaughn. He delivered a film with some great direction that tonally fits the film. He manages to balance a level of seriousness, camp, and bloody violence in a way that just makes the film a ton of fun! The film doesn't take itself too seriously, but it does know the audience wants to see a comic book working in the real world. Matthew Vaughn also does a great job with the action sequences of the film and he delivers some badass crowd pleasers.
I can't think of any negatives to the film. It does deviate from the comic book quite substantially in the third act, but it's a welcomed change. The book and the movie are two different entities that work in their respective forms. The film decides to dump one emotional beat that is present in the book in the third act. The film works and it's pretty awesome! I reccomend reading the book after watching the movie. Both complement each other and maintain the spirit of Dave's story. Apart from this deviation, I can't think of a flaw to the film.
The film has so much heart to it and it doesn't talk down to the comic geeks. It is a perfect example of a film that celebrates geekdom! It is bloody violent and it is just a great thrill ride! Lots of laughs to be had and a lot of eye candy to offer in a "Kick-Ass" package!! This story borrows a lot of notes from previous realistic superhero takes and just runs with them in a new and exciting way! Needless to say: I loved the film!! Here's to Mark Millar, John Romita, Jr, Matthew Vaughn, and the rest of the crew for telling a story about "us" for "us!"
GRADE: A
10/10
