Kick Ass

Released April 16, 2010
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Nicolas Cage

First Viewing April 16, 2010
Jolly: 4/5 stars

When I saw the poster for this movie I was thinking it would be another ridiculous spoof in the vein of Epic Movie (which I unfortunately saw in theatres – sorry again about that one Roger…), then saw the preview and thought it seemed like a promising comedy. Basically, I was wrong to have any preconceived notions and would recommend reserving judgment until the credits roll.

Note: This movie had unexpected extreme violence throughout, so consider this your warning.

The first 15 minutes or so are not great unfortunately. After a morbidly comical sequence about trying to be a superhero (which takes place after the sequence of events of the film for some unexplained reason), we are introduced to Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), an initially mundane character who merely exists as a teenager in high school. As a fan of comic books, he begins to wonder why there aren’t more people trying to be super heroes. Using Batman (my hero) as an example that not all super heroes require super powers, Dave secretly becomes Kick Ass. Who says with no power comes no responsibility? His first attempt at crime fighting goes terribly wrong and results in damage to nerve endings and the insertion of many metal plates. With his semi-loss of pain receptors and a new-found conviction Kick Ass successfully protects a citizen in public and becomes an overnight sensation.

The movie gains substance when Nick Cage appears. He plays loving father Damon Macready and vigilante crime fighter “Big Daddy”, who trains his daughter Mindy (Chloë Grace Moretz) to be his partner “Hit Girl”. These two are in an entirely differently league than Kick Ass. Motivated by revenge, their objective is to bring down crime boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

Meanwhile Frank D’Amico suspects that Kick Ass is to blame for the killing of his men and allows his son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who is eager to enter the family business, to become Red Mist in order to lure Kick Ass into a false sense of security.

This is not a movie that makes fun of the super hero genre, nor is it a tribute per se. There are definitely some references to super hero mythologies which are enjoyable, but this movie is more about taking a stand against injustice. There is action, triumph, tragedy, action and some laughs too - what more could you want?

I don’t know if I’ve been able to articulate my opinions well enough to entice you to see it, but I strongly recommend this movie because for some reason it kicks ass!

P.S. Look out for Cage’s Adam West impersonation, Craig Ferguson talking about Kick Ass on the Late Late Show, and a great ending phrase!