Kick-Ass

Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong, Chloe Moretz, Omari Hardwick, Clark Duke, Lyndsy Fonseca, Nicolas Cage
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: An ordinary teenager (Aaron Johnson) decides to become a superhero. He begins fighting crime, despite having no powers or abilites. He soon teams with Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) to bring down an evil mobster (Mark Strong).

Review:

Tim: With Kick-Ass, director Matthew Vaughn gives us a controversial, different take on superhero movies. This is also a very funny, entertaining, action-packed film. I loved the chances Vaughn took, ensuring this was rated "R" for a reason, instead of playing it safe. This film features some unforgettable moments, and is one of the most entertaining films I have seen in a very long time.

I like the idea of ordinary people trying to become superheroes. While this idea is pretty fascinating, I have to admit it is somewhat boring as well. I love the idea of Kick-Ass, and he has some legitimately fun moments. However, I think if we're honest with ourselves, the most entertaining parts of the film involve Big Daddy and Hit Girl- the "real" superheroes. Kick-Ass is interesting, but not overly exciting himself. This is one aspect of the film that prevents it from greatness. Still, the idea of ordinary people becoming superheroes is a fun (if not original) idea.

Aaron Johnson is good as Kick-Ass. He is a bit dorky, but has just enough everyman qualities to get us to firmly root for him. He gives a good performance here, and is believable in the role. I liked him a lot, and I think he was absolutely the right actor for the part. Nicolas Cage is fine as Big Daddy, but I didn't love him here. He decided to act very strange, channeling the old Adam West Batman performances. I appreciated the reference, but it didn't make him particularly believable. I wish Cage had been just a bit better. His performance felt a bit too off-putting.

Mark Strong is a pretty good villain, and he works for the most part here. I believed he was a very bad guy, but he wisely restrained from crossing into over-the-top territory. He played it believably. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was fine as Red Mist, but I have to admit he was a weaker part of the film. The movie seemed to slow down whenever he was on screen, especially when he was whining (which is much of his performance).

While the cast is mostly good, no one can compare to the film's best performance. Of course, I am talking about the star-making turn of young Chloe Moretz. Moretz is simply unforgettable as Hit Girl. I know many people didn't appreciate this part, but it was easily the funniest and best part of the entire film. Moretz utters words and phrases that no little girl should ever say, and attacks the bad guys with more violence than you can possibly imagine. I loved every minute of it. It works because Moretz is such a fine actress, giving off the impression that she is wise beyond her years. Still, I could barely believe my eyes or ears when she fought the bad guys as Hit Girl. I had tears in my eyes because the scenes were so crazy and so unbelievable that I was shocked. And yet, it was terrific as well. I admit that there were a few moments that went over the top (after crushing the guy in his car, she utters a vulgar word which served no purpose other than to shock- I didn't appreciate that), but for the most part, the swear words she says serve a real purpose, establishing her character. I loved Hit Girl, and she was undoubtedly my favorite aspect of the film. Her scenes were certainly the highlight- in all my movie watching, I'd never seen anything like them.

While Matthew Vaughn creates a wonderful world here, there are some limitations to the film as well. As I mentioned, Hit Girl steals every scene she's in. That means the many scenes with Kick-Ass, Red Mist, and others are not quite as exciting. The movie is a bit long at nearly two hours. There are some pretty ridiculous moments, like Nicolas Cage talking after being burned (people in the theater were laughing out loud- not the desired response) and his Adam West speaking style. I thought the end with Kick-Ass flying was a bit weak, too. However, there are some terrific moments as well. Hit Girl taking down dozens of thugs while "Bad Reputation" plays in the background was a terrific scene. Kick-Ass also has some very good moments himself, particularly when he is being recorded defending a guy from three thugs. Those moments were spectacular.

In the end, I have to admit I had more fun watching Kick-Ass than many other superhero films. I am not sure it quite measures up to the best of the genre because of the uneven quality of the film. However, the strong moments are truly terrific, and this remains a memorable, entertaining movie. It didn't do quite enough to convince me it was a great movie, but it is a very strong, successful film. I really enjoyed it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: X-Men, Let Me In, Mystery Men, Watchmen