Over the last few years, film-goers have had a massive exposure to comic-book culture. The average viewer has become more open-minded when it comes to seeing the next comic related release. The next character to make the leap to the big screen is Mark Miller's Kick-Ass and ComicsOnline was invited to a private screening of this upcoming release in San Diego. It is easily one of the most over the top, violent, profane and exhilarating comic-book movies ever. This is no Dark Knight and it sure isn't Iron-Man. Kick-Ass is something entirely new and different…and could easily be one of the best movies of the year!
Now you might be asking yourself, who is Kick-Ass and why should I go see a movie about him?
Click read more to continue the review…but be warned…some spoilers follow.
Kick-Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who is your average teenage kid. Dave is interested in girls, reads comics and is trying to find his place in the world of High School. He becomes fascinated with the idea of an average person donning a costume to help save people in trouble and decides to take his fate into his own hands. He quickly learns the hard way that putting on a costume doesn't make you invulnerable as he tries to stop a crime in progress. Dave decides that the pain and struggle is worth it if it means saving innocent people. He is caught on camera saving a guy who is being chased by a gang and, thanks to the power of YouTube, becomes an internet sensation and is accepted by most of society as a force for good. Meanwhile, a druglord named Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) is becoming increasingly troubled by a masked vigilante who is taking out his men left and right. He becomes convinced that this masked killer and Kick-Ass are one and the same and starts a plan to take care of his problem once and for all…but little does he know he is after the wrong person! We soon learn that the mysterious team of Hitgirl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nic Cage) have been the people behind the murders of D'Amico's men. But who are they and why do they want Frank dead? To find Kick-Ass, Frank enlists the aid of his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who becomes the traitorous hero called the Red Mist.
I feel the need to again point out that this is a VIOLENT movie. The creative team tried to emulate the comic in as much detail as possible and the gratuitous violence was a vital part of what made the comic fun…and it is directly translated into the film. If you are skittish around blood and guns then maybe you should sit this one out. Now if you want to find out more about your significant other, then maybe you should take them to this film. You really get to know a person based on what they think after coming out of a movie like this. In a lot of ways, Kick-Ass is similar to Kill Bill. Some people didn't like it because of the language and the content, but then they realized that it was stylistic and a new take on the "pulp revenge movie" genre. I really feel that Kick-Ass has the potential to do the same thing for superheroes. This is in no way a normal superhero movie; it is more like an action packed film that happens to have some people in costumes killing other people in costumes.
The casting in this movie was pretty close to perfection. The stand out performance of the entire film goes to Chloe Moretz as the incredibly violent 11 year-old called Hit Girl. It is amazing what they were able to get away with for this movie. I'm sure that this character is shocking to most people, but once you accept the fact that Hit Girl is going to be the most violent character in the story, you start to cheer her on. I also have to give a shout out to Aaron Johnson for a great job in the title role of Kick-Ass. He did a great job bringing Dave Lizewski to life. Mark Strong plays Frank D'Amico and was a great choice to play the villainous drug-lord. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka "McLovin" from Superbad) plays the same character he always does…but this time with an evil edge. The most interesting choice for casting was that of Nic Cage as Big Daddy. Cage is entertaining in the role, but there are times where his characterization feels a little forced. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed Cage's presence in the film, but I feel like they just wanted a name actor for the role and Cage filled that role.
I will end with this note: I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was laughing and cheering along with the rest of the audience for the entire length of the film. The person that I took to the screening was not an avid comic-book fan, but she came out of the film loving it just as much as I did. I know I will be seeing this movie again at least once or twice more in theaters and forcing my friends to come along to experience all that is Kick-Ass. Fans will be happy to know that it is an incredibly accurate adaptation of the mini-series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. Do not miss this movie – you will regret it.
ComicsOnline gives Kick-Ass 5 out of 5 movies that change how people will look at the superhero genre!
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