There's an inherent risk in naming a movie Kick Ass. Namely in that if the movie doesn't "kick ass," its gonna lead to a lot of infuriating puns and wisecracks at the title's expense. So with that being said, does "Kick Ass" kick ass? The short answer... Yes! The second question would probably be, how much ass does "Kick Ass" kick? Well, that is the real question I suppose, and it will take more than just a short statement to answer.
Overall, Kick Ass is one of the more enjoyable superhero films to be released in the last few years. Based on the graphic novel by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr, Kick Ass is one of the most amusing self-aware send ups of the superhero genre. This over-the-top and often juvenile action-comedy pokes fun at pretty much every cliche of the superhero genre, from the happy-go-lucky hero, the anti-hero vigilante, teen sidekicks, the girl next door, and the whole "with great power comes great responsibility" concept.
Aaron Johnson stars as Dave Lizewski, a shy teenager and comic book fan who gets inspired to become a superhero. Donning a scuba suit and going by the mantle Kick Ass, he takes to the streets, fighting crime, helping people, and usually getting viciously beaten up in the process. Despite his lack of powers, training, athletic ability, and general lack of skill, he becomes an Internet phenomenon and quickly becomes the target of a powerful crime syndicate. Coming to his aid is the father-daughter vigilante and far more credible duo Big Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage, and Hit Girl, played by the scene stealing Chloe Moretz.With a relatively low budget for a superhero film, the 30 million dollars works as a double edged sword. On one hand, the lack of budget does present itself on more than one occasion. Don't get me wrong, what they accomplished with it is impressive, and I don't have too many complaints in terms of the quality of filmmaking. The benefit of having a low budget is of course more freedom. Releasing a film through an independent studio gives the filmmakers a greater range of creativity without having to worry about making back 100 million dollars. And by creativity, I mean over-the-top violence and language. Yes, Kick Ass is one of the most violent, gory, and profane superhero flicks ever made. If you enjoy any of the above, then Kick Ass is right up your alley.
With all that said, violence and cursing can only go so far. You still need good perform
ances and a good script to make a movie entertaining, or at least make it look slightly less juvenile. The quality of acting is surprisingly good for a film of this calibre. Aaron Johnson delivers an amusing Peter Parker-esque spoof of the teenage superhero, but his good acting is unfortunately upstaged by the supporting cast. Most of the film's hype has been centered around 12-year-old Chloe Moretz as the criminal killing vigilante, Hit Girl. Every time she's on screen, she steals the show, spitting out some hilariously profane insults right before taking out some random thug. Its hard not to love Nicolas Cage's portrayal of Big Daddy too, with his Adam West inspired send up of Batman. Finally, the last performance worth mentioning is Christopher Mint-Plasse's portrayal of the mob boss's geeky son turned supervillain Chris D'Amico aka Red Mist. He once again brings his Superbad shtick to another nerdy character. I'm not totally convinced that his gimmick will work much longer after Kick Ass, but it was still entertaining nonetheless and proves that Mint-Plasse is one of the most promising young actors in the industry today.
ances and a good script to make a movie entertaining, or at least make it look slightly less juvenile. The quality of acting is surprisingly good for a film of this calibre. Aaron Johnson delivers an amusing Peter Parker-esque spoof of the teenage superhero, but his good acting is unfortunately upstaged by the supporting cast. Most of the film's hype has been centered around 12-year-old Chloe Moretz as the criminal killing vigilante, Hit Girl. Every time she's on screen, she steals the show, spitting out some hilariously profane insults right before taking out some random thug. Its hard not to love Nicolas Cage's portrayal of Big Daddy too, with his Adam West inspired send up of Batman. Finally, the last performance worth mentioning is Christopher Mint-Plasse's portrayal of the mob boss's geeky son turned supervillain Chris D'Amico aka Red Mist. He once again brings his Superbad shtick to another nerdy character. I'm not totally convinced that his gimmick will work much longer after Kick Ass, but it was still entertaining nonetheless and proves that Mint-Plasse is one of the most promising young actors in the industry today. As I mentioned before, the script takes advantage of pretty much every superhero gimmick there is. Because of the teenage-heavy cast, the film is bound to receive comparisons to Spider-Man, but there are plentiful references to the Batman legacy as well. For starters, Big Daddy's costume is clearly modeled after the Batsuit and Red Mist quotes one of the Joker's lines from the 1989 Batman adaptation. Not
to mention the Big Daddy/Hit Girl duo is clearly a spoof of the Adult Hero/Kid Hero partnerships such as Batman and Robin. There is, however, one inherent problem with the script. The pacing is a bit erratic, at times it likes to focus on Kick Ass, at times Hit Girl and Big Daddy, and at times the villains without ever firmly establishing one main storyline. The film has difficulty balancing moods a bit too. It ranges from humorous and juvenile to brutally horrific. Again, the excessive violence is one thing that makes the movie fun, but when its done in a tongue-and-cheek manner. When it takes a gritty and dark approach, it just feels a little out of place and drastically changes the feel of the flick. At the same time, the film is consistently brutal, so it wasn't a huge shock.
to mention the Big Daddy/Hit Girl duo is clearly a spoof of the Adult Hero/Kid Hero partnerships such as Batman and Robin. There is, however, one inherent problem with the script. The pacing is a bit erratic, at times it likes to focus on Kick Ass, at times Hit Girl and Big Daddy, and at times the villains without ever firmly establishing one main storyline. The film has difficulty balancing moods a bit too. It ranges from humorous and juvenile to brutally horrific. Again, the excessive violence is one thing that makes the movie fun, but when its done in a tongue-and-cheek manner. When it takes a gritty and dark approach, it just feels a little out of place and drastically changes the feel of the flick. At the same time, the film is consistently brutal, so it wasn't a huge shock. I've heard Kick Ass described as "Superbad meets Kill Bill." That's actually a pretty accurate comparison. It has the amusing and juvenile sense of humor of a teen comedy, the gore of a grindhouse feature, and the fun factor of a superhero flick. The good performances and fun action help overlook past some of the budgetary limitations and occasionally shoddy pacing. Its been in theatres for quite a while now, I actually meant to write this review weeks ago. If you haven't seen it yet, and its still playing, I'd definitely give it a watch. If you missed it in theatres, its definitely worth picking up on DVD. To answer my earlier question, How much ass does Kick Ass kick? It kicks enough ass to warrant at least one viewing.
My Score: 3.5 out of 5
