Review: Kick-Ass

Grade: A+

Dave Lizewski is as typical and as normal of a teenage high school student as they come. He’s not into sports and he has a close group of friends he likes to go hang out at the comic book shop with. One day, with no motivation, no powers and no training but lots of naïveté, he decides to don a green and yellow wet suit and mask to become a real life super hero. He becomes an overnight sensation when he is recorded protecting an innocent man from a group of thugs. Dave names his alter ego Kick-Ass. He thinks that Kick-Ass is the first of his kind, only to discover that there are two other super-heroes that have been working secretly for years, Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Soon, though, Dave’s world is turned upside down when a mobster comes looking for him because he is convinced that Kick-Ass is the one destroying his drug business.

Kick-Ass is kickass, there are no other words to describe it. This is the best movie I have seen in a while. It wasn’t quite what I was expecting but it still managed to exceed my every expectation. The movie is based on a series of comic books by the same name, I have never read them but hear good things and am now going to check them out. Director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust, Layer Cake) did an amazing job with the writing and directing of this movie, it completely blew me away. The movie stays so firmly set in reality that it makes it that much more enjoyable and exciting to watch. I also think that because of its firm grip on reality, this movie won’t be convincing anybody to try to done a costume and fight crime. I will say, the reason this didn’t get an A+ is because like I said, its feet are firmly planted in reality, but there is a bit towards the end that comes out of left field and isn’t very realistic at all, you’ll see what I mean.

I still have to do this every time because many people don’t pay attention. While this movie is based on a comic book and is about a high school student trying to be a super hero, much like Peter Parker in Spider-man, this movie is not kid friendly. More and more comic books over the years have been more aimed at adults, and this is one of those comic books. On top of the large amount of adult language in the movie, the superheroes in this movie, don’t just wait for the cops to come to take the bad guy to jail, they kill them. My favorite character in the movie, Hit Girl, shoots and dismembers so many people in this movie I couldn’t even begin to count her death toll.

Up and coming actor, Aaron Johnson (The Greatest, Nowhere Boy) plays the main character Dave, who decides to create the alter ego Kick-Ass. He did an amazing job with the role and definitely was perfect casting for the part. Nicholas Cage (Knowing, National Treasure) plays Damon Macready, also known as Big Daddy. Cage was hilarious because Macready is this awkward nerdy guy but when he dons his Big Daddy costume, he becomes an insane action hero. Chloe Moretz (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, 500 Days of Summer) plays Mindy Macready, also known as Hit Girl. Moretz is amazing in this role and made this character my favorite of the movie. Moretz is only 13 and her character is only supposed to be 11 or 12 but she kicks more butt in this movie than anyone else and her acting was spot on. Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla) plays Frank D’Amico, a drug kingpin. Strong is an amazing actor and he was fantastic in this role, he just plays mean and evil so well. The movie also features Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Clark Duke, Dexter Fletcher, Evan Peters, Lyndsy Fonseca and Jason Flemyng.

I highly recommend everybody go see this movie, it is amazing. Like I said, it is one of the best movies I have seen in a while, it’s full of action, humor and drama. It moved me is the first movie since Up to tear me up. Just amazingly well written, directed and acted. Go see it, I can’t say that enough. You will enjoy it.

Great quote: “With no power comes no responsibility, except that’s not the case.”