Review: Kick-Ass Appropriately Named

Title: Kick-Ass
Studio: Lionsgate
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Actors: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Nicolas Cage, Clark Duke

And I thought Hot Tub Time Machine was the world’s most content-appropriate name for a film. The only name more fitting for Kick-Ass might have been Blood, Killing, Sex and Superheroes: The Movie, but honestly, that doesn’t exactly have the same ring.

The trailers for the film give people the gist of what it’s about, but if you really want to know if this movie is for you, the real test is a short clip introducing Chloe Moretz’s and Nicolas Cage’s characters. Find it hilarious? You sick bastard. Welcome to the world of Kick-Ass.

Dave Lizewski is a regular, unnoticed, high school student who poses the question to his fellow nerd friends, “why aren’t there any superheroes in real-life?” Donning a wet suit and brandishing a pair of colour-coordinating batons, he intends to find out firsthand. When his ass-kicking shenanigans get uploaded to YouTube, his popularity as a modern superhero goes through the roof. He grabs the attention of other would-be superheroes, but also puts himself on the radar of criminal kingpin, Frank D’Amico – a man who doesn’t take too kindly to some costumed vigilante ruining his business.

Based on the Marvel comic Kick-Ass, the film version was released to critical acclaim yesterday. Rightfully so – this movie is amazingly entertaining. It’s like a combination of Unbreakable, Mystery Men, and Kill Bill, but I feel even that doesn’t really paint the right picture (especially since Mystery Men is so bad it makes Jesus cry). Kick-Ass is a modern, clever, unflinchingly graphic superhero movie that simultaneously tickles an audience’s funny bone while satisfying their blood lust.

The movie clocks in at two hours, but the pacing is so perfect that that time just flies by. There’s not an ounce of filler to be found, and every scene is put in place to develop the characters, show ridiculous amounts of violence, or make the audience burst out laughing – sometimes all three.

This film is hardly an acting piece, but still, everyone brings their character to life and hits every mark with perfect comedic timing. This will be the second time this week that I’ve referenced Nicolas Cage, but I’ve got to give credit where it’s due. The man is two for two. The chemistry between he and his on-screen daughter are among the best scenes in the movie. Johnson, as Lizewski/Kick-Ass was a believable protagonist that balanced the hopeless optimism that seems mandatory for every superhero, with being a horny, ass-kicking, teenager. Mintz-Plasse whom everyone will recognize as “McLovin” from Superbad is also great as copycat superhero, Red Mist: and if you can turn McLovin into a bad-ass, you know you’ve got one hell of a movie.

Kick-Ass isn’t for the faint of heart, but if you’re cool with blood spurting like a Mortal Kombat video game and an 11-year old swearing more than George Carlin (rest his smutty soul), then you need to see the dark fun that Kick-Ass delivers.