Kick-Ass

Apr 2010, Matthew Vaughn, 117 mins

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to hear a colorful comic book hero curse excessively on film? What if that colorful comic book hero is an 11 year old, angel-faced girl? Ok, even if you haven’t thought about this before, let me tell you, it’s frickin awesome! As is most of the new action-comedy, Kick-Ass, an original look at the overplayed comic book genre that has dominated multiplexes over the past decade.

In a world where everyone reads comics and watches their inspired movies, why hasn’t an actual superhero ever existed in what we call reality? Because, in reality, they would get their ass killed in two minutes, right? In Kick-Ass, we learn that a hero doesn’t need to knock people out with a “pow!” or a "bang!" ...or tie them in webs. They can simply blow the stuffing out of the bad guys with an arsenal of weaponry.

Nicolas Cage shows up as Big Daddy, a revenge minded Batman look-a-like who snipes and slashes with unmatched skill. Cage, despite his recent roles in stinkers like Bangkok Dangerous and The Wicker Man, is a good actor and strikingly not annoying in this performance. His sidekick, the 11 year old Hit Girl, is the gem of the movie. Watching her rumble with evil-doers in acrobatic fashion almost brings to mind a young Yoda. Her killer blade is only outdone by her killer tongue - cursing up a storm that even Tarantino would blush at.

Kick-Ass himself, a self made superhero who really is just a nerd in a wet suit, is great fun to watch. But by the end of the film he seems more like a side character than a title worthy lead.

Kick-Ass is a smart and timely movie that will have any adult viewer laughing. Its bloody violence is as extreme as anything I’ve seen in the past few years, and a nice treat considering the young cast and hip title.