Kick Ass!

Sat, May 29 2010

Ryan and I saw Kick Ass the other day. I admit, I hadn’t paid much attention to the trailers so all I knew was it was yet another superhero movie–this time involving youngun’s. It is based off a comic book and the premise turned out to be pretty interesting: what if an ordinary teenage boy decided to become a superheo? If you guess that he got his ass kicked, at least once, you’re right.

So the viewer watched ordinary Dave become something a little.. super-ordinary and the drama, violence and comedy that ensues is definitely extraordinary. Kick Ass (his superhero name) becomes a phenomenon to the local townspeople all the while the unsuspecting kid makes himself some real enemies (and friends as well).

Kick Ass is more than a little cheesy and overdone–on purpose–and it works! It’s over the top and comical but still spreads some moral messages (like how fatherhood involvement can help or hinder a child) but it’s mostly a pleasant distraction from real life. Coincidentally, one could say the same about Dave’s superhero activities.

I agree with the IMDb use who says:

It’s Superbad meets Kill Bill.

Many of the faces in Kick Ass are those I did not recognize. Aaron Johnson is incredibly believable as Dave/Kick Ass and I’m sure his average not-so-good looks aid in this. Chloe Grace Moretz plays a young girl who can hold her own and I love that she was not super-sexualized. Her character is ridiculously strong and it’s great to see females portrayed in such a way (even if it’s only because of her father’s obsession).

Nicolas Cage plays Moretz’s eccentric father, a character which is both endearing and creepy. He fits the bill. Christopher Mintz-Plasse also lends his talents to an interesting role. You may remember him from movies such as Superbad; although, he looks as awkward as ever in Kick Ass and, as a viewer, this makes me sympathize for the actor instead of pay attention to the character.

Fans of comic books, superheroes, teen dramas, action and/or comedy will probably enjoy Kick Ass. We got an especially unique experience because we went to a unique theatre. They played “pre-game” entertainment in the form of real trailers for similar movies over the years.

I probably wouldn’t buy Kick Ass or watch it many more times but it was enjoyable, nonetheless.