REVIEW: Kick-Ass

Kick-Ass

Directed by Matthew Vaughn

Written by Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn, and Mark Millar

Starring:

Aaron Johnson

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Chloe Grace Moretz

Mark Strong

Nicolas Cage

Rated R for Strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children.

IMDb Page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1250777/

In a world of demographically-friendly comic book films, we see interesting world, full of fantastic powers, world-hungry villains, spectacular effects and stunts, and of course peppered with classic, cheesy dialogue. It's an escape for the common person, to dream of being super, to jump buildings in a single bound, to shoot lasers from their eyes, or just to have an awesome costume that says, "Hello citizen, I'm here to assist you." And this is why Matthew Vaughn's self-funded independent superhero film, "Kick-Ass," stands out. This movie is anything but friendly to all audiences, full of gore, over-the-top violence, every profanity in the book, and some definitely disturbing Freudian conflict, but it is for all these reasons and more, that Kick-Ass is, well, just that. Immediately taking down the veil of a perfect superhero world, Vaughn adapts author Mark Millar's twisted world to the screen in such a believable way, that you suddenly forget about how unreal most things on screen would be in a reality-based world. Aaron Johnson, a British-born actor, nails the angst and naivety of the American adolescent, who is fed up with the broken down morality of society, and decides to emulate his favorite caped heroes, by becoming a superhero...good idea right? Wrong. The newly dubbed "Kick-Ass" is royally beaten down on his first attempt to right wrongs, and is forced to reexamine his situation. Slowly the world opens up and he begins to learn that he is not the first to attempt heroism by masked vigilantism, and certainly not the most experienced. Here we meet the standout character of the movie, and the reason this movie almost never saw the light of day, the foul-mouthed 11-year old assassin, Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), and her father, the Adam West-channelling Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). From there the movie snowballs into an all-out rampage, with plenty of twists and surprises, and some of the most entertaining action sequences of the year; one involving Hit-Girl and a hallway full of bad guys is particularly awesome.

The movie never makes the mistake of taking itself seriously, and by doing so, continues to stay entertaining, funny, and clever. The action is outstanding, which is to be expected since Vaughn directed the 2004 action sleeper, L4yer Cake, and has now earned him the job of directing the "X-Men: First Class" reboot for 20th Century Fox. Characters are imaginative and well-written, which is not surprising considering that Mark Millar wrote the graphic novel always intending for it to be a movie, even writing the final installments of the novel with the movie already in production, and the dialogue is just as cheesy as one would hope, especially the quirky one-liners spouted from Big Daddy. Overall, "Kick-Ass is a tremendously fun movie that is not for everyone. It is very rude, very violent, and not ashamed about it at all, so if that's your thing, go ready to have one hell of a time. But despite a harsh exterior, it does hold some good themes. With "Kick-Ass" real superheroes do exist, and while extraordinary abilities are a necessity, courage is truly indispensable.

Kick-Ass is now in theaters nationwide.

My Review: A-

Netflix Review:

There was a time before LOST when I remember watching TV, but not ever really consciously enjoying it. But with the advent of the 2004 Emmy-Award winning series, I found a new drug in commercial media, and spread it to everyone who was willing to listen to me talk about it. This past Sunday saw the conclusion of the series, and while some were disappointed, I thought it was a truly beautiful end to what I consider to be the Best Television Show of All Time. And while I know that is a heavy statement, if you have never taken the time to watch the show, you have no idea the phenomenon that is has created. Chances are you are friends with more than a dozen LOST watchers, whether you know it or not, and if you do know it, you know the kind of obsessive conversation it spurs. So do yourself a favor and start from the beginning, but be prepared to lose A LOT of hours of sleep, because once you start, you cannot stop.

LOST: Seasons 1-5 are available on Netflix Instant Streaming

My Review: A+