*** out of ****
Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong and Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Running Time: 117 minutes
Kick-Ass, an ultra-violent, relentlessly filthy and downright perverse love-letter to the world of comic book geekdom, is a superhero film without manners. Even the title’s profane.
But while many comic-book flicks are either moody character studies (The Dark Knight, Watchmen, Unbreakable) or breezy crowd-pleasers (The Incredibles, Iron Man), Kick-Ass manages to tackle both aspects and usually succeeds.
The film centers on an awkward, pimply teen named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who looks like Harry Potter with a Jew-fro.
While not fantasizing of every girl who walks within reach, Dave is infatuated with comic books. He asks his two buddies (Clark Duke and Evan Peters) why nobody has ever tried being a superhero.
Sure enough, Dave orders a yellow-on-green wetsuit, gives himself the oh-so-unoriginal alias “Kick-Ass,” and starts perfecting his not-so-perfect abilities.
One night, “Kick-Ass” gets involved in a scuffle, defending a battered man from a group of baton-swinging hooligans. The footage is recorded by witnesses, and “Kick-Ass” soon becomes a viral Internet sensation.
This material catches the eye of a local crime lord, Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), who wants his henchmen to get rid of this lucky punk.
Regardless, “Kick-Ass” also inspires several superhero imitators: some cool (Nicolas Cage’s Big Daddy, who has a score to settle with D’Amico), some not so cool (Red Mist, portrayed by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and one who will hopefully get a spin-off feature of her own (the pint-sized yet bloodthirsty Hit-Girl, played by (500) Days of Summer’s Chloe Grace Moretz).
Adapted from the comic book by Mark Millar (of Wanted fame) and illustrator John S. Romita Jr., director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) brings us both a manic, exhilarating romp and a compelling, dead-serious film with heroes that bleed and bad guys that don’t look too different from those featured in yesterday’s headlines.
But even with savvy pop culture references, zesty dialogue, razor-sharp cynicism and four-letter words flying through the air like bullets, Kick-Ass feels dated. Ordinary people becoming superheroes just isn’t a novel idea anymore.
However, much credit must be given to the cast, who bring a refreshing dose of depth and personality to these familiar superhero archetypes.
Johnson is pitch-perfect as the titular hero, Mintz-Plasse is beginning to shrug off his pathetic McLovin persona as the title character's suave companion, and Nicholas Cage manages to finally get a role with both an edginess and poignancy that suits his dramatic range (and a much-needed haircut).
But to discuss Kick-Ass without mentioning Hit-Girl would be like reviewing The New Testament without referencing Jesus.
She hacks off legs with a single swipe, knows just the right time to ignite a flurry of four-letter bombs, has John Woo’s filmography memorized to a tee, and can shoot down a room of henchmen faster than the most experienced video gamer. Oh, and she’s also an 11-year-old girl.
Some will look at Hit-Girl and say she's downright awesome. Others will believe she’s morally repugnant and will scorn the film as a result (many critics and parent groups already have). But nobody can deny that she’s an absolute original: a sweetheart who’s loyal to her father, has a wicked sense of humour, and who butchers every bad guy in sight.
But while Vaughn manages to juggle both jest and realism throughout, there are a few jarring shifts in tone.
In one climactic scene where two of the main characters are held hostage in a warehouse, the mood goes from dreadfully dark to cartoonishly violent to remarkably poignant in just a few minutes.
This shaky balancing in tone is all that I can fault the director with. Vaughn simply embraces the comic-book universe.
His scenes feature monochromatic backgrounds, as well as distinct planes of action that consist of different colours, intricately homaging the design of the art form. Vaughn also introduces the scenes with the same rhythm and stages the characters with the precise positioning that comic-book and graphic novel creators use in their works.
An imperfect but consistently entertaining hybrid of outrageous fun and effective character study, Kick-Ass ensures that the superhero genre is alive with strong performances and kicking with an R-rated blast of what some may call violent pornography.
The film is irreverent and gleefully uncensored, but also a lot of fun. I’d buy a ticket anyway: you never know when Hit-Girl and her bench-made model 42 butterfly knife may turn up.
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