 Tagline: I can't fly. But I can kick your ass. "How come nobody's ever tried to be a superhero?" When Dave Lizewski - ordinary New York teenager and rabid comic-book geek - dons a green-and-yellow Internet-bought wetsuit to become the no-nonsense vigilante Kick-Ass, he soon finds an answer to his own question: because it hurts. But, over coming all the odds, the eager yet inexperienced Dave quickly becomes a phenomenon, capturing the imagination of the public. However, he's not the only superhero out there - the fearless and highly trained father-daughter crime-fighting duo, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, have been slowly but surely taking down the criminal empire of local mafioso Frank D'Amico. And, as Kick-Ass gets drawn into their no-holds-barred world of bullets and bloodletting with Frank's son Chris, now reborn as Kick-Ass's arch-nemesis Red Mist, the stage is set for a final showdown between the forces of good and evil, in which the DIY hero will have to live up to his name. Or die trying... Storyline: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However, one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training. Written by Daniel J. Leary Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Dustin Somner on August 5, 2010 -- Given Hollywood's increasing dependence on blockbuster comic book adaptations to fill the lucrative summer release slate, it's not terribly surprising to find some producers mining breakthrough franchises that are still relatively unknown. After all, bringing a character like Spiderman or Superman to the big screen carries tremendous pressure to stay true to a beloved character, while still delivering a storyline that remains fresh and original. Some can pull it off (Christopher Nolan's Batman reboot), while others tend to flounder (Daredevil, Elektra). What makes Kick-Ass such an interesting venture among the world of comic books has less to do with the lack of iconic characters within the storyline, and more to do with the leap of faith that led to the subsequent screen adaptation. Created in parallel with the comic book version, the film acted as both a borrower and lender to Mark Miller's ongoing Marvel series, allowing director Mathew Vaughn the opportunity to craft an end product that's never truly faithful to the print version, but fits perfectly within the framework of the film medium. As most comic book fans know, there's often something lost in the transition from the vivid panels of a comic or graphic novel to the reality-laced silver screen, but that simply makes the faithful adaptations that much more gratifying. Since Kick-Ass never claims to be a true adaptation in the sense of other long-time franchises (X-Men, Spiderman, etc.), we can throw most comparisons out the window and merely soak up the film in its own right. So long as you're comfortable taking that stance, I'd wager you'll leave Kick-Ass with a huge Cheshire grin on your face. After stumbling aimlessly through the majority of his high school years, social outcast Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is determined to branch out from his evenings spent porn surfing and do something meaningful for a change. Scouring the internet for anything resembling a superhero outfit, he eventually settles on a green wetsuit/mask combo to conceal his true identity, and begins a meager crusade for justice. His first encounter with the criminal underworld lands him in the critical care ward of the hospital, but that proves a weak deterrence to the newfound sense of purpose in Dave's spirit. Upon his recovery from several severe injuries, he returns to the street in search of any poor soul who might need his help. Opportunity soon knocks, resulting in a viral video of Dave's alter ego 'Kick-Ass' taking on several menacing thugs. This attracts the attention of a father/daughter team of weapons experts named Damon (Nicholas Cage) and Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz), who also don masks in an attempt to bring down the city's notorious crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). Viewing the recent emergence of these fake superheroes as meddlesome in his business affairs, D'Amico focuses his attention on the destruction of Kick-Ass, allowing his nerdy son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to become the latest addition in the superhero craze as a way to draw him into the open. What he didn't count on was the ferocious nature of 11-year-old Hit-Girl (Mindy), and the vengeance she and her father intend to pursue against his crime syndicate. Caught in the middle of the crossfire, Dave must decide between finishing what he started, or settling for his old life of Kick-Assless normalcy.In a nutshell, Kick-Ass is pure unadulterated fun. Mixing odd tonal shifts that range from gut-wrenching comedy to tearful tragedy, this is a film that defies any semblance of Hollywoodized safety, and emerges as an uncompromised vision of every vice possible. To gain a better understanding of how I expect most parents to react toward the production, look no further than the R-rating description on the back cover.STRONG BRUTAL VIOLENCE THROUGHOUT, PERVASIVE LANGUAGE, SEXUAL CONTENT, NUDITY AND SOME DRUG USE-SOME INVOLVING CHILDRENI don't know about everyone else, but whenever I saw a trailer for Kick-Ass during the theatrical marketing campaign, I quickly dismissed it as a lame stab at yet another children's superhero production. Having zero knowledge of the comic book series at that point, I never made it far enough into a trailer to find the pot of gold at the end (I'm referring to the R-rating), and never considered it worthwhile to seek out the Hit-Girl red band trailer depicting a mere child using the "c-word" and chopping limbs from men twice her size. After hearing more about the film in the months leading up to the Blu-ray release, my interest level turned from indifference to heightened awareness as I realized I unknowingly fall smack dab in the target market of this little venture. Furthermore, we have Mathew Vaughn at the helm of the picture (the director of other misunderstood cult classics such as Stardust and Layer Cake), who's current project X-Men: First Class looks to be the next big blockbuster in the Hollywood juggernaut of origin reboots. Vaughn may not be among the tier-1 directors breathing new life into this generation of the silver screen, but I'd still rank him among those we should keep a close eye on in the coming years.So what makes Kick-Ass such an entertaining production? For starters, I'd have to go with the blatant lack of concern for trivial rules and conventions that suggest little kids shouldn't murder or cuss, and fathers shouldn't shoot their daughter with a .45 as part of a "training" regimen (for the record, she's wearing a bulletproof vest and has ice cream to look forward to afterwards). While I'll readily admit most parents may find this film outrageously inappropriate within the confines of normal societal values, the target audience for the film should be capable of separating entertainment from reality. After all, it's not like Vaughn is advocating for senseless violence without a purpose, and anyone willing to give the film a shot should recognize the implications addressed by raising a daughter within a world of guns and violence (making Hit-Girl more mature than her age would suggest). Moving beyond the extreme violence in the film, Vaughn manages to keep the comedy tight and even-paced, serving as a constant reminder that this is anything but a serious film. The end result is a storyline that can be taken serious enough to justify concern for the safety of likeable characters, but not overly dramatic to the point of losing its comic book sensibility.In closing, I feel compelled to offer a brief acknowledgement of the performance by young Chloe Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl/Mindy. Considering she was a mere 12-years-old when filming on Kick-Ass commenced, Hit-Girl emerges as one of the strongest characters in the production, and truly carries the film during several key moments. From extremely physical scenes (think Gerard Butler in 300) to somber displays of emotion, Moretz never fails to evoke an intended reaction from the audience, showing tremendous acting talent for such a young age. I honestly hope they make a sequel to Kick-Ass as a showcase for the emerging talent of this youthful starlet. Kick-Ass certainly isn't a film for everyone, and may be downright offensive to the more conservative among us, but if you're able to effectively separate fantasy from reality and accept the violently comic style of the production, it's a film that's worth watching over and over again. For those that are already sold on the film itself, rest assured the presentation offered by Lionsgate is more than adequate in replicating the style of the unusual cinematography, and the 7.1 audio mix proves equally proficient. Add in an exhaustive collection of supplemental materials (set aside a full day if you have time), and this emerges as one of the better all-around Blu-ray offerings in recent memory. Highly recommended! Cast Notes: Aaron Johnson (Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass), Garrett M. Brown (Mr. Lizewski), Clark Duke (Marty), Evan Peters (Todd), Deborah Twiss (Mrs. Zane), Lyndsy Fonseca (Katie Deauxma), Sophie Wu (Erika Cho), Elizabeth McGovern (Mrs. Lizewski), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Chris D'Amico / Red Mist), Stu 'Large' Riley (Huge Goon), Johnny Hopkins (1st Gang Kid), Ohene Cornelius (2nd Gang Kid), Mark Strong (Frank D'Amico), Michael Rispoli (Big Joe), Corey Johnson (Sporty Goon). User Comment: marc brown (marxthedude) from LONDON, ENGLAND, 2 March 2010 • In a movie industry cluttered with own-grown hype, gimmicks and lack of idea, "Kick Ass" bursts onto the screen and shatters all expectations in it's wake. You're on this page because you think it's gonna be good? Wrong. Or you're here because you think it looks a decent or a good superhero movie to join the ranks of the ones you already love? DEAD wrong. Reason being, is "Kick Ass"doesn't want to be good or above average, "Kick Ass" wants to be great and it has the balls to want to be original too. Seemingly impossible in a done to death genre where we've already glimpsed Mark Millar's signature style in "Wanted", but "Kick Ass" is all about the unexpected. Make no mistake, nothing you believe of this movie compares to what Vaughn and co. serve up for you. Mainly because everyone involved seems determined to honour the comic and redefine a genre. Most movies entertain, but this one? It wants to BLOW YOU AWAY! Less smarter movies have done that but "Kick Ass" ain't giving that up either. It's script is razor-sharp, dumping the pretension of "the burden of heroism" crippling even the better superhero films, showing this in actions rather than long drawn out emoting. Matthew Vaughn has finally solved the hurdle that all superhero movies suffer, namely how to get to know and love your characters without long drawn out scenes. He does it by keeping them moving. The more they do, the more they try, the more you know and love them. And make the narrative interesting and most of all relatable so we're with Dave 100% of the way, it doesn't just have to functional. The real visual joy of "Kick Ass" is it's desire to keep it simple but not at the expense of wowing us. Make characters do cool things, instead of Michael Bay-esquire things happening to them. That's why they exude coolness, despite Dave's almost humdrum existence. This is the everyman doing the things we could do if wanted to; not a guy from another reality or possessed with great drive and ambition. Dave wants to get laid. He wants to be hip. Even your bad guy in this is believable. Watching the whirlwind that is Hit Girl perform a routine almost straight out of Jackie Chan's Hong Kong days stuns us in a way no big screen chase ever could. Visually the film takes all the thing we DID love from the movies that ultimately didn't zing and churns them into a finely balanced flawless brew. Did I mention it's feel good? From it's inspired use of music (again utterly relatable) right down to it's outstanding score, like "Get Carter" for superheroes; I could say more but there's surprises in store. In a movie this stunning, acting is usually secondary (as any James Cameron film shows). Not a bit of it. In a cast as eclectic as the styles the film embraces you have performances that set a benchmark for all concerned. Can Mark Strong already better his stellar work? See his menacing and humorous turn as D'Amico, a career best. Christopher Mintz Plasse follows "Role Models" by breaking out of McLovin mode. His guy has layers and he can show them. Nicolas Cage as expected returns to his past glories playing larger than life eccentric characters but not without a little sadness too. Joining him is Chloe Moretz forever destined to be remembered for her first major role. She idolised Angelina Jolie apparently. Guess what, you trounced any action movie she has ever made! Moretz dominates any scenes she's in, no easy task considering her fellow cast! Aaron Johnson has the most difficult job of all. Being an original uber-geek after Michael Cera set the standard (anyone who's seen "Zombieland" knows it's hard to write an original geek even in a great movie). He shakes it, redefines it and OWNS it. He leads the movie like he wrote it, joined by a cast where even the smallest roles are fully fleshed out. It's quite an ensemble. A renegade band of acting styles forming a perfect one and complementing the film's fun style. Watching "Kick Ass" is ultimately like being on a thrill-ride, it doesn't just want to dazzle you, it's wants to draw you in, ride the wave and leave the cinema on a high. And it doesn't do that with gimmicks or tried and tested formula's, it breaks the mold, shakes conventions and wants you to be surprised while complementing all the movies you already love. It's not just a movie, it's a standard, one that promises to prove movies like this can be written with great heart and brain. And ultimately you'll be leaving the screen thinking "Wow, let's do that again" no matter how many agains come before it. Summary: Get ready for the new classic superhero movie! [CSW] -3- Guess I'm not as into comic books as some. The film was good but a little to comic book and coming of age for me. The 11 year old girl was really good and alone made this a lot better movie. I also thought the D-Box could have been a lot better and I lowered the critics 9.6 to a 6.0 rating for the motion. (Based on Comic Book) [CSW] -3.4-. [V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - D-Box 6/10. IMDb Rating (03/14/15): 7.7/10 from 379,132 users
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