Kick-Ass (2010)
Starring Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, and Nicolas Cage
Directed by Matthew Vaughn
I'm not really a fan of superhero comic book movies. For the most part, I could take them or leave them...they do nothing for me, but I don't actively oppose the genre either. Going in a slightly different direction from your typical superhero flick, Kick-Ass details the lives of four ordinary folks who desire to don corny lycra costumes and help their fellow men and women out of trouble.
We first meet Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a geeky high school kid who happens to enjoy comic books. He wonders why there aren't real-life superheroes who, while they wouldn't hold superpowers, could assist those in need and strike fear into criminals. He decides to test the waters and become a modern-day superhero named Kick-Ass, whose only superpower is, well, kicking ass (and he hasn't exactly become an expert at that yet).
After gaining some notoriety via a self-created website, Dave decides to assist a girl he has a crush on. The gal is being followed by a drug addict/dealer and when Dave as Kick-Ass goes to the slums to meet him, he runs into some trouble. Fortunately, he is assisted by two fellow "superheroes," Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). The dad and daughter team manage to kill everyone in the drug dealer's den, saving Kick-Ass in the process.
Unfortunately, the drug dealer worked for the evil crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) who decides to go after these do-gooding vigilantes. His son Chris (a shockingly un-annoying Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes on the personality of superhero Red Mist in order to befriend Kick-Ass in hopes of leading his father to the lair of Big Daddy and Hit Girl.
Kick-Ass is a surprisingly effective film. Director and co-writer Michael Vaughn takes a humorous, tongue-in-cheek look at superhero flicks and does so in a violent manner. Much talk was made of the violence (specifically the fact that young Chloe Moretz does most of the killing), but the off-the-wall tone of the film presents things in such a cartoonish way that it never feels excessive. Vaughn (who hasn't directed a whole lot of flicks) certainly has an eye for crafting enjoyable action comedy. He keeps comic book sensibilities ever-present, but they never felt overpowering which I enjoyed greatly.
Certainly adding to the appeal of the film is the acting of Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass and Mark Strong as the ominous crime boss. While Nic Cage and Chloe Moretz seemed to ham it up a little more than necessary, I still thought the characters they played were an interesting creation and the backstory that explains their birth as superheroes was particularly well-crafted.
Kick-Ass is the film that Watchmen wanted to be. I'd watch Kick-Ass again in a heartbeat...Watchmen hasn't fared well as time as gone on.
We first meet Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a geeky high school kid who happens to enjoy comic books. He wonders why there aren't real-life superheroes who, while they wouldn't hold superpowers, could assist those in need and strike fear into criminals. He decides to test the waters and become a modern-day superhero named Kick-Ass, whose only superpower is, well, kicking ass (and he hasn't exactly become an expert at that yet).
After gaining some notoriety via a self-created website, Dave decides to assist a girl he has a crush on. The gal is being followed by a drug addict/dealer and when Dave as Kick-Ass goes to the slums to meet him, he runs into some trouble. Fortunately, he is assisted by two fellow "superheroes," Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz). The dad and daughter team manage to kill everyone in the drug dealer's den, saving Kick-Ass in the process.
Unfortunately, the drug dealer worked for the evil crime boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) who decides to go after these do-gooding vigilantes. His son Chris (a shockingly un-annoying Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes on the personality of superhero Red Mist in order to befriend Kick-Ass in hopes of leading his father to the lair of Big Daddy and Hit Girl.
Kick-Ass is a surprisingly effective film. Director and co-writer Michael Vaughn takes a humorous, tongue-in-cheek look at superhero flicks and does so in a violent manner. Much talk was made of the violence (specifically the fact that young Chloe Moretz does most of the killing), but the off-the-wall tone of the film presents things in such a cartoonish way that it never feels excessive. Vaughn (who hasn't directed a whole lot of flicks) certainly has an eye for crafting enjoyable action comedy. He keeps comic book sensibilities ever-present, but they never felt overpowering which I enjoyed greatly.
Certainly adding to the appeal of the film is the acting of Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass and Mark Strong as the ominous crime boss. While Nic Cage and Chloe Moretz seemed to ham it up a little more than necessary, I still thought the characters they played were an interesting creation and the backstory that explains their birth as superheroes was particularly well-crafted.
Kick-Ass is the film that Watchmen wanted to be. I'd watch Kick-Ass again in a heartbeat...Watchmen hasn't fared well as time as gone on.
The RyMickey Rating: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment