Rated: R
Grade: A
“Kickass” follows Dave Lizewski, an everyday, unnoticed teenage boy who is puzzled by the idea that no one has ever tried to become a superhero. Oblivious to his mortality, Dave, played by Aaron Johnson (Nowhere Boy), orders a scuba suit and batons and sets out on a mission to clean up the New York City streets. He begins to see the holes in his plan, becoming a stabbing victim instead of a hero. Little does he know that there are other vigilantes protecting the citizens of NYC, and soon he meets up with Big Daddy, played by Nicholas Cage (National Treasure), and Hit Girl, played by Chloe Moretz (500 Days of Summer.)
This illusive father-daughter crime fighting team has been trainig to take down the mob for years. Once they begin killing off goons, mob boss Frank D’Amico, played by Mark Strong (Sherlock Holmes) blames Kickass, who, thanks to an infamous Youtube video, has become NYC’s superhero superstar. D’Amico orders Kickass’s head on a platter, and thus the superhero game turns into a battle to save his own life and figure out who are the heroes, and who are the villains trying to lure him to his mob-style death.
“Kickass” is not what the previews make it out to be. It looks like it is going to be a semi-funny movie filled with poop jokes. It’s actually a lot more serious than the previews make it seem. It is really a perfect mix of teenage angst and real action. Kickass might be a superhero by night, but he still has to go to class during the day. His acts of blundering heroism are punctuated by displays of teenage awkwardness, creating both excitement and entertainment for all of the “invisible” high school students and graduates of the world. Kickass’s awkwardness, both in school and in battle, is balanced by the epic Big Daddy and Hit Girl. In real life, Big Daddy (otherwise known as “the one that looks like Batman”) is ex-cop Damon McCready, who was framed as a drug dealer before his daughter was born. His daughter, Hit Girl, is really Mindy McCready, an eleven year-old expert in the use of guns and knives. Together, they are responsible for 90 percent of the movie’s successful fight scenes and had these two characters been omitted from the script, it would be a different movie all together.
Matthew Vaughn’s directing was perfect for this film. Most fight scenes were shot from within the actual fight, exacerbating the confusion and adrenaline felt by the audience as they wondered who would win. His quick flashes between Kickass’s mundane moments at school and home, and the action packed crime going on in the city made for some suspense, but it mostly came from the script, which was well written and very complex, leaving a lot of loose ends for the characters to tie up before the ending credits.
The casting was also done very well. Every actor fit their part perfectly. Johnson plays the part of a goodhearted yet completely naive comic book nerd to perfection. Strong, once again displays his ability to play the villain with ease, and even Nicholas Cage played his part well. Moretz steals the show as Hit Girl, walking the perfect line between a sweet little girl and a superhero with a heart of stone.
Those that come from the comic-book world and frequently watch superhero movies will enjoy “Kickass” more than others in the audience, because it is meant to be a spoof of such films. There are subtle (and some blantantly obvious) jokes that viewers from this social circle will understand. Overall, it is a good movie. Watch it to ” pregame” for this summer’s blockbuster films.