‘Kick-Ass’ lives up to its name

Words by Alex Perry

Since the release and success of films like “Sin City” and “300,” Hollywood has shown audiences that not all comic books are written for kids. This point is driven even further into the ground with the release of director Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick-Ass.” This is not “Spider-Man” or “Iron Man.” While some might find it incredibly offensive and walk out of the theater, those who stick with it until the end will find the best film of 2010 so far, and a wonderful start to the summer movie season.

Why has nobody ever tried to be a real-life superhero? This is the main premise of “Kick-Ass,” and the question that high school student Dave Lizewski discusses with his friends near the beginning of the movie. Dave is an average teenager who doesn’t really fit into one social group and has a huge crush on a girl who doesn’t know he exists. The only interesting thing about Dave is that he is a huge comic book fan. Like you’d expect, Dave is bullied often, and after being forced to give up his money and phone one day on the way home from the comic shop, he decides to make a change.

Dave buys a wetsuit and takes to the streets fighting crime, and becomes a celebrity overnight due to a YouTube video. He becomes known as Kick-Ass, and through a series of misunderstandings makes some interesting friends and enemies, such as the film’s villain, drug kingpin Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

What really brings the movie together are the characters. Aaron Johnson is good as Dave, with a whiny voice and attitude similar to that of any Michael Cera character. He is the least interesting character, though, due to the fantastic performances given by fellow superheroes Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and his 11-year-old daughter Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). These two have been in the business much longer than Dave, and as such, they are both experienced killers. Cage gives his finest performance since 1997’s “Face/Off,” doing an imitation of Adam West’s Batman for most of the movie.

 The absolute best performance in the movie, though, is Chloe Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl. She is the most foul-mouthed of them all, and piles up more bodies than anyone else in the movie, which is made even more hilarious when you consider that she is 11 years old. Every time she comes on screen, you know you’re in for a treat of violence and cursing.

Mark Strong is pretty good as Frank D’Amico, delivering all his lines is a thick New York accent, which is impressive considering Strong is British. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is also good as Chris, D’Amico’s son. He is his father’s evil sidekick, and he acts every bit as nerdy as he did as McLovin in “Superbad.” He’s funny, but nothing you won’t expect.

While the first half of “Kick-Ass” plays out like a decent high-school comedy, the second half is almost entirely dominated by action. Matthew Vaughn handles these scenes well, with some over-the-top fight choreography and incredible violence. The climactic battle at the end of the movie is especially wonderful, with plenty of bullets flying and criminals dying.

Overall, “Kick-Ass” is refreshing. It is a superhero movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and has some of the most memorable characters to appear in a movie in years. Run, don’t walk, to the theater and see it when you have the chance. It certainly lives up to its name.