Kick-Ass – Review

Even for those that dislike superhero movies, Kick-Ass should fill your bucket. It is just so good. While based on a comic series, this adaptation is better than its source material (which is still solid), and that does not happen often for me.

In some ways, this movie is a more grounded approach at the world of superheroes. And in some ways, it really is not. There is awesome action, hilarious comedy, nefarious villains, good subplots, fun ancillary characters, great music and some insane shocks.

Regular kid Dave Lizewski (Taylor-Johnson) is a totally basic high school student, his only power being invisible to girls. Like many kids his age, he simply exists, and he doesn’t have a “thing” to distinguish himself. He likes TV, the internet and his sexy English teacher’s cleavage.

Kicking it with his friends Marty (Duke) and Dave (Peters) is the highlight of his world, and then unfortunately tragedy strikes his family. He then wonders… how come nobody has ever tired to become a superhero?? Maybe this can be his thing.

Maybe comics had it all wrong and it didn’t take trauma or cosmic rays to become a hero. Maybe it just took the right combination of optimism and naivete. As Dave looks into it all, local mobsters find their coke getting stolen by some dude that has a mask and a cape.

The script is very solid and the tones are balanced seamlessly. Very funny meets shockingly violent and all still flows well. The story is basic but entertaining, especially when enough world building and exposition get the crime tale rolling.

A great cast and fantastic director round out the effort, which should absolutely be seen by anyone into Sci-Fi, action-oriented, or willing to go into something outrageous. This is one of the best comic adaptations ever made. Come for Kick-Ass, but stay for Hit Girl (Moretz).

There is a sequel, but…………

Actors Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Dave) and Evan Peters (Todd) later played different versions of the same Marvel superhero Quicksilver, one in the 20^th Century Fox X-Men movies, and the other in the Disney/Marvel Avengers movies. Maybe they can team up in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday or Avengers: Secret Wars as they will likely involve multiple universes.