Kick-Ass (2010)

I’m very fond of the Kick-Ass comic. I like the superhero references. I like the humour. I like the violence. And I like the theme. The film makes the usual concessions to the source, and mostly they are okay. Film audiences are less cerebral to comic readers, and they need be appeased by simpler and more direct means. This does not mean that Kick-Ass has been dumbed down, just simplified for the masses.

Dave (Aaron Johnson) is a disgruntled, outcast teen who wonders why noone has tried to be a superhero before. He thinks he has want it takes and becomes Kick-Ass. His first attempt at heroics is less than successful. Dave soon finds out that there are other heroes in town, namely Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). There is romance, comedy, pop culture references, organised crime, and plenty of action in this colourful, delightful, violent outing.

There is a lot to like here. The writers know what they are doing, what they want to say, and they know the superhero medium. They treat it with a balance of respect and ridicule. Cage finally has himself a decent movie, after a dreadful run that includes Bangkok Dangerous, National Treasure, Knowing, and Ghost Rider. When he dons the Big Daddy costume (which is very Batman like) he channels Adam West, and it’s magnificent. Moretz as the 12 year old foul mouthed killing machine is also a laugh.