Kick Ass
Starring Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Passe
Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake)
Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use – some involving children
Appropriate for ages 18+
When a nerdy, down-on-his-luck teenager (Johnson) decides to take the law into his hands and don a wet suit/costume in the hopes of becoming a super hero by the name of Kick Ass, he finds himself to be the youtube sensation of the millennium, attracting the attention of a much inspired city. When father and daughter super hero team (Cage and Moretz) sweep in to protect Kick Ass from getting himself killed one night, Kick Ass finds himself feeling less self-confident than ever in his abilities to fight crime, and more importantly, stay alive doing so.
Right now you might read this synopsis, and remember seeing the trailer, and think to yourself that this was a risky film to put $30 million into. You won’t be saying that in a month. I’ll admit that it’s difficult to describe this film in too much detail. First off, you don’t want to give away too many of the great jokes and terrific set pieces. Secondly, this film is too obscene to let the movie audience at large see what makes it special. What this film will have is huge, and I mean gigantic, word of mouth.
So what will everyone be talking about? First they will be talking about how absolutely hysterical the film is. From start to finish, the movie has a dark, sadistic, twisted wit that gives you big laughs. I was in pain because I was just getting over a cold and couldn’t laugh properly, so I can’t wait to see it again just so I can get the correct chuckles out of my system. The jokes here aren’t for everyone though. Just read the rating and you’ll probably be able to determine whether or not you are a Kick Ass kind of person or not. Another way to judge is to check out the red band (R-rated) trailer on the Kick Ass website (www.kickass-themovie.com).
Next, everyone will be talking about the gutsiness of the film. Director Matthew Vaughn and his production team made this film without a studio, knowing that someone would buy it when they were done. It’s one of the biggest “true” indies I’ve ever seen. Luckily, Lionsgate came through, and they are about to reap the rewards on this one big time.
Finally, folks are going to be chatting on and on about the performances. Johnson, Cage, Mintze-Passe and pretty much the entire cast are all really having fun and letting us know it. But the real star of the film is young Moretz, whose caped crusader “Hit Girl” is one of the baddest super heroes to grace the screen and would give the best of the bad guys a run for their money. Some will be turned off by her incredibly foul language and ability to inflict massive amounts of violence, but most will find it to be shockingly comical. A