Too dark, too violent, too brutal... yet totally hilarious!

Rating: 10/10 (17 April 2010)

I gotta say that going to see Kick-Ass last night was one of the most surprising movie-going experiences in a long time. The trailer made it look like your typical action comedy. That said the trailers still piqued my interest. When I went to go see it, I was totally unprepared for the dark, disturbing and violent, yet extremely hilarious ride that is Kick-Ass. So as you may see, the trailers were totally misleading... in a good way. It is a bit of a shame that this was a rather underwhelming box office result; but maybe it'll boost next weekend due to all the good word of mouth.
Kick-Ass is NOT your typical action comedy. It is NOT this year's Pineapple Express or Inglourious Basterds. Kick-Ass is a dark, twisted, violent and and brutal fun ride through a wannabe superhero, his love interest, a superhero who's dad is part of the Mob, a superhero daddy and his daughter, and a twisted plot involving the mob. It is also totally hilarious and has the usual teen movie formula with the love interest and the protagonist's geeky friends. Those mixed together form quite possibly the best movie I've seen this year! Dave is a geeky, young, teen boy. He has two geeky best friends he hangs with and is totally invisible to the girls. He always has wondered what it is like to be a superhero. But moreso, the question becomes: what is a superhero without superpowers? Batman doesn't have superpowers. One day, he finds a superhero costume online and orders it, and with it soon becomes the first actual superhero: Kick-Ass. One day after getting stabbed by a hoodlum, he gets tons of metal plates installed and now he has the chops to be a superhero! Meanwhile, Mindy (performed wonderfully by Chloe Meritz) and her daddy Damon (played by Nicolas Cage) live together and live in danger. He teaches Mindy to grow up early if the time comes where he dies and she has nobody to go to. However, they become superheroes themselves when hearing of Kick-Ass's fighting with gang members in a parking lot. As for the kid who's dad is in the mob, Chris? He becomes one too, Red Mist. But when the mob believe that Kick-Ass is killing all their members off, a war wages between the bunch and the mob, strapping the audience to their seats for one brutal and hilarious ride! As mentioned, Kick-Ass is just that: KICK-ASS!!!!! A stellar cast is combined with a great script and tons of brutal violence. Aaron Johnson does a great job as Dav, and does a great job at hiding his British accent. Nic Cage, someone I usually do not like is hilarious as well, his Adam West mannerisms are pure epic win in every sense. But the show stealer: Chloe Meritz!!!! She turns in a performance as tough-as-nails 12 year old Hit Girl. As for the violence, it's definitely not for the squeamish. There's a load of gore, and when the gory bits come you'll be shocked for sure. The torture scene is probably one of the most disturbing scenes I've seen in a long time too. Also you may find it shocking that a 12 year old is doing most of the killing! This movie is definitely not for kids under 15. It is indeed very violent and disturbing and they will probably find it disturbing too. But aside from that, this is an excellent movie that is a must-see this year! You'll NOT regret it.