A surprise like never before...

Rating: 10/10 (13 June 2010)

I heard about this film from my friend, and from what he told me and from the little I knew beforehand about the film, this is the picture I got:
It would be a quite ordinary Hollywood film. Just another teen-comedy with some under-the-belt humor and some mediocre acting. Predictable, of course, perhaps tedious, and absolutely without a message or any depth.
I figured I'd just watch it to pass some time, perhaps have a laugh or two, and if I got lucky; see some watch-worthy fight scenes. Now I can not begin to describe how entirely blown out of my seat I was. I had never expected any of what Kick-Ass was.
With perfect pacing I was taken on a journey through really great scenes, nice cinematography, good acting, funny and refreshing dialog and _story_. Yes, above all story. I never would have thought this movie would have any sort of profound story, but oh man was I wrong. I started realizing, a bit into it, that this movie actually had story; that it had meaning. There was a background, a motivation for everything that happened. This movie was thought through.
Then I was blown away again when Nicolas Cage popped up in the movie. I had no idea he was in it, and his role and his acting it just brought some... magnitude to the movie.
Then I was blown away AGAIN when the "gore" scenes made their entrance. I sure didn't see that coming. It elevated the movie to a whole nother level.
Then there I sat; shocked, thrilled, mesmerized. And I enjoyed my way through the movie as the story unfolded and took turns, as pleasant and thrilling, interesting or funny scene after scene rolled by.
And at the end of the movie, as the credits started rolling, and as I started coming back to planet earth. And all that had happened was run through my head, I just thought: "Man! What an experience!"
That's what it was: it truly was an experience. And what still puzzles me... what I still can't really grasp, is this:
This is a really light-weight movie - with a profound depth.
Cause it truly is light-weight. This is no Schindler's List or Requiem for a Dream or any other movie that puts you out of phase and forces you to contemplate for a moment before you get back to reality.
Still, at different points in this movie, some scenes, some lines, I was as deeply touched and emotionally engaged as I was during great films such as The Shawshank Redemption. And that just puzzles me... how can this, quite simple movie, have such an effect, such an impact?
I guess that's just what you call great film-making.
And for this, Kick-Ass earns a 10 from me. For it's sheer effect. The surprise, followed by the enthrallment that ended in stupefied delightfulness.
Thanks to everyone who made this movie happen! Go see it !
Peace.