It does kick ass

Rating: Null/10 (26 December 2010)

Kick-Ass This comic book adaptation, full of violence, obscenity, computerized blood splashing, beatings, knifings, and wild stunts ends up as one of the best super hero comic adaptations I've seen. The half a billion-dollar Spiderman series directed by John Favreau could learn something from this simpler film. In part it's the great casting and cleverer attention to character. Obviously Favreau is hired to make sure the wise guy persona of Robert Downey and quality acting of the cast balance an effects laden production. But those performances still feel gratuitous and studied. Kick-Ass, on the other hand uses lesser-known actors to build more grounded characters, at least in the sense of nerds belying superheros. Its literal secret weapon is the outrageously wonderful 12 year old actress Chloe Grace Moretz (Let Me In) as Mindy/Hit Girl, and a cautiously underplayed Nicholas Cage as Her cartoonist-father/Big Daddy. Along with nerd specialist Christopher Mintz-Plasse, hunk-playing-geek Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass, and a ripe posse of convincing goons, the movie leaps wildly from wild violent choreography to sweet cartoonishness. The fresh cast combined with the extremes of emotional commitment to a ridiculous plot are satisfying and continually surprising.