Jet packs with chain guns, precocious pre-teen killing machines, and Youtube heroes.

Rating: 9/10 (3 August 2010)

"Come on, be honest with yourself. At some point in our lives, we all wanted to be a superhero."
I'm loving the recent bounty of "real people as superheroes" movies. Whether they're adaptations of graphic novels like Kick-Ass and Watchmen, or original stories like Defendor and the upcoming movie Super, I can't get enough of them.
Kick-Ass (the graphic novel) is like Watchmen for the new generation. Not as momentous or genre-defining of course, but still just as post-modern, in its own way. The movie adaptation does feature some changing and refocusing of the original story, but I think it holds up pretty well.
Kick-Ass is entertaining, which is the most important thing. Funny often, violent often, often funny AND violent, and (very) occasionally poignant. Nicholas Cage is better suited for this kind of irreverent movie than almost anything more serious, Aaron Johnson is a decent Dave, Christopher Mintz-Plasse is as funny as usual, and Chloe Moretz steals the show, as she often does. The more the movie focuses on her, the better it is.
A lot of fuss had been made about the violence in this movie, and of course, Hit Girl. Well, those people would be shocked to know that the story and Hit Girl herself have greatly been toned down from what you'd see if you read the graphic novel. Several of the more "questionable" things were cut out of the movie entirely, and the ending is decidedly more general audience friendly than it originally was.
Kick-Ass (while violent, don't get me wrong) is no more violent than something like Watchmen, and beyond the shock factor some people may feel about seeing a 12 year- old use some very improper language, there's nothing here more offensive than what you'd see in a similarly rated action movie. All of Hit Girl's scenes (really, the entire movie) are so over the top and unrealistic, that I honestly don't see how anyone could be bothered by that character. If she's an issue for you, this really isn't the kind of movie you should be watching. I just thought I'd address that, because I quite frankly thought that the controversy over all that was ridiculous.
You should easily be able to tell from the trailer if you'll this movie. If you thought those were awesome, you'll enjoy this. If you thought otherwise, don't bother. It's not for you. Fans of the graphic novel should also be reasonably pleased, as the casting was solid, a lot of the story was kept intact, and it's just plain fun to watch.