SICKENING VIOLENCE: just the way you like it!

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2010)

How I would've loved to entitle this review "Kick-Ass!" (get the double meaning), because it was! It was truly unique and lived beyond my expectations. It just had something of everything. In a nutshell - revolutionary.
Unfortunately this title is already consuming reviews in many variants. And though it's highly appropriate and a little contagious, it's just too easy to do. I'm fresh out of cinema, just having seen it in advanced screening. It was so good I'm still buzzing. I couldn't stop rambling about it to the friend I went to see it with, I enjoyed it so much. And by the way he wasn't able to stop talking about it either I guess he did too. I just had to review it! I've never read the comic by Mark Millar, I'm not really much of a comic book fan. However, I love a good movie. Having seen a trailer, I instantly thought this looked different to most of its genre. After seeing more trailers, it became one of my addictions. My interest keened on it. So I booked tickets as soon as I could and went to watch Kick-Ass.
Enough of my autobiographical account of my run up to seeing the movie. Here's some of the things you can expect...
Storywise Kick-Ass is quite simple. It brings us into the world of Dave Lizewski, a high school student and comic book nerd who yearns to become a real-life superhero. Not through some life changing event, neither through any actual superpowers. So he does. Despite parodying many, many superheroes who are referenced in the film (mainly by the protagonist himself (fittingly!)). It oddly retains a comic-book feel in structure from start to finish. Going as far as to use comic book captions throughout the film.
I'd say that Kick-Ass is in one sense a teen film. Not a cheesy one though. It carries the whole feeling of typical teenage life at that age in the film. The desire to act irresponsibly, sexual curiosity, immature jokes and social cliques. They all feature. At the same time Kick-Ass has some surprisingly mature and realistic themes and moral questions.
Now in other senses Kick-Ass is an action-comedy with hints of thriller and western. And it doesn't lay up on the action or comedy. Action is intense and brutal and often you can almost feel the hurt of the heroes. Comedy is top notch and should have you laughing at some daringly placed jokes. Or laughing inside at the nerdy/immature jokes. Use of some well known songs and movie themes at best-placed moments amplify Kick-Ass greatly. And though you'll most likely guess what's coming next, (some parts still come as a surprise) it's the way it's told that keeps you involved and loving it. My friend bought a large cup on Coke for the movie. He confessed afterwards that he was so taken in by the movie he'd completely forgotten about it!
I struggle not to give this a 10, which is a pity. It's so close but I believe firmly that there'll never be a perfect movie. Why is it a pity exactly? I saw Avatar at the end of last year. As Christmas drew close. I loved it and wrote a review, giving it a 9/10. But Avatar only just scraped a 9/10 in my mind. Kick-Ass was so much better. So there's my verdict! Go grab tickets and enjoy this stand-out movie while it's still in cinemas.
***Final Notes*** Though I guess some people may say this movie is ripping off Watchmen, they'd be very wrong. Though it has some basis in it, Watchmen was a very serious look at the idea of real-life superheroes. Kick-Ass is a lot more comical look at it. Detailing a world where the main character and others are very aware of the superheroes these vigilantes have based themselves off. Plus Dave Lizewski decides to become "the wetsuit crusader" because he wonders why no one else has tried something similar. Not because he's a psychopath.