Violent, Twisted, Foul... I Like It!

Rating: 8/10 (11 August 2013)

Kick-Ass is one of the most refreshing superhero films I've seen in a long time. It's violent, twisted, foul, offensive, disgusting, and I love it! But how can you like a movie that encourages 11-year-olds to swear like AVGN, you ask. I'm gonna take a look into it and find out.
The first thing people need to understand about Kick-Ass is that this movie is pure escapist fantasy. Yes, the movie is about a guy who tries to become a superhero in the " real world " but let's face it, this movie isn't very realistic and it was never meant to be. It's just meant to be an escapist fantasy so the fact that it has so little morals in this movie actually isn't a problem. This isn't No Country for Old Men or The Godfather where you can discuss the morality behind the characters decisions and decide on your own who's right and who's wrong. This is closer to movies like The Warriors or the James Bond series where you know what you're watching isn't politically correct but you still enjoy it because of how much fun it is.
Kick-Ass is also really funny, clever, and unique. The comedy in this film is very foul and crude but to me, it's actually pretty funny! This movie kinda has its own hyper-reality where people cuss all day and crime is more prominent and people are a lot more raunchy. So not everybody will find this movie funny but I do and I think it's a great satire on modern superhero movies.
While this movie isn't terribly deep and complex, it does have one important theme it analyzes. What makes a hero a hero? Dave Lizewski is not the ideal hero. He isn't a strong, athletic guy who can kick the crap out of bad guys, he's just a guy who has a dream and goes for it. But ultimately, he becomes a hero because of his good heart and not because he can kick @ss. Same with Hit-Girl, who is just an 11-year-old girl but she becomes a hero at the end of the film when she takes down Frank D'amico's men nearly all by herself. While this movie is really foul and crude, it has a very optimistic message to it that everybody can be a hero.
So there is a little bit of character stuff in this movie but its main focus is just to entertain and I think the director, Matthew Vaughn did an amazing job with this film. He brought the world of Kick-Ass to life perfectly and I especially love his choice of music here. It sounds very Quentin Tarantino influenced, it's great!
The performances here are top notch. Aaron Johnson is really likable and funny here as Kick-Ass and he carries the film well. Mark Strong is a little over-the-top here but it's appropriate because Kick-Ass takes place in a hyper-reality. But the people who steal the show are Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz. They have a great father-daughter relationship going on but also as hero and sidekick.
Overall, Kick-Ass is a really funny, clever, unique, and refreshing superhero film so I'm gonna give it a 8/10.