Believe the hype, Kick-Ass delivers!

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2010)

I wanted to like it... i really did.
And you know what, i loved it!
Opening scene although ruined as an opening joke by one of the trailers sets the tone for such bad taste comedy, its like the politically correct world we live in now never noticed this slip into cinemas! Hit Girl is the unintentional (or intentional you might say given the lines she has and her role in the plot) star of the film, but the beauty of it really is how they manage to keep the focus on kick ass. And although some may disagree i felt he was a likable character who i was really rooting for all the way.
Cage as Big Daddy was a tad underused given the brilliance of the character (Cage back to his very best), his choice of voice for his superhero persona seemed lost on the rest of the audience around me as i began chuckling on my own! :P But he managed to play the comedy so deadpan that when the switch back and forth between heartwarming/emotive and comic book comedy occurs, you don't feel like its jerky or uneven.
Hit Girl has all the best lines, and the actress who plays her (Chloe Moretz) does such a fantastic job its like she isn't actually only a child. A great future ahead of that one i think.
Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D'Amico is an additional comedy turn in a film which is already brimming with them, but along with Mark Strong (who is in EVERYTHING right now it seems) make two 'interesting' villains.
But its all about Aaron Johnson as Dave/Kick-Ass, and the juxtaposition between the polished fighting styles of the likes of Hit Girl, and Kick-Ass/Red Mist's more 'amateur' efforts are what gives this film its character.
Its over the top cartoon violence, with comedy placed strategically around a plot that although might seem familiar and routine, is so full of nice little touches it just didn't matter.
There will be plenty for those who wish to gripe about it to pick on, it is a walking controversy. But this is the comic book it's adapted from, with a few alterations that to me seem to improve on the story and make it more endearing (strange word for a film like this i know, but its true).
To pigeon hole this into a genre beyond 'comic book adaptation' is impossible, as its got comedy, action, violence bordering on horror, and emotive moments of almost touching drama. It has a bit of everything, woven into a neat little parcel that never seems to waste a moment and revels in the fun of it all.
A must see.