Kick-Ass (2010)

Rating: 9/10 (31 December 2011)

Even with high expectations for this all out fun, super-violent, comic book movie aimed at old kids, they were met and surpassed. Kick-Ass asks "Why are there no real superheroes?" without becoming a painfully serious affair. Made outside of the studio system, Kick-Ass feels very genuine in its eagerness to please. The action scenes are furious, the comical parts are hilarious, and (strangest of all) the emotional parts are really quite moving. Johnson does a fantastic job as a protagonist that shouldn't be the center of such a story. Kick-Ass has good intentions, but no skills, and at first seems more interested in finding lost cats. As the world he inhabits begins to expand we meet Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Cage is tremendous, phenomenal, and gives his best performance to date. He captures the sympathetic side to his character, as well as the darker elements which have led him to corrupt his daughter. His Adam West Batman impression is amazing, spot-on, and perfectly fits with the character. Even Mintz-Plasse surprises by playing a gangsters son, that actually wants to follow in his father's footsteps. There's so much to love and enjoy, it's hard to just compliment everything. There are moments where the fantasy becomes a bit too much, and kind of negates the whole "real life" hero themes. Some of the music choices are also a tad off. Like Tarantino, Vaughan has chosen music from existing films, but recent ones, making them stick out too much. Minor quibbles with such a great enjoyable treat.