This movie was GREAT.

Rating: 9/10 (16 May 2011)

I saw this movie come up on my Netflix On Demand 'recommended' list, and thought I'd give it a shot. Of course, I had already heard all about it and was definitely curious to see what all the hype was about, and although I do enjoy the genre in general, I was certainly not expecting to love this movie as much as I did. In fact, one might say that I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it.
Yes, I know it's wrong to see an eleven year old girl gleefully dismember bad guys. Yes, I know that vigilantism is nothing to advocate. And yes, I also know that if an average high school nerd put on a pair of tights and decided to fight crime, he'd likely end up dead.
I can happily put all those concerns aside though, because the fact is that this is a tremendously well made film with a solid plot and characters you genuinely care about. The acting is superb, particularly by young Chloe Moretz who is surely a superstar in the making. The director obviously had a very clear vision of what he wanted this movie to be, and he hit a home run in execution.
If I had to pick out something that I didn't like, it would be that most of the street scenes which are supposed to be New York City are pretty obviously not (as a native New Yorker this annoys me quite a bit)... I realize this was likely a budget issue, but its still something noticeable. The only other thing I would possibly complain about is that I feel the jetpack/gatling gun gadget that Kick Ass used in the end was just a tiny bit too much... I think they could have accomplished that scene a little better. But honestly, these are very minor flaws in an otherwise outstanding film.
Yes, it's not a movie for everyone, and there are going to be many people who aren't going to be able to get past the imagery of a tarted-up preteen girl brutally killing criminals while making profane wisecracks. And that's fine... I totally understand where they're coming from. But if you can briefly suspend your own sense of reality for a couple of hours, you're sure to enjoy it.