Grade: B+
Bottom Line: The graphic and absurd comic book adaptation has a lot of filler, but it’s all fun.
The story of Peter Parker in Spider-Man is a touching one in its reliability. People want to root for the underdog-turned-hero who navigates his way through love, self-discovery and adolescent awkwardness. Kick-Ass has its parallels to the classic teen superhero theme, only with more gore, sex and children wielding weapons.
Heartwarming it is not, but being over-the-top gives this gritty superhero reboot its edge. Anyone expecting a lot of laughs or trademark adorable gawkiness from Christopher Mintz-Plasse will be disappointed. But anyone who has ever wondered what it looks like when a guy explodes in a giant oven will be utterly delighted.
A little less lovable than Peter Parker, David Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is that unremarkable dorky guy who hasn’t quite found himself. “Like every kid my age, I just existed,” he says. So he goes out on a limb by transforming from lame New York teen to poorly costumed vigilante. After all, “how come nobody’s tried to be a superhero?” he wonders. He soon finds out that it’s because you get your ass kicked. A lot.
In his first major foray into superherodom, David gets caught in a gang fight and comes out victorious. People watching capture the brawl on their phones and upload the videos to YouTube, making the mysterious Kick-Ass an instant Internet sensation.
Kick-Ass then uses his MySpace account (is it 2003 already?) to let people contact him for help in their daily lives. His crush, Katie, brings up a guy who has been giving her trouble and David attempts to set him straight at a party. In way over his head, it looks like he doesn’t have a chance until father-daughter duo and professional badasses Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloë Moretz) save the day. Hit-Girl murders everyone at the party in a bloody, stabby extravaganza. Just watching her show off with her Benchmade model 42 butterfly knife is worth the price of admission.
Kick-Ass becomes entangled in their vendetta against crime leader Frank D’Amico, who years ago framed once great police officer Big Daddy with coke, sending him to jail and subsequently driving his wife to suicide. At the same time, Frank’s son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) works alongside Kick-Ass as the Red Mist in an attempt to get closer to and thwart Big Daddy and Hit-Girl. The story then becomes a question of what makes a superhero. Is it the father and daughter hell-bent on revenge, the son who desperately wants to be appreciated by his father or the kid who just doesn’t have a clue?
You won’t connect with any of the characters on a very deep level, although the film tries to appeal to the emotional side of things. Chris desperately wants to connect more with his father and get involved with his business, but he is repeatedly ignored and ridiculed for doing so. Big Daddy is a tortured soul who is pressured by his friend and former police partner to stop the madness and give Hit-Girl a normal life. David just wants to be someone and maybe get into Katie’s pants. While the attempts at making the characters all seem a little more human are genuine, viewers will be much more interested in seeing these characters clad in ridiculous costumes and blowing people’s brains out.
Johnson may be swoon-worthy, but Moretz is definitely the one to watch. Like Spy Kids on steroids, she’s somehow even more adorable when cursing and relishing in her enemies’ demise. Her pigtails and sense of humor almost make up for the fact that in any other situation she would be completely offensive and disturbing. But she’s a perfect fit for Kick-Ass.
Every deus ex machina is pretty predictable, and of course there’s a fight sequence set to Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation.” You’ve probably seen the basic template for such a movie, but Kick-Ass is unique in is its ability to make fun of itself. It’s ridiculous, disgusting and crazy, but you probably could have guessed that much from the title.