"With no power comes no responsibility- why hasn't anyone become a Super Hero?”
Parents: Be warned that 'Kick-Ass The Movie' is not meant for your children. Not if they are under the age of 14. Or something around that age (I'm not a parent - but take my word for it. This movie is NOT 'The Incredibles').
Right. Now that I've saved parents everywhere months of nightmares with their children, I'll return to my review. I spent tonight at a special screening of 'Kick-Ass The Movie', courtesy of the kind folk at Maple Pictures. Did I mention that it was in the Varsity VIP Screening Room, and that there was free popcorn (and runners to get extra topping and shakers...sweet).
I didn't really know much about the movie, other than it was about superheroes and that it had a cute little kid in it. It stars the appropriately geeky Aaron Johnson, the precocious and very cute in a bad ass sort of way Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage as her tormented, vengeful superhero wannabe Dad and Mark Strong, reprising his dark, villainous role that has frequented his career. The story unfolds as we watch Dave Lizewski, typical high school nerd, visible only to punks and thugs that steal his lunch money and torment him at school, decide that he should don the mantle of a superhero ('Kick-Ass!' complete with scuba suit and velvet piping) to save the world, one misadventure at a time.
As you imagine, it doesn't go so well for Dave in the beginning, but as the story unfolds, so does the complications and the violence. Yes, that's right, holy violence Batman! I spent more than a few scenes peeking through my fingers as blood and body parts flew. Think Pulp Fiction meets Dark Knight. Gory. Guts. Not for the faint of heart.
The movie is good - funny in parts, energetic, complex in ways you wouldn't anticipate, and not necessarily overly predictable. There's just enough of Nicolas Cage (I can only take him in very small doses) and perhaps not enough of Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl. She's really really good in the role - and very believable as a mini-superhero assassin. She tumbles around the scene with great flair (we debated in the car ride home if that was just some tiny Cirque Du Soleil performer doing the stunts) and scowls, growls and takes a bite of out every scene. Please don't go all Lindsay Lohan on us Chloe - it appears you have some decent talent. It would be a shame to waste it.
I would recommend the film - if you're looking for a slightly dark, kind of funny and REALLY gory movie about real-life superheroes. I found myself rooting for the misfit superheroes more and more as the film progressed and we actually had some clapping from the team towards the end of the film. It's getting decent early reviews: currently 78% on Rotten Tomatos. But I'm not kidding - this isn't one for the kidlets. It opens on April 16th - so get to the theatres and get watching.
Tagline from the movie: I can't fly, but I can kick your ass. Nice.
