A Review of the Most Controversial "Kick Ass"

Kick Ass, Very Controversial!
This is a high budget motion picture with truly great photo work; The color, the backgrounds, the entire photographic presentation -second to none.
The costumes and the make up also are state of the art - except perhaps for Big Daddy's (Big Daddy played by Nicolas Cage) crime fighting apparel which looks ever so much like a left over from the Batman Movie, the plastic fiber muscle suit. We wonder too why Cage kept the mustache, a thin Fu Manchu in reddish blond that seemed very out of place in the muscle suit.
As I said the sets and outdoor shots were second to none with one exception. In one scene we are treated to the sight of an upright micro-wave oven, high and wide enough to accommodate a person or two. The micro wave in this particular scene looked a little like painted ply-wood, with a microwave push button console sort of - attached.
When the gangsters put their enemy in the microwave, and asked him again who stole their cocaine, he clearly would have answered; unfortunately he couldn't hear over the buzzing of the oven, and they couldn't hear him. So he popped like a sausage; blood everywhere. These gangsters were bloody often; when they used the bolt cutter, the type used to remove locks from lockers in high-schools everywhere, to cut off the finger of the fellow who likewise wouldn't reveal the coke thief, -- I still can hear him yelling!
Here's a short summary of the plot:
Dave Lizewski, presented by 20 year old Aaron Johnson, a high school student, has a serious problem with masturbation. This problem is definitely documented in the opening scenes of the movie. He drops his drawers, and fantasizes about his amply busted home room teacher. The clear and close shots of the teacher in his fantasy somehow failed to win the prized "R" rating, which this flick may have deserved.
So, bored with self-gratification, our Dave determines to become a super hero. He will call himself, "Kick Ass". He goes to some lengths to locate a mail-order crime fighting costume, and out the door.
At his first encounter, he gets stabbed, thrashed, and severely damaged. Lucky David, they give him a metallic skeleton -- "Like that Wolverine Dude". With the metal skeleton he might be able to do some real crime fighting!
Fade into Mindy Macready, portrayed by the 13 year old Chloe Grace Moretz; Mindy looks ten-ish. Her father, Damon Madready, Nicholas Cage, has an elaborate gun collection; guns everywhere, on walls, tables... everywhere. Damon has taught his truly lovely and lovable daughter to use the guns, and the fine points of the marshal arts.
When young Dave, clad as "Kick Ass" runs into some trouble with an apartment full of big, bad pot smokers, it looks bleak. But who should pop up but the lovely Mindy, dressed in full crime fighter apparel, and with a streak of red in her hair. She kills all three of the pot smokers, and saves the day.
Mindy had heard of "Kick Ass", as his initial thrashing made the internet, 12,000,000 views, and he has some following in NYC.
This being a "review" I should tell you, the movie is not a cartoon, not a silly comedy. Because when Mindy, now "Red Mist", kills a few people, she really kills them; dead bodies abound.
In truth Red Mist does more out and out killing in this not-quite-"R" rated-picture then all the good guys, and gangsters combined. I might continue that she killed, graphically and finally at least a dozen culprits. In mitigation I can add they were all men.
Dave(Kick Ass) at this point has acquired a girl-friend of an appropriate age. Lyndsy Fonseca brings us Katie Deauxma. Originally she liked Todd because she thought he was "Gay". When he revealed his secret identity as "Kick Ass" she liked him even more. Katie works in a methadone clinic; Katie makes it through the entire movie without killing anyone.
Nicholas Cage, now as 'Big Daddy" gets caught burning down the gangsters' hide-out/warehouse; they punish him by taping him to a chair, and beating him cruelly indeed. They will kill him. Still taped to the chair, he has gasoline poured over only his lower body.
They light him. We spend at least three minutes of the ongoing romp watching the man burn.
Again, this is no cartoon. Red Mist tries, and tries to save her burning father, but is thwarted by the Gang. When she gets to him, extinguishes the flames, he is near death. We clearly see that his once face is now a mass of third degree burns.. His mustache has burned off.
He says a tearful (?) goodbye to his truly lovely daughter, and dies.
Everything after that is anti-climax.
Red Mist kills two or three villains, one (and this is almost enjoyable) is propelled out the window per bazooka.
I hope I have made my point; if you'd like your children to encounter some really gross realism, and pre-adolescent killing, this is the picture to see!