Kick-Ass: Movie Review

"Kick Ass" wasn't kick ass. Yes, I went there already. So far I'm alone in that thought; seems everyone who's seen it loves it. I didn't love it, though I will say I laughed quite a few times, and the movie is a lot of fun. Having not read the comic I didn't have expectations one way or the other, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see a psychotic eleven-year-old girl kill grown men. The acting was great, and this is Nick Cage's best (if not only tolerable) performance in more than five years. The action was great. The story was interesting enough, and I felt the whole show was well paced.

The acting was good, but one actor was tops: Nicolas Cage. He was perfect, and stole the show completely. He's back to his old kooky self as the character "Big Daddy". This role was made for him. He's proven indeed he can act still, he just chooses to phone it in all too often. Big Daddy has, presumably before the story begins, been working on waging his own vendetta against the mob for very good reasons. The phrase, "this time it's personal" doesn't hold a candle to the reasons behind Big Daddy's war.

Chloe Moretz plays "Hit Girl", and is the daughter of Big Daddy. From the moment we meet this girl she's in training with her dad to help her father in his revenge plot. Hit Girl is a complete bad ass in her own way, and the next time an innocent looking girl scout comes to my door, I'm buying whatever amount of cookies she suggests for fear she might kill me. Moretz is better with each role I see her play. If she continues to deliver the quality performances she has been she's going to have a bright future. "Kick Ass" (Aaron Johnson) did well enough, but with Hit Girl and Big Daddy being such eccentric characters, Kick Ass kind of fades into the background.

The best part of the movie is the action. Once the fighting started, it was fast and brutal, and didn't stop until no one was left standing. I felt very much apart of the action in this movie, it was a nice treat. Each battle was more fun than the previous. I loved the beatings Kick Ass took. It's been a while since I've seen a hero get so messed up while performing duties. I enjoyed it because it was a realistic approach.

A final note, I enjoyed the story, and its realism. Well, to a point it was realistic. Whatever real elements were around went out the window during the third act; that's when everything gets a bit too ridiculous. But, to speak to what is realistic about this story is the idea itself. A kid wonders why there aren't any superheroes, and decides to take it upon himself to fight crime. Instead of going out, and succeeding in his endeavor, he gets his ass beat. He nearly dies (though I hear the comic is much worse in terms of brutality during Kick Ass's first fight). This was a smart approach in my opinion. But, the realism also shows the determination some people can have. Yeah, this cat nearly dies but he's set on his goal, and doesn't give up until he makes a difference.