Film Review Throwback- "Kick Ass"

Kick-Ass
Directed By Matthew Vaughn
Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass, Chloe-Grace Mortez as Mindy McCready/Hit-Girl, Nicholas Cage as Damon McCready/Nicholas Cage,
and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D'Amico/Red Mist

Three years later, the sequel's out, and I still don't know how I feel about this film. I don't love it, but I don't hate it. My feelings towards Kick-Ass always seem to flip-flop, but here's my review.

Dave Lizewski (Taylor-Johnson), an average high school student, asks the question "Why has no one ever tried to become a superhero?" With nothing else to do apparently, he decides to become the superhero Kick-Ass. Dave soon finds himself in over his head when he comes across a father/son superhero team, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl (Cage and Mortez), and their fight to bring down crime lord Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong).

The fish out of water story of Kick Ass is fine. It's not incredibly original, but it's harmless. The original comic, which I haven't read, I've heard is pretty dark and cynical. The film is dark and cynical as well. It's not for the faint of heart I can tell you. But on the whole, I find the film to be slightly uneven in tone. At times it seems from scene to scene, the film goes from over-the-top, gore and cringeworthy, to subtle and light-hearted. Kick-Ass is clearly meant to be a gritty, superhero-film parody (Parody might not be the best word), but there are times where it goes to this place where it's trying to be just another superhero film.  That being said, there is plenty to enjoy. The action is ridiculous and superb. There's enough jokes to laugh at. The dramatic, intense scenes are compelling.

My biggest problem with the film, is sadly Kick Ass. He's just not that interesting of a character. Aaron-Taylor Johnson, from his performance to his constant narration, annoys me. That and he has no real motivation to do what he does, until the third act of the film. I don't think I'm spoiling this for anyone, but only when in the third act, when Big Daddy dies and he feels compelled to help Hit-Girl finish their fight, does he have any sort of reason to do what he's doing. He says in the beginning "I didn't become a superhero to like revenge a parent's death or anything", he literally just became a superhero because he wanted to. I know this is a riff on superhero films, but giving Kick Ass that almost cliche' superhero motivation would have probably made him a more interesting character!

My second biggest problem, is Red Mist. Another character that's not very interesting. His motivation to become a superhero are not worthwhile, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse I don't enjoy as an actor. He's really just a plot device for Mark Strong's character, who on the other hand, gave a good performance in this film.

Do I even need to say how awesome Nic Cage and Chloe-Grace Mortez are in this film as Big Daddy and Hit Girl? They're over-the-top, they're well written, they're performances draw you in from the beginning. They are the best parts of this film.

So, Kick Ass is an uneven film, but would I ever tell someone to not watch it? Absolutely not. There is plenty to enjoy this film, despite its uneven tone and its unfavorable casting choices.

Kick-Ass 2 on the other hand...