After several run-ins with a particular set of thugs, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) dreams up a superhero named “Kick-Ass.” As this new breed of superhero, he wields two batons and a stun gun.
“How come no one’s ever tried to be a superhero?” This is the initial question that is posed by Dave.
His costume, which includes a wetsuit, work boots and yellow rubber gloves, is reminiscent of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
On Kick-Ass’s first attempt at fighting crime, he encounters the very same thugs who have mugged him and his friends repeatedly. Unfortunately, the altercation does not end well and Dave ends up in the hospital.
After some reconstructive surgery, which added metal to much of his skeleton, and nerve damage, which leaves him impervious to minor pain, Kick-Ass hits the streets once more.
“Like every serial killer already knows, eventually, fantasizing just doesn’t do it anymore,” Kick-Ass says.
On his second attempt he lives up to his name, intervening in some local street gang violence.
One witness to this scene videotapes the fight and posts it on the internet, making Kick-Ass an overnight sensation; covered on news stations and in newspapers across New York.
We are then introduced to Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and his father Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), who is a prominent drug lord in New York.
Frank, the antagonist, is the target of Damon Macready (Nickolas Cage) and his 11-year-old daughter, Mindy’s (Chloe Grace Moretz) revenge plot.
Damon and Mindy have a rather unconventional father-daughter relationship. The duo are first presented to the audience as Damon tests out a bullet-proof vest on his daughter, then takes her out for ice cream where Mindy asks for, not a Barbie doll or something typical, but a set of butterfly knives for her birthday.
With her sharp tongue, and wisdom and maturity well beyond her years, Mindy fights criminals alongside her father.
One of their escapades leads them to Kick-Ass, who, after attempting to send a “message” to the man who has been harassing the girl he loves, is rescued by “Hit-Girl,” Mindy, and “Big Daddy,” Damon.
At the prompting of his own desire to join the family business, Chris D’Amico then creates the superhero guise “Red Mist” in an attempt to lure Kick-Ass into a trap for his father, who thinks that Kick-Ass is the one responsible for the murder of many of his employees and for stealing his “product,” cocaine.
However, in the setup attempt, Frank D’Amico discovers the true perpetrator, Big Daddy.
Before the final battle against the D’Amico’s, Kick-Ass says, “With no power comes no responsibility; except that wasn’t true.” And after an epic battle that leaves Hit-Girl with some mild injuries, she and Kick-Ass leave the mildly scathed Red Mist, whose final scene shows his creation of a new super villain.
Directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Jane Goldman and Vaughn, “Kick-Ass” is the movie adaptation of the book of the same name which highlights some of the best columns from The Miami Herald’s Carl Hiaasen.
The movie had a great visual aesthetic; the bright colors and neon’s mixed with bold, dark attributes make the movie appear like a comic book that has come to life. The textbox segues added an additional touch of authenticity, adding to the comic feel.
Critics Conclusions: “Kick-Ass” is a rollercoaster of a movie. With a cast of mostly up-and-comers this movie is anything but amateur. It is common to fantasize about being a superhero—especially after comics and movie adaptations of comics like Spiderman, Superman, Ironman and Batman. However, after this movie in particular, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a wave of vigilante justice erupt.
“We see someone in trouble and we wish we could help, but we don’t,” says Kick-Ass. This is the running theme throughout the film and serves as a proverbial call to action for the audience to not stand by and watch while crimes are committed around them, but instead, step in and make a difference.
This movie will leave the audience wanting to do just that, stand up and maybe “Kick [some] Ass.” A
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