Kick-Ass
Let me preface this review by getting one small thing out of the way - Kick-Ass is not the second coming.
Let me preface this review by getting one small thing out of the way - Kick-Ass is not the second coming. It's two hours of enjoyable fluff that's a little bit shocking (oh hi there Daily Mail), a lot of fun, but in no way, shape or form a life-changing experience, or even a classic. Right, glad that's settled.
For what we have here is a cute and slightly controversial twist on the comic book superhero. British Nowhere Boy star Aaron Johnson is Dave Lizewski, portrayed as a typical US high school teenager, who, along with his unpopular chums, is invisible to the opposite sex, and hasn't really found his way in life. One day, he decides to be a superhero, despite being a little bit weedy. So in his specially-ordered and amusingly ridiculous scuba suit, he takes a thorough beating as his alter-ego Kick-Ass, and naturally becomes an internet phenomenon and the enemy of baddies everywhere. Unfortunately, Johnson and his character aren't charming enough to win hearts, not funny enough to split sides and not particularly loveable. All your adoration has to be saved for the double act that pushes Stardust director Matthew Vaughn's film to any level of awesome.
That would be Big Daddy and Hit Girl, admittedly one of the greatest action teams to grace the big screen. Nicolas Cage was at a bad place in his career, having become an annoying dope festering away in terrible films. But here, it's a glorious reminder of why he is a proper movie star. He is the Daddy to Chloe Moretz's Mindy, aka 11 year old Hit Girl, and together the pair induce hilarity as well as sympathy, with Cage's endearing pet talk to the violence-obsessed child just the most adorable thing ever. This unique family unit are the original real-life heroes, with Big Daddy looking like a lumbering Batman, and Hit Girl decked out in an iconic purple bob, Robin mask and cute tartan skirt while she literally slices and dices gangster types. If you've not watched the restricted trailer, you're in for a treat at how far they push her character. If you have, well then you've seen all the best bits already. Moretz's deadpan delivery is pitch-perfect, and seriously one of the finest comedy performances in recent years.
Kick-Ass has a sidekick of his own, in the form of rich kid Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), whose daddy happens to be a crime lord in the shape of the ubiquitous but always watchable Mark Strong. Red Mist is a crucial role, but Johnson ironically only finds onscreen chemistry with Hit Girl. Oh, and there's also an uninvolving romantic subplot with one of Dave's gorgeous classmates that isn't worth mentioning - Peter Parker and MJ Watson they are not.
Jane Goldman's script, adapted from Mark Millar's comic, isn't as sharp and original as most reviews would have you believe, and the depiction of teenage boys is stale. However, Vaughn's eye for action is superb, and he's backed up by gorgeous colourful production design. Kick-Ass is a jolly fun romp for superhero lovers that could've just been titled Hit Girl and Friends.
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