Kick-Ass

"Kick-Ass" B+

How come nobody has ever tried to be a superhero? That is the question that Dave Lizewski poses to his friends in the first 5 minutes of the movie. Honestly when I heard him say that, I kind of wondered it myself. I mean, wouldn't it be cool to get a costume, give yourself a cool superhero name and go out into the world and help people? Yes it sounds like an awesome idea. However, we are quickly brought into reality with this movie. Not long after Dave buys the $99 wetsuit does he get taught a true lesson in superheroism (he gets stabbed and then hit by a car). Even after that though, he goes out and fights again and actually saves someone on a convenience store parking lot. That is when the movie takes an unexpected turn. There really are superheroes out there that are well trained and know what they are doing. They are named Hit Girl and Big Daddy and they steal the show in my opinion. The twist of the movie comes in when Red Mist comes into the picture, appropriately played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse (also known as McLovin). It has some similarities to the popular graphic novel written by Mark Millar, but overall, it has a very different feel. I would have been surprised if the MPAA allowed the ending of the graphic novel to even be on screen. I really enjoyed this movie. It had a really good story, emotion and some funny parts (mainly from Dave's best friends). And of course, there is the love interest who thinks he is gay. That plays a big role in the movie too. I found this movie to be a good take on the superhero genre and I enjoyed the action scenes and the costumes. The movie has a Tarantino feel to it too, especially when Hit Girl and Big Daddy are on screen. Mark Strong also plays the villain once again, like he usually does in his movies (Sherlock Holmes and the upcoming Robin Hood). He seems to be the go to guy to play villains. I can see why, he really does make it work. So the important question is, does Kick-Ass kick ass? Absolutely! It's a fun movie and I recommend it!