Film Review – Kick Ass

At the top of the box office this week is the latest superhero flick, Kick Ass. The story follows comic book living geek Dave Lizewski (played by Aaron Johnson) on his quest to become the world’s first real superhero. He wonders why nobody has ever tried it before; apart from the obvious lack of any powers, the only thing standing in his way is fear. So with some sweet naive optimism, he buys a suit online and secretly reinvents himself as ‘Kick Ass’.

The film adds modern, realistic touches to the story, such as Dave using social networking sites to offer his services to the public (much like our brunette escorts do!). Matthew Vaughn also directed Layer Cake, so there’s a fair share of violence, as you’d expect; prepare to see a lot of fight scenes, as well as a man being microwaved, another crushed in a JCB and one set on fire. They are certainly creative with their death methods in Kick Ass!

Nicholas Cage is the biggest name you’ll see on the screen, playing ex Policeman turned vigilante, Big Daddy. His 11 year old daughter Mindy is trained up as his side kick ‘Hit Girl’, and is easily a much more skilled fighter than Kick Ass. Originally it was thought there would be some objections to such a young girl using fowl language and killing people, but the character in fact steals the show. Hit Girl probably makes the best superhero because she’s the last person you’d expect to put a bullet in your head! The actress, Chloe Mortez, has a bright future ahead of her after this winning performance.

The three heros, devoid of any actual powers (except for Kick Ass having a high capacity for pain after an operation), find themselves getting into a lot of scrapes. There are a lot of scenes where you’ll laugh out loud, some sad bits and even a couple of sexy scenes. You might say that this film has something for everyone, but perhaps it won’t be to your taste if you’re particularly squeamish.

This film is great to go and see with a group of mates or with the family if your kids are over 15 years old, but it might not be the most romantic choice if you’re on a date with an escort – she will probably prefer to go and see ‘Dear John’ instead! Kick Ass may be slated for promoting swearing and violence, but it pulls it off in the best possible way.