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Superhero movies are definitely the hot thing of the moment in Hollywood.  Though Tim Burton’s BATMAN (1989) was perhaps the true kicking off point for comic books to prove themselves capable of big success on the big screen, there was a series of misfires in the 1990’s, and it wasn’t until X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN came along that costumed heroes solidified themselves as big box office.  The past decade has seen its share of huge hits carried over from the comic realm, and we’re finally getting to the point were non-staple characters and independent properties are starting to get their turn at movie adaptations.  The newest effort, which has already generated enormous buzz across the internet, is the unconventional KICK-ASS.  Based on the popular series by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., this may very well be the first comic book adaptation to be filmed before the mini-series was even completed.  But don’t let that discourage you.  Director Matthew Vaughn knew he was on to something good with this, and clearly didn’t want to delay the opportunity.

Our story opens with Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) explaining to the audience how his high school life and personal life are anything but exciting.  He and his buddies Marty (Clark Duke) and Todd (Evan Peters) spend their free time hanging out in comic book shops, and contemplating why no one has ever tried to be a superhero in real life.  Marty explains to Dave it’s because in real life they’d get their ass kicked, and probably be dead in a day.  The local mob boss kid Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) stops in the comic shop too, but his burly bodyguard prevents him from easily having friends, and many avoid him in fear of his seemingly known criminal father Frank (Mark Strong).  Back at school, Dave splits his time between pining over his locker neighbor Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca), and daydreaming masturbatory fantasies about his teacher Mrs. Zane (Deborah Twiss).  One day, perhaps out of boredom, or maybe even desperation, Dave decides to do what no one else has dared to attempt… become a superhero.  He orders an outfit from an online catalog, and starts to fantasize about his new secret persona.  But an attempt to stop crime goes horribly wrong, and leaves him near-dead.  After healing, he discovers his unique injuries have apparently blocked his ability to feel pain.  An interesting sort of superpower if you will.  So he gives it another go, and fares much better, only this time his actions are captured on cel phone video and posted to YouTube.  It isn’t long before his self-titled persona of “Kick-Ass” becomes an online sensation, and even serves as an inspiration to other wannabe superheroes.  Enter Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), two really skilled new superheroes, who in the grand scheme of things are much more capable and effective than Dave ever could hope to be.  But all this hero activity is not pleasing to Frank D’Amico, and the nervous mob boss decides to declare war on costumed crusaders.

On the surface, KICK-ASS may look like just any other superhero film, but trust us… it’s not.  There’s been something missing from many of the comic book epics of the silver screen, and that is a sense of reality and true danger.  These days celluloid heroes seem to be indestructible, or at least we as the audience feel pretty safe in their longevity.  But what if that wasn’t the case?  What if you saw a film where you felt like anything could happen, and anyone could die at any second?  That’s the sensibility KICK-ASS exhibits and excels at.  Now granted, it is after all a movie, so there’s at least some sense of disbelief, and more importantly it is a “comic book” movie, so knowing that going in should give you some idea of what to expect.  Though despite all of that, there are nice surprises peppered throughout the film.  Aaron Johnson does a great job playing the awkward teenage Dave, just goofy enough to be realistic, without ever overdoing it for the sake of comedic effect.  His portrayal is sincere and layered, and it really sells the character.  More impressive is the fact that Johnson is in real life British, which you’d never know after seeing this film.  Nicolas Cage gets one of the more interesting roles of his career, playing Big Daddy he gets to ham it up as a comic book extreme take on Batman, even emulating Adam West’s 1960’s speech patterns while in costume.  His character has the tortured aspects of Bruce Wayne, but with an added layer of realism and plight, and just enough mental problems to make his transformation believable and in some ways understandable.  Even in scenes where he’s training his 11-year-old daughter on how to take a bullet, you somehow see the twisted sincerity in his eyes.  It may end up being one of the more polarizing characters in the film, as some audience members may not know exactly how to take it, but for me it worked.

Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl is definitely the most controversial character of the group, spouting out dialogue that would make a sailor blush, and channeling Clint Eastwood at his toughest.  She’s perhaps the most incredulous in terms of her abilities, since few 11-year-olds would be capable of even comprehending some of the carnage she exacts on her villains.  You’ll love her in the film, and you’ll feel guilty for it at the same time.  That’s probably what the filmmakers were going for.  One must applaud the work of Moretz, as selling a character like Hit-Girl to the audience isn’t an easy task, and she delivers an effective and endearing performance amidst the chaos of the scenes she inhabits.  She’s easily one of the more standout performances of the film.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse has definitely transcended his McLovin persona from SUPERBAD, showing great range as the underappreciated son of the town’s #1 baddie, wanting more than anything for his father to take notice of him.  When his character goes through a major transformation, it’s a great showcase moment for Chris, and one that takes us down a path that keeps things interesting through and through.  Mark Strong is so confident and capable of pulling off bad guy roles, to judge one from the other seems futile.  But he’s good, even great, and not afraid to take the bad guy’s actions to levels you rarely see in these kinds of films.

Matthew Vaughn won my heart with LAYER CAKE (2004) and since then has reminded me of his abilities with films like the under-appreciated STARDUST.  When I heard he was taking on KICK-ASS, I got excited at the possibilities, and even more thrilled at the previews and clips we saw in advance of the film.  It’s always nice to see the end result being as pleasing as the footage leading up to it.  As a “comic book” movie, KICK-ASS is great on many levels.  As a movie, it has it problems, which some may choose to harp on, but it’s really going to come down to nit-picking at that point.  The film is a pretty solid bit of entertainment, and filled with fun, even if some of it makes you feel a little naughty.  Vaughn co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman, and coming from someone who has read the comic series, I can tell you their treatment is really close to the source material, admirably faithful in fact, though with more than a few significant changes.  With this film and WANTED, Mark Millar is becoming a comic writer to be reckoned with in Hollywood.  And thank God for that.  I’ve been wishing for a while that studios would start putting more serious stock in comic writers, and trusting their talent enough to give the material a chance without making too many alterations.  Clark Duke and I talked at SXSW this year, and he mentioned how movies like this and WATCHMEN may prevent movies like SPIDER-MAN 3 from getting made again.  As comic fans, and as moviegoers, we want and deserve more.  KICK-ASS gives us more, and it’s a helluva lot of fun.

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