Film Review: Kick-Ass

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Screenwriter: Jane Goldman [screenplay], Mark Millar [comic book series]
Main Cast: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Runtime: 117 minutes
Certificate: 15 (UK)
Brief Summary: Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a super-hero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
Tagline: I can't fly. But I can kick your ass.
(source:IMDB).

It's hard to believe that a fantasy about a fallen star falling in love has something in common with this controversial comedy about a wannabe superhero, but the team behind Stardust have returned with the highly anticipated Kick-Ass. Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman should be renamed the Dream Team because both films rank pretty highly on my favourites list.

The main character is played by Aaron Johnson, previously seen in Nowhere Boy and Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and he definitely holds his own against more seasoned actors such as Cage and Mintz-Plasse. However, whilst Kick-Ass and Red Mist make great comedy when partnered, the real scene stealers are Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Cage's Big Daddy appears to be a caricature of Batman, and is notably Cage's best performance to date. And, I will be very surprised (and disappointed) if young Chloe Moretz doesn't win herself a few award nominations. The Goodfellas-style villains are commendable, also.

If I'm being honest, I'd missed seeing any trailers for this film, and usually I only watch films that I've been tempted to see through the trailers. Despite this, I had heard so many great reviews and that was encouragement enough. Without a doubt, Kick-Ass is worth the hype! It merges both a great story with great visual effects (the style interchanges between real life and cartoon, in keeping with the superhero theme), and keeps up-to-date with pop culture references to the vast use of Myspace and Youtube. There were some predictable parts but this didn't ruin the enjoyment. The film is surreal but yet somehow all the characters are completely believable. It's a cliche that has been heavily overused, but Kick-Ass KICKS ASS.

I'd recommend this film to adrenalin junkies and comedy fans alike but it's maybe not for the faint-hearted - the explicit violence and portrayal of a homicidal young girl has drawn criticism (certain Daily Mail review, anyone?).

My rating:4/5