'Kick-Ass' Is A Bloody Good Time

by DAVID TINDELL

Dave Lizewski, bored of simply existing through his teenage years, sets out to kick some local crime ass. However, his petty crime fight quickly gets involved into a brawl with the evil drug lord Frank D’Amico. Luckily, he meets up with Big Daddy, a former cop who has trained his 11-year-old daughter, Hit-Girl, to fight like the rest of the boys.

Kick-Ass turns to Hit-Girl and asks, “How do I get a hold of you?”
Hit-Girl replies sarcastically, “You just contact the Mayor’s office, he has a special signal he shines in the sky. It’s in the shape of a giant c***.”

Premiering last Thursday, “Kick-Ass,” produced by Matthew Vaughn and Brad Pitt, is a superhero film based on the comic book of the same name. When I first saw the trailer, I had no interest in seeing “Kick-Ass.” The trailer told of a nerdy kid who decides to wear tights and perform good deeds, which meant the movie was essentially “Spider-Man” without any cool effects or Kirsten Dunst wet-shirt sequences. However, I noticed the movie was rated R, looked up the “not safe for all audiences” trailer (look it up–it’s hilarious) and I was impressed.

If you did not guess from the quote, the main treat of the movie is the dialogue. Who could not fall in love with an 11-year-old girl who calls people “c****?” Seriously, Hit-Girl’s constant swearing is an instant classic in my collection. Beyond her potty mouth, the movie is generally funny. I actually liked Nicolas Cage in “Kick-Ass,” which is hard for me to admit because I remember “Captain Corelli’s Madoline.” Also, “Kick-Ass” finds itself within the series of movies starring “Superbad” star Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin’), after “Year One” and “Role Models.”

But does the movie actually kick ass? Yes, I was very pleased with the action. First of all, the action is spread nicely throughout the movie. One of the very first scenes portrays Nicolas Cage shooting his daughter in the chest, and the action only continues from there. The action is also bloody; expect a lot of head shots, throats being cut, thugs exploding in microwaves and bodies crushed by car compactors. Honestly, the action was very enjoyable to watch. I was surprised how amusing it was to watch Hit-Girl stab drug dealer after drug dealer. It never gets old.

However, “Kick-Ass” does not break away from the common super-hero tropes. Boy meets girl he tries to impress (like “Spider-Man”), boy’s friend is actually a bad guy (like “Spider-Man”), and boy’s body is reconstructed after an accident which makes him stronger (Wolverine from “X-Men”). It almost makes you wonder if the movie is meant to satirize the comic book series, but you be the judge. Even still, the character development added comical flare which helped the movie transition nicely. For example, Dave gets to know the love of his life better by becoming her gay friend. What a genius move.

“Kick-Ass” is a good laugh with an enjoyable, action-jolted plot.