Kick-Ass

Release Date: Apr 16, 2010 

Runtime: 1 hr. 57 min. 

Director: Matthew Vaughn 

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Omari Hardwick, Xander Berkeley. 

One of the biggest things to come out of Comic-Con last year was this little known film called “Kick-Ass.” Raising controversy for its outright violence and profanity, it quickly garnered enough interest to make it to the big screen. And kick-ass it is. First off, this is not a film for kids despite the younger cast of self-proclaimed superheroes. Much like Tarantino, there’s no excuse for violence but rather a need for it. Secondly, this is raw filmmaking at its best. Only can an 11-year-old girl named Hit-Girl, kill dozens of men and still be considered adorably innocent. Having already displayed her adolescent mind in “500 Days of Summer,” Chloë Moretz gives an outstanding performance that pretty much makes the film 10 times better than it already is. The other superheroes fend well for themselves as vigilantes in the pseudo-realistic comic book world. Nic Cage can consider this his brief career revival, as the highly-trained and ready, Big Daddy. Christopher Mintz-Plasse proves there’s life beyond “McLovin” while Aaron Johnson will mostly likely gain more recognition. While the story gets to a slow start, the plot rapidly unravels with blood, violence and unabashed humor. Think “Superbad” meets “Watchmen,” only way cooler and uncompromising. Easily one of the early favorites of 2010 and that says a lot already. 

Rating: 4 stars