Kick-Ass (2010)

Matthew Vaughn, USA

Deciding to write about Kick-Ass was a bit of a debate for me, mainly because I didn't want to rehash my thoughts about Super. Because truth be told, my admiration for both these films have some pretty striking similarities. Both centre around appropriately unstable minded characters working as vigilantes, both are from directors who went on to make a Marvel superhero movie (X-Men: First Class in Vaughn's case), and both take an off-beat approach to depicting individuals who are tired of the status quo. So to avoid being redundant, I'll focus on the 3 things that make Kick-Ass such an unbelievable ride. Reason #1: Chloë Moretz. While she certainly made an impression in 500 Days of Summer, that performance does not touch the huge (and violent) splash she made with Kick-Ass. The appropriateness of her violent acts in the film aside, Moretz guides the character MindyHit-Girl with a vulnerable subtlety that you wouldn't expect from someone her age. A performance that could have totally been campy, was instead the realization of a very memorable female superhero character. Reason #2: Nicolas Cage. His career in 2010 was actually not too different from his career at present time, which is to say that it was (and still is) a bit dismal. But Kick-Ass was truly a blimp in the mediocre stretch of this once great actor's career. Nicolas Cage is AMAZING as Big Daddy, and this was hands down one of his best performances since god knows when. It was equal parts crazy and heartwarming, and a glimmer of hope that he still had some gas left in the tank when it came to his acting capabilities. Whether or not that tank is now completely empty is debatable, butI think I know which side of the argument most people will learn towards. Reason #3: The movies just kicks ass. Yeah, I'm not an English major so my apologies for taking the easy way out here. But in all seriousness, Kick-Ass is such a fun and entertaining ride that it's hard not to watch it while sporting a huge grin on your face the whole time. It's got a whole lot of heart and humour, all set within the confines of the twisted world Mark Millar created in his original graphic novel. If only the sequel was a fraction as good as the original, but I suppose life can't be perfect.