Review of Kick-Ass (2010) by Ders — 21 Apr 2010

Aaron Johnson shows some serious promise in his role as the awkward, identity-seeking Lizewski, but it's Chloe Moretz and Nicholas Cage who really steal the show. Cage's overly dry portrayal of a sociopathic father is on par with his performance in Bad Lieutenant, and Chloe Moretz demands attention as the psychopathic Hit Girl, ripping through bad guys like a hot knife through butter.

Ultra violent, humorous, and just enough dramatic emotional moments make this comedy-meets-Dark Knight super hero flick a real keeper. On top of competent work of the actors, the film has some seriously awesome cinematography; perfect use of wide-angle and diminished shots make the film look and feel like a comic book from the very opening scene.

Add a great soundtrack, well-paced editing, and a decent script and what you get is an all around well-made film. Vaughn really makes up for Stardust while on the helms Kick-Ass, and I look forward to seeing his future films.

***I have not read the comics (I will now!) so I cannot comment on how true this movie sticks to its source material. But if the movie is half as good as the comic series, then I'm in store for a pleasant surprise.