‘Kick-Ass’ provides an entertaining superhero flick full of wild action and humor

If ever a film was perfectly described by its simple title, “Kick-Ass” is it.

This comic book adaptation has bestowed the superhero genre with a wildly violent, darkly hilarious and extremely slick action comedy that ranks as the most outrageously entertaining superhero flick in ages. And in addition to its high level of originality, “Kick-Ass” also boasts possibly the most memorable crime-fighting duo since Batman and Robin.

The movie opens as teenage comic book lover Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) ponders why there are no superheroes in real life. Then, with just the right amount of courage and naïvety built up, he decides to become a costumed hero and proceeds to confront the muggers who always take his money. One unsuccessful attempt and a trip to the emergency room later, his broken bones are now reinforced with metal and his damaged nerve endings grant him the ability to take a beating while experiencing little pain. So Dave resumes his vigilante venture and his superhero persona Kick-Ass gains fame through an Internet video of his exploits, turning his alter-ego into a household name.

People taking notice of this include Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong), a powerful mafioso, and Damon (Nicolas Cage) and Mindy Macready (Chloe Moretz), a bad-ass father-daughter tag team with a vendetta against the crime boss. As the two go around eliminating D’Amico’s crews, costumed as vigilantes Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, the mobster targets Kick-Ass. D’Amico uses his own son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) to get ahold of him, with Chris assuming the role of new hero Red Mist. Eventually the journeys of Kick-Ass and Big Daddy and Hit-Girl intertwine, leading to a revenge-filled final act that rages with rip-roaring action sequences.

While Dave/Kick-Ass is certainly a strong, likable character played with empathy and humor by Johnson in a breakout role, the real stars of the show here are Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, particularly Moretz as the feisty, foul-mouthed and deadly 11-year-old girl. Many of the film’s funniest lines and moments, like when she saves a helpless Kick-Ass by completely slaughtering his would-be killers, come from this young actress’s swear-laden one-liners and the contrast of her innocent behavior with the fact that she builds up the highest body count. Everyone gets their moments of action, but Hit-Girl’s are always the coolest as she slices and dices through a bloody room of gang members or sharp-shoots a whole group of D’Amico’s cronies in the dark.

As Big Daddy, Cage gives one of those rich, radiating performances of his that’s intentionally comical (a rarity from him nowadays), and very enjoyable due to his odd character nuances, like speaking in a William Shatner impersonation whenever in superhero costume. The dynamic between him and Moretz flows like a true, loving father-daughter relationship, even when, in a wicked piece of dark comedy, Damon shoots his daughter to teach her how a bullet-proof vests feels so he can keep her safe. Big Daddy and Hit-Girl are the two who really kick ass during the film, and as such they are the most memorable and most entertaining aspect of it all, especially through this charming, heartfelt connection they have with each other.

Menacing bad guy character actor Mark Strong delivers another intimidating performance as the vindictive mob boss, working himself up throughout the movie to levels of intense but comic frustration, and playing off Mintz-Plasse quite well. As a character that’s mostly different from his famous McLovin persona, this one still a little nerdy but much more confident and powerful, it’s clear that Mintz-Plasse doesn’t want to be typecast his whole career. Judging from his performance as Chris, he’ll succeed in expanding to other roles, both comedic and partly dramatic.

Director/co-writer Matthew Vaughn (“Stardust,” “Layer Cake”) started developing the film at the same time as the relatively new comic series upon which it’s based, and because of this, the writing seems more strongly focused than some other superhero movies (ahem, “Superman Returns”). However, the tone and pacing of the film feel sort of off; in the first half, “Kick-Ass” is lighter, funnier, and a tad slow, while about halfway through it ratchets up the seriousness, action and pacing while decreasing the humor a bit. This change in tone can be a little off-putting as the movie tries to become more like a conventional superhero story, but after getting past that, viewers care about the characters more and all the thrills in the third act are quite exciting.

Even though Dave is totally outshone by an 11-year-old girl and her father, his story is still quite engaging and relatable, and Johnson makes him a very amusing guy. Vaughn also has a lot to do with this, as he presents the characters in a very straightforward but interesting manner. His visual style borrows a lot from comic panels, and puts a giddy emphasis on cartoony, bloody violence that really stands out. This is made abundantly clear through Hit-Girl’s fighting skills, from her ninja-like acrobatics and blade-wielding to her pinpoint accuracy with guns. A stylized shootout seen from her perspective looks captured from some first-person-shooter video game, and it’s quite cool to watch the killing unfold in this innovative style.

Using some story elements from other superhero origin movies, mixed with witty teenage humor alongside hyper-kinetic action and violence, “Kick-Ass” combines these components into an explosive comic book adaptation that entertains to high effect. Walking the tightrope between an homage and parody of the genre, this cinematic treat provides a send up of superhero films while also bringing its own unique flavor to the table, for a product that easily kicks the ass of anything else currently in theaters.

Three out of Four Stars