Every once in a while a movie comes along that you know you need to watch again as soon as you are done enjoying it for the first time.Kick-Ass, starring Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, and Christopher Mintz-Plass of “Superbad” fame, is one of those movies.
This satire has all of the classic elements of a good super-hero movie, mixed with the humor of a great comedy as well. Action, romance, identity struggle, sexual innuendos, and awkward moments fill the film from start to finish.
“Kick-Ass” is a film about a high school teenager struggling to find his identity at school, so he decides to act out one of his fantasies, the life of a superhero.
The story is told by the narrator and protagonist, Dave Lizewski, otherwise known as his superhero double identity “Kick-Ass.”
Dave is a regular high school teen: likes to hang out with his friends, read comics, attempt to talk to girls, and of course live a super-hero double life on the weekends.
His crazy idea that just a normal guy like him could turn into a vigilante crime fighting hero occurred after a conversation between him and his two best friends at their local comic book shop. As the guys left the store they were mugged by two thugs, and Dave just froze as they emptied their pockets.
Dave decided he would no longer let he and his friends be the victim by transforming into the wet suit wearing hero, “Kick-Ass.” After a few weeks of training in the alleys and rooftops of the city, Dave encounters the two thugs that mugged him before breaking into a car. After a brief hesitation Kick-Ass jumps into action as he warns the thugs to run away. This attempt at a heroic act doesn’t end quite as Dave planned, as he is brutally stabbed and lands his way in the hospital.
To make matters worse, Dave returns to school to find out that the only reason his dream girl Katie is speaking to him is because rumor has spread that he was beaten down because he is gay.
Despite Katie thinking of Dave as her gay best friend, he continues to get closer to her while still fulfilling his super-hero duties to the city.
Kick-Ass gets the opportunity to become the hero again when he attempts to help someone who is being beaten down by three men. He springs into action and emerges in the middle of this fight, when all of a sudden there is a crowd watching “Kick-Ass” defend this innocent guy. Just as things look gloom for our hero, the knife wielding thug is chased off by the sound of the cops and crowd of people filming the fight.
The video of the victorious hero Kick-Ass is spread from the internet to the news, and immediately Kick-Ass is an internet celebrity.
Through his website, Kick-Ass receives an email from Katie seeking help to get rid of a meth-addict Rasul, that has robbed and beaten her. Once again Kick-Ass attempts to become the hero and finds himself in a helpless situation, pinned to the ground awaiting his impending death by Rasul and his gang.
All of a sudden a masked child, Hit Girl, comes to the rescue brutally killing Rasul and his gang one by one with a little help from her masked father, Big Daddy. Kick-Ass is exposed to the reality that other super-heroes do exist in Hit Girl and Big Daddy, who have much larger plans than just stopping everyday petty criminals. Kick-Ass is then thrust into the scheme of destroying the mob boss of the city, Frank D’Amico, along with Hit Girl and Big Daddy.
Kick-Ass offers plenty of hilarious and unexpected moments of comedy during otherwise intense fight scenes, that keep you laughing throughout the entire film.
The combination of suspense and sarcasm create a unique feel to a super-hero movie that hasn’t been seen before. Even in the most intense parts of the movie, the occasional laugh is present as the awkward teen Kick-Ass tries to appear intimidating.
Kick-Ass is a movie that contains all of the elements to a great film: drugs, violence, super-heroes and comedy. What more can you ask for?
Mark Gionta is a fourth-year majoring in professional studies and can be reached at MG649676@wcupa.edu.