Kick-Ass

Okay, back to some movie reviews :) I recently made my way to the theater to catch a movie I knew little to nothing about. And I was actually pleasantly surprised! Kick-Ass offers stylized action sequences and a good sense of humor, which is something that needs to be handled very carefully otherwise it becomes campy. I think this movie steers clear from that.

After a slew of mediocre superhero movies (Superman Returns, Watchmen), Kick-Ass offers something fresh to the table. Not going too serious a la The Dark Knight, but not going too humorous a la Iron Man (even though humor worked out in Iron Man's favor). Based on the comic of the same name, we're introduced to our average teenage protagonist, realizing NYC is in dire need of some superhero action. Throw McLovin and Nic Cage into the mix and you get a breath of fresh air.

Though the movie was heavy on violence and language, the movie worked tremendously well. Growing up on the original Batman and Superman movies, it was nice to see some blood and guts added to the superhero genre (though Watchmen offered that also, but I think they took it too far).

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie but there were some flaws. Some of the acting was a little over-the-top and laughably unrealistic. But then again, maybe it was supposed to be. I think if the story had a more of a realistic tone, then the movie would have been more of a spectacle once the action scenes were incorporated. However, the production design and art direction were amazing. Had a flair of a Spider-Man atmosphere, but reminded me of the breathtaking New York City skylines we seen in Superman.

Three out of five stars.