Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan who one day decides to become a superhero, even though he has no powers, training or meaningful reason to do so.
We hit the streets to find out what real "Game of Thrones" fans loved and hated about the final episode of the epic HBO series. Warning: Spoilers ahead!
Following Kick-Ass' heroics, other citizens are inspired to become masked crusaders. But Red Mist leads his own group of evil supervillains to get revenge, kill Kick-Ass and destroy everything he stands for.
Director:
Jeff Wadlow
Stars:
Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Chloë Grace Moretz,
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
A shy student trying to reach his family in Ohio, a gun-toting tough guy trying to find the last Twinkie, and a pair of sisters trying to get to an amusement park join forces to travel across a zombie-filled America.
Director:
Ruben Fleischer
Stars:
Jesse Eisenberg,
Emma Stone,
Woody Harrelson
John Bennett, a man whose childhood wish of bringing his teddy bear to life came true, now must decide between keeping the relationship with the bear or his girlfriend, Lori.
Three buddies wake up from a bachelor party in Las Vegas, with no memory of the previous night and the bachelor missing. They make their way around the city in order to find their friend before his wedding.
After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt and Jenko when they go deep undercover at a local college.
A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Director:
Matthew Vaughn
Stars:
Colin Firth,
Taron Egerton,
Samuel L. Jackson
Dave Lizewski is an unnoticed high school student and comic book fan with a few friends and who lives alone with his father. His life is not very difficult and his personal trials not that overwhelming. However, one day he makes the simple decision to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training.Written by
Daniel J. Leary
Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children| See all certifications »
Evan Peters and Aaron Taylor-Johnson both go on to play the Marvel character Quicksilver, Peters in the 20th Century Fox X-Men franchise, and Taylor-Johnson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As Fox own the film rights to Quicksilver, Taylor-Johnson's character is named Pietro Maximoff. See more »
Goofs
In the torture scene when Hit-Girl rescues Big Daddy and Kick-Ass. Before the rescue there is blood on Kick-Ass's mouth and mask. After the rescue, his mouth and mask are clean. In the car journey that follows, there is much more blood around his mouth. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Dave Lizewski:
I always wondered why nobody did it before me. I mean, all those comic books, movies, TV shows. You think that one eccentric loner would've made himself a costume. I mean, is everyday life really so exciting? Are schools and offices so thrilling that I'm the only one who fantasized about this? Come on, be honest with yourself. At some point in our lives we all wanna be a superhero.
Dave Lizewski:
That's not me,by the way. That's some Armenia guy with a history of mental health problems.
See more »
Crazy Credits
The movie's title shows up on the license plate of a car See more »
Chi Mai Del Mio Provò Piacer Piu Dolce! (Act 2) Idomeneo
(Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart)
Performed by Wiener Philharmoniker
Conducted by John Pritchard (as Sir John Pritchard)
Courtesy of Decca Music Group Ltd.
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd. See more »
I do remember hearing about KICK ASS on its release but for some inexplicable reason never got round to watching it until it was shown on Channel 4 tonight . I do recall it caused a bit of a stir along the lines of being a little bit violent but hey vigilante wannabes giving a few slaps to bad guys means we're not watching Walt Disney but did have the impression it was going to be a good natured movie that possibly the whole family could enjoy . I have totally embarrassed myself typing that last line and should have listened to the channel 4 announcer warn of violence , strong language and scenes some viewers might find offensive
What we have is John Woo meets Quintan Tarantino meets Hollywood obsession with comic book heroes and this isn't really a criticism but it does indicate that this is certainly not the family friendly fare I thought I might have been watching . It does have a good natured premise ripe for all types of dark humour where Dave Lizewski a gauche New York teenager suffering from existentialist angst decides he's had enough of being a nobody and decides to take on the criminal underworld as " Kick Ass " a real life superhero who is going to live up to his name
This is how the early parts of the film play out and is blackly comical as Kick Ass has a quixotic plan to clean up the streets . Try and think of TAXI DRIVER where Scorsese cast a happy clappy Christian youth as Travis Bickle and you're on the right tracks . The amusing tone of the film then changes as we're introduced to Hit Girl a pre-pubescent child who spends much of the film dispatching bad guys in a variety of graphic ways . Let's be honest here if she was in her early 20s and played by Megan Fox no one would have blinked an eyelid and if we were to be even more honest she'd be some sort of masturbatory fantasy figure but because the character is eleven years old that changes the whole game and watching Hit Girl jump around in the style of THE MATRIX literally slicing and dicing gangsters does make for uncomfortable viewing and some cynics might say she is included to stir up controversy
Matthew Vaughn proves himself as one of the most interesting directors and if you want to say that he's more style than substance then I won't disagree with you but will defend him on the grounds that if you're this talented when it comes to style who needs any substance . Like his earlier film LAYER CAKE there's a danger of the whole film collapsing in to one big bad mess but is directed with such directorial flourish this never happens . He does help his cause by including a great soundtrack and might be seen as a cheap trick but is very effective
KICK ASS is a very enjoyable film for those in the mood for some stylish designer violence but I should emphasise it is a violent film and the fact that much of the violence is tongue in cheek might ironically alienate audience members more than it might have done if everything had been played in a slightly more serious way , but there's an energy here rarely seen in other films featuring vigilantes and superheroes
32 of 54 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
I do remember hearing about KICK ASS on its release but for some inexplicable reason never got round to watching it until it was shown on Channel 4 tonight . I do recall it caused a bit of a stir along the lines of being a little bit violent but hey vigilante wannabes giving a few slaps to bad guys means we're not watching Walt Disney but did have the impression it was going to be a good natured movie that possibly the whole family could enjoy . I have totally embarrassed myself typing that last line and should have listened to the channel 4 announcer warn of violence , strong language and scenes some viewers might find offensive
What we have is John Woo meets Quintan Tarantino meets Hollywood obsession with comic book heroes and this isn't really a criticism but it does indicate that this is certainly not the family friendly fare I thought I might have been watching . It does have a good natured premise ripe for all types of dark humour where Dave Lizewski a gauche New York teenager suffering from existentialist angst decides he's had enough of being a nobody and decides to take on the criminal underworld as " Kick Ass " a real life superhero who is going to live up to his name
This is how the early parts of the film play out and is blackly comical as Kick Ass has a quixotic plan to clean up the streets . Try and think of TAXI DRIVER where Scorsese cast a happy clappy Christian youth as Travis Bickle and you're on the right tracks . The amusing tone of the film then changes as we're introduced to Hit Girl a pre-pubescent child who spends much of the film dispatching bad guys in a variety of graphic ways . Let's be honest here if she was in her early 20s and played by Megan Fox no one would have blinked an eyelid and if we were to be even more honest she'd be some sort of masturbatory fantasy figure but because the character is eleven years old that changes the whole game and watching Hit Girl jump around in the style of THE MATRIX literally slicing and dicing gangsters does make for uncomfortable viewing and some cynics might say she is included to stir up controversy
Matthew Vaughn proves himself as one of the most interesting directors and if you want to say that he's more style than substance then I won't disagree with you but will defend him on the grounds that if you're this talented when it comes to style who needs any substance . Like his earlier film LAYER CAKE there's a danger of the whole film collapsing in to one big bad mess but is directed with such directorial flourish this never happens . He does help his cause by including a great soundtrack and might be seen as a cheap trick but is very effective
KICK ASS is a very enjoyable film for those in the mood for some stylish designer violence but I should emphasise it is a violent film and the fact that much of the violence is tongue in cheek might ironically alienate audience members more than it might have done if everything had been played in a slightly more serious way , but there's an energy here rarely seen in other films featuring vigilantes and superheroes