Movie Review: Kick Ass

Or as I've seen it written in theaters: Kick A, Kick A**, Kick Tushie. But I think that last one was making fun of theaters that use the first two.

"Kick Ass" isn't the movie you thought you were going to see. OK, part if it is. It blends several different subgenres of the superhero story.

The first, and most obvious, is the child superhero. Some comic book reading kid wants to be a super hero, or at least a costumed hero. Sporting only a colorful outfit and good intentions he hits the rooftops looking for crime to stop. Realizing that he can't leap between rooftops he takes to roaming the streets looking for lesser crimes. Cats to save, pickpockets to foil, maybe some muggers to scare away - that kind of thing. He soon finds out why nobody else does this. Turns out that this is a good way to get your teeth kicked in. He also has his high school friends and the inevitable girl whose heart he wants to win. This is largely light hearted, even in the serious moments.

Having set that tone they move into the second type. They shock you with a level of violence that out gores many of the really violent action hero movies. It has a serious origin story and a war on the mob. People die horribly.

It reminded me a lot of one of the more recent Batgirls. She was raised with no language skills by an assassin. This made her the ultimate killing machine. This movie has someone like that, too.

Another story is told over the course of a movie. One about a teen who has never had a friend. All he knows is his dad's business (i.e. the mob) and comic books. He makes his first friend and immediately has to betray him. By the end of the movie he's also lost his family and every single employee in the family business. This leaves him with comic books, his family fortune, and a passing familiarity with the world of crime.

Do not take your young children to this movie. It's rated R for a very good reason.

But you do want to see this movie and you want to see it in theaters. You can enjoy it at home, but the audience reaction is a valuable addition to this movie. There are several moments where the audience sits there, mouth agape, stunned by the scene they just watched.

I will be getting this movie on DVD.