Kick-Ass

A gleefully violent adrenaline rush of a movie, Kick-Ass is much smarter than its crass title implies. Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) and based on the comic-book series by fan-favorite writer Mark Millar and artist John Romita, Jr., the film follows average teen Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), who becomes a masked crusader simply to answer the question, "How come nobody's ever tried to be a superhero?" Unfortunately for Lizewski, a.k.a. Kick-Ass, the response is brutally obvious, but this doesn't stop him from taking down a few thugs and becoming a sudden online phenomenon. When a ruthless mob boss (Mark Strong) sets his sights on the hapless Kick-Ass, other superheroes surface, including the utterly useless Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) and the shockingly effective father/daughter team of Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), a heavily armed duo with a fierce sense of purpose. Dropping expletives like small explosives and disposing of bad guys in remarkably gymnastic and gory ways, 11-year-old Hit Girl, perfectly embodied by Moretz, is a true wonder to behold, and she's well-matched by the immediately likable Kick-Ass, endearingly portrayed by Johnson. While Cage has fun hamming it up in his Batman-like role, Johnson and Moretz shine the brightest in the midst of Vaughn's playful and kinetic direction, resulting in a surprisingly thoughtful and unabashedly fun film.