Written and illustrated by Marvel veterans Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass could be described as an atypical graphic novel; in the same breath, Matthew Vaughn’s film adaptation can likewise be called an atypical superhero movie. It goes without saying that the concept of average-guy-turned-superhero is the basis of most comic superhero back stories, and a superhero without any powers has been done many times before. What makes Kick-Ass unique is that the world occupied by the characters is very much like our own. Fame is achieved by YouTube hits and made concrete by mentions by talk show hosts. The villains are drug dealers, petty thieves and vandals, and the Mafia. And the aspiring hero is far from invulnerable from damage. 

Dave Lizewski, high school nobody and the film’s protagonist, attempts comic-book-style valour for admittedly uninspiring reasons... and ends up hospitalized after his first attempt at heroism. As he gains more attention and accolades, he ends up attracting the attention of baddies from the mob that may be too big for him to handle alone. His presence, though, inspires imitators, leading to like-minded company as the battles get larger.  

While I had wondered how the film was going to address the exceptionally violent nature of the comic, it turned out I had not seen the red band trailer and was unaware of its R rating. The “no killing” rule of most comic book superheroes is certainly not abided by in this film – indeed, the action scenes contain extreme bloody and gory special effects reminiscent of Takeshi Kitano’s Zatoichi. Herein lies the film’s atypical qualities – the level of graphic, blood-spattered ultra-violence depicted is much higher than that of most movies with the names “Marvel” or “DC” attached. Despite these darker aspects of the film, there is a distinctly lighter side, as Dave deals with the more awkward and humorous characteristics of adolescence. The film also pokes fun at itself by including comic-style captions to take the viewer from one storyline to another.

Solid performances are given by the film’s stars despite relative youth and unknown status. Aaron Johnson plays a teenage nobody very believably, demonstrating the self-conscious awkwardness familiar to anyone who remembers being in that demographic. Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays a solid role as a gangster’s son striving for attention from his father. But a truly stand-out pairing can be seen in Chloe Moretz and Nicholas Cage as Hit-Girl and Big Daddy. Only eleven at the time of filming, Moretz plays a mature, focused – albeit foul-mouthed – heroine that would normally be handled by an actress at least twice her age. Her action sequences as Hit-Girl are handled just as well as the conversational daddy-daughter scenes as secret identity Mindy. Generally, I’m not a Nicholas Cage fan, but he was rather endearing as Mindy’s dorky dad. But though I have heard a few references to Cage’s performance as a tribute to Adam West, his line delivery as alter-ego Big Daddy seemed to me more Shatner-esque.

The movie’s only real flaws lie some of the ways it diverges from the comic. Hit-Girl’s most poignant moment was completely erased from the film, and what were once major plot twists become established storylines early in the narrative, thus removing elements of suspense and shock. Also, a particularly odd moment in the final battle scene takes the film’s world out of the “real” and into the “slightly ridiculous”. For the most part, though, Kick-Ass was equal parts fun and action, with genuinely likeable characters that you cheer for and worry about, even if you’ve read the comic and know what happens next. But no one will ever do it better than Mystery Men.