Based off a popular graphic novel, Kick-Ass sets out to be a very different type of superhero movie. The idea that a regular kid could decide one day to become a superhero is an interesting one and something unique in the world of comic book movies. He has no special powers, no discernible skills or special merit that differentiates him from any other teenager save for a desire to be a comic book hero. Mixed into this interesting world is the real superheros of Hit Girl and Big Daddy and a genuinely evil main villain.

Easily the best parts of the movie come in the form of the story of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. They are the most interesting part of the whole story with their over the top comic book violence and incredibly foul language. They add a fantastic energy to the film and the audience is eager to see them back on the screen whenever the story shifts away from their arc. Its not often that we can say this, but Nicholas Cage is fantastic as Big Daddy and just goes to show that he can excel when presented with good material.  Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl is a complete revelation. She jumps into the role of a ultra-violent superhero with complete enthusiasm. The scenes that we get with these two characters are worth the price of admission alone.

The main problem with the movie comes down to the rather dull screenplay. Having never read the graphic novel that it is based on it is difficult to say if the problems lies with a director who was too concerned with staying true to the source material, or if its an inherent problem with the story itself. Looking at the movie, I imagine the problem lies with the script more than anything. It seems to be really concerned about telling the story of Dave Lizewski and while Aaron Johnson did a reasonable job in this role, this character is far and away the most boring part of the movie.

This problem comes to the fore during the second act. Everything slows down to a crawl and we get to see the most boring part of the movie, the love interest. The notion here is that everything thinks that Dave is gay and thus becomes best friends with Katie while all the time being secretly in love with her. Well unsurprisingly, this love story turns in to a predictable, boring mess. The inclusion of this into the movie drags it out, and the time wasted on developing the relationship could have been better spent on other areas of the film. One area that could used some more depth relates back to Hit Girl. We get a brief reference to the possibility of her being brainwashed by her father into becoming this violent superhero. This notion is interesting, but the movie drops it almost as soon as it is brought up by one of the minor characters. This would have been a much better use of screen time than the dull relationship that offers us no real insight into the main character.

Kick-Ass is a decent 3 star movie brought down by its poor script and character development. It is definitely worth seeing, especially on the big screen with some of the best comic book action that we’ve seen in the last couple of years. It is however, a slight disappointment. Kick-Ass could have been an interesting look at the nature of heroism, but instead decided to go for a slightly juvenile action movie with some redeemable qualities.