Kick-Ass

Chin down, thumbs up. I like Matthew Vaughn for his approach to filmmaking alone, but the actual result far outweighs my sympathy. Kick-Ass has everything that a proper pop culture film of its time should have - losers, the internet, comic books, crazy humor, absurd violence, and a hefty helping of hyperbole. You can't go wrong by putting this all into one mix, polishing the visuals, and throwing exactly the right music into the playlist. I doubt I'll come across a more musically and editing-packed scene in the movie theater this year than the FPS shootout in the warehouse. Other than that, Nicolas Cage is back in form and Chloe Moretz is the cutest little cutie. Edit: It’s not the movie of the year (The Social Network is a bit different caliber after all), but it is definitely the most stylish movie. (11/05/2010)

Even after all these years, I still enjoy the film, and I consider it much better than most films about "actual" superheroes. There are several reasons for that - I like the work of Matthew Vaughn, I like the film’s humor, I don’t mind its violence and the cast was spot-on. Mark Strong always plays his villains excellently, Aaron Taylor-Johnson was instantly convincing in the role of a loser, and Chlöe Grace Moretz gave a perfect performance. There must be something wrong with me, but I really enjoy scenes in which a thirteen-year-old girl hacks professional killers into bits. Especially with such a great soundtrack. (22/07/2019)

Nomen est omen. A comic book movie about kids that isn’t for kids by any stretch of the imagination. Because gallons of blood flow, severed limbs pile up and an eleven-year-old girl accompanies the butchering of dozens of human bodies with cussing that would even make the proverbial trooper blush. But hold on, despite all of the above, this is an inventive movie and as much as it is bold and funny at the beginning, it changes smoothly into a serious and very heavy affair. Matthew Vaughn simply proves from the third time that he is special, very special. Which is good, really good. (29/04/2010)

A brutally badass film with action scenes that kick the crap out of most "serious" competitors through their imaginativeness and artistic design. Yet, in a way, Kick-Ass is a serious film that may often rely on pure Tarantino brutality and pulp orgies, but at its core the film has a pure heart full of courage and civility. I could find a few things that do not seem completely kosher to me, but I refuse to spoil the joy of this pure film feast that Matthew Vaughn cooked up. Kick-Ass has balls like Jirka Lábus and, thanks to some of the scenes (strobe shootout, Big Daddy's purge, Kick-Ass's painful initiation) I rank this wild ride amongst the best comic book adaptations of all time. This is also because the creators were able to get a royal portion of comic book freedom and playfulness. Who will do better this year? OK, cunts, let’s see what you can do now! (05/05/2010)

Kick-Ass is kickass. The story is taken more seriously than I expected and it’s really surprising how the film holds itself together considering how serious and detached it is. You could praise basically everything, in particular the soundtrack, which probably is the catchiest in many months. After watching Shutter Island in February I thought that this year there wouldn’t be many films that good, I was wrong, there’s at least one. 100% PS: Watching Kick-ass with a moralist could be a lot of fun. (14/05/2010)