Kick-Ass

Does indeed kick ass. From the beginning, I was pretty sure that this movie was better than the comic. The pacing felt right. The early changes in the story were good even when they were subtle. The dialogue was improved. The look and feel were appropriate. But everything about the comic I thought hadn't worked was initially touched up.

Then, Big Daddy and Hit Girl showed up. Movie magic begins. They're frankly awesome. Every action scene with the kid that plays Hit Girl is spot on. It recreates all of the best of JR Jr.'s art with cinematic flare. She's also hilarious. The action starts pretty late in the movie, but rocks your socks off. I can't imagine anyone complaining.

The interactions with Red Mist are repaired from the comic. I thought that his flip flopping in the book was just done poorly. All of the motivational questions make way more sense in the script. And McLovin is pretty funny, but doesn't try and steal the show. He's actually under-selling his regular schtick.

The end game of this film is a nergasm that the book was missing. I loved it. I refuse to spoil anything, but suffice it to say, if you thought the build was slow, the ending won't be. It's about 20 minutes of kicking ass and taking name. Cool stuff you've never seen before. Big payoffs you won't expect.

After a long streak of movies that have disappointed me, I've finally seen one that's exceeded my expectations in every way. Check out Kick-Ass. Love it.

J