How Odd

Kick-Ass (2010)
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

I have to admire Matthew Vaughn in his desire and ability to do a number of different genres in an effective manner. This is rare in movies altogether, even rarer in modern Hollywood. In his career he has managed to do three movies that are starkly different in subject matter and tone: Layer Cake (2004), a gangster movie about British thugs, Stardust (2007) a fantasy film featuring Robert DeNiro in a dress, and now this comic-book gore-fest. Each have their own tone and style and this one is just as effectively put together as anything else he has ever made. The problem in writing this review of it is, I cannot exactly explain why the movie melds so well together.
At its core, Kick-Ass is nothing more than a comic book movie. It's about one person who decides to try to be a super hero and what he is able to do by simply standing up to evil. He encounters real super-hero types in the process and then graphic violence ensues. The movie is unabashedly gore-filled, crude, rude, and in your face. But somehow, the movie remains an almost child-like innocence. I have no idea how it does this. The movie is sort of sweet and has a sweet message, stand up against evil, get out of your skin, and be confident in yourself.
Oh yeah, it also has an eleven year old doing horrifically violent acts for a good hour of the movie. While this has offended some people, I don't really care what she does or says, because most of what she does in those instances is for shock-value.
Kick-Ass is a pretty good movie and an enjoyable movie-going experience overall. It's one of the few movies I've seen in the theater lately that has not made me want to gouge my eyes out from boredom. I wouldn't say it's something that is incredibly important to see in the theater, but it's definitely something worth watching.