A new batch of superheroes Kick-Ass!

Move over Batman, and hang up your suit, Spiderman, there’s a new breed of superheroes in town! Meet Kick-Ass, a superhero with no superpowers. After being fed up with being bullied, mugged, and pushed around, comic book geek Dave Lizewski, played by Aaron Johnson, decides it is time someone takes a stand and fights back. Dressed in a green and yellow wetsuit, he becomes Kick-Ass, the newest hero in the neighborhood. However, his initiation into the crime fighting world is not easy. Soon, he discovers the answer to the question he asks, “How come nobody’s ever tried to be a superhero?"

The movie is seen from the point of view of Dave, a typical high school teenager who is struggling with finding his identity and trying to make a place for himself in his world. Set in New York City, Dave, disguised as Kick-Ass, discovers there’s more to courage than fighting the bad guys as he finds himself caught up in a ring of criminal activity when the local Mafia Don, Frank D’Amico, sets off to destroy Kick-Ass. Little did he know, another crime-busting pair patrols the city: Big Daddy and Hit Girl. Kick-Ass also meets Red Mist, another superhero wannabe who has all the super cool gadgets and who pretends to be Kick-Ass’s sidekick.

Unmasking the heroes

Behind the masks and disguises is a group of talented young artists who were able to hold their own in the midst of other big name actors such as Nicholas Cage (Big Daddy) and Mark Strong (Frank D'Amico).

Lead actor Aaron Johnson almost missed out on the role of Dave, the unlikely hero in the story, because director Matthew Vaughn had initially decided that in no way would the role be played by a British actor. However, after being convinced by casting directors to check out the audition tape, he had found his green and yellow un-caped crusader. Johnson described the film as “teenage high-school humor mixed with dark, messed-up violence”. He further went on to say that for him, “it’s Superbad meets Kill Bill." Prior to being cast in Kick-Ass, Johnson starred as John Lennon in the 2009 film Nowhere Boy. He also had recurring roles as Owen Stephens in the teen drama Nearly Famous and as Aaron in 2007’s Talk to Me.

Playing the role of Hit Girl is Chloë Grace Moretz, who at the age of thirteen has an impressive acting portfolio. She was seen in the movie 500 Days of Summer and more recently in The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. In Kick-Ass, Chloë plays a tough chick who was trained to hold weapons and fight at a young age. This is a dream come true for her, as she has wanted to do an Angelina Jolie-type role. Although she may come across as a cold killer with a foul mouth for most of the film, she is also a sweet little Daddy’s Girl. Her scenes with Nicholas Cage ranged from hilarious to touching and heartwarming. While she cussed a lot in Kick-Ass, Chloë shared in an interview that using such a vocabulary was not really something she had done “because I've been raised to know that cussing makes you look unintelligent." Although her role in the movie may be seen as disturbing for some audiences, she defends her role by saying it’s just a movie and that people should go see it before making judgments about it.

Taking on Hit Girl was definitely something very different from all the work she had done previously. Moretz got her start in showbiz at the age of eight with roles in the movies Heart of the Beholder, The Family Plan, The Amityville Horror, and Today You Die. Among her list of Young Artist Awards nominations include that for the Best Performance in a Feature Film – Young Actress Age Ten or Younger category in 2006 for her work in The Amityville Horror, and for Best Performance in a Feature Film, Supporting Actress in 2010 for 500 Days of Summer.

Kick-Ass’s arch-nemesis Red Mist is played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse. Without the costume, Mintz-Plasse played the role of Chris D’Amico, Frank’s weakling of a son who longed for nothing more that his father’s affection and acceptance into the family’s business. He reportedly was surprised about being asked to audition for the film because he had never done any action flicks before. As he puts it in an interview, he was quite honored to be offered the script. Initially, he had actually auditioned for the role of Dave but ended up being cast as Red Mist. His first feature film was Superbad, in which he starred at the age of 17. Most recently, he had lent his voice to the animated film How To Train Your Dragon and as well as to the upcoming dog movie Marmaduke.

Comic book hero

Kick-Ass is the brainchild of Mark Millar and John S. Romita, Jr. From the get-go, the writer had envisioned that Kick-Ass would not just be a comic book, but would also be brought to the big screen. His vision became a reality when director Matthew Vaughn jumped in and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman. Unlike most comic books that become motion pictures, the comics and the screenplay were written almost simultaneously, thus making this a truly collaborative effort between all players involved. In the end, the congruencies and consistency of the costumes, storyline, and characters were almost identical. Nonetheless Vaughn and Goldman made sure to give the film its own identity separate from Miller’s book.

Although the script was put together quickly, it took some time for the movie to actually be made. It appeared no one wanted to take the risk with a film that was, well, controversial, what with the violence surrounding a young girl battling it out with grown men, all heavily armed. Rather than accepting the film with a major motion picture studio and a PG-13 rating but without Hit Girl, Vaughn decided to produce the film on his own in 2008. Shot in various locations including London and Toronto, Vaughn worked hard at getting the film done until eventually he was able to find a distributor in Lionsgate.

Does it Kick-Ass?

The early buzz on the movie has been generally positive. It was described by Joe Williams as “bloody good superhero movie” and "the most brazenly funny bloodbath unleashed on the public since ‘Pulp Fiction’". Local movie bloggers who were able to catch an advanced screening of the movie describe it as "a brutally awesome movie”, "cool, fun, & astig" and a must-see. This writer feels, however, that despite the seemingly benign characters and childlike appeal of the superheroes, it definitely is not a film for children. It is aptly Rated R due to the violence throughout the movie, the use of expletives and foul language, as well as some sexual content, nudity, and drug use.

Kick-Ass premieres April 16, 2010 in theaters worldwide and is released locally by Viva International Pictures.

Photos and some interview excerpts taken from the Kick-Ass movie press kit/release.

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