Not as deep as the book.
Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is your average high school student; he's not a sports jock, head of the class, class clown, or even a nerd. He's just an average guy with a hobby, collecting comics. He soon becomes bored with his life and wonders how come no one has ever tried to become a superhero in real life. He likes the idea of just helping people for nothing. He dons an outfit, names himself "Kick-Ass" and soon heads out into the streets with intentions on fighting crime; but he will eventually learn there's more to being a superhero than what he's read in the comics. -summary
As usual, when coming into comic book to films I almost always try to completely ignore the original source material, and don't expect a page by page re-telling. I know there are going to be some changes here and there, even some slicing and dicing, so I normally watch the movie as a movie. It's rare for me to bash a movie just because it's different; there have to be other serious issues with it for me to come out ripping it apart. However, things are a little different with the film Kick-Ass directed by Matthew Vaughn which based on Mark Millar's graphic novel.
The comic had an in your face message, as well as a commentary on people taking these comic books way too god damn seriously. For the most part, I would say that the point wasn't missed, while on other occasions it appeared that H-Wood didn't understand the point Millar was making in the first place. Nothing new with them as we all should know by now.
Kick-Ass follows Dave as he learns that being a superhero in New York City isn't as easy as it looks in the comics(I love the bluntness in his friends rational way of seeing this and giving their thoughts on the subject). Along the way, he soon encounters two individuals whom are the real deal; Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage). These two are not the Superman and Spiderman types that fight crime but also try to preserve life, instead they're more in line with the Punisher as they leave all of their enemies, normally criminals, on ice in a bloody display of over the top violence. Their antics later endanger a mob boss who blames Kick-Ass for the hits on his operations.
The characters and the action are the main selling points here. Dave is very well developed as that average guy with a good heart, and there's at least one scene that truly defines him as a hero, in which this is what sets things in motion. However, the show-stealer is indeed the young Hit-Girl, as she provides the best action scenes in the movie. Nothing is left up to the imagination here, and those unfamiliar with the comic are going to leave thinking they saw something cool. The action is just splendid all around and action junkies are going to feel their time was well spent. The special effects are also a plus depicting the brutal violence. The acting is worth mentioning, and the characters fit their roles very well. Hit-Girl is extremely potty mouthed, but I believe it was a perfect fit for the style of the film. This was also Nicholas Cage's most entertaining role in a long time.
Now even though I like to ignore the original source material but I just can't find myself doing it here. There's quite a bit of fan-service that pays homage to the graphic novel, in fact it almost felt like it followed it page by page. Some of the changes really didn't bother me, while others bothered me a whole lot. Although they looked cool, the costumes were way too stylish and tailor made for the characters, which causes the style to lose that gritty feel. The book was quite different here, as the costumes appeared as garments that were just laying around in the closet. I also didn't like Big Daddy's motive here as it completely misses the point Millar was trying to make, in addition it completely loses that shocking revelation found in the comic, when you learn how come Big Daddy was doing what he's doing. Someone up top just didn't understand the original story. The removal of certain dialog was an issue too. There's a very memorable line from the graphic novel where a thug states something along the lines; "Those comics really messed up your mind kid. You can't do this Batman shit in real life!" As hilarious that line appears to me, on a serious note it sums up Millar's vision, and I feel some of the point to the story is missed.
Some people feel Kick-Ass is the best superhero movie ever, mainly due to the over the top action scenes I'm sure. I won't argue with these folks, especially if they never read the comic and don't care to later. It's a very entertaining movie that I've seen several times already, and I think fans of the original source material will get into it. I highly recommend this to action fans, and I highly recommend reading the Kick-Ass graphic novel either before or after this movie. However, if you have something against child violence then stay away.
Pros: Highly action packed, characters
Cons: Some of the message of the graphic novel is lost
