Kick Ass

So last night I saw the movie.

I don't say this often, so listen up; the movie was better than the comic.

The changes that they made in order to make the movie work, were things that I actually thought enhanced the story and made it more sensible. While some of the special effects were corny/cheesy, I did think there was a reason for that.  It was a comic book movie.

Overall I thought that the movie was packed full of some ridiculous violence, supported by an insane story about a loser who ends up winning big because he grew up a comic book nerd. How he gets the girl is beyond me, because he really is just a moron in tights, but in the end he gets fame, the girl and a chance to grow up and live out the rest of his life without wearing a great big sign on his chest that reads "in over my head." Unless you count the final shot of the movie, with McLovin' stealing a line from the Joker and inferring that he's going to rise up to become some terrible nemesis.

I could have done without that line.

Some of the best moments in the movie were comedy moments, and they belonged to his best friends, who should have been punched in the face.  Geeks or not, they were begging for a fist to the melon.  The amount of crap they give to their friend is unreal. It's also hilarious. I think as far as action sequences go, the scene that got the best reaction from the crowd is when she goes to the night-vision goggles and then runs around and kills the mobsters.  I'm pretty sure that gameboys everywhere were geekin' through the whole scene, but they probably climaxed when she stabbed the guy in the chest and then blew his brains out in a moment that looked like it could have come right out of an FPS.

Listen, Kick Ass isn't going to win any awards, but it should be applauded for being what it is; a terrific comic book movie that keeps you laughing and geeking from start to finish, despite the transparent plotline. Worth seeing in the theater and not waiting for the video.

It's a great primer for Iron Man 2 (in which we'll see Whiplash get elevated to the role of major villain, where he DOES NOT belong.)