More half-assed than kick ass

"Kick-Ass," directed by Mathew Vaughn (and produced by Brad Pitt, by the way) is one of the strangest, disjointed, and at times really entertaining films I've seen in a while. 

Well, actually, there are two different movies going on at the same time here. 
Let me explain.

The first film introduces us to Dave, played by the likable English actor Aaron Johnson. 

Dave is a nerdy type of kid who hangs out with his two quirky friends.  The boys indulge in comic books, Mountain Dew, and lusting over really hot girls that could never possibly like them. 

Dave, sick of being bullied and rejected, finds himself wanting to actually go out and fight crime as a superhero. Dave buys a really lame costume, practices action moves, and subsequently gets stabbed and hit by a car during his very first job.

After Dave gets out of the hospital, he finds himself getting attention from his longtime crush, Katie, who for some reason thinks he is gay and wants him to be her best friend. 

Dave must now delicately balance this relationship that is of course based on a lie, with his real feelings for the girl.  These scenes are funny, sweet, and endearing (think Superbad) .
In the second portion Dave having learned nothing from his first beat-down decides to get back in the amateur superhero game. 

Dave, as his alter ego Kick-Ass, gains recognition when he is videotaped fighting a bunch of thugs.  Kick-Ass is praised as a hero by the public.

Dave sees how impressed Katie is by Kick-Ass, so he stupidly decides to go deal with a criminal (and his homies), that has been stalking her while at work at the homeless shelter.
Well, obviously some teenage kid doesn't have a shot against hardened criminals, so once again he finds himself in trouble.

Just then through the window flies the maniacal Hit Girl. Hit Girl proceeds to decapitate and disembowel the criminal with some big spear blade thingy
From this point we are introduced to Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage), a bitter ex-cop who has trained his 11-year-old daughter, Hit Girl, in the ways of senseless killing as a way to get revenge. 

We are also introduced to Mafioso Frank D'Amato (Mark Strong), the man who framed Big Daddy for drugs many years ago.  McLovin from Superbad (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is D'Amato's unlikely son, who also poses as a superhero in order to trick Kick-Ass into being trapped by his father. D'Amato thinks Kick-Ass is the one who killed his men, Big Daddy and Hit girl want to kill D'Amato for sins of the past, Dave/Kick-Ass is sort of in over his head not really sure if he wants to be a normal kid or an awesome superhero.

It was exhausting just trying to remember and then summarize the plot of this film.

I like the premise of a normal kid dealing with his problems by throwing on a mask and going out and getting realistically pummeled by actual hard criminals.

I do find it unbelievable that an actual 16-year-old kid would continue to place himself in such chaotic violence as the film unfolds. 

Oh, and there is a ton of violence, way more than I had anticipated. I also didn't like the dynamic of this Big Daddy, Hit Girl relationship. I mean what kind of father are you? Not only expose weapons and guns to your little daughter but to actually train her to brutally murder people. 

I don't know maybe I'm a big softy, but I didn't really enjoy seeing this child chop, stab, and shoot her way through hundreds of people.

It got to a point where I found myself actually rooting for the sleazy mafia guys to put a bullet in the malevolent little girl.

While I liked aspects of the film early on, was at first entertained by the violence, I can't say it really turned out to be that compelling.  With the ludicrous plot developments, the meaningless overdone violence, and the lack of focus I have to give the film an overall grade: C+