Tomatometer Watch: Critics Love Kick-Ass!
Heroes conquer SXSW!
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From a surprisingly positive MacGruber early reaction to a 100% Tomatometer out of
the gate with Cyrus, the SXSW festival has been making critics happy. And
perhaps no one movie more so than Kick-Ass.
From its showstopping introduction at last year's Comic-Con, buzz and awareness of this freewheeling adaptation of the violent comic series has spread from geek comment boards to mainstream pop culture. With ecstatic reviews from the recent SXSW premiere coming in, Kick-Ass seems all but solidified as another genre triumph for director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) and distributor Lionsgate come April 16th.
From its showstopping introduction at last year's Comic-Con, buzz and awareness of this freewheeling adaptation of the violent comic series has spread from geek comment boards to mainstream pop culture. With ecstatic reviews from the recent SXSW premiere coming in, Kick-Ass seems all but solidified as another genre triumph for director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) and distributor Lionsgate come April 16th.
All elements of Kick-Ass are drawing praise, from its premise (Hollywood.com: "A pitch-perfect send-up of everything that is characteristic of superhero films"), to its cast of characters (IGN: "Time, effort and thought has clearly gone into the creation of Kick-Ass, Red Mist, Big Daddy and Hit-Girl that it's all-but-impossible not to root for them"), to the gleefully lurid action (Empire: "Ultra-violent cinematic rush that kicks the places other movies struggle to reach").
To lay his vision of everyday deranged citizens donning superhero costumes, director Vaughn famously went outside the studio system. A sensible approach the critics agree. "Without studio stormtroopers breathing down his neck, Vaughn found the freedom to make a thrilling, hugely violent, darkly funny comic-book," says Empire's Chris Hewitt. Likewise, Digital Spy claims "Kick-Ass's punk rock full-throttle approach lends it a freshness and vigour that elevates it from the crowd."
Perhaps central to the Kick-Ass staying power with critics (and, as Lionsgate hopes, at the box office) are the performances. "Aaron Johnson, in the title role...brings a lot of heart to the character that drives the emotional crux of the film," says Hollywood.com. Chris Laverty: "Kick Ass welcomes the return of Nicolas Cage to acting (only slight sarcasm) as someone with a seriously screwed up moral centre." And every review agrees: Chloe Moretz as nimble, foul-mouthed Hit-Girl steals every scene, the same way her co-star Christopher Mintz-Plasse did in Superbad.
As an eye-popping alternative to recent dour superhero films that is rewarding for comic geeks but accessible for audience at large, reviews peg it as a near-total success. Or, as Variety puts it: "Kick-Ass most certainly does." Yep, you knew that one was coming.
Where will Kick-Ass's Tomatometer ultimately end up? Take your best guess above and let us know if you're hitting the theaters for Kick-Ass!
Grounder At the Movies on 03-17-2010 05:16 PM
It is going to kick ass. Yes, pun is intended.