I saw it. I think overall I'd say it was decent, but nothing great. For my tastes the violence (at least earlier in the film) was too over the top. There were also a few scenes I considered unnecessary, or at least they didn't fit into the story well (basically all the "sex" stuff).
The fight scenes were pretty cool though, more so towards the end. I also liked the soundtrack, although supposedly it's quite derivative of 28 Days Later.
I liked Cage's performance, he seemed to fit the character very well. Of the characters themselves, my favorite is Hit Girl. I think that is due to the mature way in which she handles herself despite being a kid. I really empathized with Marcus wanting to give her a proper childhood.
I read up on the differences with the comic and film and am satisfied with the script divergences. If it was completely true to the comic I don't think I would have liked it as much.
And I don't know why Ebert is knocking this movie.
You know, it probably is a good movie, but Roger is correct. Stories and movies usually tell of bad behavior, and then rectify it at the end. In this case, we're showing some of the worst behavior, and the people doing this behavior are being cheered on and made into heros.
His point is, what will next be acceptable in movies? A 12 year old that goes around raping women to impregnate them to save his family? A 10 year old that becomes a cannibal to save his dog?
We have the right to make and show any movies we wish in this country, but if you don't feel right after seeing them, there's probably something wrong with it's message. Kick-Ass is one of those movies. Probably why it's rated R, yet I'm a little concerned that it still seems to be marketed to kids.
That sounds a bit too disney. I haven't seen the Saw series, but they synopses I've read depicts them as much worse than Kick-Ass. The Saw genre sounds like straight up horrorporn, and I'm pretty sure the villian never gets caught.
How is Kick-Ass depicting the worst behavior and having it rewarded? I can think of several instances where characters were punished for their actions.
While I wouldn't take a child to see it (hence the R rating) I wouldn't consider the film morally reprehensible either.