The Aaron-Taylor Johnson Superhero Movie On Netflix That Should Have A Massive Franchise
These days, most comic-based movies end up as box office disappointments, and the general reason given for this is that the world is experiencing “superhero fatigue.” However, what everyone is really tired of is the fact that all of these movies are the same: paint-by-numbers stories and boring characters that wrap everything up with blurry CGI effects. That’s why we enjoyed revisiting Aaron-Taylor John’s awesome and completely unique Kick-Ass, and you can stream it today to discover a hero that should have his own massive franchise by now.
If you think all superhero movies have become generic and boring, then you need to take the time to check out Kick-Ass on Netflix.
If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s the simple premise. Aaron-Taylor Johnson gets injured in his first outing as a hero in a wave that leaves him unable to feel much pain, and this allows him to take his campaign as the superhero “Kick-Ass” to the next level.
But it doesn’t take long before he’s teaming up with scary fellow heroes and fighting scarier villains, all of which helps this high school hero learn that his desire to emulate his favorite comic book hero is likely to get him killed.
One reason we love this movie so much is that it is so well-cast: Aaron-Taylor Johnson is a compelling protagonist, infusing Kick-Ass with elements of actual pathos and relatable characterization (in between weird jokes, of course). Chloë Grace Moretz plays Hit-Girl, a no-nonsense, hilariously-vulgar assassin who just wants to get the job done.
And Nicolas Cage steals the show from everyone else (as per usual) in his performance as Big Daddy, a kind of deranged Batman figure that is clearly taking the whole crimefighting thing way too seriously.
As with most of the tights-and-flights movies from Marvel or the DCU, this movie is based on an actual comic, one that is even more deranged than the film adaptation. Long before Aaron-Taylor Johnson was cast for the movie, Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. created the Kick-Ass comic. Both of these creators were already comic book legends by this point, and their comic ended up being an excellent deconstruction of the superhero genre.
One reason we love this movie so much is that it is so well-cast: Aaron-Taylor Johnson is a compelling protagonist, infusing Kick-Ass with elements of actual pathos and relatable characterization (in between weird jokes, of course).
Fortunately, the movie keeps all of the subversive deconstruction of the original comic, and that makes it feel like a breath of fresh air for filmgoers sick of the boring MCU formula. In fact, Aaron-Taylor Johnson’s Kick-Ass can be read as a cautionary tale of what happens when fans idolize their comic books so much that they get lost within dangerous fantasy worlds.
At the same time, it’s a story of charismatic heroes fighting colorful villains, and it manages to deliver most of what we love from these films while providing an incisive parody of overused comic tropes.
Kick-Ass is based on an actual comic, one that is even more deranged than the film adaptation.
Director and co-writer Matthew Vaughn deserves special credit for helping this movie find the balance between being a deconstruction of the superhero genre and an entertaining superhero film in its own right.
While Vaughn would go on to flex his chops as a slick action director by giving us X-Men: First Class and all three Kingsman movies, nobody knew at the time that he would be so good at creating unconventional superhero films. In this way, he helped to kick both his career and Aaron-Taylor Johnson’s career into high gear with the release of Kick-Ass.
And whether they were vibing with Matthew Vaughn’s directing, Aaron-Taylor Johnson’s acting, or something else altogether, audiences ended up really loving Kick-Ass. The movie earned $96 million against a budget of only $30 million, making it an unqualified hit and earning the film a sequel.
Audiences also loved the movie so much that it currently has an 81 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, which is the kind of positive reaction that most modern superhero films are very lucky to receive.
Ultimately, if you think all superhero movies have become generic and boring, then you need to take the time to check out Aaron-Taylor Johnson in his portrayal of Kick-Ass. He manages to make his character a relatable everyman that we can root for, and it’s almost impossible to shake the sobering thought that he’s just doing what any comic book dork would do at his age if he was suddenly unable to feel much pain. And rather than give yourself major pain by watching something like The Flash, we recommend you stream Kick-Ass on Netflix today.
