I’m not even sure as I write this if I want to go on record and recommend the film Kick-Ass to the general public because frankly I don’t know if this film is right for the general public.
Actually I’m sure the film is not right for the general population’s consumption. It certainly isn’t right for kids despite the flashy costumes and promise of humour, this is not a kid’s film by any stretch of the imagination.
This is an adult comic book fan’s movie.
But even then, even if you are an adult and a comic book fan you need to fall within more categories. You need to be able to:
- Accept that these characters are not real.
- Accept that the world in which these characters inhabit is not real.
- Deal with hard violence.
- Accept that the character who is possibly the most violent and uses the worst profanity is a very young girl.
If you are able to do these things then GO SEE KICK-ASS BECAUSE IT IS AWESOME.
If you can’t don’t feel bad, I don’t like torture porn films like Saw and Hostel. I wouldn’t go see then, however I don’t really mind if you do want to see them, that’s your business and I have very good friends who like those films. I’m just saying that there are very valid reasons why someone might detest this film but I’m not one of them, you know if you are or not and you should use common sense if you are considering seeing this.
Now the film itself had me reeling from the barrage of comic book references, the comic book series Runaways is prominently waved around, Mike Mignola and Hellboy adorn the walls and there are several scenes that pay excellent homage to various superhero movies such as Superman, Batman and Spider-Man.
Nic Cage who I will nearly always defend despite scary hair and teeth is an absolute delight in this and it’s generally all due to Mr Adam West, the original television Batman whom Cage’s character chooses to emulate rather than go with the gravel voiced Bale incarnation. His choice of which Batman to impersonate says a lot about his character and I wonder who came up with that idea because it certainly isn’t hinted at in the comic book.
In fact the movie does deviate in storyline and at times tone from the comic book which it is based upon, I don’t mean it is “Wanted” different but there are enough changes in there to key events that the stories are different. I’m almost willing to say that the movie storyline is better or at least more satisfying than the book.
Whilst Cage’s West impersonation was a treasure for me it is the most controversial of the Kick-Ass characters that truly steals the show. Hit Girl played by the amazing Chloë Moretz just owns this film, I don’t exaggerate here she OWNS this film.
There is something disturbingly entertaining about watching her kill a bunch of bad guys with a samurai sword to a cover of The Banana Splits theme song. As an actress she manages to completely sell the role despite the absurdity of the idea of a 10 or 12 year old assassin (I’m not sure her actual age in the film but Moretz was 12 when she filmed it). Although in fairness people don’t seem too hung up on the 10 year old character of Robin from Batman comics, I hope it’s not because he’s a boy, I hope it’s the lack of homicide.
Moretz is definitely an actress to keep your eye on, she’s already been in 500 Days of Summer and a few horror films like The Amityville Horror (remake obviously), The Eye and Big Momma’s House 2 (I’ve been dying to make that joke) though I wonder if her next role as Abby, a young vampire in the American remake of the Swedish film, Let The Right One In is going to be any less controversial.
Kick-Ass is funny too, more often than not it’s dark humour but for me it is a lot funnier than its comic book source material. On the other hand too there is a surprising amount of heart to the film that makes you care about the heroes and what happens to them. I’m almost willing to stretch that there are a couple of quite powerful moments hidden amongst the action.
The end is particularly rousing and cheer inducing though it does lack a key moment from the comic that would have been really powerful.
Overall I really loved Kick-Ass, I’d easily go see it again and it will be an immediate addition to my Blu-rays. Go see it but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
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15 Responses to “Kick-Ass, yes it does.”
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Hi Lee,
A well rounded and good review. Appreciate you taking the time to write and yes I'm still jealous you got to see a preview of the movie.
Best Regards
I would detest this film. To be honest I find the trailer morally repugnant. The only reason I can see for the parents of Moretz to allow her to be in this film is pure greed and exploitation.
It's true that it's not for me to judge other people's parenting choices, but I certainly won't validate them by handing over money to see them.
So there
You are welcome Andrew, your jealously is noted and appreciated.
See I was thinking about you when watching the film, I just don't agree as I think there are plenty of acclaimed (and some not so) films that have used younger actors through to babies in more disturbing roles and every interview I've seen Moretz in she seems like a perfectly sensible young lady who is quite aware of what she's doing.
When asked about this role she responded that if she used this language at home she'd be grounded until she was twenty so I'm not concerned for her well being or for her parent's intentions.
Frankly she is very talented and is excellent in the movie, as I said she steals the show.
My moral outrage personally would be reserved for the sexualised under 14 models used in fashion magazines, I find that much worse than this.
At the end of the day this film just isn't for you.
I don't think you need to be a comic book fan at all to appreciate this film. Sure it might help you to get some more of the subtle references, but both me and my friend really enjoyed it and neither of us are comic book readers.
Your four bullet points – definitely, but comic book fan? Not so much. I think just being a pop culture fan is enough to appreciate most of the references in the film.
It's not particularly the language, although that is shocking for shocking's sake – which bores me, it's the violence.
As I say, I've only seen the trailer. But I found Wanted to be moraly bankrupt too so I've got a precedent to go on. As you say, it's not for me.
That's fair, I'm thinking about the people I would recommend it to though – I know a couple of people that love action films etc but just wouldn't get this I don't think.
Popular culture is probably a good substitute for comic book fan.
You're just a lover not a fighter
This is no Wanted either but in saying that Wanted certainly didn't worry me either except that it deviated so far from the superior source material which admittedly is probably unfilmable.
The thing that bothered me about Wanted was that the underlying message is “unless you kill people, your life is worthless”. It's serious fodder for a serial killer.
Rol is able to talk about the failings of it far better than me.
I don't get that from it, but then I read the book first and I think that whole part of the storyline was poorly inserted into the movie.
The real crime there is the weaving thing WTF??
90% of the time when I see these kind of movies I just switch off my moral system and enjoy the movie (see, I left a 10% to make me look decent).
The 10% is so you don't snap the neck of the guy next to you for his popcorn
See, what I got from Wanted wasn't the aspect that your life only has meaning if you are assassinating people… the underlying message was challenging the orthodoxy of your life and choices… because even without the assassinations and such, Wesley still had a lot of issues to deal with… being disrespected at work and in his personal life. Murder wasn't the answer to those problems, so even being an assassin wasn't part of the plotline, the message that on some level he transcended those problem to find his own way in the world.
Dan, I think you and I are entirely different people, so I don't think in terms of violent entertainment you and I would see eye to eye much. And that is OK, because I don't think you are on the record saying that because you don't like certain things that other people shouldn't be able to see those same things.
I don't mind violence particularly – but I do like some sort of moral framework when discussing it.
In Wanted there was a complete lack of regard for civilian life – the best two examples of this are the car chase scene and the one on the train. Where hundreds of civilians are killed without so much as a second thought. Gun fights take place in crowded places etc.
Now I don't object to this if it's the bad guys doing this – but the good guys don't even think twice about doing it either.
I'm ot a fan of Mark Millar in general – I feel he is sensationalist and repetitive and hides the fact he only has one half decent idea behind a mask of shock tack
Damit, pressed reply to early. But you get my point.
Yes, I'd never say that other's shouldn't be able to view it. But I still like challenging the pop culture I don't like on occasion