Kick-AssMovie Review

Kick-Ass

April 17, 2010

Kick-Ass is a fun, stupid, honest and an over-the top gigglefest for all thewomen in the audience. Guys, take notice. The ladies think a littleschoolgirl killing machine is bloody hysterical!One Word Movie Review: Unbelievable

Kick-Ass

accomplished something I've never experienced in a theater in my life; womenlaughing at ultra-violence on the screen. In fact, the girl behind me tried to apologize to herdate between giggles, "I'm sorry, but I can't stop laughing!" Thisremarkable reaction by the women in the audience was sparkedby watching an eleven-year-old girl (Hit Girl, played by ChloeGrace Moretz) kicking ass, killing bad guys and doing so in aspectacularly gory and ruthless fashion. Now, in all other casesof violent ninja screen bitches (think Uma Thurman in

Kill Bill

),it is the guys in the audience smiling as the blood spurts andknives fly. In

Kick-Ass

, it is the women in the audience gettingdelightful enjoyment watching this charming little girl gut the badguys.I watched this movie opening night in a suburban theater closeto the university, with the seats filled with students hangingtogether. Not really date couples, but crowds of young peopleout for a night of shared entertainment. Bottom line, the ladiesin the audience laughed hysterically while watching theacrobatic Hit Girl in action. Now I can appreciate the juxtaposition of character stereotypesand the gratuitously bloody fight scenes were "shake-your-head" cool, but I wasn't laughingat the three tough guys cowering around the corner, holding machine guns and a bazooka,shaking with fear at the thought of facing the little girl in the next room. No, it was purely amoment for the women in the audience to enjoy and did they ever.

Kick-Ass

in unique in the way it twists the superhero genre on its head. It portrays thesexes, teenagers and children in this fantasy world as unreal on one level and yet honest toour formula-trained minds fueled to expect a certain behavior by so many similar films. It israre for a movie to surprise you both on an outrageous level and in the subtle details as well;from the opening dive from the skyscraper roof by "some Armenian guy" to the final rocketflight of our hero through the city like

Spider-Man

.This is a date movie, a group outing for friends and a must-see for comic book and superherofans of all ages. It is both a tribute to comic superheroes and a fable about fans who dreamof being just like the characters they worship. It is also the first movie in a long time in whichthe line, "I'm getting the bazooka!" seems totally in character.

The Story

The story parallels two characters converging on a common enemy.

Kick-Ass

is narratedby Dave, a high school awkward adolescent who wants to feel good about himself bywearing a costume and fighting crime. He shifts from fantasy to reality," like every serialkiller already knows", when he becomes the superhero Kick-Ass by confronting theneighborhood thugs. He pays dearly for his efforts, ending up with some superpower-likemedical re-constructions which increase the metal content and pain tolerance of his body.He'll need these later on in the story.The second character is the darkly comic, madly psychotic "Big Daddy", played byNicholas Cage. He has a back story which we eventually learn through comic bookflashbacks, but suffice to say that Big Daddy and his young daughter Hit Girl are the realthing when it comes to kicking ass.The off-kilter plot weaves mobsters, dominated rich kids, introverted nerd friends, quirkybad guys and young love into an escalating conflict of egos and vigilante revenge. On oneside are the mobsters worried about being perceived as the "biggest bunch of pussies inNew York" and the superheroes trying not to be "a stupid dick in a wet suit". Everyonehas something to prove, insurmountable obstacles to overcome and plenty of oddballsituations to milk for laughs.We end up in the grand finale, seen so many times before with the slow-motion assault onthe criminal HQ, this time using a deceptively innocent schoolgirl uniform, a jet pack, a pairof shoulder-mounted Gatling guns and, of course, the aforementioned bazooka. Not togive too much away, but the escalation gets so high that the introduction of Elvis singingthe

Battle Hymn of the Republic

seems a perfect backing track for the action on screen.The ending sets up a sequel and probably a whole new career for Hit Girl and the verylikable Chloe Grace Moretz, if she can keep a "normal" childhood perspective now that'sshe's a Hollywood star.

The Genre

This comic fantasy superhero adaptation has been a reliable moneymaker for Hollywoodfor some time. Comics have been a rich source of visual storytelling and when well done,provide a refreshing new take on old formulas. We've come a long way from the campyBatman movies and sterile Superman films of the 80's.

Kick-Ass

embraces the comic book world as part of the story (the characters hang out ina comic store) and pay homage from the first "flying through the clouds" montage to theending obligatory "unmasking" scene. This is a superhero tale made by people who lovethe genre but want to shake it up and re-invent the conventions.

The Overall Quality

The director, Matthew Vaughn is British, with a history which includes producing several GuyRichie movies and directing

Layer Cake

, starring Daniel Craig. He also co-wrote the screenplayand adds a touch of satire and an ear for dialogue to the film. He casts fellow Brit villain du jour,Mark Strong, late of

Sherlock Holmes, RocknRolla

and the upcoming

Robin Hood

. MarkMillar wrote the comic book as well as 2008's adaptation of

Wanted

, another violent tale with astrong female character.