How was Kick-Ass, you ask? Well I would tell you exactly what I loved and hated about but, oh, I'm sorry, I was too busy shifting towards the edge of my seat being extremely careful that I didn't plunge to the depths of the movie theater floor for the last 30 or so minutes, therefore COMPLETELY blinding me of my likes and gripes. I left the theater wanting to obliterate the ears of nuns by uttering fantastic expletives, followed by slitting their throats and shooting at their beloved sisters.
Sadistic? Get used to it. If you're going to see the latest comic/graphic novel – turned – film, you need to have an open mind and morbid sense of humor to fully appreciate it. As I said, I left the theater feeling like a complete lunatic, and I still feel the same way. Thus, trying to put aside how bad-ass Kick-ass was-ass (lol), I'm going to put into words my humble (but indisputable) opinion about the long-awaited comic book parody.
Kick-Ass (based on the graphic novel of the same name by Mark Millar) tells a tale of an innocent do-gooder named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson). Dave is your typical misfit teenager who exists unnoticed to everyone around him except his father and his two best friends (of equal merit). He decides to be a superhero named Kick-Ass, perplexed by the idea that no one has tried it quite yet considering the millions of comic book-lovers out there. Witnesses see him saving someone from a group of thugs, and he is recorded on a cell phone camera; from there, he goes viral, sets up a MySpace account for the needy to contact him, and becomes a sensation around the city. Shortly thereafter, a young girl named Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her father Damon (Nicolas Cage) assume the heroic titles of Hit-Girl and Big Daddy respectively, and somewhat join forces with Kick-Ass to rid the city of crime. Meanwhile, a corrupt mob boss named Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) is running a city-wide drug running syndicate and becomes the prime enemy of these three heroes. His son, Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) simply wants to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the business [off which he has no idea the real business of].
Thus, wheels are set in motion and the train tracks to climactic oblivion run wild. Leave your logic and normalcy at the front door, because once you get passed the "average Joe" introduction we all know and [sometimes] love, your imagination takes over and takes you for a kickass ride (the "Kick-Ass" puns don't stop here).
The real star of the show here is Hit-Girl, despite the title. In fact, the main character shouldn't have been named Kick-Ass because it seems that the only character who really "kicks ass" throughout the whole film is Hit-Girl. She's what you love to see and can't wait to see again. In between the doses of ultra violence and crowd-pleasers, you have subtle jabs at the comic book industry as a whole and plenty of wishy-washy college-grade comedy to go about.
AND OF COURSE THERE'S A ROMANTIC SUB-PLOT. I'm not exactly sure how many times I've mentioned in previous reviews how inane I believe romantic sub-plots to be, but regardless… I think they're pretty inane. They're rarely necessary and, in this case, it just excuses the film for being a frat-boy clap-a-thon whenever someone cops a feel. Fantastic, we have a movie about super awesome ass-kicking super heroes and we get American Pie-esque moments of sexual drive to high five our Tau Delta Phi Zeta Flip Flop Beer Football Chi Omega brothers. Cool.
But, then again, these moments kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind of fit in only because the whole point of the film is seeing your every day kid in a not-so-every day situation (you know, being a super hero and single-handedly fighting crime and surviving… well you'll see). So these few scenes are okay… I guess… but this brings me to the awkward pacing the film retains. Often. Too many moments exist in the film where just too many emotions are mixed simultaneously: you'll feel enraged, sad, and then want to laugh at some ridiculous moment of comedic relief and you're not quite sure which of these feelings you want to exert the most. Considering the film is a… let's see, Revenge Action Comedy Drama Parody Adaptation, you'll have your Multiple Personality Disorder-inflicted hands tied quite a bit. There's nothing wrong with mixing genres and whatnot, but all in the same moment? No thank you, I want to feel for a character without having to see something dumb to remind us it's not necessarily a "serious" movie, but with a name like "Kick-Ass," I guess it's only appropriate for it to remind us, huh? Might as well call a movie "Shitty Titty Bang Bang" and just spontaneously infuse moments of mixed seriousness and silliness just so we think it's a serious movie, but get the idea that it's not… at the same time.
I digress, by now you've probably stopped reading the last paragraph (since you're reading this one) due to my over-explaining of my feelings. But unfortunately, the pacing and awkward moments were a big part of what dragged down Kick-Ass for me.
Although I said the star of the show is Hit-Girl, actor-wise, Nicolas Cage really steals it. Thank you Nicolas Cage (or your terrible but temporarily forgiven agent) for finally picking a film that people actually want to see AND like. In all seriousness, though, Cage definitely lends a pretty fun and enjoyable character in Big Daddy from start to finish.
The script is great.
Yeah, that's about it. It's great. It's not terribly, well, terrible but it's not the most fantastic possible piece of work ever conceived either. I would've liked to see a few more Easter eggs and jabs at comic books, adaptations, etc. but for what I got, it wasn't bad. Unfortunately, a big chunk of the film was a bit predictable, but it also had its fun twists. So really, when it comes to the writing, for every bad thing there was an equally good thing to coincide.
The direction was great, though, especially some scenes that you can just tell were incredibly tricky to film and film well. Throughout the course of the movie, there are a few blatant comic book-inspired parts (like titles in classic comic book form) and even a whole back-story told through a cool (but cheap) comic run-through. You know you have a problem when you have to flat-out tell the audience something and use some glitter and glam to make said audience forget how cheap you're being. I'm sure any die-hard Kick-Ass graphic novel fan will knock me for this (all 3 of you), but I apologize for reviewing the film [moving picture] version of a book.
Anyway, the film is extremely enjoyable especially if watched with friends. I haven't read the graphic novel, but the story was actually pretty good and posed some interesting questions to its viewers. Sure, it was predictable and a bit cliché at times (and involves AN UNNECESSARY ROMANTIC SUB-PLOT), but had enough turns around the plot to redeem itself. But any critic will also have to realize that Kick-Ass is a film that does its own thing. It's not trying to be a big (daddy) cult hit (girl), win any Oscars or really gain any super-prestigious prize… it's just trying to be Kick-Ass, and it succeeds. The moments of visceral violent glory are worth the wait, especially the extremely climactic ending. Nothing in the film, in spurts, is particularly perfect, but overall it's a fun popcorn flick that certainly sits above the rest as an action film with focus and boldness. Sure, the gimmick here is the 11-year old schoolgirl blurting the F-bomb all over the place as she eviscerates thugs with various death-dealing weapons, but the gimmick works. Chris' character (eventually becoming Red Mist) could've used a little more work and development, but they all could have in the end. Dave is just like any other movie you've ever seen, practically, Chris isn't focused on enough, and although a lot of time was spent showing the dichotomy between Hit-Girl and Big Daddy, they kind of just abruptly end their depth after a certain point and each of them leaves you wanting more. However, as I stated in the beginning of my review, you're going to want to scour eBay for some cool-looking attire and pick up a few weapons from the local pawn shop and… well… Kick Ass.
7.5/10
-Kyle Shelton
Fun Fact: Brad Pitt produced the film. Neato.
