Kick-Ass (2010)

Kick-Ass (2010) – Review by Isaac

“With no powers, comes no responsibility.
………Except, that’s not true.”

Let me just start out by saying that Kick-Ass follows the recent trend of movies starring kids but are totally not intended to be viewed by kids. You won’t find any Kick-Ass action figures at Wal-Mart.

Synopsis: Pathetically normal high school student Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is one kid who is just stupid, bored, and naive enough to try being a Superhero. Donning a wetsuit he bought off of e-Bay, Dave takes to the streets and tries to do some good as the no-nonsense vigilante “Kick-Ass”. After Kick-Ass stars in a hit youtube video and popular Myspace page, “masked vigilantes” become a cultural phenomenon. Trying to live up to his ideals, the young vigilante ends up with more than he can handle. Dave’s masked endeavors cause several new masked heroes to follow in his footsteps. Where Kick-Ass draws the line at, well, kicking ass, Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) begin systematically executing the mob. Pursued by the mob and in way over his head, teenage Dave Lizewski has to simply survive in the world he has created.

Since I already covered the Graphic Novel version of Kick-Ass, I won’t bother going over much of the plot or details. But I will tell you that I had a blast watching Kick-Ass. This movie is now my number one candidate for “movies that are actually better than their books”. The characters are charming; the action is sharp, the style fun, its altogether a hilarious and incredibly entertaining film. Overall I felt the film was expertly put together and executed with just the right amount of humor and grit. I was very impressed by director Matthew Vaughn (Stardust), he brought a lot of charm and fun into the project. His skill with musical homages was definitely a highlight for me, from the parody-like Superman opening credits to the emotional rendition of Ave Maria. Two of the most powerful scenes in the film utilized the work of composer John Murphy. Big Daddy’s assault on the mob’s warehouse was fitted with a modified version of “In the House – In a Heartbeat” from the 28 Days Later soundtrack, giving the scene a dark and gritty feel. Another scene featured an adaptation of the Sunshine theme and the result was an incredibly meaningful and emotionally resonant sequence. That’s right; I got teary-eyed during Kick-Ass.

I was very pleased with the character portrayals here. As I guessed, Aaron Johnson was terrific as Kick-Ass. The scene where Kick-Ass fends off three attackers to save one man really gave Dave Lizewski the heart we needed to see. Christopher Mintz-Plasse (otherwise known as McLovin) was a perfect choice for Red Mist. The characters of Big Daddy (Cage) and his daughter Hit-Girl (Moretz) are especially hilarious. I never thought I’d see the day when Nicolas Cage played a good masked vigilante, but this was it. Cage based his character’s speech patterns off of Adam West (the 1960’s Batman tv show) and Big Daddy’s relationship with his daughter Hit-Girl is black comedy gold. This brings me to the most controversial part of the film: Hit-Girl, an 11 year old girl who cusses, beats up adult men, and kills mobsters with an arsenal of firearms and bladed weapons. (You can see why this is a polarizing issue). But here’s the thing: Hit-girl is supposed to shock you because Kick-Ass aims to shock and laugh. There’s a lot of shocking jokes, images, or fight scenes which can either: 1) offend you, or 2) cause you to laugh because it’s so, well, borderline offensive. I had read the Graphic Novel so I knew exactly what I was getting myself into here. Thankfully, I found more “laugh” and less “shock” here than in the book or the trailers, so I really enjoyed myself.

"Tool up, Honeybunny. Its time to get badguys."

Anyway, back to Hit-Girl. The general complaint seems to be “it’s not right for an 11 year old girl to run around cursing and killing people” and “shame on the producers for asking a little girl to do this”. There is some legitimacy to this complaint, but let’s break it down: 1) Was the actress treated respectfully and the role handled with care? – I say yes. Nicolas Cage said that he was “very concerned” about a child actor in this role, but the scenes were handled in a professional manner and with a great deal of respect. 2) Foul Language – As for the profanity, it’s nothing more than what the average middle-schooler experiences every day. Her family can attest to the fact that starring in Kick-Ass has not caused young Chloe to become foul mouthed. 3) The violence – there’s something incredibly… odd about seeing a girl beating the crap out of bad guys. It’s shocking and comes across as very, very funny. (Perhaps it shouldn’t be funny, but I won’t get into that argument.) First, this is a satirical superhero story where masked vigilantes beat up badguys. In an intentionally far-fetched superhero dark comedy, it’s plausible for Hit-Girl to exist here. Second, the actor definitely understands what is real and what is not real. The actor endures rigorous physical training, as well as courses in weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. They practice using every weapon, as well as practice each choreographed fight in slow motion until they are ready to film. The safety of everyone is always considered. Each bump, cut, bruise or scar is the result of hours in the makeup room while artists slowly paint the false injuries. The point I’m trying to painstakingly make here is: Chloe Moretz wasn’t just given two pistols and told to run around shooting people. The actor is very, very much aware of what is real and what is not. So even though the character Hit-Girl may have lost her innocence, I don’t believe young actress Chloe Grace Moretz suffered the same fate.

Now for the final question:
Was the film Kick-Ass faithful to the Graphic Novel?

-Essentially, Kick-Ass is faithful in its story, but isn’t faithful to the spirit of the Graphic Novel. The book was much more dark, cynical, vulgar, and gratuitously violent than its movie adaptation. It also ended on a depressing note, whereas the film ended on a lighter one.
While neither come right out and say it, both book and movie ask the question: “What is the cost of being a Superhero?” The book (subtly) answers: “Too high for anyone to ever pay, because in real life, people suck. No one will offer a helping hand, even to a superhero like Kick-Ass. Because not only do people suck, but life sucks too.” Mark Millar wants us to understand that nobody’s tried being a Superhero because the good guys don’t really exist, only the villains.

The film takes this and turns it around, saying “the reason why there aren’t any good people in the world is because no-one stands up for each other.” Kick-Ass is the one person willing to put his life on the line. Sure he has a silly costume and can’t fight his way out of a cardboard box, but he’s got the heart to do the right thing. I believe the movie takes the question “What is the cost of being a Superhero?” and answers “The cause is noble, but the cost is high. And very few are willing to make the sacrifice.” – A realistic note, but not an utterly hopeless one.

The comic (by Mark Millar) was written at the same time as the movie script (Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn), letting each project develop into its own work. So really, the film doesn’t have to be “faithful” to the feel of the comic at all. Millar commented on the lighter feeling of the film, saying Vaughn had “made a chick flick” by focusing more on the characters emotions and softening some of their rough edges. But I disagree with Mark Millar. His comic made me laugh, but I never emotionally connected to the characters. If Millar’s comic had been directly transferred to film, I would’ve had a good time but ultimately left feeling empty and depressed. (I’d probably have given it 3 Zipped Lips). But in several sweeping scenes in the film, particularly the two mentioned above, director Matthew Vaughn had me by the heart. I’m glad Vaughn and Goldman cut the cynicism and decided to take Kick-Ass in a character focused, lighter, and more hopeful direction.

Rating: 4.5/5 Zipped Lips

Executed with just the right amount of humor and grit, Kick-Ass is a blast. This was pretty close to a 5 for me, but the violence and language “shock factor” are pretty high here. Kick-Ass definitely appeals to a limited audience. If the title didn’t warn you, I will: this movie is seriously not for kids.

Kick-Ass: Graphic Novel and Expectations for the Upcoming Movie

I was browsing through the Graphic Novel section at Borders last week, and couldn’t help but notice a solid black hardcover with the yellow print Kick-Ass on the side.  I’d seen the trailers for the film version, heard about the comic, but never seen it in stores before.   After weighing my options between Wanted, Kick-Ass, and adding another Batman comic to my already Batman dominated bookshelf, I just had to see what Kick-Ass was all about.  Written by Mark Millar (Wanted, Civil War) and Penciled by John Romita Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man, and anything Marvel), Kick-Ass delivers humor, excitement, profanity, and buckets of blood.  Everything you’d expect from the title, huh?  I’ve seen the movie Wanted (never read it), but noticed some similarities in the story and writing style.

(If you’ve seen the movie trailer, then I won’t be giving anything away in this plot synopsis.)
Kick-Ass features a pathetically normal teenage boy who’s bored to death with his pathetically normal life.  Dave Lizewski lives with his single dad, crushes on his biology teacher, fakes being gay in order to hang out with the class hottie, and comic-books are his only source of inspiration.  But one day he’s just lonely enough to do something about it: he makes himself a superhero costume.  And gets his butt kicked.  Repeatedly.  The ironic thing is the superhero Kick-Ass seems to do just the opposite of his name.  He doesn’t have any powers, he isn’t a skilled combatant, he isn’t good at anything, he’s just a kid with a heart big enough to put on a mask and do some good.  Fortunately for him, one of his successful endeavors is witnessed, videotaped, and ends up on YouTube.  Quickly turning into a cultural phenomenon, Kick-Ass becomes the very first superhero with his own MySpace page.  Trying to live up to his ideals, the young vigilante ends up with more than he can handle.  His endeavors cause several new masked heroes to follow in his footsteps.  Where Kick-Ass draws the line at, well, kicking ass, Hit-Girl and Big Daddy begin systematically executing the mob.  In way over his head, teenage Dave Lizewski has to simply survive in the world he created.

Since I’d seen the movie trailers, I felt like Kick-Ass didn’t pack the same effect it could have.  A great deal of its excitement and intrigue comes from the appearance of other masked vigilantes.  Hit-Girl and Red Mist’s appearance could have been a great surprise, but I expected it.  It was still enjoyable, but I wasn’t really surprised by much until the final act (the part not covered in the trailer).  Yeah, yeah, perhaps I’m being a troll, but I just like being SURPRISED okay?  I purposefully avoided all the Watchmen trailers before I had finished reading the graphic novel, and will continue to do the same whenever possible.  It doesn’t help that in the past few years trailers have been insistent on literally outlining the first two acts of the plot (Hancock being a good example).  I did really enjoy Kick-Ass, but I think I would have liked it more not knowing where it was headed.

Kick-Ass is nicely set in modern times, featuring references to YouTube, MySpace, the TV show Heroes, and plenty of fanboy jokes.  Mark Millar sure knows his superheroes, mentioning everyone from Batman to Green Goblin.  We get Hit-Girl using a famous battle cry from The Fantastic Four and Red Mist patrolling in his Mustang while listening to Danny Elfman.  Kick-Ass isn’t just for fanboys, it’s written by one too.  The artwork is fantastic.  Since John Romita Jr. did so much work with Amazing Spider-Man, his style suits the “Peter Parker fanboy” feel extremely well.

I’d love to tell you that Kick-Ass is a great story about a goodhearted fanboy who lives out his dream by putting on a mask.  Well, okay, maybe I could tell you that.  What I couldn’t tell you is that Kick-Ass is a clean, heartwarming, fun for the whole family “with great power comes great responsibility” type thing, cause it’s totally not.  Kick-Ass is brutal.  The profanity is frequent, the dialog perverse, the violence frequent, and the gore in buckets.  The dialog captures how teenagers (and the mob) really talk, peppering their conversations with frequent f-bombs and colorful metaphors.  I’m used to action and violence in my graphic novels, but Kick-Ass takes it to a whole new level with decapitations, broken body parts, disembowelment’s, and the cliché “brains blown out”.  Gore is all over the fight scenes.  But this is the point; Kick-Ass doesn’t hold anything back.  It’s visceral.

I enjoyed Kick-Ass, I really did.  I liked the story of an ordinary kid who puts on a mask and tries to do some good.  I liked how his adventures develop from stopping graffiti artists to a head on collision with the mob.  The character development is captivating and the setting unique.  But its adult content is just not my cup of tea.  I don’t mind the blood and violence of a superhero plot like The Dark Knight Returns, but the frequent f-words, occasional nudity, and several over-the-top-gory deaths went beyond what I wanted.  Sure, somebody can get executed by a bullet to the brain, but do we need to see a closeup of it happening?  There’s just too much mature content for me to recommend Kick-Ass to the average comic book fan.

What to expect from the Movie:

Despite my complaints about spoilers earlier, Kick-Ass does have a pretty sweet trailer.

Drawing upon my experience with the movie Wanted, Kick-Ass is another staple of Mark Millar.  He sets up a pathetically normal guy who is just so bored with life that he’s ready to do something legendarily stupid.  Like join a league of assassins, or here, putting on a superhero mask.  The dialog is profane and the violence is stylized with lots of blood, but there’s a unique quality about it.  It follows this ordinary kid into a world where he tries to make a difference.  There’s enough realism to keep you thinking “hey, that could be me”, but enough style to hold you in awe.  His writing and pacing are all very good, and it looks like Kick-Ass will make the transfer from comic book to silver screen very well.

The movie is directed by Matthew Vaughn (Director: Stardust. Producer: Snatch), who is relatively new to directing but after Stardust I think he’s got the charm to pull off Kick-Ass. There’s a whole list of writers here, but with Mark Millar on the team, I’m sure the script is good.  In fact, the movie rights to Kick-Ass were sold before the first issue was even published.  Looks like Mark Millar knew this was going to be film-worthy.
Though mostly unfamiliar, the cast looks like a riot.  This could be the first movie where fanboys actually like Nicolas Cage as a superhero.  Aaron Johnson has the perfect voice for Dave (Kick Ass) Lizewski, and Chloe Moretz appears absolutely vicious as HitGirl.  Christopher Mintz-Plasse (McLovin) is a fantastic choice for Red-Mist.  I’m very pleased with the casting here.

With McLovin in the cast, it’s no surprise that the movie trailers have people thinking Kick-Ass is just Superbad with masks.  Or maybe whoever made Mystery Men saw The Watchmen and got an idea for a comedy.  This is definitely not the case, and it sure ain’t Superbad OR Mystery Men. If you’re considering seeing Kick-Ass, I highly recommend watching the Red Band trailers first.  There is a level of profanity and violence to Kick-Ass that you don’t get to see in the regular trailers.  Due to the R-rated content, I won’t post a link to the Redband trailer here.  Oh come on, you’re gonna get mad at me because I didn’t post a link?  Are you really so lazy that you can’t just type “Kick-Ass Red Band Trailer” into a google search?  Okay, kidding aside, the two Red Band trailers give you a much better idea of what the movie is going to be like.  And from what I see in the trailer, it looks like the violence has been taken up a notch from the graphic novel but the excessive blood removed.

To sum it up: Kick-Ass isn’t for the faint hearted in either its book and movie form.  It’s humorous and gritty and shameless fanboy birthday cake.  I’m expecting to walk out of Kick-Ass feeling thoroughly entertained but possibly like my brain needs a moist towelette.