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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Kick-Ass (Review)



I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect walking in to this movie. It’s advertised as an R-rated superhero movie, I had heard it was violent and foul-mouthed. Still, I was entirely unprepared for what I was about to watch. What followed was a two hour roller coaster ride that was not always pleasant, and certainly flawed, but was so incredibly over-the-top and full of energy that you cannot help but give in to this film.

So what is the reason for this madness? Young comic book addict Dave Lizewski (played by rising star Aaron Johnson, who’s British, go figure) spends a lot of time wondering why no one has tried to be a superhero. He decides to give it a try himself, but he soon discovers he is way over his head. In fact, it turns out there is a father-daughter duo who has already beat him to the punch. They go by the names of Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage, as good as he’s been in a while) and Hit Girl (13 year old Chloe Moretz, who is terrifying in all the right ways). They go around slaughtering bad guys left and right, leaving Dave, or Kick-Ass, feeling inadequate.

The difference between Kick-Ass and the Big Daddy/Hit Girl team is that Kick-Ass has become an internet phenomenon despite not really doing anything, while Big Daddy and Hit Girl work in relative anonymity. The main crime boss in their city, Frank D’Amico, believes Kick-Ass to be the one brutally murdering his men. D’Amico is determined to kill Kick-Ass, so he recruits his son, played by McLovin’ himself Christopher Mintz-Plasse, to disguise himself as a superhero and lure in Kick-Ass to his doom. Let’s put it this way: you know a movie is weird when Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays the most dramatic character, and boy does he pull it off.

One of the things that pleasantly surprised me here was that it took its sweet time setting up the action. Most of the film is exposition, but it works. I expected a conventional superhero origin plotline, but I got anything but. Kick-Ass is not a determined superhero but a geek that isn’t prepared for what is coming his way. Most of the characters here are surprisingly dense, and there is a motivation for every action.

Whether one likes or despises this film lives and dies with whether you can live with Hit Girl, a young girl who slaughters dozens of people and cusses like a sailor. If you can live with it, you will be likely to enjoy this film. If it rubs you the wrong way, walk away, and for the love of God stop complaining. There is one scene towards the end when I feel it goes a little too far, but for the most part I felt fine with her character.

Perhaps my biggest problem with the film is the multiple changes in tone throughout the second half. The first hour is nearly all comedy, but the second half bounces around far too frequently. It never COMPLETELY loses its sense of fun, but at times it got a bit too heavy for its own good. It's sort of like a superhero version of Fight Club, but not handled quite as well. Also, the ending is far too obvious in its hints at a sequel. It’s not even a hint, it’s basically saying “come back next time!” There are worse things in life, but unless it is required in a larger story, such transparency is unnecessary. This is a beef I referenced in my review of Clash of the Titans.

You have to have thick skin to enjoy this movie, as I’ve said before. The violence here is often extreme, with blood splattering everywhere with almost every gunshot. It is cartoonish, and sometimes you have to decide between laughing and cringing. There was a group of guys in the back of my theater who were far too easily amused, and they laughed at every death. Sometimes, frankly, that disturbed me. However, I don’t know if my enjoyment was dependant on theirs, but either way, the crowd had a good time. If you leave your morals at the door for two hours, you can’t help but just enjoy the over-the-top 12 year old boy superhero fantasy that is Kick-Ass.

Rating: (out of 4)

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