Kick-Ass (2010) (R)Directed by Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Mark Strong
Kick-Ass is a superhero movie of a different kind. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it. This movie definitely showed me why I don’t want to be a hero. I think the main character figured out why no one wants to be a superhero after all the things he went through. For all that don’t know what Kick-Ass is about, I shall give a summary.
One day this guy, who is low on the chopping block in high school, asked why doesn’t any one try to be a superhero? So he decides he wants to become a superhero himself. At the beginning, the kid stinks at saving anyone, but then he helps this guy out who’s being chased by a gang. A group of kids catch the action on tape, and now everyone is out to find the identity of the masked superhero.
But when trouble finds Kick-Ass, who is there to save him? None other than Nicholas Cage and his ninja daughter Chloe Moretz. I’ve always loved Nicholas Cage. He hasn’t been in a good movie in forever. The last good movie I saw with him in it was Face Off. I loved that movie. Him and John Travolta were amazing. I also loved Chloe Moretz in (500) Days of Summer. She was so knowledgeable about relationships, and so very funny in that movie. So when I saw the trailer for this movie I was all gung-ho for it.
This movie was another movie that had put a strange twist to superheroes around the world. Hellboy and Watchmen were other movies that did the same. But in their case, they tried to say that not all superheroes were wanted, and had as much drama as a soap opera. Kick-Ass was trying to show you what would happen if the average man tried to be Superman.
Kick-Ass did a pretty good job at what they were trying to put across. The only complaint I have with this movie is that they left it at a cliffhanger when they didn’t have to. After all you could have left at the first ending instead of going back and saying "oh by the way were going to have a sequel with this guy". I still suggest this movie if you’re sick and tired of the same old super hero movie. This movie is definitely a different sort of hero.
Rating for Kick-Ass: ***1/2.
Daddy Says:
Kick-Ass was arguably the most divisive film to be released in the last year. Many people loved it's comic book style. Just as many loathed its portrayal of children both dealing out and being the recipient of some very graphic violence. I tended to see both sides while watching it, and thus fall somewhere in the middle.
The best performance in the film is from 13-year-old Chloe Moretz playing the 11-year-old Hitgirl. With contagious enthusiasm, she throws herself into the role, completely believable as the little girl raised to be a murderous crime-fighting force by her "Big Daddy" Nicolas Cage. Cage, who I find mildly annoying in most of his roles, is quite enjoyable here playing an Adam West version of Batman to his little girl's Robin. I also liked that when he gets in his Big Daddy costume to go fight crime, he adds adhesive extensions to the mustache he wears in everyday life.
I'm a big fan of John Woo's films, with The Killer being one of my all-time favorite movies. Woo's name pops up when Hitgirl is being quizzed by her father, and the final showdown between Hitgirl and a slew of goons references his stylistic gun battles. The difference here, of course, is that the person doing the killing is a child. It's very easy to root for her to take out the bad guys. They're so broadly sketched that they don't seem like they're real people. It's also just as hard not to feel bad when things go wrong for her, because we've come to see her as a real flesh & blood little girl. I know it's supposed to be a "comic book" movie, but the film also tries to seem realistic for the most part so the message is mixed. If it looked more like a comic book, the way Sin City looked like its source material, I think it would have been easier to overlook the child violence.
I enjoyed the film for the most part, even with the child violence, so if a "graphic novel"-type movie interests you, I'd say you'll enjoy this, at least for a night's rental.
Rating for Kick-Ass: ***3/4.
I hate movies that put children in harms way. That is way I will NEVER watch Titanic again. I know the boat sank, I know there were children on board, I did NOT have see a mom put her children to bed knowing they were going to die. Sorry, I got lost there. Having said that, I didn't mind this one. Hopefully, I won't give too much away, but let me just say as a parent I feel I must protect my children. This little girl can protect herself. She is lovable and sweet, but she is strong (stronger than the teenage boy in the movie). I don't ever feel she is in over her head or in any real life threatening danger. I feel she can get herself out of every situation and will be fine. She also was more "comic book" than any other character in the movie. Maybe Daddy needs to watch it again and then I think he will see it. Oh, I did leave toward the end of the movie, but not because I was bothered by the movie (I was getting hungry).
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