A movie that lived up to its name eh?
What can I say? This movie really did Kicked Ass. Its hard not to describe this without resorting to its pun. Granted its initial concept for the big screen adaptation can go either way, either becomes really great or completely and utterly fail. When you have a movie (or a comic book) that is called "Kick-Ass", it has to have attitude, balls and no-nonsense humor and action or else that name would be meaningless. Fortunately this movie delivered on those things. But I should warn to the people who aren't familiar about the comics. Don't be fooled by its colorful and cutesy exterior. As funny and action-packed it is, it is very bloody, sexual-oriented and kinda controversial, something that is not really for kids. Especially when you're seeing a 11 year girl killing and maiming so many people in extreme fashion. It is one of the reasons I love the Crank movies, it doesn't give a crap from anyone and becomes a movie of its own. Anyway... with its awesome and (daresay again) ass-kicking action and its witty, subtle and even visual humor, this movie is the most fun you'll ever have this month.
It seems cool to walk outside in that costume.
Based on the comic books by Mark Millar, who also is responsible for Wanted (the graphic novel, not the movie based on the graphic novel... that movie is indeed crap), the film follows hormone-driven teenage boy, Dave who like every boy that grew up on comic books, wants to be a super hero. Thus fashion himself a suit and a baton and goes out into the city to fight crime under his superhero alias "Kick Ass". After some SERIOUS major hiccups, his performances are captured by teens on camera and gets uploaded on Youtube, thus turning him into an Internet phenomenon. This leads him into a dark and dangerous, yet funny game involving the crime mob and two highly skilled costume-wearing deadly vigilantes, Big Daddy and his 11-year-old daughter, Hit Girl.
Going for the same approach that is done with The Dark Knight and Watchmen as it takes superhero elements and grounded them in real world setting, addressing any nerdy hyped-up teenage boy's dream and fantasy of donning a cape and fight crime for real. For least, for realism, its action doesn't get away scott-free and gives out plenty of dire and deadly consequences from being almost dead at first attempt to bringing innocent people in the line of fire. With its dark element makes up with clever and dark humor, ranged from subtlety (the bazooka jokes are brilliant) to extreme visuals (bodies exploding and etc.). Violent humor that come off as cartoony and Tarantino-esque that you may feel guilty of laughing. I certainly don't.
The film however doesn't get away from the controversy it surrounds and this will indeed test the viewer's taste and perception in film. Having kids and teens killing people in bloody and brutal fashion while swearing like a sailor is enough for parents to be upset over. What I could say that all of these controversial elements would be meaningless if the acting, writing, action sequences and humor weren't done well. The great thing about Kick-Ass is that it doesn't heavily rely on the controversial shock values and offers so much, which is what some films fail on. Its writing, acting and direction are great enough to be something more decent and high class than an immature preteen boy's fantasy just like its bast*rd brother, Wanted.
This is one girl you better not f*ck with...
Aaron Johnson, (who was John Lennon in Nowhere Boy... interesting eh?) plays geeky Dave aka Kick-Ass and really holds his own as being likable and relatable for every other teenage boy and gives us enough to care for him when he's in dangerous and life-threatening situations. For Nicholas Cage, after being in many sucky films such as Bangkok Dangerous and Knowing, he has finally got himself in a good role, playing as the equally-crazy Big Daddy, who is very dangerous and yet "the kindest daddy in the whole world". Christopher Mintz-Plasse, who is forever known as McLovin, has some great scenes as Red-Mist and got some laughs out of it. Then there's Hit Girl, played by Chloe Moretz who came off from the brilliant 500 Days Of Summer and will appear in the Let The Right One In remake. You will fall in love with her, you'll solemnly vow to save yourself for her. For a tiny girl, you better not f*ck with her. And thankfully the film doesn't tone her down that much from the comic adaptation, which shows her even more sadistic than on film. She has shown herself to be strong female character with attitude and is completely refreshing from all of the other female characters in cinema. Oh and not forgetting Mark Strong, who is playing the baddy in the film and yet managed to deliver very funny lines.
The cinematography are nice and the soundtrack is carefully and cleverly selected. For Hit Girl's introduction, having the Banana Split Song by the Dickies played while she kills and maims a lot of drug dealers is pure gold. If I have to pick a few things I didn't like the movie, there are moments where things don't happen and the ending was kinda mediocre. It really did had a chance to establish great things about the world and mythology of superheroes, but they wrap it short and rush it out. That didn't actually remove any of my love for this film. That said, if you're one of those people who are really sensitive to violence and swearing and don't like the image of young kids killing, this movie is absolutely not for you. However does the controversy really demerits the quality and goal of the movie? No, not really. This is actually a fun, hilarious, energetic and (once again) ass-kicking film and comic book/superhero lovers or those who really like comedy will have a hell of a time. While not in the same caliber as the all-time brilliant The Dark Knight, it is among one of the great superhero movies out there. This movie is.... you know...
4 out of 5 stars
For more article and reviews by MaxJayJay:
check out http://maxjayjay.blogspot.com/
It seems cool to walk outside in that costume.
Based on the comic books by Mark Millar, who also is responsible for Wanted (the graphic novel, not the movie based on the graphic novel... that movie is indeed crap), the film follows hormone-driven teenage boy, Dave who like every boy that grew up on comic books, wants to be a super hero. Thus fashion himself a suit and a baton and goes out into the city to fight crime under his superhero alias "Kick Ass". After some SERIOUS major hiccups, his performances are captured by teens on camera and gets uploaded on Youtube, thus turning him into an Internet phenomenon. This leads him into a dark and dangerous, yet funny game involving the crime mob and two highly skilled costume-wearing deadly vigilantes, Big Daddy and his 11-year-old daughter, Hit Girl.
Going for the same approach that is done with The Dark Knight and Watchmen as it takes superhero elements and grounded them in real world setting, addressing any nerdy hyped-up teenage boy's dream and fantasy of donning a cape and fight crime for real. For least, for realism, its action doesn't get away scott-free and gives out plenty of dire and deadly consequences from being almost dead at first attempt to bringing innocent people in the line of fire. With its dark element makes up with clever and dark humor, ranged from subtlety (the bazooka jokes are brilliant) to extreme visuals (bodies exploding and etc.). Violent humor that come off as cartoony and Tarantino-esque that you may feel guilty of laughing. I certainly don't.
The film however doesn't get away from the controversy it surrounds and this will indeed test the viewer's taste and perception in film. Having kids and teens killing people in bloody and brutal fashion while swearing like a sailor is enough for parents to be upset over. What I could say that all of these controversial elements would be meaningless if the acting, writing, action sequences and humor weren't done well. The great thing about Kick-Ass is that it doesn't heavily rely on the controversial shock values and offers so much, which is what some films fail on. Its writing, acting and direction are great enough to be something more decent and high class than an immature preteen boy's fantasy just like its bast*rd brother, Wanted.
This is one girl you better not f*ck with...
I'm sorry, but you're still McLovin in my eyes...
4 out of 5 stars
For more article and reviews by MaxJayJay:
check out http://maxjayjay.blogspot.com/
