So what comprises a great superhero movie?
Some would say, a satiating adaptation of comic book "x" with an even helping of action and suspense. Others would say just a fun escape with the weightlessness of flight like Superman with the agility of webslinging like Spiderman.
And still others want the more serious life lesson-type superhero movie that takes a political stance, i.e. Watchmen.
Kick Ass, the newest action hero movie to hit the big screen comprises all of the above, but takes it up a notch. With an R-rating, Nicholas Cage in one of his most humorous roles to date and a 13-year-old, Atlanta-born star named Chloe Moretz, the film takes a tired genre, and adds color where dark shadows usually descend.
To be honest, I really despised the notion of Kick Ass when I viewed the trailers. Blame it on the video editor, but what I saw in the previews, another wannabe superhero movie with no name stars and bad costumes, was not anything like what I watched while sitting in the theater.
With a Coca Cola to my left and some peanut M&M's to my right, I found myself chuckling at the way Cage portrayed Damon Macready, a vengeful, but loving father, as he trains his daughter to take a gun shot to the chest.
Try to paint this picture in your head: A grown man aiming a 9mm directly at his young daughter with a smile spread across his face. It's reckless, maybe a bit sadistic, but why am I laughing? I think the lunacy of it all is what makes this scene, and every scene of Kick Ass so shamelessly enduring.
(I'll go ahead and flash a spoiler alert here. If you don't want the scenes to be ruined for you, Do NOT continue reading. You have been warned!)
Now, where was I? Oh yeah.
And what about the scene where the film's main character, an unremarkable comic-obsessed high school dweeb named Dave Lizewski (played by newcomer Aaron Johnson) decides to clean up his neighborhood by putting on a green and yellow costume, and ends up getting stabbed in the gut during his first fore' into the world of super heroism. Ouch.
Kick Ass is graphic. Blood sprays across the screen about as much as the bad, flashy spandex costumes do.
We get kicks in the face. Shot guns through the cheek. Swords through the chest. Brass knuckles up the chin. Severed limbs. Bursting heads. Burning bodies. Must I go on?
And the culprit behind much of these killings isn't an emo-inspired McLovin' villain, or a bad Batman impersonating Damon Macready, superhero name Big Daddy. The real distributor of all things Kick Ass is Mindy Macready, the daughter of Big Daddy, a.k.a. Hit Girl, flashing her short purple wig and a bright pink belt full of deadly weapons. She is the epitome of girl power in miniature form.
In an all out brawl between Tarantino's Beatrix Kiddo and Kick Ass' Hit Girl, I'd stay on the fence (while covering my self in body armor.)
But this is why Kick Ass is such a psychotic film. When a 13-year-old girl is the bearer of all things deadly, the audience may wonder whether they should be rooting for this little cutie, or if they should be appalled and praying that the child can find her Barbie stash, drop the switchblades, and head outside for a tea party.
I actually don't give a shit. Movies are fantasy. Fantasies are fun. And Kick Ass is a great film to escape with. Just don't take your kids.
Putting the moral integrity of the film aside, another reason Matthew Vaughn's film works is because the plot is so engrossed in today's virtual, highly connected culture. If a young high school do-gooder were to attempt a life of crime fighting, I honestly believe this is how it would go down.
Someone would snap a photo or video the new hero, post it on Youtube, then BAM! Super hero Super stardom. If it worked for the annoying blonde gay dude who was upset about how the public was treating Britney, then it would definitely work for someone who is actually trying to make a difference in the world.
Kick Ass is a testament to the digital age. Exposing its shortcomings and making it painfully obvious that no matter if we like it or not, this is the direction we are headed, so let's make the most of it.
So, if you're looking for a good time at the movies without the little kiddies-- give Kick Ass a chance. It shocked the hell out of me, maybe it will do the same for you. Don't let that guy from Superbad dissuade you, he's actually kind of funny.
8.0/10
A not so bad trailer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zLsdBEsr90
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