Kick-Ass (Review Part 1 of 2)
Kick-Ass is an interesting take on the superhero/crime-fighting genre. The movie isn’t as compelling or profound as The Watchmen, but it still retains the gritty feel of that movie. Kick-Ass is part parody, teen comedy and straight action movie. While I question some of the principles of the movie, it still comes across as an enjoyable story.
Director Matthew Vaughn does a pretty good job giving us a twisted world. Vaughn’s style is fairly straightforward. While many of his “character” moments come across as dry, his action scenes are entertaining in a very videogame way.
Aaron Johnson fills in as the standard nerd-hero type with great ease. While some of the stuff involving his normal life feels clichéd, it is all the scenes with him becoming a superhero that makes up from the dull stuff. Johnson is rather amusing posing in front of the mirror in his outfit. And, he’s very convincing in the second night out saving a victim’s life.
Kick-Ass takes a beating from a group of thugs, but stands his ground. He will not let them continue to beat up the victim. But, he isn’t exactly skillful enough to fully beat them either. It is this blind recklessness that makes the Kick-Ass character an interesting watch. While we don’t fully explore why he keeps doing the hero stuff, it is certainly a fun ride.
I felt the friendship between Red Mist and Kick-Ass probably needed more screen time. From what I can gather from research, the comic book explored their friendship a bit more than the film. If we got more of their friendship, it would make Red Mist’s betrayal even more stinging. Christopher Mintz-Plasse is good in the role of Red Mist, but I wanted more from this character. Did Red Mist feel some agony over the big betrayal?
I also enjoyed the interaction between Kick-Ass and his superhero counterparts, such as Hit Girl and Big Daddy. These characters also have a Watchmen vibe to them.
Speaking of Watchmen, this movie could very well fit right into the universe of Watchmen in design and storyline.
Nicolas Cage has one really cool scene where he takes on a room full of henchmen in his Big Daddy suit. While in the suit, his mannerism and acting area clear references to Adam West and his Batman role. Cage is a better fit here than in the dreadful Ghost Rider. On the surface, the Batman-like Big Daddy is a badass character.
Yet, is Damon Macready (Big Daddy) really someone we’re supposed to be cheering for? The scene I mentioned above leads us to believe so. Yet, he does something so horrible that I have to question that notion.
In the second part, I will get into one of the most controversial aspects of the movie…that involving Hit-Girl.
End of Part 1
Notes:
-Bear Nanny-Cam: I’ve watched two movies back to back that both had hidden teddy bears with cameras hidden with them. (Kick-Ass and Cop Out)
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