Kick-Ass | Review
There’s really nothing to complain about “Kick-Ass” at all! The movie moves along at a constant pace – there’s never a dull part or dead spot. The movie’s full of excitement the whole entire time. The concept of “Kick-Ass” in general is pretty cool, and how the filmmakers successfully pulled a movie like this out is amazing. Movies such as “Kick-Ass,”where the action is crazy, stylized, unrealistic and/or meant to be satirical, can easily fail and suck ass. For example, “300”. But sometimes, crazy movies like that can be really good, such as “Kick-Ass.”
One of the most important things that I like about “Kick-Ass” is the fact that it’s one of the most realistic depictions of superheroes in the real-world I’ve ever seen in a movie, disregarding the over-the-top action of course. There have been other superhero films that deal with real-life reactions to superheroes, but they’re not as realistic as “Kick-Ass.” “Hancock” was one of the closest, where his crime-fighting cause millions of dollars in damages daily, and he eventually goes to jail for it. “The Incredibles” also depicted real-life scenerios, as well, where their damages from crime-fighting caused them to go in hiding and live normal lives. I would say “The Dark Knight” is the most realistic, and to an extent, it is. But “Kick-Ass” is more realistic because the things Batman uses in “The Dark Knight” aren’t real; Batman’s tank, the special cape, etc. “Kick-Ass” takes the “real-life” aspect of the superhero genre to the next level. The weapons and such the superheroes in “Kick-Ass” use are things bought from eBay. Unlike most superhero films, like “Hancock” and “The Incredibles,” “Kick-Ass” doesn’t involve any superhero with superpowers. The superheroes are just regular American citizens who buy materials to help them in their crime-fighting. They have real pain and injuries. The real-world can be an extremely dangerous place for superheroes, especially when they’re just regular people. “Kick-Ass” depicts what can happen to people when they try to become superheroes – there’s a part in the movie where a person dressed up as a superhero is severely beaten up and killed. Many people in the world have guns, many crimes are caused with guns, and guess what? No one is bullet-proof. That’s why it’s so dangerous.
In “Kick-Ass” the main character is severely beaten up or near-death many, many times. These scenes are really brutal and hard to watch. The scenes are extremely realistic and accurately show what can happen to people if they try to be superheroes in the real world. I was legitimately concerned for ‘Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Johnson).
Now, aside from the realistic aspect of “Kick-Ass,” I also liked the different characters within the film. ‘Big Daddy’ (Nicholas Cage) and ‘Hit Girl’ (Chloe Moretz) are a bad-ass father-daughter crime-fighting duo. For the first half of the movie, their scenes are full of hilarious crime-fighting stunts and dialogue. They’re definitely the coolest characters in the movie. ‘Red Mist’ (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is another character in the film. From the trailers, I thought I knew what the character was going to be like. I thought he was just going to be another guy inspired by ‘Kick-Ass’ to fight crime, and thus becomes another “superhero” within the movie. However, his character is much more than that. That’s what I like about the characters – each one is more than what they seem to be. ‘Big Daddy’ has an interesting back-story revealed in the middle of the movie. A small part of the movie discusses ‘Hit Girl’s’ life and how she should be living a normal, 13-year-old girl life, and how she currently isn’t. ‘Red Mist’ has an interesting connection to a certain important character in the film, and has a very important role in the end of the movie, which hints at the sequel.
Nicholas Cage is a very mixed actor. Either you love him or you hate him. Many of my friends, and myself included, dislike him. I think he’s a strange actor and that he’s in a lot of terrible movies. At the same time he’s in some really good movies, so I guess he’s just a strange actor in that there are specific roles that he can pull off extremely well. For example, he was in the horrible “Ghost Rider” movie, in the okay “National Treasure” films and “Knowing,” and in critically-acclaimed “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.” Nicholas Cage definitely pulls off his character, ‘Big Daddy,’ nicely. I read that Brad Pitt was considered for the role, but I don’t think Pitt would’ve been as great as Cage in the role. Also, like I said, ‘Big Daddy’ is a badass character, and one of my favorites in the film, but I only wish he were more involved in the movie. ‘Big Daddy’ has some important roles in it, but he’s not in the movie a lot, to me. At least the film included a scene in the middle of the movie where ‘Big Daddy’ beats up a bunch of guys in a warehouse single-handedly, though. That scene was really cool.
‘Hit Girl’ is a really cool character because she totally kicks ass, and the fact that a little girl is beating the shit out of adults is down-right hilarious. There’s a scene in the film where ‘Hit Girl’ is driving, and the mood was supposed to be dramatic after a particular incident in the film. But the fact that SHE was driving just flipped the mood and made it kinda funny. I just like how the movie can sneak up on us with these hilarious jokes or scenes.
I have to say, to conclude, that “Kick-Ass” is one of the best films of 2010. The film packs in humor, drama, and stylized drama all in one. It’s everything a successful movie CAN have, and it successfully kept me entertained throughout the entire thing. Two thumbs up! 4 Kents out of 4! Wooh! Btw, I’m definitely gonna buy the movie when it comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray August 3. Also, the DVD and Blu-Ray cover is badass!