MARV Studios – UK/US – 117 Minutes
Creating a new comic book is no easy task. Creating one which can compete in a market populated by the omnipresent staples of the big houses, DC and Marvel, is near impossible. You have to do something different, especially if you’re planning on entering the superhero genre. Even still, that’s exactly what Mark Millar set about doing when creating Kick-Ass, the story of an average guy’s attempts at becoming a superhero. The big-screen adaptation, written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (the same team that adapted Neil Gaiman’s novel Stardust in 2007) and directed by Vaughn, shared a symbiotic relationship with the comic book rarely seen, as both were developed at the same time. The result being that the film is also not your usual superhero fare.
The plot is centered on Dave Lizewski (Nowhere Boy’s Aaron Johnson), a more-average-than-average high school kid and comic book fan, who ponders why no one in real-life has ever attempted to be a superhero like the characters he reads about. Despite his friends’ opinions on the matter (that you would have to be a “psycho” to attempt it), he buys a costume online and starts his career as a crime fighter, calling himself ‘Kick-Ass’.
After an inauspicious start, Kick-Ass becomes an internet sensation when he intervenes in a gang fight and several onlookers post it on YouTube. This brings him to the attention of Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), an actual father-and-daughter crime fighting team who specialize in delivering vigilante justice, particularly to the heavies of local mob boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) . After Kick-Ass stumbles upon one of the duo’s outings, D’Amico mistakenly believes him to be the thorn in his side and sets out to capture him, with a scheme from his eager-to-please son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who creates his own alter-ego ‘Red Mist’ to gain his trust.
What sets Kick-Ass apart from the countless other superhero films is it’s gleeful willingness to break the boundaries which usually restrict them, lest they tempt the fanboys’ wrath. This is Batman without the burden of morals. This is Spider-Man without the existential crisis. This is Watchmen very much without the social commentary. That’s not to say Kick-Ass bounces along in a frenzy, with it’s tongue firmly in it’s cheek. Far from it. In a surprisingly startling scene depicting Kick-Ass’ first foray into vigilantism, it is clear that there is peril here. Our hero is not infallible, the jeopardy is tangible.
Much owes to Vaughn’s direction, as he refuses to lazily bundle together one action set-piece after another. The tension is ramped up with each fracas, resulting in the viewer feeling personally invested in the characters’ respective fates. Vaughn homages, intentionally or otherwise, are to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Zack Snyder, not in the hope of throwing everything at it and seeing what sticks, but rather to keep the action fresh and relevant for those watching. Various techniques are employed throughout the entire film, from slo-mo to comic-book flourishes to, in one inspired sequence, well… let’s just say if you’re a Call of Duty fan you’ll love it.
Ably supporting Vaughn is his cast. Johnson makes a great focal point for the film, the hinge on which the lunacy swings; Strong provides the required menace to play a bad guy with presence; Nic Cage is back on form, channeling one-part Adam West, one-part John Walton Sr. and one-part Harry Callahan. However the two stand-outs are Mintz-Plasse, whose depth of conflict in Chris D’Amico should finally enable him to escape McLovin, and particularly Chloe Moretz. Much press has been given to the character of Hit Girl, with sensationalists everywhere kicking up a venomous stink not even seen by the likes of Hostel. That aside, Moretz’ portrayal is nothing short of astonishing. Her Hit Girl is a foul-mouthed whirlwind of deadly force, but we never forget that essentially she’s still a young girl. Moretz is the heart and fist of the film and will be it’s breakout star.
If there is one flaw in Kick-Ass, it’s that the obligatory climactic set-piece is a slight disappointment, it should be the show-stopper but unfortunately it isn’t on a par with the melees that came before it. That, however, really is nit-picking a film which rarely puts a foot wrong. Even it’s soundtrack (which should be a must-have for all) is pitch-perfect.
9 out of 10
What did you think of Kick-Ass?