Kick-Ass is insane, hilarious and downright impressive. Similar to last year’s Watchmen, it takes the tropes and conventions of the superhero genre and turns it on its ear. And though the film is never quite as sharp or refined as Watchmen, it does its predecessor justice, surpassing nearly every film it pokes fun at it.
Ever wonder why no one has ever tried to be a superhero before? It’s a question Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) poses. Dave is the nerdy protagonist: he reads comic books, isn’t popular and as usual, has a girl of his dreams who doesn’t know he exists. No that’s wrong, it’s worse. She thinks he’s gay.
Anyway, Dave decides it’s time someone try their hand at crime fighting. And so he throws on a crappy costume, ready to clean up the streets; but it doesn’t go exactly as planned. He faces the logical repercussions, has to deal with thugs and mobsters and even runs into real superheroes: Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz).
The whole concept is both simple and brilliant: the real-life scenario of becoming a superhero. It’s a wish fulfillment shown in the most realistic way possible. And while Kick-Ass certainly isn’t “realistic” (there’s plenty of wonderful ridiculousness), it does cover quite well the ramifications and the process of becoming a superhero in a very grounded way. Would a teen get an Iron Man-esque suit? No, they’d be wearing a C-level costume like the one Dave wears in the film. Would their encounters be violent? Yes, and the film showcases the violent nature of the idea behind superheroes with an unflinching eye.
Writer/Director Matthew Vaughn is set to become one of the most geek-loved directors working today. With the excellent Brit gangster pic Layer Cake, the very good Neil Gaiman adaptation Stardust and now this, it’s obvious he’s a talent to behold. And here he’s made something ballsy and unique. Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.‘s comic, though it be hilariously immature, is surpassed with Vaughn’s departures and additions.
Unlike most action films, every set piece Vaughn has crafted crescendos towards the finale. While all the action is great, it never shows the best early on. It moves upwards from there. The action follows the set pieces – it’s sad to say that’s such a rare thing in action movies, which are mostly consistently ludicrous. And, in fairness, at the end of this film it appears that Vaughn is trying to have his cake and eat it too. While trying to keep things grounded in reality, things are happening above and beyond the realm of ridiculous. It’s a fine line to walk and it loses touch with that more than once. It’s not a major problem, but it’s questionable with how they handle realism and fantasy.
Speaking of problems, are there that many? Yes. But, thankfully, they’re all minor. It mostly comes down to some of the relationship. There’s a rather half-baked subplot involving Big Daddy’s ex-partner. All of those scenes come off a tad dull and mishandled. In fact, a few of the relationships could have been tighter. Take Kick-Ass and Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse); not much time is spent on their dynamic, leaving their moments at the end a bit underutilized. Though Plasse and Johnson play off each other perfectly, their relationship pales in comparison to that of Big Daddy and Hit Girl. It’s disappointing considering how greatly Plasse and Johnson are together. But that will most likely go unnoticed, since many will note Big Daddy and Hit Girl as the highlight, which is understandable and true, thanks to Cage and Moretz’s standout turns.
Kick-Ass is left opened for a sequel and it feels one-hundred percent warranted. All the characters in this world fit just right, and most viewers will want to revisit this new and lovably crass universe. It’s a more than well done comic book satire.