Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Aaron Johnson, Nicholas Cage, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Screenplay: Matthew Vaughn &Jane Goldman
Running time: 117 min
Rating: MA
****/*****
IT KICK'S ASS!
Superheros, caped crusaders, masked avengers, latex wearing super studs. Why is it that these paragons of righteous humanity only exist in our dreams? The main point of Kick Ass is to show us that superheroes don’t exist in our modern world for a very good reason. Kick Ass is a parody of the insanely popular comic book adaptations that have been bombarding our theatres since the release of Spiderman back in 2001. The satirical elements of the film seem to be lost on a large number of critics who have branded the film with all kinds of damaging labels; ‘exploitative’, ‘gratuitously violent’, and ‘politically incorrect’ to name but a few. Of course Kick Ass is all of these things. But the film has a different motive for being so than your normal run of the mill action pick.
Kick Ass tells the story of Dave Lizewski, an avid comic book fan who wonders why no-one has ever thought of becoming a superhero? The constantly unnoticed and downtrodden Dave decides to do what others only dream of and create a crime fighting alter ego Kick Ass. Dave soon realises that being a superhero is harder than he thought, especially after only narrowly escaping with his life on many occasions. Dave’s problems escalate when Mafia kingpin Frank D’Amico thinks Kick Ass is behind a slew of recent drug busts that is actually the work of real vigilantes Big Daddy and Hit Girl.
Unlike most comic book adaptations Kick Ass does not glorify violence. The graphic nature of the fight scenes serve to humanize the actions. They do not appear heroic, just a big bloody mess. The film also explores the consequences of violence. Every time our hero engages in a battle he is beaten to a bloody pulp and only narrowly escapes with his life.
Most of the flack received by the film centre’s around the character of eleven year old, foul mouthed vigilante Hit Girl. Why exactly is it that this character has received condemnation from family groups worldwide, especially since the MA 15+ film has never been marketed as anything less than strictly adult entertainment? Sure Hit Girl is like a pint sized Rambo, but is she any more disturbing than the mass murdering, psychopathic child in Orphan? The sociopathic, serial killer played by Macaulay Culkin in The Good Soon? A callous, bloodthirsty Kirsten Dunst in Interview with the Vampire? There are countless other examples of child exploitation, but Kick Ass seems to be the film taking the beating. The fact that director Matthew Vaughn is making the point that Hit Girl is a product of our increasingly violent culture seems to be lost on most naysayers. He makes the statement that superhero films glorify violence so much that in our society it is perfectly within the realms of possibility for an eleven year old to wish for guns and knives for her birthday.
Kick Ass is a rollicking good farce and anyone who attempts to view it as a straight up action film is going to have trouble. It successfully pokes fun at many generic superhero conventions; the death of a parent, the arrival of a superpower (which in Dave’s case is a slightly heightened ability to take pain due to nerve damage sustained in a fight), the superhero costume ( a green scuba suit which Dave attempts to wear underneath his clothes at all times), the training regime, the nerd boy who likes popular girl, the showdown and the inevitable sequel setup.
The cast is exceptional. Nicholas Cage gives his best performance in years as Big Daddy, Chloe Moretz almost steals the film as Hit Girl, Christopher Mintz- Plasse brings the laughs as Red Mist and Mark Strong delivers another exceptional villain. The film’s star Aaron Johnson continues to show his versatility as an actor, possessing the humility to make Dave pathetic enough that the audience just can’t help but root for him.
Kick Ass is a unique film that deserves to find a large audience. Here’s hoping that audiences will get past the controversy and be able to view the film for the delightful romp that it is. FOUR OUT OF FIVE STARS
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