At the core of almost every superhero tale are secret identities, super villains and their useless army of disposable henchmen, a hero coming of age or coming into their own, and some of the coolest accessories and weapons endless money can purchase.
Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass, based on the graphic comic of the same name, easily checks all these boxes and then by the power of You Tube turns an ordinary vulnerable geek dressed in a mail order scuba outfit into a worldwide sensation. He cannot walk through walls or fly, but he can kick your ass – or at least he thinks he can. That is more than the typical bystander who witnesses a crime and turns the other way rather than stand up and fight can say.
For the ever-expanding geek nation the world over, the story of Dave Lizewski’s (Aaron Johnson) rise from a comic book reading nobody to city savior Kick-Ass is a wet dream come true. Wooing the previously thought unapproachable girl, standing up to crime and making a difference; it’s enough excitement to make a virgin cry with jealousy.
There’s only caveat. Kick-Ass is not the one doing most of the ass kicking.
Lizewski spends the first third of the film learning the hard way that being a superhero in the real world can be “hazardous to your health” through a series of plodding trial and mostly error entanglements with non-law abiding citizens. His lack of strength, lethal weapons and skills are no match for knives and arms bigger than his legs.
Only when seconds from death does Kick-Ass meet the city’s self-qualified crime fighters, a father/daughter tandem named Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and 11-year old Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) who kill first and ask questions later. When Hit Girl introduces herself by spitting out arguably the most cursed word in the English language and proceeds to slice and dice grown men twice her size while her dad watches and critiques, it becomes clear that Kick-Ass will put its foot through any previously conceived notion of what a juvenile can or cannot do or say on film.
The argument could be raised that Hit Girl’s presence and behavior is merely for shock value, but there is a reason behind her malicious portrayal. This girl was not raised under what could be considered “normal circumstances.” She is her father’s daughter, for better or worse.
Without Hit Girl, Kick-Ass is a slightly above average coming of age story with a superhero twist and an indie feel. The cast, which also includes Mark Strong as the maniacal villain with little patience for failure and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as his son and nerdy superhero wannabe Red Mist, are all spot on in adding their own brand of eccentricity and humor.
Inserting a vigilante adolescent with a sailor’s mouth and assassin’s touch into the mix is what jolts Kick-Ass into another gear and separates it from every previously superhero movie. You may have seen Peter Parker trade in his glasses for red and blue tights, but you have never seen a pair of teenage boys cruising the street while dressed in superhero garb and smoking a joint.
Sound funny? Then Kick-Ass is calling your name.
– Dan Bradley
