To say I'd been looking forward to
Kick-Ass might be a bit of an understatement. The viral ad campaign started well over 5 months ago, with posters, teasers, and clips being brandished everywhere like some cheap Danish hooker. I'm all for getting psyched about a film, but 5 months is a long time to wait, especially when you're someone like me who can barely wait for popcorn to pop. And in fact, I can only say it would damage a film to have such high doses of hype - which only really pay off when the film is as awesome as
The Dark Knight or
Avatar, for example. Luckily the film definitely lives up to the hype.
Tonally, the film is very similar to the graphic novel that bore it. Neither comic parody of the superhero story, nor a sincere reinvention of the genre. But instead it lies somewhere inbetween, and acts more as an affectionate love letter to the genre, with many subtle references and pastiches. The story does, however, differ in a few areas from the comic; some beneficial, some inexplicable. The dialogue has been cleaned up a bit, and characters appear to have been re-written to allow for a broader appeal. Where the comic tried to conceal a lot of the plot twists and motives for the characters, the film has a more straight-edged narrative that doesn't stray too far from the Hollywood conventions. Which is a shame, but is only a minor cripe with this highly enjoyable film.
The best thing about the movie is undeniably the cast of young and exciting new talent. Aaron Johnson plays the lead as hapless and socially awkward teenager, Dave Lizewski, who is turned into an overnight internet sensation when he decides to don a scuba diving outfit and become his crime fighting alter-ego, Kick Ass. Appearing in 90% of the scenes, he really carries the film as the easily identifiable loser figure - a knowing homage to Stan Lee's Peter Parker. With his instant fame, inevitable copy cat superheroes start popping up, most notably Red Mist, played by McLovin... I mean Christopher Mintz-Plasse. He is predictably great as the rather emo/gay looking (if ambiguously motivated) crime fighter. But I get the feeling he may be following in similar footsteps to fellow Superbad actor, Michael Cera, by not attempting any highly differential roles.
No matter how great these roles are, the real star of the show is Chloe Moretz's Hit Girl; a 12 year old merchant of death. This is where
Kick-Ass will split audiences. If you think a foul mouthed prepubescent girl who wears a purple wig and can wield a Samurai sword with deathly accuracy is a stroke of genius, you will love this movie. Otherwise, you might find the whole thing a bit morally questionable. Luckily, I found myself in the former category, with her action scenes being the most memorable in the film. It should also be noted that Nicolas Cage once again proves that he does make good films every now and then, as Hit Girl's violence-loving father, Big Daddy. The only weak link in the cast is a surprising one, Mark Strong as the story's villain, Frank D'Amico. Surprising because he's so fantastic as the villain in
Sunshine, but he just lacks any sort of personality in
Kick-Ass, especially when compared to the other somewhat 'colourful' characters in the story.
Whilst I can't predict this to be a boxoffice smash (not helped by the misleading marketing campaign), it's got 'Cult Film' written all over it, and will bound to be the launching pad for many of it's stars. What it lacks in intelligent satire of a hackneyed genre, it more than makes up for in entertainment. Just don't take your Daily Mail loving Nan to see it.
And yes, I am aware this blog is not really about Canada now. Deal with it.
