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May 5, 2010
One might be naïve enough to say it’s in the same vein as a Tarantino film, but that’s too high of a compliment for Kick-Ass. Director Matthew Vaughn (of Stardust fame) crafts a script along with Jane Goldman that isn’t anything special.
The film is based upon the graphic novel of same name, created by Mark Millar, who also created the graphic novel Wanted. Many similarities can be drawn between Kick-Ass and Wanted, especially in the “stylized violence” realm.
Vaughn served as producer of a few Guy Ritchie films such as Snatch and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. His “style” in Kick-Ass is strongly influenced by Ritchie’s, though not nearly as crafty.
Essentially, the film is about superheroes. Well, more like vigilantes. The storytelling is an attempted satire of previous costumed hero flicks like Spider-man. Whiny wimp Dave Lizewski, played by newcomer Aaron Johnson, attempts to be a masked hero named “Kick-Ass,” in NYC and endures much trouble. That’s about it. The ending is thoroughly violent and totally open for a $equel, oops, I mean sequel. Along the way Kick-Ass meets other vigilantes who work in the big city, and they turn out to be just as unreal and preposterous as “Kick-Ass”.
However, amidst the bland story lies the film’s only spark: Chloe Moretz. She was only twelve years old during filming and yet, her character’s actions are probably the biggest reason why this film garnered an “R” rating. Her character, a brainwashed psychotic killer cutely named “hit-girl,” represents a Lolita of the modern age. But beware, “hit-girl” has no inhibitions about chopping off limbs and skewering people. Herein lies the meat of the film: violence.
As a satirical contrast to regular hero films, Kick-Ass sets out to show that even the good guy gets his ass kicked from time to time. The fight scenes and gun battles are laden with blood and guts in a fashion that would make Sam Peckinpah proud. However, it seems as if, toward the end of the film, the violence becomes more and more unrealistic and unnecessary. The initial intentions of satire are lost in a sea of blood, butterfly knives and bazookas.
The dialogue, a mish-mash of how adults think teens talk, is bland. There are many unique situations in which witty banter could have helped the film, but no such banter was written.
The box-office has proved that Kick-Ass isn’t the next Zombieland, but listening to the students around campus, it seems Kick-Ass found an audience.
Verdict: D+
