The superhero movie has reached something of a stalemate of late, either being incredibly dark and ponderous, or so light and breezy they’ve tipped into farce, so Kick-Ass proposes something new – a film that’s character driven, balls-out action entertainment, loving homage, parody and which feels as if it’s doing something fresh and new. In the process it manages to get close to what many directors have spent the last few years trying to do, which is to actually feel like a comic – if a very violent and profane comic – while never forgetting it’s a film. It’s a joyful reminder that superhero movies can be extremely good without feeling the need to be portentous (in fact Kick-Ass has a lot of fun deflating the solemn meta-urges of the likes of Spider-man).
Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a typical high school kid, with the usual problems, who decides that loving comic books isn’t enough. Taking a green wetsuit he buys online, Lizewski modifies it into a costume and dubs himself Kick-Ass, the newest superhero on the block. Of course there’s one problem, he hasn’t been bitten by a genetically modified spider, exposed to gamma rays, and he’s not even a billionaire industrialist – he lives in the real world and so his lack of superpowers means that his first day on the job results in the lengthy hospital stay.
Undeterred, Dave is soon back on the streets, and this time he’s even got some ‘superpowers’, as his injuries have left his nerves deadened, and he’s got metal holding his legs together (an obvious nod to Wolverine). When a successful rescue ends up on Youtube, he’s inundated with requests from a curious public. This attracts the attentions of two other masked vigilantes, Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his 11-year-old daughter, Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), while Kick-Ass starts to inspire others and meets another fledgling superhero, Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
All this do-gooding soon starts causing the bad guys to get annoyed, most notably mob boss Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), who’s less than pleased that a load of people in silly costumes are trying to destroy his criminal empire, so he hatches a plan to stop them.
Although many have said Kick-Ass is a superhero movie set in the real world, it isn’t really. It’s closer to our world than most comic-book flicks, but it’s still very much a heightened reality. And that’s to the good, as it allows for OTT action and blood-letting, while the witty script comments on the realities of superhero life in a way that feels far more true-to-life than most comic book flicks.
The script is great, with just enough Superbad-style geek banter, mixed with witty asides, loving parody of superhero movies and a joy in defying genre conventions while paying homage to them. In fact the thing that stands out beyond anything else, is that this is a comic book flick that is genuinely funny – not in a cheesy, vaguely amusing way (like Fantastic Four), but in a laugh-out-loud way that’s irreverent but never seems to be taking the piss out of the genre.
It is undoubtedly Hit Girl that most people will remember from the film though. It’s difficult to think of another movie that’s given such a young character free rein to utter the filthiest of swear words and get involved in the sort of riotous cartoon violence on display here. From her blood-drenched first appearance, she is both the most outlandish and memorable of Kick-Ass’ characters, thanks in no small part to a bravura performance from young Chloe Moretz. Hit Girl’s story is sometimes pretty dark, but her youthful exuberance, and even an odd kind of innocence (despite the violence and cursing), mean it’s difficult not to root for her.
The one-disc DVD edition is relatively light on features, offering only a few galleries and a featurette on the comic book origins of Kick-Ass. While this short documentary does have the slight feel of an advert for Mark Millar’s graphic novel, it’s still pretty interesting, detailing how the comic came about and what its tries to achieve. The real meat is left for the Blu-ray, which also offers the ‘A New Kind Of Superhero: The Making Of Kick-Ass’ Documentary. While feature-length ‘making of...’ docs (this one is 133 mins) were popular a few years back, you rarely see them nowadays, partly because a single meaty documentary doesn’t look as good on the back of the box as a selection of short, crappy featurettes (it’s ridiculous, but that’s the world of marketing for you).
However this one if very good, covering just about everything you might want to know about the film, from conception to how they put the cast together, to filming and onto post-production. It’s a very well made, informative and interesting addition to the set, and well worth a look for those who are willing to fork out for the HD edition.
Kick-Ass is already being called the future of the superhero movie, and while the jury may be out on quite how influential it’ll actually be, it’s a wonderful reminder that comic book movies can push the boundaries, be fun without being stupid, be action-packed without looking like the whole thing was computer animated, and that they don’t have to treat characterisation as if it’s a dirty word.
Overall Verdict: It may be obvious to say Kick-Ass isn’t just the title but a good description of the movie, but it’s true.
(Note: Some of this review - the parts about the actual film - has been taken from the Movie Muser cinema review of Kick-Ass)
Special Features:
Audio Commentary With Director Matthew Vaughn
‘It’s On! The Origin Of Kick-Ass’ Featurette
‘A New Kind Of Superhero: The Making Of Kick-Ass’ Documentary (Blu-ray only)
Reviewer: Tim Isaac
