I watched Kick-Ass with an appreciative crowd, but I'm not sure I can quite swallow with glee the notion of an 11-year-old assassin. Yes, yes, it's all fun and games, just a fantasy, just a comic book. My brain knows all that. The juxtaposition of bloodbath and baby doll is intended as comic absurdity. Normally, that sort of bent humor appeals to me. I'm just not sure what sort of person Kick-Ass makes me. There can be little doubt that audiences are made to root for a slaughtering schoolgirl as she plows through a Mafia phalanx with weapons blazing. Is that... funny? Surely the story's most violent chapters -- seeking revenge for a meaningful death -- aren't played for laughs
On the basis of supposed "realism," viewers are supposed to empathize with Kick-Ass. He is, after all, wounded in combat -- as any mere mortal would be. His costume is only what he can buy on eBay. He is thus neither the unattainably invulnerable Clark Kent nor the unattainably wealthy Bruce Wayne. His creators pass him off as Everyman, as one of us.
So perhaps I'm reacting to the contradiction of extreme realism (represented by the title character) and extreme fantasy (represented by Hit Girl). The two characters don't seem to belong in the same universe. They are pulling the super-hero milieu in two different directions. At one end of the spectrum, the noble Kick-Ass defends strangers, eschews firearms, models the involvement of citizens in the lives of their neighbors. At the other end, Hit Girl and Big Daddy are secretive, vengeful, murdering, weapons-mongers; a militia of two vigilantes -- one of whom has been robbed of childhood by her own father.
Yes, Kick-Ass is satisfying as an action extravaganza, a beer-and-cheap-pizza, don't-think-about-it-too-hard munitions dump. And I enjoyed it on that level. For a more convincing blend of comic and thoughtful reflection on the nature of heroism, however, you're better off watching Mystery Men.
Lacks internal consistency. The premise is to show what would really happen if somebody tried to become a superhero in real life -- they'd get their ass kicked, obviously. But then the movie completely abandons this when they introduce hit girl, a 10-year-old who can beat up grown men. Either stick with reality, or go fantasy. You can't have both, not when they directly contradict each other at least. Poorly written.
saw this today- thought it was ok. Mostly it was too violent for my tastes, and I'm personally not a huge fan of watching little kids curse and kill people. It was pretty fun, for the most part, but not as great as some people were making it out to be
A film that interested me about as much as the Mark Millar comic, which is to say, not at all. I won't say it was terrible, but it wasn't good either, and I think I know why: It doesn't embrace any aspect of itself fully. It's got too many flights of fancy to work as a "what if superheroes really existed" story. It's too serious to work as a parody or satire of the genre, and yet too outrageous to work as a straight superhero film. Hit-Girl, the one "kick-ass" character has some great moves... if you can take a 12-year-old murdering her way through the film. The satire isn't sharp enough to make that work (like say, Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America). It's just patented Millar shock-o-rama, which will always come off as cynical to me. The better version of this whole idea is Super with Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page, which came out the same year. Now THAT'S a clever film.
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brian_fuller
I watched Kick-Ass with an appreciative crowd, but I'm not sure I can quite swallow with glee the notion of an 11-year-old assassin. Yes, yes, it's all fun and games, just a fantasy, just a comic book. My brain knows all that. The juxtaposition of bloodbath and baby doll is intended as comic absurdity. Normally, that sort of bent humor appeals to me. I'm just not sure what sort of person Kick-Ass makes me. There can be little doubt that audiences are made to root for a slaughtering schoolgirl as she plows through a Mafia phalanx with weapons blazing. Is that... funny? Surely the story's most violent chapters -- seeking revenge for a meaningful death -- aren't played for laughsOn the basis of supposed "realism," viewers are supposed to empathize with Kick-Ass. He is, after all, wounded in combat -- as any mere mortal would be. His costume is only what he can buy on eBay. He is thus neither the unattainably invulnerable Clark Kent nor the unattainably wealthy Bruce Wayne. His creators pass him off as Everyman, as one of us.
So perhaps I'm reacting to the contradiction of extreme realism (represented by the title character) and extreme fantasy (represented by Hit Girl). The two characters don't seem to belong in the same universe. They are pulling the super-hero milieu in two different directions. At one end of the spectrum, the noble Kick-Ass defends strangers, eschews firearms, models the involvement of citizens in the lives of their neighbors. At the other end, Hit Girl and Big Daddy are secretive, vengeful, murdering, weapons-mongers; a militia of two vigilantes -- one of whom has been robbed of childhood by her own father.
Yes, Kick-Ass is satisfying as an action extravaganza, a beer-and-cheap-pizza, don't-think-about-it-too-hard munitions dump. And I enjoyed it on that level. For a more convincing blend of comic and thoughtful reflection on the nature of heroism, however, you're better off watching Mystery Men.
guitarmas5
Lacks internal consistency. The premise is to show what would really happen if somebody tried to become a superhero in real life -- they'd get their ass kicked, obviously. But then the movie completely abandons this when they introduce hit girl, a 10-year-old who can beat up grown men. Either stick with reality, or go fantasy. You can't have both, not when they directly contradict each other at least. Poorly written.justanotherfrog
saw this today- thought it was ok. Mostly it was too violent for my tastes, and I'm personally not a huge fan of watching little kids curse and kill people. It was pretty fun, for the most part, but not as great as some people were making it out to beSaraxx
Not usually a fan of these kinds of films but I actually loved it. Hilarious! Definitely worth a watch.maneo
it's like tarantino for kids. like the radiohead baby songs cd. awesome!karinakremlin
Have to agree with someone down in the comments - this movie cannot decide whether it's reality or fiction and thus becomes irritable to watch.jerichoholic
Cool.AlexFerrero
is that comedy? action?... anyway, I liked itOndskap
I had low expectations for this one, but it managed to suprise me. Way better than I expectedJoris B.
Fantastic movie. Can't wait what else Matthew Vaughn has in store for us.eciel
The preview definitely was misleading, but in the best way. This movie was way beyond what I was expecting. Great!FrankHowley
Kick-Ass is really fun, Hit Girl and Nicholas Cage steal the show.lolita_mistrix
I also think this movie is fucking awesome. I went to the theater expecting some mediocre comedy, but damn was I wrong. Definitely a must see.thefilmstage
this movie was fucking awesome.Siskoid
A film that interested me about as much as the Mark Millar comic, which is to say, not at all. I won't say it was terrible, but it wasn't good either, and I think I know why: It doesn't embrace any aspect of itself fully. It's got too many flights of fancy to work as a "what if superheroes really existed" story. It's too serious to work as a parody or satire of the genre, and yet too outrageous to work as a straight superhero film. Hit-Girl, the one "kick-ass" character has some great moves... if you can take a 12-year-old murdering her way through the film. The satire isn't sharp enough to make that work (like say, Bobcat Goldthwait's God Bless America). It's just patented Millar shock-o-rama, which will always come off as cynical to me. The better version of this whole idea is Super with Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page, which came out the same year. Now THAT'S a clever film.Showing items 1 – 15 of 59