Escape to the Movies: Kick-Ass

[Frybird]

I just had a "fridge brilliance" like revelation about the movie
(specifically, thanks to some changes in the adaption)


Kick-Ass (the character), tries to argue that you don't need super powers or a fateful turn in your life to become a superhero (saying something along the lines of "it doesn't take your parents getting shot or a power ring"), but the movie then...

Spoiler

goes a long way to disprove this, COMPLETELY destroying the argument.

So, Dave/Kick-Ass goes off to be a super hero and gets instantly stabbed and run over, half of wich being probably the most likely thing happening in such situation.
But after surviving it, he ends up having his bones being reinforced with metal (as Dave himself says "like Wolverine") and has damaged nerves to the point of hardly feeling pain, wich proves very useful in the future. So while he does not have actual superpowers, he still has a very special condition that makes him different from most people.

Then later, he once again almost gets himself killed by being heroic and ends up "meeting" Hit-Girl and Big Daddy, realizing that both are far more 'powerful' and skilled than him.
While both of them don't have any superpowers either, Big Daddy (in the movie) has, along with his knowledge as a cop, a typical tragic past that inspired him to become that hero persona. And Hit-Girl, of course, gets special training to be a professional killer and also, more pain resistant than a regular little girl.

But of course, in the end Kick-Ass saves Hit-Girl and kills the Big Bad....by using a tricked-out-jetpack (and learning how to use it within probably less than an hour) and a seemingly recoilless rocket launcher...at least one of these being a gadget that would make even Batman blush.

So in the end, Kick Ass is a "true" superhero, powered by a special medical condition and incredible gadgets, and outclassed by two people with a very special past. In the end, the only "regular person" who posed as a superhero is Red Mist...who ends up being the villian

 

[lead sharp]

What cracks me up is the way people are touting the gore level. It wasn't that gory compared to anything else, how about Watchmen (which incidentally is to film what Jeffrey Dahmer is to the boy scout movement) and I'm guessing Daybreakers and the recent Repo Men is fairly comparable to.

It's a great film with lots going on and I was going.

And an aside, what's with lots of folk saying 'I thought this film was going to be for kids'? Do you not look at other sites or media?

 

[MelasZepheos_v1legacy]

Absolutely loved it. It was as evil as it was cool.

And Hit-Girl's first line kicks so much ass it's no wonder she's the star of the show.

 

[Palindromemordnilap_v1legacy]

FYI, I'm under 20 and caught the Adam West gone bad thing Cage was doing. What can I say, I watched the '60s Batman when I was a kid.

 

[dmase]

There's been a ton of talk about the film's morally questionable sense of humor. Though I was going to see it anyway, I liked your take on the subject.

I don't see how any morally questionable humor would bother anyone who the movie was targeted to. Some of the best comedies I've seen are full of humor that makes you feel horable for laughing but you just have to watch it again. Some people are just to stuck up when it comes to movies like American Pie and South Park's, Throw you sensabilities to the side and go watch people do and say hilarious shit that you would never do, thats what the movies are for in my opinion.

I never said I thought the humor was debased to me; mostly because I would be bullshiting it to max because I've haven't seen it yet. Though the arguments do have some weight; watching an elven year old girl bounce around decapitating and mutilating bad-guys shouldn't be funny, though when you look at her as a caricature (as Bob does) she becomes hilarious. Or so I've heard.

Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I was saying you thought it was immoral or something. Just people in general will rally against a movie because of its content when its just a movie.

 

[PurpleLeafRave]

Hit Girl is so awesome! That's how I'm going to train my daughter.

train your daughter?

She's not a fucking dog dude...

It was a joke, I'm not even going to have kids.

 

[Ayrav]

There was so much insight and presences of mind in that review I'm was left dumb-founded. Once again Moviebob has show us that comic books/superhero movies can have a profound message and idea in relation to our pop culture. Although the level of intelligence at The Escapist has definitely diminished over the past year, I am glad that the quality of the content hasn't. Keep it up Moviebob!

 

[Balaxe]

I saw it last week and loved it, thanks for the reveiw bob.

 

[Piecewise]

The idea of hit girl is just stupid to me. I mean a girl that young simply doesn't have the physical strength to do most of what you see in the movie. Not to mention that it would take a hell of a lot longer then the few years possible to train her to be as inhumanly skilled as she is. Over all the character is just..stupid. The scenes are pretty nice but the character just ruins it for me. Maybe if she was a few years older, a female robin of sorts, that I could see.

 

[greyden]

I almost thought Bob wasn't going to review this. Especially after not even getting a review last week.

And I swear I've seen Kick-Ass 3 times by now. I really find it surprising when America don't get the movie first. Although, twas the same with Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. (Both of which I love!)

 

[Canadamus Prime]

Well I'd already concluded I wasn't going to see this movie and you haven't convinced me to change my mind. Oh and incidentally Bob, some of the movies you like and dislike really blow my mind, and not in a good way.

 

[Souplex]

Not going to comment on the costume designs? Kickass looks like he should, but Hit Girl and Red mist look terrible. They looked good in the comic, why couldn't they look like that?
Big daddy looks decent, but I would have preferred if they went with the comic version costumes for all of them. They all had a very "Homemade" feel to them.

 

[The Great JT]

The whole time, I thought "I know I've seen the guy who played Big Daddy before, I just don't remember where." Then boom, Nicholas Cage shows up and it just clicks. I think it was the mustache.

Kick-Ass was fun, though, I'd reccomend it.

 

[Just_Karol]

I wish this was a bad film, just so I could say: "Kick Ass"? More like, "Suck Balls"!........

 

[Andantil]

It's named Kick-Ass. I want to see it.

 

[WorkerMurphey]

Wow was this movie ever marketed badly (or I'm stupid). The trailers had me thinking it was some more teeniebopper comedy garbage. I think that reaction came about when I saw Chris Mintz-Plasse was involved.

 

[Swifteye]

Hmmmm. I was ready to see the film until I heard the "Gore with the mock sexualition of the female character" That's a bit of a turn off. The ads kinda sold it like an action packed comedy you can watch with the family but apparantly its more than that.
It still sounds good though, but with all this I'm not sure if it is my kind of movie ya know? I'm kinda icky about gore and stuff like that. If no one invites me to it I'll probably just went it.

 

[cobra_ky]

Huh. Is this the worst marketing job ever, or what? I had no idea what the movie was about-- I thought it was a KIDDIE flick FFS.

I imagine that I'm not the only one: anyone who isn't familiar with the comic book probably has a mistaken impression about the movie if they go solely by the commercials... (I suppose a trailer might clarify things more.)

Not the worst. People actually took their kids to see Pan's Labyrinth. At least this one has "Ass" right in the title. Doesn't anybody notice when a film is rated R anymore?

 

[pearcinator]

sorry MovieBob...still looks like shit to me.

...just like how Watchmen was a shit movie (really, it seriously was such a shit movie...I cant believe you actually liked it). That blue dude in the movie (you know...the one who always rocked out with his cock out?) pissed me off in so many ways. I wanted him to just die. I hated that blue prick.

*SPOILERS IF YOU HAVNT SEEN WATCHMEN*

Rorschach (or however you spell it) was the best character in the movie...and he as the one who died. You want to know why the good guys win in mostly every movie???? Because if the bad guys win (like what happened in Watchmen) then the movie ends up being a total let-down and it makes me angry.

 

[NeuroticMarshmallow]

This film is definitely worth the time. This movie was the most fun I have had in a long time. Hit-girl stole the show and the action scenes were worth the price of the admission. I have never in my life seen an eleven year old girl kick so much ass.