Kick Ass is the new comic book movie aimed at not being a comic book movie but being a analysis of a comic book movie dressed up as a comic book movie. Confused? It seems like a lot of comic book movies have been diving deep into self exploration and if that is not your cup of tea then Kick Ass is not for you. If you like comic book action, self aware humor and 11 year old with ninja stylings and the mouth of a sailor than maybe this film is for you.
Aaron Johnson is Dave, a geek who wonders why no one has ever tried becoming a super hero. It seems logical that someone at least one person would have dressed up in cape and cowl and fought crime. So one day, after getting beat up and no one doing a thing, or even caring, he decides to buy a wet suit, put on a mask and fight crime. He doesn't have any powers or even any gadgets. His method of fighting crime is really no different than a neighborhood watch. Except when he patrols the neighborhood, he does it in a mask.
Along the way, he meets a father and daughter duo called Big Daddy and Hit Girl (Nicholas Cage and Chloe Moretz). Big Daddy and Hit Girl are the real thing and out for revenge. Big Daddy is a former cop who wants to avenge his wife's passing, while his daughter is along for the ride and is there to make her father happy. They are after mob boss Frank D'Amico. Some wild action, a trap involving D'Amico's son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Superbad's McLovin) as a fake comic book hero Red Mist, some girl chasing and comic book references galore occur in Kick Ass.
Kick Ass is enjoyable. The movie doesn't really discover an identity. Is it an homage or a critique of comic book culture? In his narration, Kick Ass tries to persuade us that his motives are not spurred by revenge or the sudden appearance of super powers but simply by the frustration that no one seems to care about how bad this world has become. It seems like a noble premise until you meet Big Daddy and realize that this is really a revenge movie after all. And then what may seem like an original premise falls under every comic book convention.
The worst thing about Kick Ass the movie is the Kick Ass character himself. The movie follows his dull and rather pointless narration and his feeble attempts at self training. There has to be at least 3 different instances where he is checking himself out in the mirror trying to psyche himself up while displaying his "awesome" fighting movies. A joke that is funny at first but after many other displays of his inadequate training, the joke wears very thin. His attempts at getting the girl are just as awkward, unimportant and a stretch, not only for relevancy but humor.
The best part of Kick Ass is the father and child relationships shared by Big Daddy and Hit Girl, as well as Mob Boss D'Amico with Red Mist. Big Daddy has been training his daughter for these moments since she was 6 and is very proud of her killing ways, While papa D'Amico is hesitant to trust and allow his son to join his mob. It's a shame that the movie focuses so much on Kick Ass that these story lines are a underdeveloped and not the central focus of the film. It is understood that Kick Ass is supposed to be the ordinary Joe, the common figure of which we the viewer should relate to, but his story is just so bland. So he is an awkward teenage that cannot get girls, with no super powers and reads comics. So was I and so were a lot of my friends.... I don't need to spend my time watching a movie that fails to be profound on the subject. Does Kick Ass save the day at the end? Yes, well sort of but his journey to super hero is more out of accident rather than defiance or great act of courage.
Kick Ass does not examine the mind state of super hero's like The Dark Knight was determined to achieve but it does hint at the disturbed nature of the masked hero far better than Watchmen did. Nicholas Cage as former police officer Damon MaCready is a twisted character of pure hate and determination that finds no peace except for time spent with his daughter. The blind faith his daughter has in his plan and violent methods is fascinating. The seemingly ordinary relationship D'Amico has with his son is odd but pleasant. Moretz as the 11 year old Hit Girl is just a treat. She wields a knife as if it were a 6th finger. She swears like she has 50 years of experience with an attitude that somehow doesn't come off as cute but fierce.
The final action sequence is the best part of the film. It truly captures the essence of the film; from the off beat comedic absurdity to the comic book plot, the oddity of people dressed up in costume to fight crime, the outrageous violence and casual misplacement of logic. Kick Ass is a bit long but enjoyable. It might be a fan boy type thing. I never read the original comic strip for which the film is based but you shouldn't feel lost or confused. You don't need to know everything about comics to get the humor or the references. It is a fun movie. At least one I would say is worth watching, even if you dislike it.
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