I've never been a huge fan of comic book inspired films. I assumed I was not in the target audience for a film like Kick-Ass. I was expecting a lot of comic book nerd inside jokes that I really didn't care about. I guess you could say I had fairly low expectations going in. There may have been some nods to the comic book lovers out there, but I was pretty oblivious to it. I was also expecting a heavier film that was trying to make some kind of statement. I was pretty amazed by how much fun this movie was, and by how funny it turned out to be. I was pleasantly surprised. I give it 7 out of 10.
A lot of things about the beginning of this film worked for me. They had the tough task of making the set-up for this plot seem believable. For the most part I bought it, and appreciated how realistic and gritty they were able to make it feel. The beginning being so grounded makes the ridiculous and over-the-top violence of Hit Girl seem even more severe. While it gets away from what made the beginning so good, it really amps up the fun and visual impact of the fight sequences. Hit Girl was pretty awesome.
Watching Hit Girl kill a bunch of dudes was cool, and it took the film completely into the realm of fantasy.
The entire set-up of the film had been undermined, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Kick-Ass could have been a movie that commented on the ultra-violent nature of media, and the desensitization of youth. It could have done a lot of things, but it chose to just be awesome, and sometimes that is okay. I had a great time watching this film even though there turned out to be very little substance. When reflecting on the film I feel a little bit of disappointment that they didn't try to do anything more with it, but I cannot deny that it was a really fun film to watch.
The one thing about this film that didn't really work for me was the relationship between Hit Girl and Big Daddy. At first it was kinda humorous, but then it just forced and awkward. I feel like Nicholas Cage did a good job selling his role as the father, but the dialog and interaction between the two was so ridiculous that his performance was pointless. I really didn't find anything the little girl said to be clever, and it felt totally forced anytime she busted out a cuss word. Because I found this relationship to be somewhat of a joke, it really lessened the impact of the ending. This really is a minor complaint. Overall I still really loved the film. I am looking forward to watching it again, and seeing if I can get a little more depth out of it.
Even though I am not a comic-book fan I was still able to enjoy Kick-Ass. It definitely is inventive, but I feel like it could have done a lot more interesting stuff than what it ended up with. At it's base, this is a good action movie that can be enjoyed as nothing more than that. I say watch it.
Filed Under: Action, Cage, Comic Book, Super Hero