KICK-ASS

Starring:
Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Mark Strong

Director:
Matthew Vaughn

Running Time:
117 mins

"With no power comes no responsibility"

“Why hasn’t anyone become a Super Hero?” is the question that Dave Lizewski (Johnson) has been asking himself for as long as he has been reading comic books. Barely noticed at school and always getting bullied and mugged when out with his friends, Dave decides answer his own question by becoming a hero dressed in a green and yellow jump suit called Kick-Ass. Unfortunately his first attempt at been a hero fails with very painful consequences but after a lengthy recovery he tries again and becomes an internet sensation after someone posts a video of him taking on three thugs. This gets him noticed by the local criminals however but it also brings him to the attentions of some real heroes who are about to take the fight to organised crime.

The Comic Book adaptation has always been a bit of a mixed bag but can ‘Kick-Ass’ be the new ‘Dark Knight’ or the latest ‘Catwoman’?

When it comes to adapting comic books and graphic novels for the big screen, the results have been very mixed. On one hand we have ‘Batman Begins’, ‘Watchmen’, ‘Spider-Man’, ‘Sin City’, ‘Iron Man’, ‘Superman: The Movie’, ‘Blade’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ but on the other we have ‘Catwoman’, ‘Elektra’, ‘Daredevil’, ‘Batman Forever’, ‘The Punisher’, ‘Fantastic Four’, ‘Son of the Mask’, ‘The Spirit’ and ‘Ghost Rider’. Capturing the true essence of a comic book and a character on the silver screen is one of the hardest jobs in cinema but fortunately ‘Kick-Ass’ is a fine example of how to do it right.

What makes ‘Kick-Ass’ standout from all over comic book adaptations is the collaboration between writer and director. Mark Millar, having written for many of the big franchises for DC and Marvel, he is also getting many plaudits for his own creations. With the adaptation of ‘Wanted’ not exactly sticking to the premise of the original comic book series, bringing ‘Kick-Ass’ to the screen was very different. British writer/director Matthew Vaughn and his writing partner Jane Goldman worked with Mark Millar as he created the comic book series. With the series and the script been written at the same time, the film was pitched to all of the major studios and they all passed on it, saying that the subject matter was too much of a risk. This led to Vaughn and Millar finding funding for themselves but this gave them the advantage of working outside of the studio system. Having no one to answer to or screenings or focus groups to tell them what to change, ‘Kick-Ass’ is the original vision of the director and writer and it is all the better for it.

The premise comes from a simple question “Why hasn’t anyone become a Super Hero?” That is the question that Dave Lizewski asks his friends, who of course tell him that it is because if you did it for real, without any super powers or a lot of money and training, you would be killed. Undeterred by this, Dave orders himself a costume and takes to the streets as Kick-Ass. Of course, he gets is ass well and truly kicked and ends up in the hospital. Deciding not to give up, when he recovers he heads out on the streets of New York again but this time he does make an impact and the YouTube video of him taking on four thugs quickly becomes the most watched video on the internet. This brings him a lot of attention of some very different people. Firstly we have Damon and Mindy Macready, AKA Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, a father and eleven year-old daughter crime fighting duo in training who decide to dish out their own justice a little quicker than planned after Kick-Ass announces himself to the world. Secondly and most importantly, Kick-Ass draws the attention of crime boss Frank D’Amico who has to send out a message to anyone who wants to put on a costume and interrupt his business. The premise allows for comedy, action and drama but also poses many questions of society today and, of course, the consequences of revenge.

To bring this story to life you need performances that will live and breath the characters and ‘Kick-Ass’ has them in spades. Leading the line is British newcomer Aaron Johnson. After making a splash playing the young John Lennon in ‘Nowhere Boy’, this is the role that will bring him to the attention of Hollywood. As Dave Lizewski, he is the nerd who’s only power is to be invisible to girls but as Kick-Ass is a crime-fighting god who everyone adores. Christopher Mintz-Plasse gets the chance to step out of McLovin’s very big shadow as Chris D’Amico AKA Red Mist, the son of the local crime boss who just wants to be noticed by his father. Mark Strong plays his father Frank D’Amico, with the British actor working again with Matthew Vaughn, showing that he is an excellent villain. Nicolas Cage’s live action career has taken a noise dive as of late. With disasters like ‘Bangkok Dangerous’, ‘Next’, ‘Knowing’ and the awful remake of ‘The Wicker Man’, his role as Damon Macready/Big Daddy is his best performance since ‘Adaptation’ in 2002. Channeling Adam West’s performance as the 60s ‘Batman’, he plays the revenge driven Macready with a real purpose, making the training of his daughter Mindy into a game. It is Chloe Moretz who steals the film however as Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl. You have never seen an eleven year-old girl like this in any comic book movie or any other film. While some people will argue that seeing a young girl use extreme violence and use some really foul language as a glorification, this is a performance from a young actress that has real presence and will be remembered for a very long time.

‘Kick-Ass’ is like no other comic book adaptation. An intelligent storyline mixes effortlessly with standout performance to create characters that will quickly become cult classics. In fact the film itself is destined to become a cult classic of the genre and a film that will be talked about among comic book circles and beyond for many years to come.

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2010