As part of my birthday celebration this past weekend,I checked the new superhero themed movie Kick-Ass to see if it lived up to more than it's name. While it did take some time to set up the main action of the story line,the film succeeded in taking it's audience on quite the wild ride.
The origin story basics are well put into play,as moody teen Dave(Aaron Johnson)decides to become a real life superhero,despite his lack of extraordinary powers,fighting skills and access to high tech gadgetry(the closest he comes to a special advantage is more tolerance for pain due to nerve damage from an early attempt at crime fighting).
By being in the right place at the wrong time,Dave manages to gain fame as Kick-Ass,thanks to a couple of viral videos of a showdown at a gas station parking lot. In his stumble to success,Kick-Ass is blamed by local crime lord Frank D'Amico(Mark Strong)for the rash of robberies and murders against his minions.
That little vendetta is being waged by a pair of stealthier costumed avengers,Big Daddy(Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl(Chloe Grace Moretz),who cross paths with Kick-Ass and offer him assistance,if needed. Dave sees right off that this whole gig is way over his head and he'd be better off focusing on his new found girlfriend(who at first thought he was gay)instead of playing in these rough waters.
However,the emergence of another hero on the block,Red Mist(Christopher Mintz-Plasse)draws Dave back into the game and leads him towards a dangerous end run. Enough about the plot,let's talk about some of the sidelines to this cinematic comic book creation.
Yes,Hit Girl is quite the show stopper and the scene stealer but she does play well with the others. The relationship between her and Big Daddy is oddly touching and disturbingly funny at the same time,with Nicholas Cage giving a rather understated performance(for Nick Cage,that is).
However,Dave's various plights throughout the film,as well as those of Red Mist,aka Chris D'Amico the wannabe gangster son,give the audience identifiable Everyman types to root for and deliver on the laughs and the angst without resorting to campy antics. The action sequences and situations are wonderfully over the top with a slight edge of realism to balance things out. This is at heart a rock'em-sock'em superhero story and meant to be taken that way.
For any concerned parents and/or those with delicate sensibilities,take the R rating at it's fullest meaning here,folks. It's not as viciously violent as some movies I've seen but this is not at all for youngsters in need of family friendly entertainment.
For the rest of us,Kick-Ass is just that and with there being talk of a sequel,we may have the kick start that the comic book adaptation genre needs right now to get more quality graphic novels take that giant leap to the silver screen without falling(or needing 3-D). To sum this all up,here are the Top Ten superhero lessons to be learned from the example set by Kick-Ass:
10) It is sad but true that more people want to be Paris Hilton than Spiderman:
9) Things are NOT under control if your best henchman insists on needing a bazooka to solve the problem at hand.
8) When setting up a website to promote your superhero status,make sure that your IP address is untraceable.
7) It's hard to hear questions from your disgruntled partners in crime when you're locked in a giant microwave.
6) Practicing your superhero shtick before hitting the mean streets is a good idea:
5) A cool car is impressive to fans and fellow crime fighters alike:
4) Online purchases always look different upon receipt,especially if the photo on the website doesn't show the Gatling gun attachments.
3)One of the biggest regrets you may have while facing the point of death is not finding out how Lost ends.
2) Taking a shot at close range is about as painful as a punch in the chest:
1) Butterfly knives make great birthday presents:
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