There was a lot of attention for Kick-Ass (based on the comic series
), mostly related to the foul-mouthed young girl Hit Girl (memorably played by Chloe Moretz.) Really, though, it wasn't that controversial. Yes, it was foul-mouthed, but I've heard worse at work. I've said worse at work. To my boss. Let's be honest, we're all a little over the top when we want to be.
Kick-Ass centres around the young Dave (Aaron Johnson, looking a solid three or four years younger than his already young nineteen - seriously, he looks like he could pass as a developed twelve year old.) Wondering why no one ever tries to become a super-hero, he takes it upon himself to be the first real, masked, costumed super-hero, altering a diving costume to suit his purpose and naming himself Kick-Ass. His first attempt ends with him in hospital, but his second attempt becomes a YouTube sensation, leading him to set up a site to attract business, as it were. A girl at school whom Dave has a crush on, and who is convinced Dave is gay, a ruse he is more than happy to play up to if it means he gets to spend more time close to her, is being harassed by a drug dealer, and Dave convinces her to contact Kick-Ass, but when he goes to confront these crooks he finds himself in a world of trouble, only to be saved by Hit Girl, who is being watched over by her father Damon, or Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage in a terrific role for him.) Hit Girl and Big Daddy later contact Kick-Ass to tell him that the three could work together.
Big Daddy is an ex-cop with an axe to grind with a criminal mastermind, Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), whose son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) forms a ruse to pose as a superhero, Red Mist, to win Kick-Ass' trust and lure him into a trap. Hijinks ensue, with some casualties, some funny lines, and the inevitable set up for a sequel.
I remember walking out of the film pleasantly surprised by Matthew Vaughn's third directorial output. Johnson didn't overly impress me, pulling out that gawky charm we see in far too many American films, where the loser becomes the winner. He was fine, but predictable. Moretz and Cage were both terrific, highly caricatured but very entertaining. Mintz-Plasse was kind of irritating. I know the point was to not like him, but I did find myself wanting to punch him in the face from the outset. Maybe, if I see him in another film, I'd like his performance for it, but at the moment I just think he's kind of frustrating.
I must say it was a refreshing take on a superhero film, not sugar-coated for a teenage audience. Christopher Nolan's two Batman outings were very good, very dark, not really kids films, but they still had a hell of a lot in them for the mid-teen market, whereas I doubt many mid-teens would have been able to get into Kick-Ass without sneaking in (though I'm dead certain that the rating on the film would not have stopped the majority of those wanting to get their hands on it from witnessing it somewhere - more than likely illegally on the internet, little bastards...) The film seemed made more for the latent teenager in all of us, with all of the swearing and ridiculous suits and screwed-up attack plans. I mean, who doesn't harbour a little bit inside of them strongly desiring to don the latex and be the good guy? Or the bad guy? Whatever, just give me the ab-suit Batman wears so well. Sure would save on the gym.
But, I've pretty much forgotten the film now. I had to look it up to remind myself what it was all about outside of the general, vague notion. Granted, it did come back to me as I read the plot outline, but I really had to prompt myself, because it just didn't stick with me. It was a lot of fun at the time, but it didn't even have the hangover that a few bottles of wine may bring. I don't recall thinking about it once after it finished. Yes, I watched it a solid few weeks ago, but I can remember most of the other films I've put up over the last week, which were all as far back, if not more. But Kick-Ass stayed with me not at all. I think it had a fun soundtrack, but I couldn't even tell you if that was accurate, so little has it stayed in mind.
That isn't necessarily a terrible thing, mind. It fulfilled its purpose for me, which was an evening's entertainment. It properly entertained me a lot more than I thought it was going to, which is a positive. If there had been something more that made it stick with me, I would have been well surprised, shocked even. All I'm saying is that I don't think it's cinema for the ages. It's cinema for right now, and it's fine in that role. What will surprise me most, however, is if people remember it in a decade. 3 stars.
