New Review: Kick-Ass

Galls of Fury

Since this is the first review of my brand new blog, it's nice to start things out by being completely honest. And the honest thing is that I actually wasn't looking forward to this movie. It looked like it had a good spirit, and those who found enjoyment in the source material were sure to find it here. However, I couldn't shake a smug attitude I was getting from the film, one that carried a self-congratulatory smile of being produced outside the system and patted itself on the back for bringing its questionable content out to the public with no interference. I admit that I came into this film with a heavy set of preconceived notions. I will also admit that by the end of the film, they were left behind as I found myself enjoying this film a great more than I thought I would.

The titular "superhero" is the alter-ego of Dave Lezewski (Aaron Johnson), a vanilla high school student whose fascination with the comic book lords inspire him to done his own set of form fitting suits. He quickly learns that superhero work is quite dangerous, and after several incidents that leave him bloodied and near death, he eventually emerges victorious in one fight which is filmed and put on the internet. Soon, Kick-Ass is a big celebrity with a busy Myspace account (making the film a tad dated) and inspiring a new wave of superheroes, chief among them are Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his eleven-year-old daughter Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) who leave a trail of bloodshed and foul language toward an evil mob boss (Mark Strong).

I will say that I did get the feel of that ultra-smug attitude in the beginning of the movie, where it is so aware of itself by relating to other super hero comics and movies that the film doesn't carry enough wit to be smart on its own terms. Matthew Vaughn, former Guy Ritchie producer and director of Stardust and Layer Cake, sets his trademark, slick title sequence and a nice intro, but then proceeds with a bland lead set against a painfully self-conscious sense of humor. This is also the section of the movie that doesn't seem to care very much about any messages it wants to portray, as it only glimpses into the affect of a voyeuristic society and quickly tosses it aside for another shot of Kick-Ass getting beaten up.

But then, the gears shift wildly, probably upon the first entrance of Hit Girl, and suddenly the movie becomes real. The violence suddenly feels like it carries enough weight to have a sense that its characters are in real jeopardy, but always remains stylized enough so that its cinematic presentation can remain sustained. Vaughn's ability to slip in and out of slaughter and the silly is pretty well applied. He still can't help himself from indulging in a few too many sequences that revert back to a self-conscious mind or slowing down of the humor, but the second act shows most of his talent quite well. When a scene requires me to be in awe of a Batman looking Cage to kill all the guards in a warehouse, while another one can let me find a good laugh in a sex scene in which the hero touches the breasts of a girl while wearing rubber gloves, I know that Vaughn and his co-writer Jane Goldman knew what they were doing for at least two-thirds of this movie.

Johnson, at first, doesn't seem like the right fit for this character. In the beginning, he seems like an able body talent, but also feels genuinely bland. But then he starts to work; his emotions feel real, his humor is felt and the journey he takes finally starts to become a genuine concern. After he witnesses what real destruction can do after watching Hit-Girl, there's a moment where he quietly weeps on his bed, recounting the horrible things he's just witnessed, bringing a grounded personality to a character who until then was rather light.

Cage delivers one his better "eccentric" performances and the chemistry he has with Moretz is funny and, believe it or not, rather sweet. Moretz has already impressed me in other roles, particularly as Joseph Gordon-Levitt's wise-cracking younger sister in (500) Days of Summer, and while I wish the sensationalism of her character's violent antics hadn't overshadowed all the emotional weight that could be derived, I'd say she does well enough in the role to make an unbelievable circumstance somewhat believable. Strong, an actor I've admired for a while now, provides great control in a villainous role, though I don't know how much skill he has at improv. One other character I've left out is Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and that's only because he has a character that is treated in a very clever way that has been left out of all the advertisement. Concealing this tidbit is wise, as it's a nice twist on what could have been a mundane story element.

The first act of the film comes with a bit of an anvil, and it carries the dead weight of smug humor, a muddled pace and an uninteresting hero. But trust me when I say that sticking with it will pay off in the end. The film will get to be fun, exciting and will even squeeze out some sentiment as well. Obviously I can't say the film is for everyone, but those who have a suspicion that they'll enjoy the subject matter, then I'd say that you'll probably enjoy it. And if you happen to be someone who carries the same preconceived notions that I did, then I'd suggest you put them to the test. Who knows, you might leave them behind in the same spot that I did.

B+