Sunday, October 17, 2010

Movie review - Kick Ass

Ordinary teenager, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), is tired of seeing bad guys win the day and decides to become a superhero....except he's completely devoid of martial arts training and powers and gets beaten to a pulp. This however results in him getting metal poles inserted into his body and the loss of some peripheral sensation meaning that he can withstand physical punishment more than your average guy! This combined with a youtube video of him coming to the aid of someone being mugged and he is transformed into Kick-Ass! Except he's not the only masked vigilantes in this town. And the criminals they're taking down aren't your ordinary muggers...


If I had to describe Kick-Ass in a word, it would be 'fun'. From the story to the action sequences, I found it highly entertaining! Possibly because it features a somewhat amusing story with some very nice and incredibly improbable action sequences, especially the final showdown where the baddies sure get their asses kicked! My main complaint is the obvious foreshadowing to a sequel but apparently the movie is based on a comic book. I don't know how many books (if any) follow what we saw in this but I think it would have been better to end on a more final note. 

Other than the fighting, a particular reason why I found this movie so enjoyable was the character development. Now, this might sound pretty stupid given the plot that I've just described, but seriously, I think it featured a good balance of action, characterisation, and story development. Dave could have just been a teen hoping to get his kicks and some kudos by fighting crime, but we see him gradually learn that being a 'hero' is neither physically nor morally easy. Likewise, you may wonder how Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) would make his young daughter, Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz), live the life they do but all motivations are explained.

I supposed this brings me to the 'controversy' of the movie - the whole 'Hit Girl' role: characterisation, script, etc etc. Okay, she's a bit foul-mouthed but I've heard worse coming from similar-aged kids on the bus. Seriously, kids these days need their mouths washed out with soap, but I guess Human Services would come down on me if I or their parents were to do that. And yeah, okay she seems to kill without much second thought but one can't fault her moral code! She only slaughters the evil-doer! Anyway, people who take their kids to this thinking that it's a fun movie for teens because it features young actors and superheroes clearly didn't check the film classification!

Fun! Enjoyable, blood-soaked fun.
6.5-7/10

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