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Title: Kick-Ass
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| CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, this movie has some intense sequences, rough language, and sexuality. Mostly involving kids. Recommended for ages 17 and up. |
Can an entertaining movie be made that is laced with corse profanity, brutal violence, and comical situations that in real life aren’t funny? Of course they can, only a conservative parent who grades movies on the content scale over the artistic scale would tell you otherwise. If I just described you then you can stop reading this review now, as “Kick-Ass” was not made with you in mind. Based on the comic book of the same name the story revolves around a young teen named Dave (Aaron Johnson) whose only talent involves simply existing in the world as we know it. Unpopular with girls and with no remarkable talents, he never-the-less has a heart for helping people and wonders why more people don’t do so.
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Inspired by his comic book heroes, Dave buys a suite that will come off as either a poor Gumby rip-off or a green dildo, and turns into the superhero Kick-Ass. As Kick-Ass Dave learns such valuable lessons such as “if you go to save someone from getting beat up by gang members, the gang members will in turn beat you up.” Okay, so Dave isn’t exactly Batman. No, that person would be Damon/Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), who actually looks very similar to Batman but different enough to avoid being sued for copyright infringement. He has an 11-year old daughter named Mindy, who also fights crime as Hit Girl.
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As more characters get introduced I was struck by how much of a sideline Kick-Ass takes to the supporting characters. Particularly Hit Girl, who is good with guns, knives, and uses all sorts of swear words. She may be small but...well, she could certainly kick your ass. Most of the movie looks great. I was surprised by how well the film looks and was made. Director Matthew Vaughn has a better eye for detail then either the trailers or the posters will lead you to believe. The movie also has memorable characters. The aforementioned Hit Girl is of course the stand out and will likely become a favorite to cosplay as at upcoming comic conventions. Nicolas Cage though turns in one of his best performances in a long time at Hit Girls dad.
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Yeah, his back story is a little predictable and phoney for this movie, but he’s extremely funny and likable. It’s almost baffling that a character who’s this nice had the power to brainwash his own child into doing the things she does. Ironically though it’s also Hit Girl herself on where this movie falls apart. See, some movies like to be combinations of satire and drama. “Galaxy Quest” and “Shrek” are good examples of movies that started out as parodies only to become good movies in their own right before the final reel finished. “Kick-Ass” strives for this by making as much outrageous comedy in the first half and then making the final quarter more serious and melodramatic.
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I was fine when the movie was farce but once it became serious it started to fall apart. Particularly with Hit Girl because she is very young, and it becomes uncomfortable to watch a young girl using some of the foulest words out there, murdering without remorse, and being beaten within an inch of her life. Unlike the comics where proper time can be given to make the shift in tone more natural, the two hour running time cripples the film adaptation from transitioning smoother. And again, it should be noted that Kick-Ass himself becomes sidelined in his own movie because he’s that interesting of a character, person, or concept. Once he gets the ball rolling you almost wish he’d drop out of the picture.
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Also while I don’t want to become one of those people who thinks about the children when it comes to a movie that wasn’t made for children, I confess I saw this in a theater where there was a fair amount of children in the audience. For some reason all the objectionable content I mentioned above didn’t bother their parents. Is it now acceptable for kids to see people their own age doing this stuff? Can’t they stay kids longer? Never mind. The point I’m trying to make is “Kick-Ass” tries to go that extra mile too early, and as a result gets tackled by it’s own ambitions too quickly. When the film does work though, I have to admit It does kick ass.
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