thefilmfiles

KICK ASS

If, like me, you have or were a 10 year old girl, the first question you might contemplate after viewing this latest in the flood of superhero movies is who is a better role model?  Bella Swan of the now ubiquitous Twilight series or a new heroine on the film/comic scene, Mindy Macready.  Whereas one pines, almost helplessly, begging to be turned into a vampire by RPattz, the latter takes down drug dealers with ninja stars and a butterfly knife.  Despite the inevitable controversy the film has drawn, I certainly choose Mindy.

But Mindy isn’t, ostensibly, the star of the film.  The title character is a typical high school nerd named Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) who figures that he’ll answer his own musings about why it is that no one actually decides to be a superhero by becoming one himself.  His not entirely well thought out plan involves a wetsuit purchased online, those yellow boots the contractor character from The Village People used to wear, and a couple of black batons velcroed to his back.  Not surprisingly his first encounter with a couple of professional thugs does not go well, nonetheless he somehow does wind up becoming a viral Youtube phenomenon.  This is how he attracts the attention of crime boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) and the assistance of a couple of better prepared superheroes, namely Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and my new idol Mindy, aka Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz.)

It’s at this point that the film fully moves from Superbad-like teenage nerd comedy to seductively violent comic book action, and like both Wanted and Kill Bill with serious female muscle.  What it manages to do is then balance the satirical edge of all comic approaches with stunningly choreographed battle scenes, very carefully conceived and shot by director Matthew Vaughn.  There are nods to the 3 greatest: Spiderman, Superman and Batman, with Nicolas Cage channelling Adam West (in his words “the only Batman”) in caped crusader like costume as well as at least one big speech.  Kick Ass and his suspicious sidekick Red Mist function mostly as literal and metaphoric punching bags, all the while keeping the plot engine on course, it’s internal clock ticking to it’s breathtaking climax.

It’s nothing like I expected since I’m not deep in the comic book world, but I understand that even the aficionados of the books (which began simultaneously with the film) are pleased with the results. Big Daddy and especially Hit Girl are such good superheroes that they all but take over the film which is I guess the way it’s all supposed to play out, but we’re left with the thrilling prospect that the nerd will bloom and maybe even get a better outfit.   It’s not a film for little, little girls (or boys for that matter,) but I for one just loved seeing this mighty tyke giving it to the bad guys, let’s hope she can keep it up into adulthood and not wilt into Twilightdom.

Kick Ass opens April 16, 2010

Directed by Matthew Vaughn; written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, based on the comic book written by Mark Millar and John S. Romita Jr.; produced by Matthew Vaughn, Brad Pitt, and Kris Thykier; Director of Photography, Ben Davis; edited by Jon Harris, Pietro Scalia and Eddie Hamilton, music composed by John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius de Vries and Ilan Eshkeri.  Released by Lionsgate.  Running time: 113 minutes.