Kick-Ass -- Review

A year ago I assisted the MTV News team at the NY Comic Con for a panel discussion considering the topic of who the top ten movie badasses of all time are, and since then I have spent a lot of time contemplating the names on the list.  For me that question takes a lot of consideration, much like my answer for "what's your favorite movie".  But as I though of the names of the characters that made the list according to MTV, debates by the panelists, and my known knowledge of the characters I feel that in today's media and technology crazed world, that many of the names on that particular list should no longer be considered relevant for today's films.  I personally do not think of Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry as being the ultimate badass any longer.  And no matter how much I love the Alien series and everything Ripley related (thank you Dave for the introduction), I cannot picture Ellen Ripley as the #2 badass of all time (regardless of where the votes and tallies came from).  Even my excitement for Bruce Willis' John McClane just doesn't quite make my top 5 for today's movie goers -- not even having blown up a helicopter with a police car in Live Free or Die Hard.  Especially after the large quantity of action flicks over the last few years, and those by rather ambitious directors to took action to the next level.  Picture Kill Bill or Reservoir Dogs with a cast of teens.  Tarantino meeting the end of a blade or coming face to face with the muzzle of a gun held by one of his own badass characters.  Think of Fox coming to her fateful end in a dark alley at the hands of a little girl.  Or Marv getting his ass kicked by a former cop out for revenge.  There is nothing right about any of those pictures, but Kick-Ass gets very close to something that would resemble each and every one of those images.

Kick-Ass is a hard punching, ass kicking, blade yielding, heavy metal flick that will literally blow your mind. Yes we can all connect with the idea that it would be cool to be a superhero.  Some may have even questioned why no one has ever truly tried to be a superhero like those in the comic books, but Kick-Ass will put all those thoughts to rest.  From the opening monologue and drop dead shocking death, Matthew Vaughn's direction of Kick-Ass is a film that truly puts the classic Tarantino style to shame.  With characters like Hit Girl and Big Daddy I feel that the traditional lists of "all time badass characters" are no long relevant.  Personally, I no longer look at any of the classic cowboys, "bad boys", "good cop/bad cop", or those vengeful characters as being badass enough.  Even though Dirty Harry, John McClane, and even Sarah Connor remain on the list of characters that I'd rather not run into on the street, these classic characters are beginning to lose their status to the new generation of "badassness".

Kick-Ass is a wild ride with several heavy hitters on the cast list.  It has been years since Nick Cage has played a badass like Big Daddy, and I loved every second of it.   Over the past year I have begun to feel like all of my favorite "old timers" are finally making a come back in some serious badass roles. Bruce Willis is always a favorite with Live Free or Die Hard, John Travolta showed us he could still kickass and sent me back to the Pulp Fiction days with his role as Charlie Wax in From Paris with Love, Denzel Washington shocked us with his skills and overall badassness in Book of Eli, and now Cage joins the league and gives those characters a run for their money.  I've miss the good ol' days when Cage was that dangerous man in Face/Off, Con Air and Bangkok Dangerous.  Big Daddy was a role meant for him and I bow down before the performance and he truly went down in a blazing glory.

But it wasn't the old timer that did it for me.  He was more of a chaperon on set to the younger stars of the film.  I almost feel that if I was to match The Bride up against Hit Girl, she would easily "finish off" Tarantino's character in a matter of seconds before heading off to face the next badass on the list. The minute you see 13 year old Chloe Moretz playing with her first weapon, straight through to the final battle of the film you'll instantly be a Hit Girl fun.  Of course there is a chance you will puke in your lap at the degree of violence this little bombshell is capable of presenting.  It is her level of skill, power, and over all "girl-power" that is like no other character that has come before her, and instantly raises her level of badassness to a place on the top ten list.  Hit Girl could even give Jolie a run for her money as any action character in her repertoire.   This young star is an action star in the making that is someone to watch out for.  But don't worry, I have not forgotten about the boys in this flick.

Aaron Johnson and Christopher Mintz-Plasse bring a whole new level to the "cool nerd".  It is their comedic timing and attempts at being a superhero that make Kick-Ass and Red Mist the new "cool kid".  It is the "losers" that are making it look cool to be the underdog.  With so many films hitting theaters about characters coming to terms with who they are and discovering that it is cool just to be yourself, it was the new "nerd" that every girl is going to be cheering for.  These character are going to put the "jocks" to shame in this new revolution in the "revenge of the nerds".  I could not get enough of the hard hitting characters, even when they were getting their butts kicked.  This adaptation of Mark Millar's graphic novel will place director Matthew Vaughn clearly on the radar for a career worth following.  I loved every second (even those that turned my stomach) and walked out of the theater wanting more, hoping for a sequel.  I give Kick-Ass a solid 10 out of 10 and highly recommend this film, with just one stipulation...

If you are a parent, older sibling, or relative/babysitter/etc of a child under the age of 13 I would suggest thinking twice about taking them to this film.  This film is an in-your-face ride that follows close to Frank Miller's Sin City and Alan Moore's Watchmen, and may not be appropriate for younger kids.  The screening I attended had several parents and family members sitting with young children between 3-10 years old, and all it took was the opening scene to send them into a fit of tears, ultimately causing their parent/relative/sibling to have to leave the theater until the child was able to calm down.  So please, do your fellow movie-goers a favor and come enjoy this film in an age appropriate manner, otherwise you may find a real-life superhero waiting for you just around the corner.