Refreshingly wicked superhero satire with epic action sequences

Rating: 9/10 (16 April 2010)

After films like Spiderman 3, Fantastic 4, Superman Returns which were all so-so and the incredibly stupid Hulk movies , I was thinking Hollywood had pretty much reached saturation point in superhero movies.
Then came Kick-Ass. What can I say? I didn't have a high expectation of this film. The trailer gave me the impression that it is going to be just another forgettable cheap thrill. Oh was I ever so mistaken.
Kick-Ass was awesome! The politically incorrect tone of the whole show stands itself out from all other politically correct superhero movies. Have you seen spandex wearing superheroes brandishing guns killing, swearing, knife-fighting thugs?
Comic book patronage is also apparent in the whole film, with comic book culture never before looked so cool (hanging out in comic book stores, coffee shops) and the characters are all somewhat into comic books (Aaron Johnson's character and his friends are comic book geeks, Katie is 'comic-book-curious', Big Daddy creates a comic book for his daughter Hit Girl and draws Frank D'Amico and his top dogs in a comic book fashion). Plenty of references to other comic book superheroes (no power comes no responsibility) or poking fun at comic book clichés is pretty much the backbone of the comedy element, although you don't have to be hardcore comic book geeks to understand the humour, it's pretty general. The funny deliberate corny monologues of the characters, comic-book styles during some change of scenes like 'Meanwhile...' tabs and bright colours and short comic-book styled animation / flashback on the origin of Hit Girl and Big Daddy are also part of the comic book patronage in this film.
Additionally the widespread use and influential power of Youtube and MySpace by both the protagonists (Dave uses MySpace to create a profile for Kick-Ass and states in the movie he has only 38 friends in his real page but hundreds of thousands on his Kick-Ass page shows that a modern update on a common element in superheroes, a 'two faced nature' of superheroes like 'Bruce Wayne by day, Batman by night'. Amatueur footage of Kick-Ass got uploaded on Youtube became a sensation and led Big Daddy and Hit Girl to discover Kick-Ass) and antagonists (D'Amico used Youtube to stream live footage of Big Daddy and Kick-Ass' torture) as the main channels of information on us makes the film current and realistic and for that, we can associate better with the characters as the film is brought down to our level. The Youtube element is something the parody 'Superhero Movie' also did, but Kick-Ass just refashioned it and took it to the next level.
The show has some of the most memorable and lasting action sequences, similar to the style of Kill Bill with a good combination of adrenaline, refreshing retro-pop music that sets the mood of the scene and satisfying choreography that we have never seen before.
The characters are great in the film. Dave leads the film in his Spiderman like narrative in the first half of the film in a satirical fashion. Nicholas Cage as Big Daddy is also something to take note of, a doting father. The one who steals the spotlight is really Chloe Moretz's Hit Girl character, who has a penchant for fancy switchblades and colourful language (like the adults around her), is a real break from the last time I saw her as a supporting role as Tom's mature sister in (500) Days Of Summer. She leads most of the seriously breathtaking action sequences, and has the best lines other than Kick-Ass. She is much like Matilda in the Luc Besson film Leon, but with more attitude, wit, and skill of a true original female child action hero (first of her kind in Hollywood?). The schoolgirl lobby scene also had similarities from the Japanese manga and anime Gunslinger Girl which also featured kick-ass gun-totting little girls. In fact, Kick-Ass becomes pretty much the clumsy comedic sidekick next to all the Hit Girl scenes after the first half of the show, despite being the main character.
However, unlike the rich characters of Dave/Kick-Ass, and the Big Daddy and Hit Girl duo, I felt D'Amico was too thinly developed on, which I felt could add to some depth if the script would allow him to (like why he entered the business of drug trafficking or a history behind his former coke addiction) and not strip him down to such a stereotypical bad guy. Red Mist as D'Amico's son's character should also be developed on his loneliness, his refuge in a world of comic books and the ever-driven need for self-worth that eventually made him become Red Mist.
In any case, this film is generally a great film with a bucket of popcorn and some good friends. It is definitely one film you should catch in a cinema any time soon. And as for me, I have got to start checking out the Kick-Ass comic book this movie was based on.