Kick-Ass

The delightfully bold and infinitely ingenious KICK-ASS is one heck of a brilliant entry to the superhero genre. I have doubts as to whether to even lump it into that category, because the truth is that this film is what you might call a quasi-satire of the superhero movie, with the exception that it really celebrates the genre more than anything else, while subtly and brilliantly taking jabs at its cliches and conventions. The fact that this film's title doesn't end with the word "Movie" was enough of a sign to know that we were safe from having to endure yet another one of those extra-lame parodies, but what I wasn't prepared for was the incredibly fun, well-crafted and intelligent cinematic experience that is KICK-ASS. In fact, this is one of those instances in which I can say that the title couldn't possibly do a better job at describing the film's quality.

We know we're in for something memorable from the get-go. The film refuses to have its protagonist, Dave (Aaron Johnson), simply fit into a high school stereotype. For this type of film, the easy route would've been for Dave to be your standard geek, but he isn't: "I'm just a normal guy. I just exist." It's a great way of getting the average person to connect with him immediately and become engrossed in the film.

The movie's first 20 minutes features lines like "I'm making deposits in the whack-off warehouse" and "Have you guys ever seen One Night in Spider-Man?" If that were it, KICK-ASS would hardly earn its name, but what comes later is a combination of thoroughly exciting, expertly crafted, and yes, ultra-violent action sequences. Aside from how well-staged these are, one of the most impressive things about the film in general is that it's got a fantastic soundtrack that helps liven up even some of the slower scenes. Whether it's because of the music, the witty dialogue or the nimble fight sequences, there's not a dull instance to be found in the entire running time.

For comic book fans, there's a fantastic sequence in which, in a matter of seconds, the film gives us the background on one of its secondary characters by literally showing us pages from a comic book. It's one of those things you just have to see to understand how well it works. Similarly, for those of us who are straight-up movie fans, there's a brilliantly-scripted instance in which our narrator warns the audience not to reassure themselves that this will all have a happy ending, and in doing so, mentions the likes of AMERICAN BEAUTY, SIN CITY and SUNSET BOULEVARD as perfectly fitting examples of the point he's making. It made me feel so grateful that there are still smart screenwriters out there.

Last year, the child actress Chloe Moretz played Tom's precocious little sister in (500) DAYS OF SUMMER, mostly showing up in scenes spewing dialogue that sounded a bit too intelligent and experienced for someone her age. Moretz plays, um, a different kind of "precocious" in KICK-ASS, but then again, if you've been following movie news, you know all about people's objections to the super violent scenes involving her character Hit Girl, an 11-year-old girl who bloodily dispatches bad guys with tremendous ease. The boring prudes who are outraged by this are failing to give the film praise for having the balls to show a character that age engaging in this sort of behavior, yet more importantly, they're failing to note that the violence in KICK-ASS isn't violence for the sake of violence. You'd have to be blind not to note the commentary that the film is making on the YouTube generation here: consider the sequence in which a torture/execution-style event is being shown on a news broadcast on TV, yet it is interrupted because of the overly disturbing images, thus prompting people to immediately turn to their computers to keep watching it. Dismissing KICK-ASS as nothing but a violent romp represents a mistaken view of what is easily one of the most memorable movies of 2010.

If there's a problem with the film, it has to do with the fact that it sometimes cuts corners in the plot development department in order to keep the energy going. When a character's mistake about another character's sexuality is finally dispelled, the relationship between those two people takes a somewhat drastic turn that isn't easy to buy. Later in the film, the tough-as-nails Hit Girl experiences an emotionally devastating event, but because the movie wants to move as quickly as possible into its climax, it doesn't linger on that as much as it could have.

But those are minor points about what is nothing but a thoroughly creative, frenetic piece of filmmaking. This is one of those instances in which the final scene's suggestion of a sequel doesn't make me cringe in the least bit - quite the opposite. KICK-ASS is nothing but unabashed entertainment that also manages to both praise and poke fun at the superhero genre.

7/10