Rather obviously, Kick-Ass most definitely has comics at its heart. After all, it's based on Mark Millars comic series of the same name and many millions of geeks and nerds will be queuing for tickets this coming weekend, when the film goes on general release here in the UK. However, this quirky little gem seems intent on turning every comic book convention on its head. Now, I don't read comics, so I don't know if the comic is as mischievous and ironic as the film, but almost every scene flipped what I expected to happen arse over tit with mature, referential, gut-wrenching, humour. I'm sure that, like me, the comic fans, nerds and geeks will love it all the more for that. I'd seen a trailer, so thought I knew what to expect, and I did get that, but with the dial turned up to... eleven (à la Spinal Tap).
So, to the premise. What would happen if someone very ordinary tried to be a superhero? Well, had this film been scripted at the hands of an LA writer, you'd know the outcome, right? An average Joe, a loner with a grudge, who through sheer, unfaltering, inner strength, willpower and purity of heart (and maybe a few million in the bank) rescues damsels in distress and kicks criminals to the kerb. All the while, spending what little free time he has, puffing out his ample chest and pouting seriously as he surveys his city, hands on hips, from a precarious vantage point way above... you get the picture. The world is changed. For the better. However, this screenplay was co-written by Matthew Vaughan and Jane Goldman. The two cheeky Brits responsible for Stardust with it's cast of quirky chumps, including disgruntled dying star, a closeted gay pirate sailing the skies and a witch who refuses to age gracefully. So, Kick-Ass will NOT be The Dark Knight part deux. Nor, for that matter, will it be anything else part deux. It's just… different. It’s not the plot that makes it different, don’t get me wrong, that's a lesson in linear, good versus bad, cliche. It’s how the story’s told that’s different.
The Dark Knight is lauded as the best comic-based adaptation of recent years. And, for its type and genre, I guess it is one of the best. But, I'd argue that Kick-Ass kicks it's comic-based... well... ass. The Dark Knight took itself rather seriously. How could it not? With the woefully self-absorbed Christian Bale brooding around in every other scene. Thank heavens for Heath Ledger to break my almost perma-frown whilst watching. Yeah, Kick-Ass is more to my liking. Can you tell? It has all the kinetic action of a top-notch superhero or action flick, it has the central good versus evil cog whirring away nicely and a little obligatory romance, but here there's also a whole heck of a lot of laughs too. Had the screenwriters taken themselves as seriously as Christopher Nolan, this film simply wouldn't have worked. But, it wasn't and it does. It's gorgeously, gigglesome, self-referential, capital 'F' for fun, FUN! What’s bizarre, though, is that the gags don’t render it simply a silly ‘comedy’ either.
Aaron Johnson plays self-conscious geek Dave Lizewski with humble subtlety. He's a handsome young chap, but as Dave, you sorta believe that the pretty girls wouldn't look twice at him. And you utterly believe that once he has his gaudy green Kick-Ass wetsuit on that he CAN do anything. It's actually Dave who eventually realises he can't, not the audience, not me anyway. I was willing him to jump that gap. (You’ll know what I mean when you see it). His supporting cast of nerdy friends played by Evan Peters and Clark Duke help you believe in the awkwardness of his character even more fully. They may not be in that many scenes, but they make Dave's world all the more rounded and real.
But for me, the star of the show is Chloë Moretz who plays Mindy Macready/Hit-Girl, daughter to Nicolas Cage's Damon Macready/Big-Daddy. Cage is on top form again. He's always at his best when playing marginally unhinged men. But, his pre-pubescent killing machine of a daughter is tougher and smarter than anyone else in the film. Moretz manages to portray an adept, clinical, killer whilst also being a very human, warm, child when not in her Hit-Girl gear. Despite her potty mouth, you find out she likes marshmallows in her hot chocolate dontcha know? It's just that she also likes to drool over Gatling guns before bed too! She swears like a navvy and flails a blade around with the aplomb of O-Ren Ishii. There's been controversy about such a youngster playing such a foul-mouthed and violent character. I'm not going to enter into that debate. Daily Mail writers and readers have already got their big M&S knickers in a tizzy about that, so I’ll leave them to rant. Yes, she's a little girl. Yes, she says "cunt". It's a FILM! Fuck off and buy a DVD of Last of the Summer Wine and watch that to you hearts content if you don’t like it! Suffice to say, I loved the character. She does slay with a smirk, but Moretz somehow manages to make this NOT feel uncomfortable. It's a mature, accomplished, performance for one so young. The whole film seems to pivot around her character and not Kick-Ass. It’s rather like when Will & Grace should really have been called Karen & Jack, cuz they stole the show. This film should really have been called Hit-Girl. It’s her you keep wanting back on screen and her story you want to follow once the credits roll.
Tarantino's mark on modern action films is felt here. Child assassins, samurai swords, unapologetic violence and gore, and balletic fight scenes set to cheerful ditties. In one case, blood sprays all around to the sound of the Banana Splits theme tune. It's a homage to comics, to Tarantino, and in Nicholas Cage's case, there's even a referential nod to the aforementioned scowling of Bale in The Dark Knight. However, despite all that post-postmodern parody, homage and intertextuality, this film still manages to feel like something entirely fresh.
The comic was written by a Brit, the screenplay was co-written by two Brits, many of the cast are Brits. So, my one gripe would be to wonder why it wasn’t set in the UK? Say, for instance… in Newcastle. Now, THAT would’ve made it perfect.
It's strange to say this, as I'm sat here writing a review about it, but I'd recommend you don’t read any reviews or watch any trailers before seeing this film. The less you know about it, the more fun it'll be (hence no plot spoilers). But, you foolishly read this far didn't you? Still, go see it. You'll love it. I did.
Let me know what you thought.