Oh the superhero movie, one of the most hit-and-miss movie genres in cinematic history; arguably second only to movies based on video games.
With the genre bursting at the seams in recent years, and a plethora more coming in the next couple years, it’s easy to overlook a movie about a very new character who is not openly endorsed by either of the big hitters in the comic industry.
Thankfully Kick-Ass has been promoted well enough to not slide under the radar.
So what is Kick-Ass? Well, it is what it is, it kicked ass. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.
Kick-Ass is a comic published through Icon, a branch of Marvel Comics that deals only in privately owned franchises. What I’m getting at is: though technically a part of Marvel, the ties are extremely loose. So what’s my point? My point is that if you’re expecting a family-friendly film about superheroes like the recent deluge we’ve gotten in the last few years, let me give you a heads up.
This movie is more Tarantino style than Stan Lee. It’s sleek, stylish, polished, and vulgar and violent as one would expect if this movie had been made by the mighty Q.
In the first two minutes of the film we see a would-be superhero meet a very unfortunate demise, followed by very colourful language; it’s like a pre-emptive “here’s what you’re in store for, get your kids out now if you’re having second thoughts.”
Our story officially opens with Dave Lizewski, a character lost in obscurity. He’s one of those teens with no real drawbacks, but also suffers from having no really outstanding attributes. He spends his time with his friends, reading and talking comic books; he’s your typical pseudo-nerd with a typical pseudo-nerd life and dreams. Dave, like many people, has had the fantasy of being a superhero and wonders why, through all of time with all the people who have lived, how come no one ever gave it a try.
After an instance of getting mugged, Dave decides he’s tired of being a nobody and that it was time someone stepped up and became a hero; thus, Kick-Ass was born.
With no super powers, no billion dollar budget to buy fancy gadgets, Dave takes to the streets with little more than a green diving suit, good intentions and a MySpace account. From failing at attempting to recover lost pets to getting his ass handed to him by criminals he attempts to stop, Kick-Ass does begin to turn some heads as a symbol that there is still room for good people in this world. From here on out Kick-Ass finds himself getting deeper under the skin of organized crime and more often than not biting off more than he can chew.
The pacing is great as it tells the story of an aspiring superhero learning his trade while taking some bumps along the way, and is handled at just the right speed, feeling neither rushed or dragging.
Along with the pacing of the story, this movie has a strong character base. Characters are all, for the most part, realistic people and sometimes you even forget you’re watching what’s supposed to be a goofy superhero movie. The characters are all handled brilliantly as their back stories are acknowledged, wrapped up into a little bundle that doesn’t dwell or push through too quickly, then the movie progresses.
The storytelling is just terrific. The moods are all handled well, sad moments are handled tastefully, while the comic relief elements aren’t over the top and do get a genuine chuckle; again having no strong ties to the comic book heavy hitters, jokes are several times references to some of comic’s biggest names that will be in the back of the mind of the viewer. More than once it’s brought up that the character of Big Daddy (one of Nick Cage’s most entertaining roles in some years in my opinion) has a costume that’s easily pointed out at first glance that it was inspired from the Tim Burton Batman costume; everyone who sees this movie will think it, so why not acknowledge the joke? It’s genious.
Now, to those of you who cringe at foul language and look away at gore and violence: again, this movie is rife with both. I stopped counting F bombs after ten minutes and the film pulls no punches in its fight scenes, especially later in the film where the character of Hit Girl is in sequences that feel like homages to Kill Bill.
On the note of Hit Girl, the spotlight is stolen by Chloe Moretz. Here’s a girl who’s 12-13 years old, and her character had complexity that many veterans would struggle with. Hit Girl partakes in the most amazing combat sequences in the film while also being the focal point of one of the most dramatic moments, and then has to go back to acting like a regular pre-teen girl; for a talent at that age to deliver such a great performance, I was genuinely impressed with her delivery.
Kick-Ass is almost like the dis-assembly of the superhero movie. Believable, every day characters who just want to make a difference and don’t have some kind of superhuman skill to help them achieve this are almost like a tasteful slap in the face with what has plagued many comic book movies; plus having the nerve to incorporate language and violence that one wouldn’t find in today’s mainstream superhero movies, it’s that much more entertaining because it dares to be so different.
A fun story, relevant characters, a terrific flow, a great balance of drama and comedy and simply the brass to be different makes this movie one hell of a standout in this genre, and it’s for all the right reasons. If you can take some blood and a lot of language, this is a movie you really should check out!
I’m out.
By: Lee Clifford
Oh the superhero movie, one of the most hit-and-miss movie genres in cinematic history; arguably second only to movies based on video games.
With the genre bursting at the seams in recent years, and a plethora more coming in the next couple years, it’s easy to overlook a movie about a very new character who is not openly endorsed by either of the big hitters in the comic industry.
Thankfully Kick-Ass has been promoted well enough to not slide under the radar.
So what is Kick-Ass? Well, it is what it is, it kicked ass. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.
Kick-Ass is a comic published through Icon, a branch of Marvel Comics that deals only in privately owned franchises. What I’m getting at is: though technically a part of Marvel, the ties are extremely loose. So what’s my point? My point is that if you’re expecting a family-friendly film about superheroes like the recent deluge we’ve gotten in the last few years, let me give you a heads up.
This movie is more Tarantino style than Stan Lee. It’s sleek, stylish, polished, and vulgar and violent as one would expect if this movie had been made by the mighty Q.
In the first two minutes of the film we see a would-be superhero meet a very unfortunate demise, followed by very colourful language; it’s like a pre-emptive “here’s what you’re in store for, get your kids out now if you’re having second thoughts.”
Our story officially opens with Dave Lizewski, a character lost in obscurity. He’s one of those teens with no real drawbacks, but also suffers from having no really outstanding attributes. He spends his time with his friends, reading and talking comic books; he’s your typical pseudo-nerd with a typical pseudo-nerd life and dreams. Dave, like many people, has had the fantasy of being a superhero and wonders why, through all of time with all the people who have lived, how come no one ever gave it a try.
After an instance of getting mugged, Dave decides he’s tired of being a nobody and that it was time someone stepped up and became a hero; thus, Kick-Ass was born.
With no super powers, no billion dollar budget to buy fancy gadgets, Dave takes to the streets with little more than a green diving suit, good intentions and a MySpace account. From failing at attempting to recover lost pets to getting his ass handed to him by criminals he attempts to stop, Kick-Ass does begin to turn some heads as a symbol that there is still room for good people in this world. From here on out Kick-Ass finds himself getting deeper under the skin of organized crime and more often than not biting off more than he can chew.
The pacing is great as it tells the story of an aspiring superhero learning his trade while taking some bumps along the way, and is handled at just the right speed, feeling neither rushed or dragging.
Along with the pacing of the story, this movie has a strong character base. Characters are all, for the most part, realistic people and sometimes you even forget you’re watching what’s supposed to be a goofy superhero movie. The characters are all handled brilliantly as their back stories are acknowledged, wrapped up into a little bundle that doesn’t dwell or push through too quickly, then the movie progresses.
The storytelling is just terrific. The moods are all handled well, sad moments are handled tastefully, while the comic relief elements aren’t over the top and do get a genuine chuckle; again having no strong ties to the comic book heavy hitters, jokes are several times references to some of comic’s biggest names that will be in the back of the mind of the viewer. More than once it’s brought up that the character of Big Daddy (one of Nick Cage’s most entertaining roles in some years in my opinion) has a costume that’s easily pointed out at first glance that it was inspired from the Tim Burton Batman costume; everyone who sees this movie will think it, so why not acknowledge the joke? It’s genious.
Now, to those of you who cringe at foul language and look away at gore and violence: again, this movie is rife with both. I stopped counting F bombs after ten minutes and the film pulls no punches in its fight scenes, especially later in the film where the character of Hit Girl is in sequences that feel like homages to Kill Bill.
On the note of Hit Girl, the spotlight is stolen by Chloe Moretz. Here’s a girl who’s 12-13 years old, and her character had complexity that many veterans would struggle with. Hit Girl partakes in the most amazing combat sequences in the film while also being the focal point of one of the most dramatic moments, and then has to go back to acting like a regular pre-teen girl; for a talent at that age to deliver such a great performance, I was genuinely impressed with her delivery.
Kick-Ass is almost like the dis-assembly of the superhero movie. Believable, every day characters who just want to make a difference and don’t have some kind of superhuman skill to help them achieve this are almost like a tasteful slap in the face with what has plagued many comic book movies; plus having the nerve to incorporate language and violence that one wouldn’t find in today’s mainstream superhero movies, it’s that much more entertaining because it dares to be so different.
A fun story, relevant characters, a terrific flow, a great balance of drama and comedy and simply the brass to be different makes this movie one hell of a standout in this genre, and it’s for all the right reasons. If you can take some blood and a lot of language, this is a movie you really should check out!
I’m out.
By: Lee Clifford
Oh the superhero movie, one of the most hit-and-miss movie genres in cinematic history; arguably second only to movies based on video games.
With the genre bursting at the seams in recent years, and a plethora more coming in the next couple years, it’s easy to overlook a movie about a very new character who is not openly endorsed by either of the big hitters in the comic industry.
Thankfully Kick-Ass has been promoted well enough to not slide under the radar.
So what is Kick-Ass? Well, it is what it is, it kicked ass. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.
Kick-Ass is a comic published through Icon, a branch of Marvel Comics that deals only in privately owned franchises. What I’m getting at is: though technically a part of Marvel, the ties are extremely loose. So what’s my point? My point is that if you’re expecting a family-friendly film about superheroes like the recent deluge we’ve gotten in the last few years, let me give you a heads up.
This movie is more Tarantino style than Stan Lee. It’s sleek, stylish, polished, and vulgar and violent as one would expect if this movie had been made by the mighty Q.
In the first two minutes of the film we see a would-be superhero meet a very unfortunate demise, followed by very colourful language; it’s like a pre-emptive “here’s what you’re in store for, get your kids out now if you’re having second thoughts.”
Our story officially opens with Dave Lizewski, a character lost in obscurity. He’s one of those teens with no real drawbacks, but also suffers from having no really outstanding attributes. He spends his time with his friends, reading and talking comic books; he’s your typical pseudo-nerd with a typical pseudo-nerd life and dreams. Dave, like many people, has had the fantasy of being a superhero and wonders why, through all of time with all the people who have lived, how come no one ever gave it a try.
After an instance of getting mugged, Dave decides he’s tired of being a nobody and that it was time someone stepped up and became a hero; thus, Kick-Ass was born.
With no super powers, no billion dollar budget to buy fancy gadgets, Dave takes to the streets with little more than a green diving suit, good intentions and a MySpace account. From failing at attempting to recover lost pets to getting his ass handed to him by criminals he attempts to stop, Kick-Ass does begin to turn some heads as a symbol that there is still room for good people in this world. From here on out Kick-Ass finds himself getting deeper under the skin of organized crime and more often than not biting off more than he can chew.
The pacing is great as it tells the story of an aspiring superhero learning his trade while taking some bumps along the way, and is handled at just the right speed, feeling neither rushed or dragging.
Along with the pacing of the story, this movie has a strong character base. Characters are all, for the most part, realistic people and sometimes you even forget you’re watching what’s supposed to be a goofy superhero movie. The characters are all handled brilliantly as their back stories are acknowledged, wrapped up into a little bundle that doesn’t dwell or push through too quickly, then the movie progresses.
The storytelling is just terrific. The moods are all handled well, sad moments are handled tastefully, while the comic relief elements aren’t over the top and do get a genuine chuckle; again having no strong ties to the comic book heavy hitters, jokes are several times references to some of comic’s biggest names that will be in the back of the mind of the viewer. More than once it’s brought up that the character of Big Daddy (one of Nick Cage’s most entertaining roles in some years in my opinion) has a costume that’s easily pointed out at first glance that it was inspired from the Tim Burton Batman costume; everyone who sees this movie will think it, so why not acknowledge the joke? It’s genious.
Now, to those of you who cringe at foul language and look away at gore and violence: again, this movie is rife with both. I stopped counting F bombs after ten minutes and the film pulls no punches in its fight scenes, especially later in the film where the character of Hit Girl is in sequences that feel like homages to Kill Bill.
On the note of Hit Girl, the spotlight is stolen by Chloe Moretz. Here’s a girl who’s 12-13 years old, and her character had complexity that many veterans would struggle with. Hit Girl partakes in the most amazing combat sequences in the film while also being the focal point of one of the most dramatic moments, and then has to go back to acting like a regular pre-teen girl; for a talent at that age to deliver such a great performance, I was genuinely impressed with her delivery.
Kick-Ass is almost like the dis-assembly of the superhero movie. Believable, every day characters who just want to make a difference and don’t have some kind of superhuman skill to help them achieve this are almost like a tasteful slap in the face with what has plagued many comic book movies; plus having the nerve to incorporate language and violence that one wouldn’t find in today’s mainstream superhero movies, it’s that much more entertaining because it dares to be so different.
A fun story, relevant characters, a terrific flow, a great balance of drama and comedy and simply the brass to be different makes this movie one hell of a standout in this genre, and it’s for all the right reasons. If you can take some blood and a lot of language, this is a movie you really should check out!
I’m out.
By: Lee Clifford
Oh the superhero movie, one of the most hit-and-miss movie genres in cinematic history; arguably second only to movies based on video games.
With the genre bursting at the seams in recent years, and a plethora more coming in the next couple years, it’s easy to overlook a movie about a very new character who is not openly endorsed by either of the big hitters in the comic industry.
Thankfully Kick-Ass has been promoted well enough to not slide under the radar.
So what is Kick-Ass? Well, it is what it is, it kicked ass. I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.
Kick-Ass is a comic published through Icon, a branch of Marvel Comics that deals only in privately owned franchises. What I’m getting at is: though technically a part of Marvel, the ties are extremely loose. So what’s my point? My point is that if you’re expecting a family-friendly film about superheroes like the recent deluge we’ve gotten in the last few years, let me give you a heads up.
This movie is more Tarantino style than Stan Lee. It’s sleek, stylish, polished, and vulgar and violent as one would expect if this movie had been made by the mighty Q.
In the first two minutes of the film we see a would-be superhero meet a very unfortunate demise, followed by very colourful language; it’s like a pre-emptive “here’s what you’re in store for, get your kids out now if you’re having second thoughts.”
Our story officially opens with Dave Lizewski, a character lost in obscurity. He’s one of those teens with no real drawbacks, but also suffers from having no really outstanding attributes. He spends his time with his friends, reading and talking comic books; he’s your typical pseudo-nerd with a typical pseudo-nerd life and dreams. Dave, like many people, has had the fantasy of being a superhero and wonders why, through all of time with all the people who have lived, how come no one ever gave it a try.
After an instance of getting mugged, Dave decides he’s tired of being a nobody and that it was time someone stepped up and became a hero; thus, Kick-Ass was born.
With no super powers, no billion dollar budget to buy fancy gadgets, Dave takes to the streets with little more than a green diving suit, good intentions and a MySpace account. From failing at attempting to recover lost pets to getting his ass handed to him by criminals he attempts to stop, Kick-Ass does begin to turn some heads as a symbol that there is still room for good people in this world. From here on out Kick-Ass finds himself getting deeper under the skin of organized crime and more often than not biting off more than he can chew.
The pacing is great as it tells the story of an aspiring superhero learning his trade while taking some bumps along the way, and is handled at just the right speed, feeling neither rushed or dragging.
Along with the pacing of the story, this movie has a strong character base. Characters are all, for the most part, realistic people and sometimes you even forget you’re watching what’s supposed to be a goofy superhero movie. The characters are all handled brilliantly as their back stories are acknowledged, wrapped up into a little bundle that doesn’t dwell or push through too quickly, then the movie progresses.
The storytelling is just terrific. The moods are all handled well, sad moments are handled tastefully, while the comic relief elements aren’t over the top and do get a genuine chuckle; again having no strong ties to the comic book heavy hitters, jokes are several times references to some of comic’s biggest names that will be in the back of the mind of the viewer. More than once it’s brought up that the character of Big Daddy (one of Nick Cage’s most entertaining roles in some years in my opinion) has a costume that’s easily pointed out at first glance that it was inspired from the Tim Burton Batman costume; everyone who sees this movie will think it, so why not acknowledge the joke? It’s genious.
Now, to those of you who cringe at foul language and look away at gore and violence: again, this movie is rife with both. I stopped counting F bombs after ten minutes and the film pulls no punches in its fight scenes, especially later in the film where the character of Hit Girl is in sequences that feel like homages to Kill Bill.
On the note of Hit Girl, the spotlight is stolen by Chloe Moretz. Here’s a girl who’s 12-13 years old, and her character had complexity that many veterans would struggle with. Hit Girl partakes in the most amazing combat sequences in the film while also being the focal point of one of the most dramatic moments, and then has to go back to acting like a regular pre-teen girl; for a talent at that age to deliver such a great performance, I was genuinely impressed with her delivery.
Kick-Ass is almost like the dis-assembly of the superhero movie. Believable, every day characters who just want to make a difference and don’t have some kind of superhuman skill to help them achieve this are almost like a tasteful slap in the face with what has plagued many comic book movies; plus having the nerve to incorporate language and violence that one wouldn’t find in today’s mainstream superhero movies, it’s that much more entertaining because it dares to be so different.
A fun story, relevant characters, a terrific flow, a great balance of drama and comedy and simply the brass to be different makes this movie one hell of a standout in this genre, and it’s for all the right reasons. If you can take some blood and a lot of language, this is a movie you really should check out!