2010 comic book movieRating: 12/20
Plot: Although he's not been bitten by a radioactive chicken or peed upon by a radioactive monkey, comic aficionado Dave decides to become a superhero. He sends off for a costume, dubs himself Kick-Ass, and wanders the city in search of crime to fight. He finds out quickly that fighting crime ain't all that easy after his first attempt puts him in the hospital with numerous broken bones. But he doesn't give up on his dream and eventually gets some media attention for his exploits. Meanwhile, a father/daughter crime fighting duo with actual superhero training and a hodgepodge of weaponry make plans to overthrow a big-time crime lord responsible for the death of their wife/mother. Their paths cross.
I'm not a comic book guy. Kairow is, and that's probably why one night during our freshman year at Johnson Bible College, the two of us and a guy called Wombat dressed up as superheros, left our dorm after curfew, and tried to find our campus security guard. I'm not completely sure what our goal was. We were probably just bored, and after Kairow had discovered that his pant leg (after he cut it off to make himself some bitchin' jean shorts) actually fit over his head, there's no way it wouldn't become a mask. And if he had a mask, he'd have to have a cape. And if he had a mask and a cape and a thing of Stain Stick and a cool superhero name like Stain Stick Man, then I'd have to have a costume. So I become the Human Fly with a jock-strap worn over some running tight things and a see-through hat over my face. And a tennis racket. I think that was the only thing I ever used the tennis racket for actually. Wombat was the type of guy who had both boxing gloves (no, he was not exactly a boxer; too round) and a monk outfit, so he became the Boxing Monk, probably the ballsiest of the trio since his face wasn't even covered. We waited outside our dorm entrance for a while before wandering off to find the security guard. We finally located them (didn't make me feel all that secure, I must say) and approached the car. Then, probably anticlimactically, we had the following conversation:
Stain Stick Man: Hello!
Security Guy: Hi.
Stain Stick Man: What are you boys doing out so late tonight?
Security Guy: Not much. How about you guys?
Stain Stick Man: Just fightin' crime.
Then, we walked back to the dorm. And that was pretty much that.
My point? We almost came up with this idea before the comic book was written. And it was a much more entertaining way to spend ninety minutes. No, I'm not saying that the makers of Kick-Ass ripped us off and owe us royalties or anything. I'm not exactly saying that it's a rip-off of anything. But it did have a tone similar to Scott Pilgrim, only less thrilling and with a protagonist who wasn't quite as likable or Michael Cera-ish. The romantic subplot made it seem derivative, like an 80's movie, and there wasn't anything going on with the main plot that felt like anything I've never seen before. It wasn't funny enough or playful enough to be satire either, so to me, it was just another comic book movie, and aside from a couple vibrant fight scenes featuring the cute little girl, a pretty tired one. Oh, and Nic Cage's surprisingly subdued performance as Big Daddy. I like how he Adam Wests it up when in the superhero garb, and the majority of the fun in Kick-Ass, is courtesy of America's finest actor. Craig Ferguson's also got a cameo, and it's always good to see him.
6 comments:
Ok, I'm glad I read about you in a jock strap and tights. I had low expectations for this but like how they broke some boundaries with violence and little girls dropping the c word. I like the action sequences and the general look.
I can't really defend my liking this, and I was uncormfotable with the violence relating to the girl (it feels like it crossed a distastful boundary that shouldn't be crossed), but I still recommend it for it's tongue-in-cheek humor and very inventive action scenes. A 15.
uncormfotable with a roving r...love typos
This one got tiresome for me pretty quick. It really did not seem to be able to go anywhere. The basic premise of the movie, that some ordinary guy could do something because he put on a suit, was lost because the little girl and Cage have so much super powerful crap that its like they do have super powers.
Blah....a 13 for me. Just never got into the movie that much.
This story is true.
However, I was trying to make a Ronollo-style jaunty hat, the mask was lucky fun.
This movie is better than the original material. Millar tries to be a shocking as possible in his writing, hince Hit Girl, who was pulled word for word from the text. He is starting to become M. Night Shamalamadingdong-esque in his twists and it and is becoming a black eye on a once great writer.
I liked it, but it does not hold up to mulitple viewings.
That's ok since I probably won't see it again.
A jaunty hat? I thought you were making shorts. Was the intention to make a hat all along?
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