Based on the graphic novel by modern comic book masters Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., "Kick Ass" the movie is in-your-face violent with pervasive offensive language and situations of moral turpitude. Director Matthew Vaughn wants to offend the viewer, while simultaneously tearing away everything it means to be a hero, especially a super one. The film is not as clearly a satire of the superhero genre as last year's "Watchmen," yet it is difficult to take the picture completely seriously either. Regular people without special powers dress as masked vigilantes and perpetrate the same vicious street violence against organized crime as the criminals would. Yet, this is supposed to be the modern world in a normal city not a dystopian alternate universe or future. How is this justified? There is very little differentiating good and evil in this play, and thus it leaves the viewer in a moral quandary as to who to cheer for and what is acceptable behavior. The key premise of rooting for the heroes is taken for granted by the director and thus the movie doesn't work on a deeper emotional level beyond superficial entertainment.
Dave (Aaron Johnson; "Nowhere Boy") is a high school student who spends most of his days with his friends at the comic book cafe. As with most teenagers in coming-of-age movies, he isn't popular in school and has a crush on a girl who doesn't know he exists. Dave poses the question to his friends: Why doesn’t someone try being a superhero? He is incredulous to the fact that despite superpowers not being real, someone doesn't dress up like a superhero and fight crime. Dave takes this task on himself and creates the alter-ego Kick Ass. His first encounter leads to serious injury, but afterwards his body is structurally reinforced with metal and his pain receptors are dulled. Kick Ass 2.0 won't be as easy to defeat. His battle with a street gang is caught on a camera phone and is uploaded to YouTube. The internet sensation draws the attention of other erstwhile heroes as well as organized crime. Is Kick Ass in over his head?
The other heroes are worthy of mention because it is the father-daughter team of Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage; "National Treasure" movies) and Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz; "500 Days of Summer") that steals the show. A father with a tortured past trains his 11-year-old daughter to be a living weapon to fight crime and bring final justice. She is trained in assorted knives, guns, and hand-to-hand combat while Big Daddy is the brains and a sharpshooter. From the first scene when you see these characters, a red flag flies up the moral radar when Daddy teaches his little girl how to take a bullet by shooting her in the chest. Yes, she is wearing a bullet-proof vest, but does that really matter? The characters never let on that this is abnormal or inappropriate behavior.
Protagonists, especially of the super kind, are supposed to have rules to separate them from what they're fighting against. Superman holds back on his powers when fighting less powerful foes, Batman is unwilling to kill, Spiderman keeps his friends and family at arm's length to protect them from his enemies, and all heroes protect the innocent before defeating the bad guy. "Kick Ass" strips away these moral trappings as its heroes kill indiscriminately, are fame-seeking, care little about those close to them, and appear to act without a code of honor. Yet, the characters are shown in a positive light by the filmmaker as goofy, adorable, loving, and heroic.
I ask again, is this morally acceptable?
There have been other films that push against the moralities of its viewers. "A Clockwork Orange," "Pulp Fiction," and "sex, lies, and videotapes," among others. Yet, trying to do so in the context of a "heroes journey" story is folly. Heroes can have their vices, disabilities, and haunted memories, which they ultimately seek to overcome to do what is right. Other than Kick Ass, the superheroes here are driven instead by a mistaken notion of right and ultimately, by revenge. However, this is not supposed to be a revenge tale. It is instead marketed as a superhero film with comedic insights into that world. But the jokes and humorous scenes are few, and are ultimately overshadowed by the cynical nature of the picture.
The director does insert interesting sidebars into the story. The use of modern technology to get "the word out" about the hero is unique. "Kick Ass" also pays homage to other comic book films such as the Superman-like opening credits, the emulation of Batman by Big Daddy, and the training sequences on the rooftop which brings to mind Spiderman. The loneliness of the heroes' world is briefly explored and Vaughn purposely emphasizes the heroine, Hit Girl, as the most capable and charismatic character. The movie manages to flip the "save the girl" finale on its head, giving the audience something unique.
The performances are solid with special mention going to Moretz and Cage for creating a believable, if dysfunctional, father-daughter dynamic. The head villain, Mark Strong ("Sherlock Holmes"), carries a sufficient gravitas to make him a worthy adversary. The other villains are simply a bunch of thugs to be gotten through to get to the main heavy. The action scenes are well choreographed, if a bit anti-climactic until the finale.
It is the shock of the unexpected behavior of the characters that ultimately takes you out of the reality of the picture. Much of this could have been toned down without losing the core story line or performances, but the director decided to push the limits of good taste. "Kick Ass" therefore only satisfies the hard-core comics fan who enjoy the edgier stories and characters without worrying about the moral baggage. The movie alienates the more traditional fans of superhero films, keeping the masses away from an otherwise intriguing concept. A decent action film, "Kick Ass" could have been so much more with a little discretion.
Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children.
