I've been waiting to see Kick-Ass for months ever since I saw the redband trailer for Hit Girl (the female superhero in the movie) my interest was piqued. After watching it I didn't know if I should be horrified or worshipping her, they left me hanging and I wanted more.
The marketing people behind this, they know what they're doing.
Before seeing the movie I read several critiques both negative and positive. Roger Ebert called the movie 'morally reprehensible' while The Star gave it a rare 4 out of 4 stars. It was obvious I NEEDED to see this movie to decide for myself.
I went with the bff who like me, deconstructs everything, and also like me is an undercover nerd (we actually read Watchmen, lol), so I knew if there was any bullsh-t going on and I didn't detect it, she would have. So my verdict?
Its pretty much the most entertaining, darkly funny, movie I've seen in a long time. The story line was good, the characterization was good, the soundtrack was good. It was directed by Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) so I know it was in good hands. Let's cut the crap shall we? No one really cares about the title character (Aaron Johnson) or McLovin (Christopher Mintz Plasse) or even Nic Cage, no, everyone is talking about the runaway star Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz).
Oh the controversial Hit Girl, even I struggled with her. Let's get this straight though. This is not a children's movie, its an adult movie. No not that kind of adult movie. Its a movie for mature minds. And sure there are going to be those people who should have never procreated who will take their 6 year old to see this movie, when I went to see Watchmen some woman brought her 2 year old son but I repeat this is not a children's movie! Here in Ontario its 18A if that's any indication.
This movie is gorey and violent, really gorey and violent, while some parts were so over the top that it became ridiculous some parts did make me wince, one part involving Hit Girl. There are positives and negatives that you can take away from this film. The negatives being obvious, a little girl violently killing with little remorse, and getting beat up by a grown man. Then the postives which require more thought and less knee jerking.
For instance, when saving some dude from a gang fight, the leader of the gang asks Kick Ass, why would he want to die for that P-O-S, what was wrong with him? He replies, 3 guys beating up one dude to a pulp, while people just stand around doing nothing, and he thinks there's something wrong with him? Its a good satire, who's message is, society is only as good as we make it.
Another positive is Hit Girl. While she kills people, says C-U-Next-Tuesday, and wants a switch blade knife for her birthday, there is something about Hit Girl, that you can't deny is appealing. She's smart,she's sassy, she listens to her father, she can kick ass, but there is still an innocence to her. I love the idea that a young girl has agency and control over the forces in her life. I love how she can take care of herself and doesn't allow herself to be victimized or have to manspaline. Here she is, in our society, a figure of the weakest of the weak: a young GIRL, who single handedly takes down a crime boss and all his cronies, how can anyone not be impressed with that idea? How is that worse than Miley Cyrus' pole dance? Ever since this controversy started to build I kept asking myself had Hit Girl been Hit Boy, would there me this much controversy? I think there would be a bit of a stink but no one would be calling this movie 'morally reprehensible'. And is it even?
Are not Hostel, Saw, and any Rob Zombie movie morally reprehensible for their torture porn antics? Are not the Human Centipide and The Sebian Movie morally reprehensible for their vomit inducing, brain bleeching, storylines? Aren't gross out comedies morally reprehensible, for their homophobic, racist, misogynistic, jokes? And aren't rom coms morally reprehensible with their recycled bullsh-t story lines who make women believe that without a man, no matter how great your job is, you truly aren't successful? Why is no one getting in their faces?
So a little blonde girl, kills some bad guys, what's wrong with her having agency? What's wrong with her having power and strength? She doesn't want to be a popstar, she doesn't want to be a model, she doesn't want to be an actress, she wants to kill bad guys and come home and have some hot chocolate. In this end its an adult movie, so its counting on the audience not to just look at this and see a girl with 45 calibre gun, its an action movie yes but it requires some thinking, as adults you should understand the difference between reality and fantasy. Is Kick-Ass any worse than what's on the news? Is it any worse than what millions of children have to endure all over the world? If you have a problem with this movie maybe you need to climb down from your ivory tower and take a gander at the state of the world, Kick-Ass will seem like child's play (so to speak).
In the end I'll have to disagree with Roger Ebert and join the cool kids table with The Star and their 4/4 rating.
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