Early Movie Review: Will 'KICK-ASS'...Kick...Ass?

Comic Vine gives you an early review of the upcoming movie

    

 When we received an invitation for an early screening of Mark Millar's KICK-ASS, ( thank you, James!) we were thrilled. I think it's pretty safe to say that we've been anticipating the release of the movie ever since we caught the preview trailer at San Diego Comic Con this past summer. So you know the film has been getting a lot of hype, and it has not even been released yet, right? So what's the big deal? Well, part of the reason it is so highly anticipated is likely due to the fact that it was produced without the backing of a major film company. So, while Lionsgate did manage to gain the rights to the film's distribution, it had no involvement in the film-making process; which is exactly what writer Mark Millar and director Matthew Vaughn wanted in order to take the kind of creative liberties we saw them take in the film. Needless to say, with the exception of a few minor changes in the plot, and for a movie that was being filmed before the comic was published in its entirety; the movie is relatively true to the tone and events we see in the comic book. In fact, there are scenes that feel like they've been taken off the pages of the comic almost verbatim. All right, let's get straight to it, shall we? Since the film doesn't hit theaters until April 16th, 2010, I won't be giving anything away in the review--I'll just let you guys in on what I thought was really cool, and what really, really sucked and how it relates to the comics.  
 

Movie Vs Comic

If you enjoyed the comic, I have a feeling you'll appreciate the movie, even if they do change a lot of the motivations and omit certain scenes and elements from the film's plot that are important to the comic book. Yes, there are some scenes that are changed. Yes, there are some differences in the plot devices used to move the story; but the film is true to Mark Millar's vision of KICK-ASS--a tongue in cheek story about Dave Lizewski; an average, teen-aged boy who, bored with his life, decides to dress up like a superhero and go fight crime.  The same elements that are completely unrealistic in the comic (that happen to be reasons why so many fans found the books to be so entertaining) exist in the movie. Hit-Girl's character is completely true to the comic book version; she is just as vulgar and violent. Actress Chloe Moretz who plays Hit-Girl does a phenomenal job playing the witty, fast talking, no-nonsense ten year old girl. Moretz's performance is better than most of the adult actors that appeared in the film and the actress mastered the choreography of the action sequences to perfection. Simply put, her performance is awesome. I'm just glad I'm not her Mother. The language is toned down considerably (thanks for using the "c" word a lot less) and the amount of blood isn't nearly as graphic as what we see in Romita Jr's art, which is good considering I really didn't want to feel like I was watching SAW.
 
 

The Movie

There are a lot of things about the way the movie is structured that left me disappointed. While the concept of the comic is very "tongue in cheek" to the point

of being satirical; you never feel (with the comic) that Millar is forcing realism down your throat when you're reading.  The story is blatantly fictitious and in no way is it possible because the characters don't take themselves seriously. At no point does Millar ever try to make you think "I know this is crazy, but it can happen." This is not the case in the film. It feels as though Vaughn is trying to bridge the gap between reality and the impossible and that we are supposed to believe that these puny kids can "kick ass." Maybe it is the integration of the "everyday life" scenes into the "clearly impossible" that simply do not mesh well; or perhaps it is simply an element that is better executed in comics and does not work (convincingly) on film. Whatever the case may be, it feels like Vaughn is trying to make a blatantly unbelievable story believable, and it does not work. The actor that played Red Mist, Christopher Mintz Plasse, may have been a poor casting choice. The film was a smooth ride until Plasse's appearance in the film as Red Mist. His character is completely unconvincing and more than a little bit obnoxious, and between the point of his first appearance until we see Hit-Girl and Big Daddy again, the movie flat-lines. The character is also pretty one dimensional; maybe it's the "daddy issues" that turned me off, who knows. Nicholas Cage's performance is also a little bit weak, which was disappointing. His character changed depending on who he was speaking to. If he is having a conversation with his daughter, he seems completely crazy. If he is speaking to his cop friend, he is perfectly normal. 
 

There are some parts of the film that really feel like a comic book, which is something I wish Vaughn had done consistently throughout the film. Small details like the "narrative boxes" that appear a couple of times in the beginning of the movie (and then never again) should have been utilized throughout. Adding this to the movie may have solved the "shoving realism down my throat," issue. What I really enjoyed, however, was John Romita Jr.'s art sequence during the flash-back scenes. It is truly brilliant the way they combined his artwork with a 3-dimensional element. This alone is something I have never seen before, and is something I felt, was executed perfectly. It felt like I was watching a movie and reading a comic book at the same time, and served it's purpose well.  
 
For what it is, KICK-ASS isn't a terrible film. It did not impress me, but hey, it could have been a lot worse. The question remains (at least for me) what exactly is the demographic Vaughn is targeting with this film? KICK-ASS hits theaters this April 16th, 2010.