Wick-Quoting #6: Kick-Ass

It’s kind of like one of Michael Bay’s films, BUT WITH AN ACTUAL STORYLINE!!

You know how some films have trailers that are just so misleading?  The trailer for Kick-Ass is definitely misleading; it fails to preview exactly how AWESOME it is.  I’m going to cut straight to the point in the beginning here just to make it clear – Kick-Ass is one of the best (action) movies I’ve seen since The Dark Knight.  It has everything that you need for satisfying entertainment: intense action, blunt humor, and a touch of sexual interaction (you can’t avoid that in Hollywood, unfortunately).  Let me first start off with the plot.

The typical high school geeks

Because this film gives off the aura of a comedy/action flick, you’d expect it to be more focused on the action part and less on the story.  This is not the case with Kick-Ass, thankfully.  Although I must admit, the beginning is a bit slow in speed, the film makes sure you know the personalities and backgrounds of the characters.  The plot is not shaken by the intense action sequences sprinkled throughout the film, but rather, strengthened.  Much of why the characters do what they do, such as Damon/Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), is clear from their stories and only makes the action that much better.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I for one am a fan of Nicolas Cage ever since National Treasure.  Bash on him all you want, but in Kick-Ass, he pretty much kicks ass (not Bangkok Dangerous style, thank god)

 

The smooth connection during this scene was ridiculously good

This film has one of the best action scenes that I’ve ever seen.  And it’s not like there’s only one or two moments of extreme, fighting pleasure; this film is loaded with them.  And each scene is very different from the other.  I didn’t want to blink at moments, because I didn’t want to miss any of the action.

Even though Dave/Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson) was the main character, Mindy/Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz) dominates the screen with the best action scenes.  It’s complete nonsense that people don’t agree with the film because a little girl is involved.  Without her, the film definitely wouldn’t have been the same.  There’s something about little girls kicking ass that makes it so much more enjoyable to watch.

 

This film really allowed Moretz to shine

The film contained a lot more shocks for me than just the overwhelming action.  For example, I didn’t think they’d actually show a guy being microwaved.  But they do.  And the finishing blow to the boss is both reassuring and shocking.  Reassuring because they give you doubts before in the film about whether they’ll actually show the bazooka being used.  Shocking because they actually do use it.

The film ties up nicely with the linking of vengeance mentioned first by Kick-Ass in the beginning of the film and later by Red Mist, hinting a possible (and obvious) sequel.

 

Just like what Miyazaki said, "When a girl is shooting a handgun, it's really something."

Just like how they mention in the film, it is amazing how nobody actually tried to become a superhero.  And it’s also amazing why nobody tried to make a film about it.  Thankfully, Vaughn has done a great job with it.  The main drawback is that the film is a bit long (almost two hours).  Even so, this film was worth every cent and second, and I hope you agree too.

 

9.1

 

PS: I realize that not everyone is going to like this film.  The characters aren’t that deep and and are pretty much one-sided; but seriously, you can’t expect them to be deep-ass, complex characters knowing that this film is suppose to be an action/comedy.