Superheroes are super for a reason. They have a super power, or they have a super purpose for taking out evil villains, restoring peace and dealing justice to the world. High school student and avid comic book fan Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) has none of that, but it doesn't stop him from becoming his town's local do-gooder, Kick-Ass.
Based on a 2008 comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr., Kick-Ass tells the tale of the trials and tribulations Lizewski experiences when becoming a super hero. His early beginnings of roughing up hoodlums in alleys and trying to score with his ultimate crush, Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca) soon becomes a bigger battle with one of the city's largest drug lords, Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong) and his son Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
Challenging the D'Amico gang causes Kick-Ass to get involved with fellow crime fighters Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his young daughter, Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace-Moretz) who seek vengeance on D'Amico for previously framing Big Daddy as a criminal.
All of this sounds like a standard kid-friendly comic book plot, but don't be fooled. You can't take your little brother to this one. Kick-Ass is bigger and bolder than the superhero films that have come before it, doing a great job of sensory overload. This movie gets right in the viewer's face with vibrant primary colors and fast-paced camera work. And did I mention it was vulgar?
Yeah, it is really, really vulgar.
The Italian mafia image given to the D'Amico clan certainly has a lot to do with this, from the well-folded pocket squares of their suits to the lines of coke they do and distribute to their associates. Even the words coming out of wee Hit-Girl's mouth are not for the faint of heart to hear. Nor are the blows she gives to the bad guys with her impressive gun and knife play. It is certainly not meant for, well, other kids her age to see. Let's just say director Matthew Vaughn wasn't afraid of fake blood use in this movie, or of big weaponry (See: Bazooka).
Soccer moms across the country would probably complain that Kick-Ass is exactly the kind of movie their kids shouldn't see. It makes kids think they can become crime fighters, it desensitizes them to violence, blah blah blah. I just say this: it kicks ass.
Kelly Kettering is a senior studying Journalism. If you would like to tell her about your best days of fighting crime, e-mail her at kk150206@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Kelly Kettering
