One of the best comic book movies ever made that everyone needs to see...
Matthew Vaughn is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. There is only one film that he directed that I have not seen, but as far as I've watched he hasn't made a bad film yet, and it seems like he keeps getting better and better with each film. Lately he has been doing comic book films such as Kick-Ass, X-men: First Class, and Kingsman: The Secret Service which is out right now. Going into a Matthew Vaughn film is always an enjoyment and an experience.
For those who don't know, Kick-Ass is a superhero movie without anyone having super powers. Everything happens in the real world, and has real consequences. A kid questions why no one has tried to dress up like a superhero and decides to try it. Along the way he meets a family turned superhero team and a partner who may or may not be trusted. This is basically an action film that has their main characters dress up in insane colorful costumes.
The action is intense, and as the film progresses it just adds to the intensity to the point where the viewer is on the edge of their seat and sighing a contented relief as the film closes and the credits appear. Unlike the majority of action movies today, the characters tend to divide their fighting abilities between hand to hand combat and guns. The choreography to the fights scenes are amazing, and beautifully shot. It seems unnecessary that more and more action films are picking up "shaky cam" tactics to hide how bad the choreography to their films are, and while there is a bit of that in here it is shot in a way that you can still clearly see the characters in the frame. You can make out exactly what they are doing and you believed that they are doing all the stunts themselves. To this effect, the shaky-ness of these scenes are actually enhanced and gets our blood pumping as we watch the carnage unfold on the screen.
The one aspect that elevates this movie to a whole new level, that Vaughn tends to really get into his films, is the music. The film has four composers: John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius de Vries, and Ilan Eshkeri. The music is never dull, and I always know that it's there but I don't mind. In fact I love the music. It really shows the character's inner emotional turmoil and sends chills down your spine as you watch a little girl slaughter guys decades older than her. The best part in the whole film, is a piece of music called Strobe (Adagio in D minor) and that piece compliments the scene so much that I get choked up every time I watch it.
The Strobe scene in the film always gets me. There is so much going on, so much epicness, the devotion of Father and Daughter, and everything about that scene is perfect. The editing is amazing, the acting great, the action off the walls, and the emotional tugging it brings. The music puts it on a whole other level, to the point where I believe this is one of the best scenes shot in modern cinema. I can just watch that scene over and over again and still feel the same about it every time.
I have to give credit to Ben Davis, who was the cinematographer, because the film looks beautiful. Each scene looks perfectly shot and there is a lot of amazing shots in this film. You could probably stop the film at any point and it would look like a professionally shot photograph. A spectacle for your eyes.
There wasn't an actor in this that I thought did a poor job. Everyone brought their A-game, from the main character, to side character, I'll even dare say the people on the street whose job is just to walk. Aaron Johnson, who plays the title character Kick-Ass, does a splendid job of being the invisible guy who dreams big, gets beat up, and tries to become the man he dreams of. He is perfect for this role, nailing it on the head every time he had a scene.
Big Daddy, played by Nicholas Cage, is one of the highlights of the movie. It's always a pleasure watching his character on screen. From his regular persona who as you realize has more screws loose than you'd think, to his Batman knock-off costume that clearly shows how bad-ass he is. As Big Daddy Nicholas Cage did a phenomenal job at not doing a Christian Bale Batman voice. Instead he does an Adam West type of speech where he has pauses as he talks. At one point I noticed that when he and Hit-Girl leaves it reminded me so much of whenever Adam West would say "Let's go Robin!"
And now it comes to the biggest controversial part of the movie: Hit-Girl. Played by Chloe Grace Moretz, who was 13 or 14 at the time. She is a specialist at using guns, swords, and any other kind of weapons you can think of, but what really pushed people over the edge was her mouth. Yes, this 13/14 year old girl says all kinds of profanity throughout the film. From B****, to F***, and even C*** are used by her. Other than her language, this is one of the best Kick-Ass characters in the film.
Now finally we get to Red Mist, a character who could have the most complicated in-depth character development/back story. He wants to desperately please his father, doesn't have any friends, and has a semi-complex character arc (although Big Daddy wins that hands down). He is a really fun character, and he and Kick-Ass are prime examples of why real life people shouldn't dress up like superheroes and go around fighting crime.
While this film may not be for everyone, considering that it is a hard R without nudity, this film is fantastic as an action film and a superhero film. I would highly recommend anyone to watch this. Every single part of this movie is near perfection if not perfect. You'll have so much fun watching it, getting thrown off by the twists and laugh at the solid comedy. This film is utterly enjoyable, and has a great re-watch value. I could watch it two or three times a day and not get bored of it. As a comic adaptation it is about 80%-90% exactly what the comic is. The chances they did make are small and nothing to fret over, although the comic does have an extra layer of f***-upped that they decided not to use for the film. Currently there is a Kick-Ass 2 in film format, with Kick-Ass 3 in talks but not really invested in. The comic has Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, Hit-Girl, and Kick-Ass 3 to finish the series. Whether you want to watch the film, or decide to check out the comic, you are in for a treat and will not regret it one bit.
Matthew Vaughn is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. There is only one film that he directed that I have not seen, but as far as I've watched he hasn't made a bad film yet, and it seems like he keeps getting better and better with each film. Lately he has been doing comic book films such as Kick-Ass, X-men: First Class, and Kingsman: The Secret Service which is out right now. Going into a Matthew Vaughn film is always an enjoyment and an experience.
For those who don't know, Kick-Ass is a superhero movie without anyone having super powers. Everything happens in the real world, and has real consequences. A kid questions why no one has tried to dress up like a superhero and decides to try it. Along the way he meets a family turned superhero team and a partner who may or may not be trusted. This is basically an action film that has their main characters dress up in insane colorful costumes.
The action is intense, and as the film progresses it just adds to the intensity to the point where the viewer is on the edge of their seat and sighing a contented relief as the film closes and the credits appear. Unlike the majority of action movies today, the characters tend to divide their fighting abilities between hand to hand combat and guns. The choreography to the fights scenes are amazing, and beautifully shot. It seems unnecessary that more and more action films are picking up "shaky cam" tactics to hide how bad the choreography to their films are, and while there is a bit of that in here it is shot in a way that you can still clearly see the characters in the frame. You can make out exactly what they are doing and you believed that they are doing all the stunts themselves. To this effect, the shaky-ness of these scenes are actually enhanced and gets our blood pumping as we watch the carnage unfold on the screen.
The one aspect that elevates this movie to a whole new level, that Vaughn tends to really get into his films, is the music. The film has four composers: John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius de Vries, and Ilan Eshkeri. The music is never dull, and I always know that it's there but I don't mind. In fact I love the music. It really shows the character's inner emotional turmoil and sends chills down your spine as you watch a little girl slaughter guys decades older than her. The best part in the whole film, is a piece of music called Strobe (Adagio in D minor) and that piece compliments the scene so much that I get choked up every time I watch it.
The Strobe scene in the film always gets me. There is so much going on, so much epicness, the devotion of Father and Daughter, and everything about that scene is perfect. The editing is amazing, the acting great, the action off the walls, and the emotional tugging it brings. The music puts it on a whole other level, to the point where I believe this is one of the best scenes shot in modern cinema. I can just watch that scene over and over again and still feel the same about it every time.
I have to give credit to Ben Davis, who was the cinematographer, because the film looks beautiful. Each scene looks perfectly shot and there is a lot of amazing shots in this film. You could probably stop the film at any point and it would look like a professionally shot photograph. A spectacle for your eyes.
There wasn't an actor in this that I thought did a poor job. Everyone brought their A-game, from the main character, to side character, I'll even dare say the people on the street whose job is just to walk. Aaron Johnson, who plays the title character Kick-Ass, does a splendid job of being the invisible guy who dreams big, gets beat up, and tries to become the man he dreams of. He is perfect for this role, nailing it on the head every time he had a scene.
Big Daddy, played by Nicholas Cage, is one of the highlights of the movie. It's always a pleasure watching his character on screen. From his regular persona who as you realize has more screws loose than you'd think, to his Batman knock-off costume that clearly shows how bad-ass he is. As Big Daddy Nicholas Cage did a phenomenal job at not doing a Christian Bale Batman voice. Instead he does an Adam West type of speech where he has pauses as he talks. At one point I noticed that when he and Hit-Girl leaves it reminded me so much of whenever Adam West would say "Let's go Robin!"
And now it comes to the biggest controversial part of the movie: Hit-Girl. Played by Chloe Grace Moretz, who was 13 or 14 at the time. She is a specialist at using guns, swords, and any other kind of weapons you can think of, but what really pushed people over the edge was her mouth. Yes, this 13/14 year old girl says all kinds of profanity throughout the film. From B****, to F***, and even C*** are used by her. Other than her language, this is one of the best Kick-Ass characters in the film.
Now finally we get to Red Mist, a character who could have the most complicated in-depth character development/back story. He wants to desperately please his father, doesn't have any friends, and has a semi-complex character arc (although Big Daddy wins that hands down). He is a really fun character, and he and Kick-Ass are prime examples of why real life people shouldn't dress up like superheroes and go around fighting crime.
While this film may not be for everyone, considering that it is a hard R without nudity, this film is fantastic as an action film and a superhero film. I would highly recommend anyone to watch this. Every single part of this movie is near perfection if not perfect. You'll have so much fun watching it, getting thrown off by the twists and laugh at the solid comedy. This film is utterly enjoyable, and has a great re-watch value. I could watch it two or three times a day and not get bored of it. As a comic adaptation it is about 80%-90% exactly what the comic is. The chances they did make are small and nothing to fret over, although the comic does have an extra layer of f***-upped that they decided not to use for the film. Currently there is a Kick-Ass 2 in film format, with Kick-Ass 3 in talks but not really invested in. The comic has Kick-Ass, Kick-Ass 2, Hit-Girl, and Kick-Ass 3 to finish the series. Whether you want to watch the film, or decide to check out the comic, you are in for a treat and will not regret it one bit.
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