"Kick Ass" Review Thread

[Joe Washington]

Great movie! I've just watched today and already I want to watch it again. It was funny, realistic in some ways when comes to consequences of being a superhero in the real world, and explosively violent.

This is one of the few movies in which I like Nicolas Cage. His character's relationship with his daughter reminds me a bit of the relationship between Faith and the Mayor in Season 3 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And the girl being Nicolas Cage's daughter (Hit Girl) was absolutely brilliant in the movie. I see a bright future ahead for her in terms of her acting career.

The guy playig Kick-Ass was also good though a part of me didn't completely buy the romance between him and the girl he had a thing for at school. I did like how he went from being a naive guy who goes off on the whim of being a superhero just because no one else did to a guy embracing the hardened reality of being a superhero and being a real ass-kicker to the bad guys.

To me, this movie was way better than the Watchmen movie. There wasn't one moment that I felt sucked or didn't feel right to me.

 

[Stone_Cold_Sisko]

It was a very interesting and fun film. It was kind of like they started out doing a send-up of superhero movies/comics, but eventually settled into essentially following the same superhero comic they were sending up. It was really clever I thought how they, piece by piece, slowly introduced slightly more out-there elements as the movie went on. By the end it's gone completely comic book, with flying jet-packs, Hit-Girl mowing down enemies left and right, Red Mist getting the Harry Osborn storyline. The whole thing came full circle to being a comic book movie. It was kind of like, Spider-Man meets Unbreakable meets internet geek culture.

I actually thought the funniest moment was when Kick-Ass' monologue was talking about all the things he'll never get to do when he's being tortured... drive a car... see his newborn kids... find out what happens in Lost - my drink almost came out of my nose, i burst out laughing. That's the Lost nerd in me.

While Hit-Girl was awesome, and the best stuff with Kick-Ass was his "training" and first outings as a superhero (kind of like Spider-Man 1), Big Daddy was still my favorite character. A great mesh of a heroic figure and a psychopath, I don't know if we've ever seen a "hero" quite like him. That scene where they watch the nanny cam of him mowing down a room full of people was a real 'holy shit this guy doesn't fuck around' moment. Great music there too.

I was kind of hoping Hit-Girl would end up living with Kick-Ass, adopted by his dad as his little sister. But it makes sense she would end up with the other cop.

 

[Emher]

I didn't have a problem with the Jet pack although my best friend and I did comment about it losing the realism of the film but then again "Kick-Ass" does take place in a fictional reality so it doesn't really matter. I'm not sure I mentioned this in my other posts on the film but my favorite scene is when Hit-Girl returns to save Kick-Ass and kills all the mob thugs torturing her dad and Dave. It was a great scene and it got a big kick out of the audience too. Everyone was cheering and clapping. The use of John Murphy's Sunshine track "Kaneda's Death Part II" was awesome and emotion invoking. I shed some tears and the woman next to me was crying as well haha.

You don't happen to know of a actual track listing of what music was in the movie? The soundtrack listing on IMDB is seriously lacking.

 

[JacksonArcher]

I didn't have a problem with the Jet pack although my best friend and I did comment about it losing the realism of the film but then again "Kick-Ass" does take place in a fictional reality so it doesn't really matter. I'm not sure I mentioned this in my other posts on the film but my favorite scene is when Hit-Girl returns to save Kick-Ass and kills all the mob thugs torturing her dad and Dave. It was a great scene and it got a big kick out of the audience too. Everyone was cheering and clapping. The use of John Murphy's Sunshine track "Kaneda's Death Part II" was awesome and emotion invoking. I shed some tears and the woman next to me was crying as well haha.

You don't happen to know of a actual track listing of what music was in the movie? The soundtrack listing on IMDB is seriously lacking.

John Murphy announced on Facebook that a soundtrack release of the score will be available April 26th on iTunes (probably as an iTunes exclusive) with no plans for a CD release as of yet. There will be 41 tracks, however, Murphy only contributed to a portion of the score; he shares credit with three other composers (Henry Jackman, Marius De Vries and Ilan Eshkeri). Murphy's biggest contributions were slightly re-arranged cues of his music from 28 Days Later ("In the House -- In a Heartbeat" on the 28 Days Later soundtrack; "Don Abandons Alice" from the 28 Weeks Later score) and from Sunshine (as mentioned before, "Kanada's Death Part 2").

 

[Emher]

Ah, why does it have to be fucking iTunes :/ Oh well some industrious soul will probably solve that.

 

[Warped9]

I just came back from seeing this movie this afternoon.

What a fucking crazy film...

And I mean that in a good way. Nicholas Cage's channeling of Adam West just killed me--I cringed even as I laughed.

The film is one WTF! moment after another and I laughed all the way through. Great satire.

What I liked was the evolution of the characters as they learned the reality of playing for keeps. Yeah, the jetpack was a bit over the top, but they'd built things up decently to that point that I didn't care and just accepted it. And it wasn't as if they'd pulled it out of nowhere--we already knew something cool was in that crate.

Roger Ebert's criticism is bullshit. Seems he temporarily forgot what satire is.

 

[chrisspringob]

Ah, why does it have to be fucking iTunes :/ Oh well some industrious soul will probably solve that.

Well, you can easily find those re-used tracks from 28 Days Later and Sunshine on Youtube.

 

[RobertScorpio]

KICKASS was great...just saw it...this movies is for those of us (meaning most of humanity) who thought SIN CITY was a hyped stupid movie...the audience applauded at the end which is more than you can hope for..

Rob

 

[Amaris]

I haven't seen the filom, but I think Ebert's point is simply this: she's 11.

That's it, in a nutshell. I love a bad-ass female that kicks butt in a film, that's like ym favorite thing to see, because, lets admit it, it's cool... but this girl is not even near of age, so the charm of seeing a female kick butt here is lost completely becvuase 11-year-old girls are basically the same as 11-year-old boys at that age. When you have kids of that age in a film, its important to play then them in a genuine way. Even in a fantasy like E.T. the kid has to be real, sensitive, ambitious and flawed. The idea of having an unemotional 11-year old, be it male or male or female, with the ability to kill m,any adults without even considering the ramifications is taking too far. I have no desire to see this movie.

I am not an avid comic book reader, I didn't even know this movie was a derivative of a comic book. That said, I have no problems with an 11 year old girl kicking ass.

I really want to see this movie.

 

[Warped9]

Hit Girl is a high point of the movie among a lot of other good stuff.

 

[RobertScorpio]

I haven't seen the filom, but I think Ebert's point is simply this: she's 11.

That's it, in a nutshell. I love a bad-ass female that kicks butt in a film, that's like ym favorite thing to see, because, lets admit it, it's cool... but this girl is not even near of age, so the charm of seeing a female kick butt here is lost completely becvuase 11-year-old girls are basically the same as 11-year-old boys at that age. When you have kids of that age in a film, its important to play then them in a genuine way. Even in a fantasy like E.T. the kid has to be real, sensitive, ambitious and flawed. The idea of having an unemotional 11-year old, be it male or male or female, with the ability to kill m,any adults without even considering the ramifications is taking too far. I have no desire to see this movie.

I am not an avid comic book reader, I didn't even know this movie was a derivative of a comic book. That said, I have no problems with an 11 year old girl kicking ass.

I really want to see this movie.

People have problems with this movie about an 11 year old girl with violent intentions? Did these people ever see THE OMEN or LEON? Gee...lighten up..its a fricking movie...

Rob

 

[Broccoli]

^ But just THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!!!

 

[Hyperspace05]

People have problems with this movie about an 11 year old girl with violent intentions? Did these people ever see THE OMEN or LEON?

Yes, they might have seen all three, and had the same objection to all three. People can disagree with you and still be consistent in their own views. It has been known to happen, you know?

 

[Checkmate]

I was a little disappointed by the changes to Big Daddy and how they treated Red Mist versus the comics, not to mention how they just skipped past Kick Ass's recovery and his interaction with his father, but overall it was exactly what I was expecting. Sure, I could have lived without the jetpack (which is the only real criticism I have with the movie), but it didn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Amaris]

I haven't seen the filom, but I think Ebert's point is simply this: she's 11.

That's it, in a nutshell. I love a bad-ass female that kicks butt in a film, that's like ym favorite thing to see, because, lets admit it, it's cool... but this girl is not even near of age, so the charm of seeing a female kick butt here is lost completely becvuase 11-year-old girls are basically the same as 11-year-old boys at that age. When you have kids of that age in a film, its important to play then them in a genuine way. Even in a fantasy like E.T. the kid has to be real, sensitive, ambitious and flawed. The idea of having an unemotional 11-year old, be it male or male or female, with the ability to kill m,any adults without even considering the ramifications is taking too far. I have no desire to see this movie.

I am not an avid comic book reader, I didn't even know this movie was a derivative of a comic book. That said, I have no problems with an 11 year old girl kicking ass.

I really want to see this movie.

People have problems with this movie about an 11 year old girl with violent intentions? Did these people ever see THE OMEN or LEON? Gee...lighten up..its a fricking movie...

Rob

Eh, some people are more sensitive to such things. I, for example, despise the SAW movies. I wouldn't tell people they're stupid for liking them, I just don't like them myself. I love Starship Troopers, but there are plenty of people who hate it for the explicit violence and themes that it contains. It's all a matter of taste and personal limit.

 

[Shazam!]

I thought it was okay. It wasn't really about a normal dude trying to be a superhero in a world where the are non though, which I thought I was a shame and an opportunity missed. It was as 'comic booky' as any Spider-Man or Batman film.

 

[Mr Light]

It was a great movie but some of the changes from the book really, really grated me. Big Daddy really IS the Punisher? Katie hooks up with him? You know who the Red Mist is from the get-go? A flying jet-pack? Really? I think this is the first time in forever that the comic book was more MORE realistic than the movie! Hit-Girl was definitely the star of the show, though. I foresee great things in her future! (the actress I mean)

 

[Checkmate]

Yeah, the changes Big Daddy and Red Mist were disappointing. But it wasn't enough to ruin it for me. I kind of figured they'd do that with Big Daddy, but revealing Red Mist from the start was a weird and pointless change that ruined what could and should have been a great surprise.

 

[Broccoli]

It was a great movie but some of the changes from the book really, really grated me. Big Daddy really IS the Punisher? Katie hooks up with him? You know who the Red Mist is from the get-go? A flying jet-pack? Really? I think this is the first time in forever that the comic book was more MORE realistic than the movie! Hit-Girl was definitely the star of the show, though. I foresee great things in her future! (the actress I mean)

Knowing who Red Mist was from the beginning was a smart move. I mean, how are you not going to know that Red Mist is Chris, especially since he's being played by McLovin'.

Personally, I liked the more screen time given to the villains. It fleshed out their character a whole lot more than what was in the book.

 

[Admiral_Young]

The changes made to the film from the book didn't really bother me...Katie accepting Dave's lie and them hooking up was a creative change made probably to resolve character arcs for both of them since they weren't planning a sequel. Much like Scott Pilgrim I'm sure that Millar consulted with Goldman and Vaughan when they wrote the script.