Kick Ass Kicked Ass

Okay, before I go any further, I must say something:

This movie, despite it being a good one, is not for the faint of heart. Even I have to admit that I had to turn my head at one point because I could simply anticipate what was about to happen to a bad guy. This movie is not for children regardless of the "Comic Book" concept.

There.

Now, as long as the adults are left, I shall continue with the blog.

I had the opportunity to see this film because my wife was going to be with a friend for a few hours and so I took advantage and saw a movie that she would never in her life even think about seeing. I got my ticket, my soda and my popcorn and sat down in a surprisingly empty theater (granted there were two other guys a few rows behind me, but that's it). Though admittedly, I was in Pasadena, at an "Art House" Theater, which could have had something to do with it.

I'll tell you now that there COULD be spoilers ahead. Just a warning. You could stop reading now if you want or keep reading in case you've seen the movie or just don't care about whatever I happen to write since you probably wouldn't see the movie anyway. You're choice.

Ten seconds.

Five seconds.

Okay. Back to the movie.

Kick Ass is like a lot of other typical super hero genre films - nerdy or lonely guy suddenly decides that he wants to help others and becomes a hero (in our hero's case, not a very good one). However, this is not a stereotypical super hero movie.

When you see a standard superhero film, they seem to always have a superpower. Kick Ass/Dave does not. He's a semi good kid, though he does tend to think about sex a lot - which is natural for a boy his age. But then he simply makes the choice to be someone different and tries to make a name for himself. He tries to stop some people from committing a crime and gets himself nearly killed in the process.

In time, however, Kick Ass gets back on his feet and begins to confront petty criminals and starts to actually help people. However, even he realizes that he's gotten himself into a bad situation when he tries to help the girl that he really likes with a former guy friend that has been harassing her. When things turn ugly, Kick Ass isn't able to be the super hero that he wants and almost gets killed only to be saved by Hit Girl.

Who's Hit Girl? If you've seen the commercials, then you know it's a little girl with a potty mouth and a penchant for shooting criminals. Obviously, I'm not going to give things away, but based on the trailers, you've pretty much figured all of this out.

Hit Girl and her Big Daddy are an interesting pair. He's trying to be a good father, and I can't fault him for that. Yes, I don't think that I would ever train my daughter to be a mass murderer or use the language that she uses, especially at such a young age, but I understand his need to keep his daughter occupied with something, and for him, it's violence. And really, it's more like hyper violence.

Yes, people die. People get hurt. Good guys, bad guys, no one is safe and no one cares. Their character arcs make them exactly who they are, good or bad and that's what makes this film so good - the characters. They know who they are and what they need to do to make things right.

Roger Ebert (God Bless Him), in all his wisdom, somehow called this film "Morally Reprehensible".

I admire Roger Ebert and his opinion, but this is a movie. A movie that implies that there are consequences for everything that everyone does in life. Yes, it is hyper violent and hyper vulgar, but sometimes so is life. Look at images from the wars in Iraq/Afghanistan or anywhere else. Those images can be just as disturbing as some of the images in this film.

Anyways...if you want to see the film, see it. You'll get a good two hour piece of entertainment. Please don't take the kids. They are already desensitized to the violence in the world because of video games, books, PG-13 movies and even the general news of the day. I liked it and I would recommend it to anyone who can actually separate reality and fiction. And who can stand hyper violence and a kid using harsher language than a sailor. And if you don't see the movie for any reason, that's okay too. Everyone's allowed an opinion.

Until next time.