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Mr. Beaks Throughly Enjoys KICK-ASS And Believes He Still Is A Good Person!
Matthew Vaughn's adaptation of Mark Millar's KICK-ASS is both a bloodthirsty right-wing fantasy and a sophomoric spoof of that fantasy, allowing viewers to sate their inner Paul Kersey for a couple of hours while refusing to let them mistake the proceedings for anything approaching social commentary or genre deconstruction. It's a big, gratuitously violent goof, and, as such, is not worth the sphincter-tightening outrage inspired by Timur Bekmambetov's WANTED, which idiotically rewrote Millar's amoral shenanigans as a journey of self-discovery for the nascent mass murderer. WANTED seemed like it could give dipshits the wrong idea; the only thing KICK-ASS will motivate impressionable viewers to do is to buy another ticket and see it again.
Despite having little affection for the comic book (Millar just never hooked me), I've been intrigued by the film iteration of KICK-ASS ever since I breezed through the screenplay by Vaughn and Jane Goldman two years ago. It was a bizarre amalgamation of influences, but so confidently executed that I never once checked out and wondered why I was giddily tearing through a vigilante teen comedy that abruptly shifts protagonists halfway through to focus on a prepubescent girl's relentless quest for revenge. It was controlled chaos; the KILL BILL of comic book scripts. I just had no idea what it would look like as a live-action film.
Nailing the tone would be key, and, with Vaughn at the helm, there was mild cause for concern. Though LAYER CAKE was a terrific debut, it was also a straight-ahead gangster flick; STARDUST, on the other hand, was a less precise thing, and the mixture of fantasy, adventure, romance and comedy didn't always mesh. But at least STARDUST sported a somewhat traditional narrative. KICK-ASS was anything but conventional. And it was so unabashedly profane that any attempt to dilute the violence or soften the language would rob the film of what made it special. Basically, there were any number of ways to get KICK-ASS wrong, and only one way to get it right: shoot the script as it existed as far outside of the studio system as possible (on a budget that probably wouldn't finance an eighth of IRON MAN 2). But even then there was no guarantee that this wild, utterly unique screenplay would result in a watchable movie. KICK-ASS would either work fully, or fail totally. The potential for folly was perilously high.
Turns out the risk was worth it. The material may be utterly demented and socially irresponsible, but Vaughn has delivered in KICK-ASS the most viscerally entertaining superhero movie since SPIDER-MAN 2 - and I can't emphasize "viscerally" enough because you will not walk out of this film debating the genre's troubling tendency toward vigilantism. True, KICK-ASS is plenty subversive in that it asks the audience to root for a character who's brainwashed his eleven-year-old daughter and turned her into a mini-Mifune killing machine, but it's also the kind of film in which the Mafia runs New York City like it's 1930s Chicago. Don't look too deeply; this is more DANGER: DIABOLIK than THE DARK KNIGHT.
The further I back away from KICK-ASS, the more stunned I am that it works. Before Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) transforms himself into the titular hero of the film, he's just your typical comic-book-obsessed dork. The biggest tragedy in Dave's life was the death of his mother, but she was felled by an aneurism, not some random gunman (and Vaughn/Goldman treat this as an off-handed punch line). Dave has no reason to enter the masked avenger racket save for evincing what William Goldman calls "stupid courage" - which, if he doesn't get stabbed to death, might help him get in the pants of comely classmate Katie Deauxma (Lyndsy Fonseca). It's an odd storytelling dilemma: we like Dave, but we aren't exactly rooting for him to get even with anyone.
That's where Damon and Mindy Macready (Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz), aka Big Daddy and Hit Girl, come in. They have a very palpable grudge against crime lord Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong). But Vaughn and Goldman immediately challenge your sympathy by introducing Damon firing a live round from a high-caliber handgun into Mindy's (bulletproof vest-protected) chest so she knows what it feels like to be shot. Of course, in the totally bonkers KICK-ASS universe, this counts as bonding, and it is rather endearing (the Great Santini bouncing a basketball off his son's head plays more vicious than this). Once he lovingly promises to take her out for ice cream after shooting her a few more times, it's hard not to make peace with Damon's parenting philosophy.
There's obviously a transgressive kick to the idea of Hit Girl, but Vaughn and Goldman responsibly depict her as the greatest little sister ever; you're both protective and in awe of her. Some may find her rampant use of expletives distressing; I'm assuming these people also turn up their noses at Tatum O'Neal in THE BAD NEWS BEARS (an apt comparison because Moretz really is that good). As for Hit Girl's extreme capacity for violence... look, this isn't fucking LOS OLVIDADOS. It's an aburdist superhero movie with lots of CG bloodletting. It's not real. Were you outraged by the sight of Baby Droopy beating the shit out of Dishonest Dan? No? Okay, then. And if you're worried about Moretz being asked to commit unspeakable pretend acts on a movie set, I sure hope you never see PRETTY BABY (and I certainly hope you never gave it three stars). I'd understand these concerns had Vaughn staged his action sequences like Travis Bickle storming Sport's lair, but, because he is a generally sane individual, he did not do this. Actually, in their economy and inventiveness, Vaughn's set pieces remind me of Kurt Wimmer's EQUILIBRIUM: Hit Girl reloads her handguns at impossible angles (with flying clips miraculously falling into place), while the precise geography of the action is consistently more important than the reality of it. There's never any doubt that this is a comic book movie, and a patently loopy one at that - which, for better or worse, frees up Vaughn to stage a stunningly brutal fistfight between D'Amico and Hit Girl. Again, some may be repulsed by this. Fair enough. I just have a hard time believing a seasoned moviegoer could make their way into the third act of Vaughn's film and suddenly be worried that D'Amico might have a shot at murdering Hit Girl.
KICK-ASS might be shamelessly gory, but it's not cruel. It's also so insistently silly that you never take its celebration of vigilantism as anything more than a playground game of make-believe. Vaughn and Goldman have approached Millar's material as rambunctious juveniles and written the kind of feverish, balls-to-the-wall superhero romp you might've dreamt up when you were eight. Due process and all that civilized stuff is flouted not because they've a distaste for it, but because it's less satisfying than facing down the bad guys with a small arsenal of ill-intent strapped to your back. Justice is just... cooler this way. If you need to a) view KICK-ASS as a sneaky indictment of the inherent fascism of superhero narratives to make yourself feel better about cheering like an idiot through the whole film, or b) decry it as the most morally reprehensible piece of filmmaking in the medium's history, go right ahead. Just know that's baggage you brought into the movie with you. Because when it comes to deconstructing KICK-ASS, I'm pretty sure an eleven-year-old killing machine is just an eleven-year-old killing machine. And thank god for that.
Faithfully submitted,
Mr. Beaks
Readers Talkbackcomments powered by Disqus
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April 16, 2010, 2:42 p.m. CST
boom boom
by Bruce of all Trades
April 16, 2010, 2:42 p.m. CST
That was so no asshole could post FIRST
by Bruce of all Trades
Because FIRST people suck.
April 16, 2010, 2:45 p.m. CST
Beaks you are morally suspect!
by umbral_shadow_
Only joking of course. Nice review.
April 16, 2010, 2:48 p.m. CST
epic review Beaks
by TheDark0Knight
probably the best review I've read on this film.
April 16, 2010, 2:50 p.m. CST
Enough about this movie!!!!!!
by darthsynn
I bet the return of Jesus would not garner this much attention.
April 16, 2010, 2:50 p.m. CST
Great review, looking forward to this
by MattmanReturns
Mr Beaks thoroughly enjoys IRREVERSIBLE and still believes he is a good person.
 Beaks, you'd thoroughly enjoy a snuff movie if Harry screened one for you. Keep shilling dude.
April 16, 2010, 2:51 p.m. CST
High caliber? It's a fucking 9mm!
by Holeman
The most pussified bullet currently being mistaken for an actual combat round in existence! It was made to be shrugged off by little girls!
April 16, 2010, 2:51 p.m. CST
this film is offensive
by barnaby jones
Offensively stupid, enjoyable never the less.
April 16, 2010, 2:53 p.m. CST
by mrbeaks
Why would Harry have to screen a snuff movie for me to enjoy it? Are you suggesting I wouldn't judge it on its own merits? The gall...
April 16, 2010, 2:55 p.m. CST
Go to Ebert's website after seeing the movie...
by DrManhattansUnit
...only after, as he spoils the ending. Read the review, it is quite funny. And rate it 4 stars, to tweak the old fellow. But like Einstein, he's earned the right to be wrong.
April 16, 2010, 2:56 p.m. CST
by RICHARD_GERE_RAPED_MY_GERBIL
And then she's going to kill every motherfucking last one of you.
She won't swear though. I won't be having any of that in my house.
She'll just murder people a lot.
April 16, 2010, 2:57 p.m. CST
Gall does not exist in this dojo
by Cobra--Kai
Hehe, okay Beaks I give you respect for using 'the gall'... a phrase that slipped out of fashion several centuries ago but I think it's due a comeback...
April 16, 2010, 2:57 p.m. CST
I think Battle Royal desesitized me 8 years ago
by Brannagins Law
I don't see what all the commotion is about. I liked the Kick-Ass comics (hate the art though), and I thought the movie was fun and entertaining, but I wish there was more violence, more character development. It felt very rushed to me. I wanted more over the top action. I really think seeing BR those years ago took the wind out of violent/action films for me. Nothing's shocking and that makes me sad.
April 16, 2010, 3:02 p.m. CST
Awesome Review
by Sluggolicious
I was SORT of intrigued about this movie but this tipped me over the fence. Can't wait to hear Cage's Adam West impression!
April 16, 2010, 3:07 p.m. CST
If you think you're desensitized, see Anti-Christ
by MattmanReturns
I thought I was too... but I was very wrong.
April 16, 2010, 3:07 p.m. CST
all i want to know is...
by awardgiver
is it better than 300? Cause a lot of right wing assholes like that movie for the wrong reasons.
April 16, 2010, 3:09 p.m. CST
Cage's Adam West imression ...
by Yer_Maw
... is genius. Young crowd at the screening I went to though, and it seemed to go over most of their heads. Oh well.
April 16, 2010, 3:10 p.m. CST
Who doesn't like fetishizing?
by Stuntcock Mike
If it was Miley Cyrus in that camel-toe catsuit, I'd have already 'bated at least a dozen times to it.
 Chloe Mortez's countdown to 18 starts right fucking NOW!
April 16, 2010, 3:10 p.m. CST
It's a great way to start the summer
by REVENGE_of_FETT
Just a great time at the movies. I thought it referenced Spider-Man a few too many times and everyone is always reading Millar comics in the movie. Also the girl fell for the guy way too quick. Did she at least think he was cute before? Is she just turned on by the costume? Is it his fame that attracts her? Just seemed a bit too convenient and their relationship isn't fleshed out after the fact at all, other than they like to fuck in alleys. I get the impression that in Millar's mind, women are just pretty things to be fucked.

Truth be told, I would have loved a 4 hour version of this movie because it just fucking rocked all the way through.
April 16, 2010, 3:11 p.m. CST
What's shocking about "Anti-Christ"?
by Holeman
Other than how bad it is? And people keep calling it a 'horror film'. That's weird. I would think that in order to be a horror film, it would have to at least try to be scary.
April 16, 2010, 3:12 p.m. CST
Holeman, you are officially desensitized :)
by MattmanReturns
Also, I'm not sure Anti-Christ is a "good" film. I dunno wtf it is actually, but it did make me throw up in my mouth a little.
April 16, 2010, 3:12 p.m. CST
I did see Anti-Christ
by Brannagins Law
well I started to watch it. After the first 35 minutes or so I turned it off. Should I finish it? @award I don't see how Kick-Ass can be compared to 300. It's like comparing the Color Purple to Aliens. Go see it, it is a fun movie.
April 16, 2010, 3:13 p.m. CST
Yeah I imagine the adam West went over a lot of heads...
by REVENGE_of_FETT
But everyone still fucking LOVED it. Cage just knocked it out of the fucking park!
April 16, 2010, 3:14 p.m. CST
Mark Millars last good writing was Swamp Thing
by awepittance
and that was over 15 years ago
April 16, 2010, 3:20 p.m. CST
Is it DKMODE Day yet?
by DKMODE
I believe it is. Grinning White Skull and The Last Boy Scout were trashing the movie and saying it would fail, and along with a lot of other people, calling me a plant when I posted a review in November. Now most of the reviews are coming in positive (77% on RT) and it looks like it's going to have a pretty great weekend. Now I will be proven right, you will likely see it opening weekend and pout. Oh yeah, all your dreams are dead.
April 16, 2010, 3:28 p.m. CST
By the way...
by DKMODE
My smug, self-affirming, childish rant was directed at Grinning White Skull and The Last Boy Scout (for being raging a-holes during that particular talk-back), not toward the general populace.
April 16, 2010, 3:29 p.m. CST
Great review Beaks...
by Righteous Brother
and Nic Cage's Adam West inspired take on Big Daddy is amazing, looking forward to owning this on Blu-Ray.
April 16, 2010, 3:30 p.m. CST
As for DKMODE day...
by DKMODE
That was a reference made by FlickaPoo. He said we will declare a DKMODE DAY if I turn out right. I don't expect that to happen, but it's fun to rub it in to all the naysayers.
April 16, 2010, 3:36 p.m. CST
@branigans law
by awardgiver
I compared 300 with this movie because of the outcries of fascism. they are more alike than Color Purple is to Aliens. If its a movie for about nerdy white kids beating up italian and black stereotypes, I'm not interested. just like i got suckered into watching that bullshit 300 movie with rednecks yelling racist shit at the movie screen.
April 16, 2010, 3:39 p.m. CST
neither here nor there
by Roy.Batty
It's much easier for me to be offended by a movie's stupidity than by its morals, and, quite frankly, all this stems from Mark Millar's penchant for constantly trying to be "irreverent" in the most puerile way, which I do find annoying. I couldn't care less about so-called profanity in a film, be it uttered by a grown-up or a little girl, and I want to think it only bothers the narrow-minded puritan within most USA citizens. So all this KICK-ASS controversy is no big deal for me, and I can't help but wonder what's all the fuss about, but just part of the marketing campaign. Having said all that... ... I have to agree with Mr. Ebert about the movie being essentially a glamourization of violence and its "coolness" factor, no matter the unrealistic, comic-book world context. The difference is that I am not as bothered by that as he is, but, to me, he certainly has a point that you can hardly argue with.
April 16, 2010, 3:40 p.m. CST
by joker40
he must be in the next movie...I keed...I loved this movie...
April 16, 2010, 3:42 p.m. CST
Its awesome
by theGoldbergV
but people really need to get over the whole 'Hit Girl swaering' thing. She only swears ONCE in the whole film, yeah its a strong word but really, its only one line of dialogue. The film itself rocks, a proper entertaining blockbuster, and done on like a 12th of the budget of some shitfest like Gash of the Tight 'uns
April 16, 2010, 3:45 p.m. CST
Was wondering when Pretty Baby would be brought up..
by skimn
All this hand wringing over cartoon violence in a comic book adaptation...Your mention of Pretty Baby made me also think of The Blue Lagoon, with the semi nude antics of (again) young miss Shields and whats-his-name, lovingly photographed for the Netflix queues of pedos everywhere.
April 16, 2010, 3:45 p.m. CST
Going tonight
by thatswhatshesaid
Only movie I am really looking forward too this year.
April 16, 2010, 3:46 p.m. CST
Good review! (Though I didn't enjoy it quite as much)
by seppukudkurosawa
It's weird, AICN talkbackers can either be the scum of the Earth or total puritans, but not both at once. I find the hubbub surrounding this movie utterly bemusing. I guess the words "young girl" flip some switch inside some people's heads and immediately make them want to start some destructive campaign against a movie they haven't even seen. This is just another action movie. I know some of you feel you need to kvetch about something, but surely there are far more worthy victims to set your sights on.
April 16, 2010, 3:46 p.m. CST
Naw, she swears a few times.
by REVENGE_of_FETT
"Cunt", "mother fuckers" and "I'm just fucking with you" for sure. Maybe a couple more times too. Didn't bother me at all. In case it's not obvious, I LIKE SWEARING! Swearing is fun, everyone should do it. :)
April 16, 2010, 3:48 p.m. CST
by Yer_Maw
Yeah, don't get me wrong - the movie went down a fucking storm, spontaneous applause, cheering, the whole bit. As to the impression - I think the young 'uns thought that Cage was doing a bad Shatner as opposed to a perfect West.
April 16, 2010, 3:49 p.m. CST
There are a few parts which get "intense"
by REVENGE_of_FETT
There's a couple of scenes where things take kind of a serious tone. I was afraid they might go a bit overboard, but they pull back a bit so it's ok. one of these was when Hit Girl gets beat up, but it's not nearly as bad as some would have you believe. SHe gets hit maybe 2 or 3 times. She starts to cry a little bit, so I have a feeling that is what they find disturbing about it.
April 16, 2010, 3:51 p.m. CST
Kick Ass by Millar is a great fuckin' comic!
by MARCEL_THE_NEGRO_PROJECTIONIST
Anyone who can't see that is a sub par wannabe who jizzes at the altar of Geoff Johns. Go read Massa's dissertation on KA again. He is spot on with his write up.
 And what's all this shit about Millar being a hack? A father and daughter BOND over him shooting her in the chest. Over ice cream and soda, the daughter's just "fucking" with her daddy when she tells him she wants a puppy for her birthday, when what she really wants is a butterfly knife. Tell me, what the fuck is "hacky" about that? That's fucking genius. A high school kid becomes the world's first (as far as we know) Facebook superhero. Again, another idea for our time.
 These are all great fuckin' ideas. And Mr. Millar's just got a fuckin' radar built into his head for what'll play on the big screen.
 Call his work anything you like, but just don't say his work doesn't play well.
April 16, 2010, 3:52 p.m. CST
oh yeah FETT - CONTAINS MILD SPOILER
by theGoldbergV
so she does. Oops. Film is brilliant though, I sat giggling like a schoolgirl for whole sections.

The only letdown is the girlfriend character. The 'oh you were just pretending to be gay - nah I don't mind at all, here fuck me by the bins' bit I didn't really buy at all. Still quality night at the cinema tho
April 16, 2010, 3:53 p.m. CST
Stuntcock Mike haha i said that to a friend
by ominus
yesterday.That i have already started counting until she gets 18 and we get her first Playboy photoshoot.mmm i cant wait.
April 16, 2010, 3:56 p.m. CST
RIP rog-her e-Bert
by sydbarrettcrazydiamond
we hardly knew ya, you howdy-dowdy puppet you :((
April 16, 2010, 3:57 p.m. CST
The "fuck me now" crap...
by REVENGE_of_FETT
was the weakest scene in the movie. Just gotta go with it I suppose.
April 16, 2010, 3:58 p.m. CST
Now we need a Kick-Ass review from Quint......
by BumLove
...and Scott Green...and another one from Harry.....and then they need to submit reviews of each others' reviews of Kick Ass...and then they need to see the film a second time and submit new reviews to talk about how the film makes them feel upon repeat viewings.....
April 16, 2010, 3:58 p.m. CST
by sydbarrettcrazydiamond
this was a response to Harry's insensitive topic name. Oops wrong thread you guys.
April 16, 2010, 3:59 p.m. CST
ah hoo cares about..
by awardgiver
cussing kids. You can stand around a mall and listen to kids say worse shit than what people are bitching about in the movie. but thats not whats keeping me away, its the stupid watchmen/300 angle that people are talking about. kids growing up to be asshole fascists is a much worse thing than fake violence and swear words. actually, i think kids should swear more...it relieves stress.
April 16, 2010, 3:59 p.m. CST
Must we continue the pedophile shit?
by REVENGE_of_FETT
She's a little girl! She wasn't "sexy" at all. Jesus....
April 16, 2010, 4:01 p.m. CST
I don't get the "fascist" shit.
by REVENGE_of_FETT
Someone want to explain that to me?
April 16, 2010, 4:02 p.m. CST
by awardgiver
yeah, explain it to me too. i just want to be clear before I waste money on this...or save it for extra popcorn at Iron Man II.
April 16, 2010, 4:03 p.m. CST
People being offended by the violence...
by DKMODE
Did anyone see "Shoot 'Em Up"? I actually had to turn off that movie for A., being incredibly lame, and B., being incredibly offensive in its glorification of violence. I've seen Kick-Ass, and nothing in it is remotely as controversial as what you see in the first 10 minutes of Shoot Em Up (i.e., prostitutes being violently stabbed in a comical fashion, prostitutes letting men suckle milk, men shooting at kids, etc.) Even "The Big Hit" glorified violence in a more disturbing manner than "Kick-Ass". Why you ask? Because movies like Shoot Em Up and The Big Hit glorified and detailed violence against innocent people in many scenes. It was all done with a wink and a smile. 99% of the violence in Kick-Ass (just like in The Professional) is done toward bad people. Big difference.
April 16, 2010, 4:06 p.m. CST
If you take then Hit Girl sequences out of the movie
by GodMars
It's basically crap. It's a male teen fantasy movie about trying to get into the pants of the hot girl in school. Color me disappointed. Not so kick ass...
April 16, 2010, 4:07 p.m. CST
Another thing about the violence...
by REVENGE_of_FETT
I've heard some reviewers are saying this movie will make people want to dress up in costumes and be heroes.

I don't know how the fuck they could say that unless they haven't screened the film because they get the living FUCK beat out of them! Kick Ass is nearly violently killed 4 times! How the fuck could you watch that and decide to try it out?
April 16, 2010, 4:13 p.m. CST
thanks godmars
by awardgiver
I have no interest in that at all. have fun, kids. no wonder dorks are all bunged up for this movie.
April 16, 2010, 4:15 p.m. CST
don't think most people know what fascism is:
by REVENGE_of_FETT
"Fascists seek to organize a nation on corporatist perspectives; values; and systems such as the political system and the economy.[5][6] Scholars generally consider fascism to be on the far right of the conventional left-right political spectrum,"

"They oppose liberalism — as a bourgeois movement — and Marxism — as a proletarian movement — for being exclusive economic class-based movements.[24]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascist

And about this idea that the film is racist? That's completely retarded. Hit Girl's guardian who proves throughout the movie that he cares about her is black. The guy Kick Ass saves from getting beat up is black.
April 16, 2010, 4:17 p.m. CST
by GodMars
The marketing of the movie is a total sham (outside of the red band Hit Girl trailer). It's nothing like what they want you to think it is.
thanks fett. no need to get all fan boy snippy. i was asking a fucking question. are you sponsoring this movie, or what to be so goddamn sensitive? or did someone piss in your cornflakes? or are you just one of those "comic book guys"?
April 16, 2010, 4:19 p.m. CST
revenge of fett
by awardgiver
oh and you might want to look up and post "retarded" on wikipedia as well if you are going to be so fucking anal...
April 16, 2010, 4:21 p.m. CST
awardgiver, I'M the one asking the question above you!
by REVENGE_of_FETT
I was just pointing out that anyone suggesting it's in any way fascist doesn't know what the fuck the word means.

Rest assured, Kick Ass is not remotely fascist.
April 16, 2010, 4:22 p.m. CST
thanks again GodMars
by awardgiver
now I want to see it. You did just what I wanted: answered my questions without throwing a pussy fit. see? thats all you have to do...
April 16, 2010, 4:24 p.m. CST
Awardgiver is officially a troll
by MattmanReturns
April 16, 2010, 4:24 p.m. CST
GodMars, I dissagree
by REVENGE_of_FETT
The one thing I thoght the trailer implied, or perhaps I just assumed, was Red Mist's role in the film. And I also thought Kick Ass would be more of a central driving force instead of, as someone else noted, more of an observer and eventual participant.

But I don't know how anyone can see this movie based on the trailers, go see it and come out dissapointed. No fucking way.
April 16, 2010, 4:25 p.m. CST
Well, it's worth seeing...
by GodMars
If you are willing to sit through all the nonsense that doesn't involve Hit Girl slaughtering roomfuls of gangsters. It's something like seeing snippits of a Taratino movie spliced into Standard Teen Comedy 1245. (Thanks, Tyler)
April 16, 2010, 4:27 p.m. CST
See this movie for Cage's Adam West impression ALONE!
by REVENGE_of_FETT
Fucking GOLD!
April 16, 2010, 4:27 p.m. CST
by awardgiver
Yes, a troll with simple questions, Mattman, who just wanted a question answered and is NOT trashing the movie. In fact, thanks to Godmars, I want to see it now. Trolls hate on everything without asking questions or seeing anything. Congrats to you for not contributing anything. THAT is a true troll.
April 16, 2010, 4:29 p.m. CST
by blackwood
April 16, 2010, 4:29 p.m. CST
Oh, playing innocent now?
by MattmanReturns
"no need to get all fan boy snippy. i was asking a fucking question. are you sponsoring this movie, or what to be so goddamn sensitive? or did someone piss in your cornflakes? or are you just one of those "comic book guys"?"
April 16, 2010, 4:30 p.m. CST
Adam West impression;
by awardgiver
Now I REALLY want to see this...ok Fett, I take back everything I said about you. You sealed the deal.
April 16, 2010, 4:31 p.m. CST
Spot on about Cage, Fett
by GodMars
Cage had my laughing out loud in the theater. In the end, I am not sure that the forces behind this movie knew exactly what it was they wanted to make. It's disjointed, out of tune; it wants to be something specific, but it's not sure what.
April 16, 2010, 4:32 p.m. CST
Nick Cage
by awardgiver
Whats even more impressive is I am going to see Nic Cage, who I usually can't stand. I just love West.
April 16, 2010, 4:42 p.m. CST
Anyone that sees this film and doesn't enjoy it...
by Lone Fox
Is a dick. There's no deep reasoning behind it, not in the slightest. You're just a dick.
April 16, 2010, 4:44 p.m. CST
I have heard the same thing about Harry Brown
by ominus
from some film critics, that it is a fascist movie.
I think they describe these movies as such,because they believe that the ideology that these movies represent is that the only way to solve a problem is to eradicate it.
In other words instead of trying to discover the reasons of why such problems exist and tarnish a society (the violent young gangs in Harry Brown's England and the murderous mafioso in Kick-Ass),and find a civilized way to deal with and correct these reasons ,instead we prefer the lawless,unethical way of killing the people who causes these problems in society.And that it is in some way the definition of fascism.Hitler killed the Jewes because he wanted to eradicate the problem they posed to his beloved nation.
OFC the film critics are wrong.These movies are not about fascism,they dont support it and they dont represent it.Their goal is different but thats another story.
Thats why the
April 16, 2010, 4:44 p.m. CST
by blackwood
April 16, 2010, 4:49 p.m. CST
C'mon Beaks, don't be lazy
by Iowa Snot Client
Haven't seen the movie yet, but speaking as a writer and an extra-chromosome right winger myself, I'm awfully tired of empty shorthand like "bloodthirsty right-wing fantasy." So, like, Hit Girl supports school vouchers and Kick Ass kicks ass for across-the-board tax cuts? "Right wing fantasy" usually seems to mean that the "good" and "bad" guys are too clearly defined, without enough nuance, but the reviewer got a kick out of seeing the good guys win and felt guilty about it in retrospect.
April 16, 2010, 4:49 p.m. CST
You cannot compare realistic films with this
by Larry of Arabia
You might as well compare Lord of the Rings with Annie Hall. Any comparison to Pretty Baby, Taxi Driver, or The Bad News Bears is off track. They are different movies meant to do different things in different ways to the audience. I'm not arguing that Kick-ass is or isn't a good or moral film or whatever, I'm just saying these particular analysis are ridiculous.
April 16, 2010, 4:54 p.m. CST
The Fascism of Kick Ass
by Happyfat73
You'll find that the term Fascism has, these days, taken on another common usage, apart from it's traditional political definition. Fascist has become a modern perjoratve term that colloquially refers to anyone who uses violence or force to impose their beliefs/morals upon others. In this sense, people who engage in illegal vigilantism are labelled Fascist - ie Big Daddy.
 Thats why people are using the term fascism in the same breath as Kick Ass.
 BTW, the film totally rocks. Best time I've had at the movies in ages.
April 16, 2010, 4:56 p.m. CST
by Series7
Compare this to the Boondock Saints Series. Mainly part 2, but a lot better then that movie, and with action closer to Equilibrium like beaks said. If you don't like any of those movies then you probably won't like this one.
April 16, 2010, 5:02 p.m. CST
Without a doubt the best review for this film anywhere
by Jaka
I really have nothing else to add as I'm over all the silly arguments about this one. Great job, Beaks.
April 16, 2010, 5:07 p.m. CST
Let me clarify, though
by Jaka
By "best", I don't mean the most glowingly positive. I just think Beaks nailed what the film is really trying to be and pretty much squashed the ridiculous statements some people have been making about it (a lot of them who haven't even seen it).
April 16, 2010, 5:13 p.m. CST
You lost me at Right-Wing Fantasy...
by tailhook
um... the whole Super Hero thing, dressing up in drag and dispensing anonymous vigilante justice is a Left Wing Fantasy. It requires the costume and the faux sense of justice to firmly move the story away from anything resembling reality in order for it to be acceptable to the liberal mind.
A Right-Wing Fantasy would be like Death Wish or Straw Dogs where its very much based in reality and the protaganist simply takes the law into his own hands and starts reaping revenge on the folks that done him wrong. No need to dress up like Lady Gaga or some stupid shit like that. Thats Liberal Left-Wing malarchy through-and-through.
That said, I thought the film was decent but sagged in the middle. The one action sequence that really didn't work was Moritz breaking up the television broadcast when the director started playing with darkness. It had a great setup(up until she showed up), and a great close(her declaration to the camera).. but everything in between where she was taking out the mob guys was a muddled mess. I was almost like... this is the point of the film where they ran out of money and had to do things on the cheap.
The end confrontation was great though. All in all, was it the greatest thing since tater chips? No. About average and a decent flick but it more than likely won't find a wide audience.
April 16, 2010, 5:21 p.m. CST
Thanx for the Pretty Baby heads up Beaks
by ominus
a 12yo Brooke Shields being deflowered? i am already in.
April 16, 2010, 5:38 p.m. CST
Those KICK ASS banners look great at the top of the page
by JuanSanchez
April 16, 2010, 5:42 p.m. CST
Spider-Man 2
by Kaitain
"the most viscerally entertaining superhero movie since SPIDER-MAN 2"
 Hope it's more entertaining than that wildly-overpraised bore-fest.
April 16, 2010, 5:43 p.m. CST
So if you dislike the film, it's because of your own baggage?
by kevred
...But if you like it, then you're not bringing any of your own baggage into it? You're somehow being more impartial than those who dislike it?
I have no stake in the debate, as I haven't seen the film, but I did want to point out the silly reductionist argument which tries to invalidate any other opinion.
I'm sure there are perfectly valid points to make, pro & con, about the film.
April 16, 2010, 5:52 p.m. CST
by Jaka
In regards to you last sentence; sure, of course there are. The problem is it's not the perfectly valid points that are being argued by a good many people.
April 16, 2010, 5:52 p.m. CST
by Happyfat73
So... what you're saying is that the difference between right wing fantasy and left wing fantasy is the use of ridiculous costumes?
 I'd have thought a left wing fantasy would be if Dave Lizewski dons a tricked-out wetsuit and then calls the police.
April 16, 2010, 5:56 p.m. CST
I disagree about the difference between...
by Jaka
...Kick-Ass and Pretty Baby, as well as Ebert's own Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls when writing a review is the point at hand. ...on hand?... whatever.... I'm still calling hypocrite on Ebert, and I'm surprised more people don't see it. Also, there is no argument about the fact that the comic book was, I'd imagine, almost exclusively read by adult men, or that the movie is rated R. Enough of this marketed for kids silliness.
April 16, 2010, 5:57 p.m. CST
JuanSanchez - I agree, it does. But does it...
by Jaka
...make you hard for Hit-Girl? P'shh.
April 16, 2010, 5:58 p.m. CST
low brow action comedy
by HELLSFOXES
vaughn keeps it fun, frolicking and suprising.... he breaks the rules of the universe and undermines any thematic throughline to do so. his choice, not my taste..... put it this way, its no die hard
April 16, 2010, 6:02 p.m. CST
Loved the music
by Happyfat73
Gotta say, I loved the music cues that played over the action set pieces in this film. Very cool - and helped set a perfect tone. Was it just me, or did Vaughan rehash one of the Kill Bill cues?
April 16, 2010, 6:05 p.m. CST
Kevred - yeah, you can't judge why someone dislikes a movie
by JuanSanchez
It's bullshit.
April 16, 2010, 6:06 p.m. CST
Jaka - come on, man - you know me better than that.
by JuanSanchez
It's Chinese midgets only.
April 16, 2010, 6:07 p.m. CST
JuanSanchez - can't argue with that...
by Jaka
...although I prefer the Swedish midgets. Got a thing for blondes.
April 16, 2010, 6:11 p.m. CST
Kick-Ass: A RIGHT-WING fantasy???
by TheGhostWhoLurks
Sure... because most right-wingers fantasize about 11-year-old girls going out and killing mobsters alongside teenager comic geeks in cosplay. Please stop proving to people what a complete IDIOT you are, Beaks. It's far better just to keep them guessing.
April 16, 2010, 6:13 p.m. CST
by tailhook
Yes.. pretty much. Its the use of the costumes that makes the fantasy 'acceptable'. Also witness that when a comic book hero does take on a clearly right wing stories he usually does so in a toned down suit. You get Rohrschach with a simple shifting sock over the head or The Punisher where the only thing even remotely outlandish is a simple skull on the chest.
In the case of Kick-Ass, they didn't even remotely attempt to make this anything but a Left Wing Fantasy. Just the whole thread with him being her 'Gay BFF' in order to get close to her to get her in the sack let that flag fly. Or his initial attempts at being a superhero being met with a stabbing, being run over, and basically hiding in the corner like a girl while an 11-year old girl saved his ass. That our plucky gender-confused hero can rise above all that to save the day and get the girl at the end? That, a Left-wing fantasy makes.
As per calls the police, nah.. thats a right-wing stereotype. They fantasize about justice being wrought when the police can't deliver, they just go about it a different way :P.
April 16, 2010, 6:16 p.m. CST
Needs more Christian Bale.
by RPLocke
April 16, 2010, 6:17 p.m. CST
It's all good, Jaka. To each his own.
by JuanSanchez
April 16, 2010, 6:18 p.m. CST
I think the right wing fantasy aspect...
by Happyfat73
... that he's referring to is the whole takeing the law into your own hands dealio. Because, you know, conservatives are all about small govt and minimal intervention and stuff.
 That said, to make it a complete right wing fantasy, hit girl would need to be a semi-literate, faux-folksy milf from Alaska, blasting immoral liberal motherfuckers with a giant gun.
April 16, 2010, 6:20 p.m. CST
How could you not like the comic??
by darthwaz1
It's fucking brilliant! a milestone for comics!
April 16, 2010, 6:33 p.m. CST
Right wingers tend to teach their kids how to use guns
by Nerd Rage
The fantasy part is teaching their kids to gun down ethnic criminals. Say what you will but how many rednecks and right wing gun lovers would teach their kids hunt ethnic criminals if they could get away with it?
April 16, 2010, 6:44 p.m. CST
Beaks, that is the review of Kick Ass...
by ebonic_plague
...that I have been waiting to read. I don't care if it IS morally corrosive and another slippery step towards breeding the next generation of tween-y sociopaths... I just want it to work as a movie, in a way that is satisfying to someone who doesn't automatically think an 11 year old girl doing comic book ultra-violence is cool just because it's an 11 year old girl and it's based on a comic.
 IMO, this is one of those cases where the hype for a movie on this site ends up doing it a disservice because nobody bothers to explain why the movie is worth seeing beyond "Hit-Girl is so cool! The violence is awesome!" I wasn't really a fan of the comic, or Millar's work in general, so I might end up disagreeing with your ultimate judgment on the movie's merit, but this is the only review I've read that actually has me interested to see the movie now. So I appreciate that, nice review. I promise not to make fun of you when Serbian Film tops your Top 100 movies of the next decade.
April 16, 2010, 6:50 p.m. CST
All's still changed, changed utterly...
by NeilMcCauleysBrother
"...utterly unique screenplay." Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhahaha! You people.
April 16, 2010, 6:51 p.m. CST
Music Cue
by REVENGE_of_FETT
The one that played over Big Daddy wiping out the warehouse was from 28 Days Later when Cillian kills the soldiers. Great cue, just kind of odd that it is lifted from another film. I assume it was in the temp track and they decided to keep it.
April 16, 2010, 6:52 p.m. CST
Right wing vs. Left wing fantasies
by ebonic_plague
Red Dawn
 is a right-wing fantasy movie.
 Pay it Forward
 is a left-wing fantasy movie.
 Both are equally unrealistic and delusional. But I think we can all agree that both sides can have power fantasies, which is all it really boils down to. You guys are really reaching to turn this into a left/right thing, but what else is new.
April 16, 2010, 6:57 p.m. CST
Aint it Kick Ass News & Ads - 24/7
by EddieMurphysLaugh
April 16, 2010, 7 p.m. CST
Beaks' summary: "Needs more anal rape"
by Stuntcock Mike
Maybe Kick Ass 2.
April 16, 2010, 7:03 p.m. CST
You guys talk about fascist films like it's a bad thing.
by Stuntcock Mike
Fascism. Preteen cameltoe. Nicolas "cunt shredder" Cage.
 Shit, count me in.
April 16, 2010, 7:28 p.m. CST
Hit-Girl has a hyphen in her name
by GimpInMyPants
I see too many people making this error.
April 16, 2010, 7:39 p.m. CST
Anyone seen Hit-Girl's Roger Clemens' sex tape??
by MARCEL_THE_NEGRO_PROJECTIONIST
Seriously, it's out there.
April 16, 2010, 8:26 p.m. CST
You guys can have Kick-Ass & Big Daddy
by buffywrestling
Hit Girl is mine.
April 16, 2010, 8:32 p.m. CST
Just saw it....it rocked
by thatswhatshesaid
Lived up to the hype for me. Dam good movie.
April 16, 2010, 8:34 p.m. CST
My Pot Roast Recipe
by YackBacker
I sent this to my boss because she wanted to try it out, and since I've typed it up, here it is for anyone who's interested:
 It's not an exact recipe, I've taken ideas from a bunch of places and experimented over the course of 3 roasts and this one is the best approach so far-- here's how it went:
 Ingredients:
 Chuck Roast (3-4 lbs)
 6 Red Potatoes, chopped into 1-inch chunks
 6 carrots, chopped into 1-inch chunks
 1 yellow onion, diced
 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (gotta be fresh)
 1 box of beef broth
 1 12 oz. can of plain seltzer (room temperature)
 2 cups of a simple, homemade red sauce (1 can of crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, grated parmesan cheese, garlic salt)-- if you don't have any sauce ready to go, just use a can of crushed tomatoes and flavor with the cheese & garlic salt to taste).
 2 tablespoons of olive oil
 Flour
 Half a stick of butter.
 1. Leave the packaged chuck roast out for about a half hr or so to let it lose its chill. Take it out of the package, pat the chick roast dry with paper towels and generously rub kosher salt around the entire roast. This salt is going to flavor the sauce so don't be shy.
 2. Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven on the stovetop. Place the roast in the dutch oven, browning it on all sides. (I used to dredge the roast in flour at this point, but I don't do that move anymore, and I'll tell you why later).
 3. Once the roast is browned, remove it from the pot and take a wad of paper towels and remove most of the excess oil. I find that this saves me a lot of "skimming the fat" from the gravy later on.
 4. Place the roast back in and slowly add the beef broth, allowing it to reach a boil as you add it in, up until you reach nearly halfway up the side of the roast. You may not use the entire box of beef broth, I usually have some leftover. Add the can of room-temperature seltzer. Add the red sauce. The liquid should be about 3/4 up the side of the roast.
 5. Once the liquid reaches a boil, drop the temperature down to as low as you can for a steady simmer. Cover the dutch oven and set your timer for 3 hrs.
 6. With about 40-30 minutes left, add the potatoes, carrots, onions and fresh thyme to the pot and cover again.
 7. About 15-10 minutes before the 3 hrs are up,, check the roast with a fork to test it's tenderness. You'll know when it's done. Also check the veggies around this time (I'm neurotic about this stuff, especially after smelling this cooking for 3 hrs, so act according to your own personality disorders, these are mine in action).
 8. Remove the roast when finished onto a cutting board, spoon out the veggies and fresh thyme. Place the potatoes and carrots into the bowl you will eventually serve the dish in, discard the thyme.
 9. In a saucepan, fully melt the half-stick of butter (chopped) over medium/low heat. Add about 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour to the butter, making a roux. keep mixing the roux with a silicon spatula for about 5 minutes, or until butter and flour are consistently combined. Ladle into the roux the sauce from the dutch oven, one scoop at a time, mixing the gravy in between ladles. Keep ladling and continuously mixing this until you've got yourself the right consistency for a gravy. Remove from heat.
 10. Meanwhile, the roast will have been resting for about 10-15 minutes, so now you can start slicing or pulling it apart. Do whatever you like, I tend to pull apart some pieces and slice other parts. I also discard any notoriously fatty chunks.
 11. Add the beef to the bowl with the potatoes and carrots. take the gravy and cover the whole thing.
 12. Eat. I served mine over egg noodles because the potatoes are apparently not enough starch for me, but you don't need to go that nuts. But it tastes good!
 A little extra thoughts on the sauce- I ended up continuing to cook the sauce I didn't put into the gravy, reducing it to a pretty gravy-like consistency and just adding it to the bowl when I was finished. It mixed with the gravy already in the bowl really well, so if you do have leftover sauce in the dutch oven, you can just throw it in later.
 I don't know how often you've made pot roast, I'm still relatively new to it- but one but takeaway I've realized is that you really can't overcook the damned thing. I was always nervous it would get tough if it braised for too long, but the opposite is the case. My past pot roasts came out tough because I took them out after 2 hrs, but that third hr is the magic time. I am slowly eating the leftovers from this last roast because I don't want it to leave me. I hope you enjoy it as well as I have.
April 16, 2010, 8:36 p.m. CST
Opps, I thought I was in another TB- Sorry Beaks!
by YackBacker
Please don't ban me!
April 16, 2010, 8:37 p.m. CST
November Rain
by Jon Voights Ballsack
Can anyone who saw the temp-tracked version point out where "November Rain" was utilized? Just curious.
April 16, 2010, 8:39 p.m. CST
Found It Largely Boring
by DrCaligari111
After reading about the fantastic sneak peak down in Austin, I was pumped to see this movie... but unfortunately found it rather boring, much like "Clash of the Titans." The movie worked when it was about Big Daddy and Hit Girl, but sagged when it shifted to Kick Ass and Red Mist (although all the actors did good job and likable, but Chloe Moretz and Nicholas Cage were standouts). Sad to say, it was a bit of a disappointment.
April 16, 2010, 8:39 p.m. CST
Yack, that was brillant.
by buffywrestling
I've tried to de-rail talkbacks in the past but I have *never* thought of posting a recipe...
 Please send cookies.
April 16, 2010, 8:45 p.m. CST
My (not good enough to post) review
by AttackingClone
April 16, 2010, 8:46 p.m. CST
My (not good enough to post) review
by AttackingClone
Sent this to Harry last week but apparently my opinion isn't worth shit.....Now, I'd never heard of Kick-Ass before this movie came around so I had no knowledge of the story and didn't really know what to expect. All I had seen was the previews. I hadn't been overly impressed with the trailers and wasn't expecting to love the movie, so I was extremely happy that I came out of the theatre wanting to see it again right away. I expect this film to open alot of doors for Director Matthew Vaughan, it is a very layered film which is funny, heartbreaking, soulful, and made me tear up once or twice. The young actors do such a great job with these characters that I feel whatever they do over the next few years I won't be able to get "Kick-Ass", "Hit-Girl", or "Red-Mist" out of my mind. And Nic Cage, man! I've always been a fan of his, since The Rock anyway, but he is so funny in this role (the way he channels Adam West's Batman as "Big Daddy" is hilarious), it's one of those roles where you can see Cage but you can't see him past the "Big Daddy" character. Classic intro for him and "Hit-Girl" too. My favourite scene in the movie is towards the end where "Kick-Ass" may or may not be revealed. It comes up with a few new ideas (to me anyway) and is just executed to perfection. Looking back, there are so many great scenes that I really need to see this again soon, warehouse fire, Kick-Ass getting noticed by the public for the 1st time, Big Daddy/ Hit Girls package. Also, I'm a fan of music in films and while some of the pop-music is a little too much, for me, I really love the way "Kick-Ass" uses snippets of score from John Murphy's "Sunshine" and "28 Days Later" scores. I've actually only started noticing this recently with "Public Enemies" and "Shutter Island", using previously existing scores/classical music instead of (or as well as) newly recorded stuff. Not so sure I'm a fan, but it works here. Definitely reccomend seeing this, you will not be dissappointed, or maybe you will be how the hell should I know, I was not dissappointed! This movie Kick-Starts the summer (winter here in Australia) "Clash" probably made as much money as this deserves to make opening weekend (but probably wont). Side note, I wasn't really looking forward to "Hit-Girl's" cursing as I think it's a little off having children swear, but it's not that bad, it's not used to shock, only really noticed it the 1st time (only time?) she said the "C" word.
April 16, 2010, 8:48 p.m. CST
Dutch oven on the stove-top???
by ebonic_plague
That sounds dangerous! And stinky!
April 16, 2010, 8:50 p.m. CST
Kick Ass...a bomb?
by Mr.Stiggs
I just came back from a friday evening screening of Kick Ass. I saw the film at 12 screen National Amusements theatre on the east coast. The film played in one of the largest auditoriums in the building. There were approximately 18 people in the theatre at the start of the show and about 15 at the end due to a few walk outs. I can't remember ever seeing a smaller crowd show up on opening night for a nationally released picture.
April 16, 2010, 8:51 p.m. CST
ebonic, try it out
by YackBacker
And make sure someone has a video camera when you do!
April 16, 2010, 9:03 p.m. CST
by Arcadian Del Sol
WAS YET ANOTHER REVIEW OF KICK-ASS.
 WHAT KIND OF MOVIE REVIEW SITE SENDS EVERY SINGLE STAFF MEMBER TO SEE THE SAME MOVIE, AND THEN SENDS NONE OF THEM TO ANY OTHER MOVIES THAT WEEK? TOTAL CLOWNSHOES THIS PLACE IS.
April 16, 2010, 9:26 p.m. CST
It was missing something...
by TheDudeinLA
...just saw it. Great start...too long middle...fun finish. Needed an edit. Kick Ass and Hit Girl will be stars.
April 16, 2010, 9:36 p.m. CST
I'm going to be Hit Girl for Halloween
by buffywrestling
A really old Hit Girl.
April 16, 2010, 9:43 p.m. CST
I loved this movie so fucking much
by The_Crimson_King
this is officially on my long list of favorite movies, it was really that good, it also was inspiring to me, not to become a super hero, but to grab life by the balls, to me that was the message of the movie
April 16, 2010, 9:44 p.m. CST
and man Lyndsy Fonseca was so damn hot in this
by The_Crimson_King
I would get the shit beat out of me if it meant I could have a girlfriend that hot
April 16, 2010, 9:45 p.m. CST
and I was the one laughing the most in the theater
by The_Crimson_King
Cage's Adam West impersonation and Kick Ass and Red Mist dancing in the car had me ROLLING
April 16, 2010, 9:49 p.m. CST
So which is it?
by Barko
Beaks, at the beginning you claim the film "is both a bloodthirsty right-wing fantasy and a sophomoric spoof of that fantasy, allowing viewers to sate their inner Paul Kersey for a couple of hours while refusing to let them mistake the proceedings for anything approaching social commentary or genre deconstruction," but at the end you suggest "an eleven-year-old killing machine is just an eleven-year-old killing machine." Well, which is it? Sure seems like you want to have your cake (it's fun!) and eat it too (it doesn't mean anything!). I just wish in all the knee-jerk defenses of this film on this site in the last few days y'all would at least acknowledge the fact that every film, even this one so precious to AICN, has meanings beyond just "fun."
April 16, 2010, 9:53 p.m. CST
RE: bomb... I also came back from an empty theatre
by RandySavage
on the east coast... I was expecting it to be packed. This is a very bad signal for Kick-Ass.
 I really enjoyed the film and would like to see sequels, but its biggest audience (boys 14-17) is unable to get in.
 This could very well bomb.
April 16, 2010, 9:57 p.m. CST
I thought it was funny.
by Hexus
And fun. Our theater was fairly thinly populated though. I'd hate to see a fun flick bomb out.
April 16, 2010, 9:59 p.m. CST
People stating that this film is
by brattyben
fascist I think really mean nihilist. Aside from that, I totally want to have fun seeing this.
April 16, 2010, 9:59 p.m. CST
Nice yack
by Six Demon Bag
That was the greatest flick pulled ever
April 16, 2010, 10:02 p.m. CST
Fett Praises nic cages impression of Adam west!!!
by Six Demon Bag
Oh sweet irony! And it's not even my birthday.
April 16, 2010, 10:08 p.m. CST
Sounds like Mystery Men with more violence
by RPLocke
and some girl that beats up dudes.
April 16, 2010, 10:21 p.m. CST
Robocop desensitized a generation
by Crusher Creel
I saw that movie when I was like 7 or 8, yeah it was pretty much over after that - "nah nah nah nah nah...."
April 16, 2010, 10:21 p.m. CST
100% Locked
by Crusher Creel
..... still ain't over that.....
April 16, 2010, 10:23 p.m. CST
small crowds?
by Uncle Pooky
My theater was packed. and the audience applauded at the end.
April 16, 2010, 10:30 p.m. CST
This movie rocked my fucking socks
by Saracen1
I'm getting in line again
April 16, 2010, 10:35 p.m. CST
Hit Girl was not sexualized...
by zinc_chameleon
I just got back from the film, and thought it a lot better than the reviewers did. It had real resonance that I didn't expect: =============================== SPOILER ALERT................. Like Frank pointing a gun at Hit Girl, and simultaneously wishing that she had been his son.... ================================ She was a little samurai, not a hooker. The sexiest thing she did was blow a kiss at Kick-Ass, and that's only because she was making fun of how inept he was.
April 16, 2010, 10:42 p.m. CST
by buffywrestling
use
 for paragraph breaks; just remove the spaces. Give it a test...
 PS: I'm not trying to offend you; I'm just trying help you out. The Hit Girl in me likes you.
April 16, 2010, 10:48 p.m. CST
they weren't a whole lot of people at my showing
by The_Crimson_King
it wasn't empty, but it wasn't quite packed either, maybe word of mouth will build up
April 16, 2010, 10:54 p.m. CST
kick ass is non political fantasy
by antonphd
there is nothing left or right about being a superhero. that's why a liberal and a conservative can both watch the dark knight and think it validates their political world view. everyone loves a super hero. they are living the golden rule. looking out for their neighbor at their own risk. everyone who's a decent human being admires that.
April 16, 2010, 11:15 p.m. CST
tailhook: so left-wing = flamboyant dressers?
by mrgray
Your point is utterly befuddling and borderline homophobic. I would remind you that A) there are homosexuals on the right and B) there is nothing inherently leftist about being fabulous. Or dressing like a flamenco dancer. I suggest you rethink your statements.
April 16, 2010, 11:34 p.m. CST
I feel like . . .
by Olsen Twins_Fan
I'm losing some geek cred because I'm not seeing this until Monday or Tuesday.
April 16, 2010, 11:40 p.m. CST
I don't know, but whoever directed The Good, The Bad And The wei
by CodeName
I'd love for Hollywood to import some Korean directors to direct a Spiderman for the US audience as they would make a film for the Korean audience. There are nuances in Korean films that can't be captured through an American eye-- as much as I am rooting for Americans, and am one myself.
April 16, 2010, 11:41 p.m. CST
The Good, the Bad And The Wierd I meant to say.
by CodeName
April 16, 2010, 11:43 p.m. CST
by CodeName
April 16, 2010, 11:44 p.m. CST
This was easily Cage's best movie since WILD AT HEART
by SpyGuy
Cage's Adam West reset compared with his Bizarro Ward Cleaver parenting of Hit-Girl were one of the best things about the movie. A couple more quality projects like this and it might be cool to like him as an actor again.
April 16, 2010, 11:58 p.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
April 17, 2010, 12:23 a.m. CST
Movie's target audience: Internet Jag offs
by Gordak
Whoever is toting this movie as good or brilliant or whatever, needs a serious reality check. It was complete tripe. It looked cheap, it felt cheap, it was on lifting stories from other popular movies and pasting them on a plot that didn't exist. Not following? Let's look at it. "Why hasn't anyone tried to be a superhero?" is what Kick Ass says in the very beginning. This statement in a world where Big Daddy and Hit Girl already exist and have been terrorizing mob members. "You won't see any revenge stories here" Back to Big Daddy striking vengeance for his dead wife and lost years. The one true moment of the film where he stands guard over his victim is quickly lost, back to Superbad unfunny and oh, um, let's let hit girl take over the plot. There was a lot of cheering and I'm sure you'll hate me for writing this, but first, look down and see if you have a shirt that looks like a beer can, or an extra thirty pounds on ya, or porn in your browser, cause that's exactly who loved this movie in my theater. Kinda made me sick.
April 17, 2010, 12:29 a.m. CST
by BringingSexyBack
This movie will be but a bad memory by next week. But the harmful effects will linger for many years to come.
April 17, 2010, 12:32 a.m. CST
That's an awful lot to assume Gordak
by REVENGE_of_FETT
And it's one thing that pissed me off about the first 10 minutes of the movie because Millar apparently agrees with you about who wants to see this film. he sort of did the same thing with Wanted in fact, to the point he has the main character look into the lens and tell everyone what a fat, lazy asshole they are....for wanting to watch that movie!

Millar certainly runs a risk by introducing characters far more interesting than his protagonist. Pretty unorthodox, but I understand why he did it.

He's saying that it;'s impossible to be a hero just by putting on a costume. It takes a kind of single-mindedness that's actually destructive. But Kick Ass had one very important quality, the heart to want to make a difference. And it's that quality that eventually makes him worthy.

I can only assume that Hit-Girl becomes his Yoda and he actually starts training. If Millar is smart, he will have Kick Ass teach her a little about having a heart and they form a tight brother-sister relationship.
April 17, 2010, 12:51 a.m. CST
Gordak, I love it when people call out the "basement-dwelling"
by RandySavage
"masturbating, fat, loser, virgin, freaks, etc." by posting it on a fanboy message board.
 Those who have a right to be indignant of movie fanboys would never do so (i.e., those who are successful enough in their endeavors don't waste their time (especially on a Friday night) reading or spewing vitriol on a website like AICN.
 Thus, when you - or anyone - anonymously calls out the basement-dwelling, jagoff fanboys, you reveal yourself to be the saddest form of hypocritical self-loather.
 Some advice. Try to channel that hate into something more productive.
April 17, 2010, 12:52 a.m. CST
Another thing
by Gordak
So you're broadcasting Kick Ass getting the shit beat out of him, Hit Girl comes in and demolishes the room, even Kick Ass' friends fall in love with her calling her hot, etc. EVERYONE is watching. At the mob bosses sky tower, "oh, it's a little girl, let's let her inside." That's just sloppy like the rest of the movie.
April 17, 2010, 12:56 a.m. CST
Thanks for the assumtion Randy
by Gordak
I happen to work in the industry and I use this site as the "pulse" of said audience. And if you hadn't noticed, I rarely write anything on here. But Kick Ass kinda made me sick, and I had to vent. I happen to love movies, and the praise that this movie is getting needs to be backed up by something more than its violence porn. This is the superhero version of Eli Roth, except its hidden under a candy colored shell. And I don't loath myself : ) I like kittens.
April 17, 2010, 1:04 a.m. CST
KICK-ASS takes every negative stereotype about...
by TheGhostWhoLurks
...comic fans and validates them. Socially-inept losers who are only able to function when doing so anonymously. At which point their multiple frustrations come out in aggressive and violent ways to compensate for their many inadequacies. Doesn't matter if it's as a vigilante or a Talkbacker.
KICK-ASS isn't a "Right-wing" fantasy. It's a purely NERD fantasy: where the comic loser becomes a hero without having to workout or train, gains "superpowers" due to getting his brains knocked around, takes out the mob in bloody fashion and gets the girl of his dreams at school who used to treat him like dirt.
It's the fantasy every geek who's ever grown up in America has had. KICK-ASS isn't a good movie... it's simply putting those fantasies on the big screen and bringing them to life. That's why most comic nerds LOVE it, while normal people see it as the stupid tripe it really is.
April 17, 2010, 1:09 a.m. CST
GhostwhoLurks is a poet of talkbalks
by Gordak
Well said sir.
April 17, 2010, 1:12 a.m. CST
by RandySavage
Your criticisms are fair. I also wondered why they wouldn't be suspicious of a little girl after the fight. The film had other faults, too (for me the Jetpack broke the "real world" rules of the film, but a fellow moviegoer told me Jetpacks like that can actually be purchased... will have to look that up).
 That said, I still enjoyed the action, pacing, characters (particularly Mark Strong ordering an Icee!) and soundtrack.
 I thought the positives far outweighed the negatives and I'm a pretty normal, well-adjusted guy.

 See, we can disagree without insulting those who liked/disliked it.
April 17, 2010, 1:16 a.m. CST
I understand...
by nukeboy1970
..why a lot of people on here jumped to defend Roman Polanski. The pedo lust for Hit Girl is pretty disgusting.
April 17, 2010, 1:18 a.m. CST
Left Wing Power Fantasies...
by nukeboy1970
... look something like the Russian Revolution or China's Cultural Revolution.
April 17, 2010, 1:21 a.m. CST
GhostWhoLurks, "normal people" don't post on AICN
by RandySavage
That's my point.
 I attended a top 5 university, played college football, work on Wall St, have a girl, etc.. On paper, I am "normal."
 All my friends are just like me - smart, athletic, successful, etc. They are normal. Not one of them has ever heard of AICN, much less ever posted about a movie on a site like this. We saw it tonight and all liked it.
 But I am not "normal" - and neither are you - by the very fact that you are posting here. We are movie geeks - either closeted or open.
 So your categorizing people who liked this film doesn't make much sense to me.
April 17, 2010, 1:25 a.m. CST
by nukeboy1970
You go to the extreme right or extreme left and you wind up at the same place. The problem with the US being as polarized as it is, is that no one understands where the center is.
April 17, 2010, 1:26 a.m. CST
Randy and I are civil now
by Gordak
Don't you find this movie to be a cheap imitation of Kill Bill? Right down to the anime sequence, featuring a um...girl assassin? My God they even used western music for the end show down. It's just a shame that original movies can't seem to be original. So Kick Ass goes to see his girl's ex boyfriend, who happens to be a crazy ass 40 yr old drug dealer that beats her? huh? And how is she not a coked up whore like the one Hit Girl stabbed? Regardless, he gets taken down after firing a taser gun...then hit girl comes in chop chop chop, etc. Says he has potential. What exactly did he do? And what an awful way for their story lines to cross. It honestly felt like two separate movies. One a Superbad movie with some hero elements, and the other a Kill Bill knock off, except no where near as interesting or stylized.
April 17, 2010, 1:37 a.m. CST
by RandySavage
Answering your questions in order
 I never saw Kill Bill.
 I never assumed that they were boyfriend-girlfriend. Just that she got to know Razul at the drug rehab place where she volunteered and then he started stalking her...
 Hit Girl was won over by what Dave said/did on the first youtube fight, i.e., he made a stand.
 I don't really get the Superbad comparison... that's like saying King Kong was a School of Rock rip-off because they both starred Jack Black as a struggling artist.
April 17, 2010, 1:49 a.m. CST
by Gordak
Lately, Jack Black still struggles to be an artist, apart from "Community" and "Brutal Legend". If you took away the superhero plotline, which was done, you were left with some weak "I'm gay, so I'm going to get close" storyline and some bad dialogue, so in that you're right, it wasn't superbad. What happened to him making a stand??? This was my main problem. I felt that was the heart of the movie. I felt then it might've gone somewhere. Instead, he goes after the girl, which I'm okay with, cause he's a confused teen. And after he sees a "real" superhero, he loses hope and gives up. Huh? This is the guy I was rooting for to make a difference, and now no difference? On the Razul front, we never saw him be awful to anyone. He was just chilling playing xbox games, maybe even Brutal Legend...we don't know, then Hit Girl comes in and brutally murders everyone, even an unarmed woman as she tries to run away, then steals their money....and she's not the villain how? And how did Kick Ass respond to this? At this point, this is the most violence he has seen, he's totally unaware of the entire mob subplot. How is she not the bad guy at this point? Cause she saved him?
April 17, 2010, 1:51 a.m. CST
by midgarddragon
Anyone who doesn't realize how great it is deserves to die in a pile of their own feces, 'nuff said.
April 17, 2010, 2:15 a.m. CST
It's late and this will be my last post...
by RandySavage
First, I thought Stardust was great - Mark Strong and Matt Vaughn are how I learned about Kick-ass.
 Gordak,
 What I thought was unique and good about Kick-Ass is that for the first 7/8ths of the film, Dave was portrayed as real as possible (for a comic/super hero film. He never became a good fighter; he always had fear; he was racked by self-doubt & failure. Like a real teenager would, he quit after he realized he was 1. a poseur, 2. had too much to risk (his girl).
 As he was making his final Kick-Ass appearance he inadvertently betrayed Big Daddy & Hitgirl and that drew him back in... out of sense of justice.
 To me, the film's biggest flaw was the finale when he operated a jetpack... I thought that broke all the rules the film had set up because suddenly Dave was doing could do something superhuman (flying around Manhattan using a jetpack).
 Still, I can forgive that and other flaws. I very much enjoyed the film.
April 17, 2010, 2:28 a.m. CST
Randy, those are real though
by REVENGE_of_FETT
I highly doubt you could order one over the internet, but they exist. <spoiler>Bond flew one in Thunderball.</spoiler> The exageration is that they only last a few minutes, but it's a movie so ya gotta give 'em that.
April 17, 2010, 2:36 a.m. CST
by RandySavage
One last post to address your specific points...
 The visual setup and brief backstory of Rasul was enough to inform the audience he and his cohorts were bad dudes. He was going to gut Dave with a knife and hitgirl rescued him by taking out all the thugs - the hoochi even threatened with a bottle. Hitgirl could have been more merciful, but then so could Indiana Jones - it's pulp action violence. She spares Dave and directs his escape. Therefore, to Dave she is a rescuer, not a villain.
 Dave gives up temporarily, but after neatly being set alight and really wanting to quit, he makes the Hero's Transformation (in the bathroom) and decides he will aid the girl who rescued him (multiple times). In the end, he saves her life, so by the conclusion, he has made all the difference.
April 17, 2010, 2:44 a.m. CST
Revenge, I've heard they're real, and
by RandySavage
to have Dave operate it for only a few minutes (and not well) would have been much more acceptable.
 The whole conceit of the film is that Dave is a normal teenager - and it broke that conceit because average teenagers cannot learn how to operate a jetpack in minutes/hours, fly up to a skyscraper, shoot Gatling guns from it, and then weave through skyscrapers canyons...
 I still really dug the movie.
April 17, 2010, 2:54 a.m. CST
Jetpacks are real and not difficult to operate
by Jaka
Like, check YouTube or something. Shooting guns and weaving through skyscrapers on one, probably not so real. But it's a movie, and one that I think already earned the right to go there long before that point in the story.
April 17, 2010, 3:05 a.m. CST
Kick Ass points his taser at Hit Girl
by Nerd Rage
after she rescues him. He didn't see her as a hero initially either.
April 17, 2010, 3:47 a.m. CST
Yes the movie is intended for fanboys
by Nerd Rage
in ways that most comic book movies aren't. It was quite refreshing. I don't see the problem. Most entertainment is geared toward "normal people". Did you ever wonder why entertainment in general fucking sucks?
April 17, 2010, 3:52 a.m. CST
The doorman let Hit Girl in
by Nerd Rage
because he was an idiot. The other security gaurds didn't want to let her in.
April 17, 2010, 3:55 a.m. CST
Nice attempt in finding plot holes
by Nerd Rage
but you fail. The movie is well crafted beginning to end.
April 17, 2010, 4:57 a.m. CST
as fun as it was...
by Brannagins Law
I did think the fire and explosion effects kinda sucked. They didn't composite them very well and they stuck out visually in a bad way. Kinda like an Aqua Teen explosion.
April 17, 2010, 4:58 a.m. CST
Ghostwholurks, you are a tool.
by Nerd Rage
You attack comic fans for only being able to function anonymously when in truth geeks thrive on the internet because you are judged more on content rather style. Then you go further to say comic nerds are aggressive and violent to compensate for inadequacies. Comic book nerds are docile compared to most internet bullies. Ever search around the internet? Your words were: "KICK-ASS isn't a 'Right-wing' fantasy. It's a purely NERD fantasy: where the comic loser becomes a hero without having to workout or train, gains 'superpowers' due to getting his brains knocked around, takes out the mob in bloody fashion and gets the girl of his dreams at school who used to treat him like dirt." What you described for the most part is the fucking plot to Spider-man which is a nerd fantasy. Kick Ass on the other hand has a gun lover train his child to be good with guns so he can hunt criminals with his child. That's a RIGHT WING fantasy. Also the naive guy (liberal) who never fought has to be rescued by the highly trained heroes (the troops). It is only until he realizes their sacrifice that he himslef can be a hero also. Another RIGHT WING fantasy. AND you're wrong again when saying Kick Ass is the fantasy of every geek. You mean it's are fantasy to be beaten severly, upstaged by a little girl, and to quit being a hero once we get a piece of ass (like a coward). That's what every geek wants? Kick Ass is an indictment of fandom. It says the fanboy will always live in the shadow of his heroes and that's where they belong. If you want a nerd fantasy watch The Dark Knight or Superman the Movie both movies embraced by the public because their themes are also universal.
April 17, 2010, 7:23 a.m. CST
That's edutainment
by Iowa Snot Client
As a right winger, I didn't realize I harbored all these violent fantasies. Sometimes you need a liberal posting on a movie fansite about a comic book adaptation to really know your true inner self.
April 17, 2010, 7:30 a.m. CST
stop already
by Clean_Vageena
I'm getting anal warts just reading this.
April 17, 2010, 8:36 a.m. CST
empty theater in Cleveland too
by thatswhatshesaid
I loved the movie. Great action, funny, and Hit girl was awesome. Ironic that what makes this movie so good....may make it bomb because of the "R" rating. Word of mouth is its only hope.
April 17, 2010, 8:43 a.m. CST
Meh, B-
by brobdingnag
And if hunting down and killing criminals is a right wing fantasy, attacking crime victims is a liberal one.
April 17, 2010, 9:27 a.m. CST
Enjoy this break in hype because IronMan 2 isnext!
by HollywoodHellraiser
I've become so tired of all the IM2 hype that its good seeing something else hyped beyond belief!
April 17, 2010, 10:23 a.m. CST
saw it last night,anyone who has a moral problem
by RedBull_Werewolf
is a real pussy...and probabaly is missing a jaw and talks with a speak and spell
April 17, 2010, 10:53 a.m. CST
The use of the word "fascism" and what it means in film.
by Sithtastic
I too was turned off by Beak's review of this and his leap to the words "right-wing" and "fascism" that in political terms in the U.S. are abused like nobody's business. They are abused even moreso in what I'd deem Orwellian fashion, in that they are simply a substitute to mean something "undesirable" rather than in defining a political thought. That said, I'm sure the film has a little something to offend everyone. Most conservatives--myself included--have to a double take when we see an 11 year-old being a trained comic assassin capping mobsters left and right..."family values" it ain't. More to the point, the use of the phrase "right-wing fantasy" is particularly jarring, but only if one doesn't realize Mr.Beaks is incredibly ignorant of what "right-wing" even means. So we're simply reduced to imagery of gory violence, mayhem and at best a radical individualism as exhibited by the film's protagonist. The sum of these things is completely apolitical in my book. Most of this film strikes me as shock value exploitation and it would be better if all of us try not to hurt ourselves by dropping the "f-bomb" as it were to define violence because if history has proved anything, all totalitarian movements have at one time or another relied on glorified ideal one individual to motivate a mob to violence as evidenced in their propaganda. To simply hurl the word "fascism" at popcorn like Kick Ass is simply too much.
April 17, 2010, 11:25 a.m. CST
But you fail
by Gordak
Isn't a valid argument.
April 17, 2010, 1:13 p.m. CST
Don't think the doorman was an idiot
by Hipshot
The actions of Hit Girl are impossible. They don't exist in the real world. There is simply no way anyone in a movie is going to believe a little girl is a threat until they've seen it for themselves--we are genetically programmed to consider little girls helpless and needing of protection. "Kick Ass" walked the same line between fantasy and "reality" that "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" did--only between reality and comic books instead of between reality and "Lethal Weapon" style supercop movies. It WAS two different movies spliced together, and that was the fun of it. The reality allowed Cage to chew the scenery--Big Daddy was certifiable. Nuts. Anyone who would corrupt his daughter into a mass murderer is guilty of child abuse (in the real world). This film did a fascinating balancing act, and it's going to make a mint. And yeah, Razul was tappin' that ass.
April 17, 2010, 2:01 p.m. CST
throw Tom Hanks in the volcano!! end of problem....
by theDannerDaliel
April 17, 2010, 2:08 p.m. CST
Stop with the "Kill Bill" Bullshit...
by Boober
Am I the only one that found that shit to be an exercise in substituting gratuity for a good product? MAN is that SH!T OVERRATED.
April 17, 2010, 2:45 p.m. CST
You AICN should avoid the whole violence issue
by Mr Gorilla
All the justifications I've seen on this site for the violence in KICK ASS are so damn lame, I'm starting to think that maybe it IS a problem.
April 17, 2010, 3:24 p.m. CST
Next week we'll be arguing about Freddy
by RPLocke
Thank Gods Iron Man 2 comes out next month.
April 17, 2010, 6:20 p.m. CST
"A huge step back for the genre" - At The Movies
by JuanSanchez
April 17, 2010, 6:38 p.m. CST
75% tomatometer >>>> single At the Movies comment
by Nerd Rage
Over a hundred critics love the movie. That's hardly a huge step backward.
April 17, 2010, 7:05 p.m. CST
saw it this afternoon, it lived up to its title.
by RedHorseVector
middling to poor attendance, but everybody in that theater had a good time. nicholas cage was a scream. loved chris mintz-plasse and chloe moretz as well. YAY! i'd been praying this wasn't a hype case.
April 17, 2010, 7:05 p.m. CST
by kesoze4
No one else took issue with the sunrise at the end of the movie? Over Manhattan? In the west?
April 17, 2010, 7:12 p.m. CST
by Super Nintendo Chalmers
You AICN writers need to quit your defensive bullshit, especially the nonsensical Ebert baiting. Did you read his Pretty Baby review? "His subject this time is a twelve-year-old girl who is raised in the New Orleans brothel where her mother works. She plays in the garden, she rides a pony, she likes ragtime music, and one day she's auctioned off to the man who will deflower her. This is, of course, tragically perverted, but "Pretty Baby" itself is not a perverted film: It looks soberly, and with a good deal of compassion, at its period of history and the people who occupied it." Doesn't sound like Kick-Ass to me.
April 17, 2010, 7:13 p.m. CST
Mr Gorilla
by Super Nintendo Chalmers
I are with Mr Gorilla here; my trepidation at seeing this movie has nothing to do with the critics of the violence but the insane defense by AICN and others. I'll probably still see it though.
April 17, 2010, 7:32 p.m. CST
empty theater in Milwaukee
by rainbowtrout1265
Friday afternoon, the theater was maybe 10% full. But those that were there yelled and cheered for Hit Girl and Big Daddy. The character of Kick Ass was actually a weak point, imo, and you just waited for the next great Hit Girl action set-piece.
April 17, 2010, 8:24 p.m. CST
Got a feelin
by thatswhatshesaid
This movie will be a cult classic...Hit girl was unlike anything I have ever seen in the theater. Loved her and got a feeling america will too once they get a chance.
April 17, 2010, 8:29 p.m. CST
Rottentomatoes gave Drag Me to Hell a high rating. And it sucked
by JuanSanchez
April 17, 2010, 8:56 p.m. CST
RE:"Just know that's baggage
by redteeb
you brought into the movie with you." Exactly. Just like, y'know, every movie ever made. Like it or not, this is the same for everything in every art form ever!! If you think you're not imposing your own viewpoints on anything, your kidding yourself. This film is awesome, and what you take away will take ultimately be more about you than about the movie. As it should be. A great movie like this recognises that fact and, even if the film makers didn't intend it, allows you to impose whatever you need on it, and sometimes shows you something about yourself. If you just take away a great fuckin time(and to clarify, there's obviously absolutely nothing wrong with that), again, that's what conditions YOU imposed on it, and again, says more about you than the movie. Just sayin.
April 17, 2010, 9:02 p.m. CST
Just saw it, it's pretty good
by Toonol
Not absolutely great, but pretty good.
 Hitgirl wasn't sexualized at all. Those who think she was are being twisted by their own preconceptions. Whether the character is appropriate or not is another question, and maybe she wasn't; but there's no sexual component to it at all, just violent.
 And I watched it with my girlfriend, who has an 8 year old daughter. She felt the same. The more interesting aspect of the film is the reality/fantasy juxtaposition, and reasons for switching back and forth.
April 17, 2010, 9:22 p.m. CST
it's an action film (more or less)
by frank cotton
there's your justification
April 17, 2010, 10:54 p.m. CST
Both the critics and AICN are wrong
by The Bicycle Sharer
Imh. It was good, not great. The violence was cartoony and fun. Hit Girl was only "sexualized" if you get a boner from watching children stab people. Hit Girl steals the fuck out of this movie the second she appears. Kick Ass (the character) is a bit annoying (especially when compared to Hit Girl). The score is pretty much shite as far as I'm concerned. I like the songs that were in the movie (more or less), but the movie lacked a really inspiring score (as opposed to a "soundtrack").
All in all, we liked it and I give it a B+.
April 17, 2010, 11:03 p.m. CST
big daddy rampage scene with 28 days later music...
by RedHorseVector
that one scene is worth the price of admission alone.
April 17, 2010, 11:08 p.m. CST
by kesoze4
I've heard a couple people talk about the scene using the 28 Days Later theme. It's not the theme. It's "East Hastings" by Godspeed You Black Emperor. Long-ass song and both movies used it well. "They have a large barge with a radio antenna tower on it, that they would charge up and discharge."
April 18, 2010, 12:54 a.m. CST
Let us hope the rest of AICN roster don't review other movie rev
by CodeName
April 18, 2010, 12:55 a.m. CST
by CodeName
April 18, 2010, 1:04 a.m. CST
kesoze: what are you talking about?
by RedHorseVector
actually, now that i look it up, a snippet from "east hastings" WAS used in 28 days later, but that is not the track that's used in kick-ass. this is my correction of your correction.
April 18, 2010, 8:18 a.m. CST
by kesoze4
Looks like you're right. That'll teach me to think movies only ever feature one good soundtrack song.

 I still maintain that the sunset at the end of the movie was geographically impossible.
April 18, 2010, 9:48 a.m. CST
kesoze & redhorse...
by BennyL
kesoze... dude, if you're nitpicking on a sunrise in a flick like this, I would have hated to sit through 10,000 BC with you. (in fact, I would have hated sitting through it with anyone actually) redhorse - amen brother. I saw the film today and since that scene I've had the track stuck in my head on a loop ever since. Damn my semi-autistic fixations...
April 18, 2010, 10:16 a.m. CST
The animated Big Daddy scene:
by evilnik
its here.. ands its fcking cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2-5WmAHbOk
April 18, 2010, 10:17 a.m. CST
KERECT animated Big Daddy scene:link here>>>
by evilnik
its here.. ands its fcking cool http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2-5WmAHbOk
April 18, 2010, 10:54 a.m. CST
Great movie, what a summer film should be.
by SID 8.0
Yes the Big Daddy scene in the lumber place is one of the coolest action sequences ever. The music just put it over the top. Nick Cage doing Adam West Batman was inspired adn hilarious. Hit Girl was a revelation. She fits right in to the tough chick category with Sarah Connor, Ripley, Nikita, Trinity and all of the women in Kill Bill. Sort of their little sister. Kick Ass was great too. Hell I was that kid wondering what it would be like to be a superhero. Then common sense kicked in.
April 18, 2010, 11:05 a.m. CST
Hmmm... but if Hit-Girl was a black kid?
by d_art
Then it'd probably be more controversial..maybe. Here's a review: http://shar.es/mtMhp
April 18, 2010, 11:24 a.m. CST
JackSlater a producer?
by Gordak
Sorry Jack, I was too busy turning my eye away from the poor effects work that I paid attention to the "plot" of this movie.
April 18, 2010, 11:58 a.m. CST
Another Snakes on a Plane???
by blue meanie
SOAP was one of the most overhyped movies ever, prior to it's opening. Fanboys went crazy over it. But when the movie finally opened, none of the fanboys showed up and the movie wilted away quickly like a limp dick from an 85 year old man. Kick Ass is looking to be in a similar scenario. Yeah, it's getting lots of online love from geeks and fanboys all around, but is anyone showing up to actually see it?? When I went to see the movie yesterday at one of the biggest and most visited movie theaters in my city, the theater was not even half full!!! And at the latest box office report this morning, Kick Ass is vying for the 1# spot at the box office with "Training your Dragon", only making $19 million vs. Dragon's $20 million! Pathetic! By the way...the movie indeed KICKED ASS! The problem is that movie/comic book geek fanboys know how to talk the talk, but don't walk the walk...
April 18, 2010, 1:25 p.m. CST
snakes on a plane was shit. kick-ass is a good film.
by RedHorseVector
even though it looks like the box office performance is going to be weak, when people discover this on bluray and cable they're going to love the shit out of it.
April 18, 2010, 1:34 p.m. CST
Go Dragon Go
by Gordak
It really says something when How to train your Dragon has been out for about 4 weeks and is going to be number one. This is storytelling at its finest and doesn't pander to its audience in a great believable world to boot. I'm so happy it's winning the box office and not something that seems to be breed off hate and violence.
April 18, 2010, 2:34 p.m. CST
i liked kick ass
by donduck
like what Mr. beaks said, it's silly and violent but it's not cruel or filled with malice.
April 18, 2010, 2:41 p.m. CST
Hipshot - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
by antonphd
Thank You!! I couldn't put my finger on what movie Kick Ass reminded me of. I guess I was too close to the trees to see the forest. Of course! Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, only my FAVORITE film of all time! Well, favorite american film of all time. Ok. Favorite modern american film of all time. It ties with Citizen Kane and House of Flying Daggers as my favorite films of all time. Kick Ass is awesome, but probably not quite in the category of my favorite films.
April 18, 2010, 4:38 p.m. CST
19 million opening weekend, not really a disaster
by thatswhatshesaid
The movie only cost about $30 mil so it will make money. Plus I think word of mouth will get around and it will become a big time Blu Ray movie. Lets face it...the "R" rating is what made it a different, cool movie...but is also the reason the numbers are so low. I loved this movie.
April 18, 2010, 4:43 p.m. CST
by weaponx31
im kind of getting superheroed out. i think ill just stick to the core marvel and dc movies the3184blog.blogspot.com
April 18, 2010, 6:32 p.m. CST
Yeah - it will clear the ad budget on DVD. No biggie.
by JuanSanchez
April 18, 2010, 6:58 p.m. CST
by kesoze4
The sunrise didn't hurt the movie for me -- I still really enjoyed it, but having spent a lot of early mornings in Brooklyn, seeing a sunrise over Manhattan was a little jarring.

I also don't think the movie was as new or revolutionary as everyone is claiming. How many hundreds of times have we seen "well-trained assassin chick f#%&s up a roomful of baddies"? Yeah, okay, this one was unusually young, but that was about all that made her different from, say, The Bride. Still a fun flick but I think all the people treating this as some kind of Second Coming in the action genre are getting maybe just a little overexcited. Looking forward to Matthew Vaughn's next.
April 18, 2010, 7:22 p.m. CST
The good,bad and ugly (Oh yeah a little girl too)
by leo54304
The scene in lobby of the bad guys penthouse when Hit Girl took out the badguys done to Sergio Leones famous spaghetti theme music was nice. Actually the music pieces used in the action sequences were all well chosen. A to the controversy, to me its just a escapist movie and fun to watch. I mean the only parts I wanted to see were HitGirl and the high school hottie. Plus I'd love to see Hit Girl in school as the ending shows how fun that'd be to watch
April 18, 2010, 7:52 p.m. CST
I enjoyed it
by Hervoyel
My wife and I went to see it this afternoon and I thought it was good stuff. She wasn't as thrilled with it but she liked it. Some of what works in the comic book just didn't work as well on the screen but most of it did work and I liked it. Watching Hit-girl use bad language didn't work. It wasn't shocking, it just sounded out of place and didn't add anything (where it worked in the comic, at least for what it was worth). The casting of Red Mist was weak. I'm sorry but while I find "McLovin" funny in most things he wasn't right for this. Finally Nicholas Cage didn't work to the point of being a major annoyance in this. I didn't mind the tweaking of their backstory as much as I did his cheesy ass approach to the character. For the most part though it was entertaining and that's all I ask of this kind of movie.
April 18, 2010, 9:45 p.m. CST
Pretty good
by dannygloversadick
I admit to the sacrilege of not having read the original, but I don't think you could have made it 'darker' and still kept an audience. Chloe M is incredible and Mark Strong should be paid whatever the fuck he asks for.
April 18, 2010, 10:11 p.m. CST
Please go out and see again. Must have KA2
by future help
great movie. good support.
April 18, 2010, 10:59 p.m. CST
More convinced than ever that At The Movies SUCKS!
by REVENGE_of_FETT
These faggot-assed dickweeds just TRASHED Kick-Ass! FUCK their retarded FIRED asses! They can't get off TV fast enough as far as I'm concerned. Don't wait Disney, PULL THEM NOW!
April 18, 2010, 11:09 p.m. CST
One - the show has already been canceled. Two...
by JuanSanchez
Phillips and Scott are good, respected reviewers. There's just no space in syndicated TV for that kind of show.
April 18, 2010, 11:10 p.m. CST
Ebert, Scott, Phillips - outweighs Harry (figuratively)
by JuanSanchez
Opinion-wise, not in pounds.
April 19, 2010, 5:47 a.m. CST
question about dialogue
by simpledao4
Can anyone tell me what Cage is saying to his daughter as he's dying? I simply could not make any of it out.(maybe it was the acoustics of the theater)- Also what he's yelling out as she begins the attack? Thanks folks.
April 19, 2010, 6:27 a.m. CST
by Run_Runner_Run
I completely get why major reviewers would not get behind this film. It's not for them or a major audience. It's for the niche fanboy market, and it has many moments worthy of quoting and comic book shop spitballing.
 However, as a fan of the comic, I was disappointed by the great changes in the third act and its silly tone. Although this was made "outside" of the system, the narrative choices made smell like an attempt for mass appeal. Of course, the trailers (and casting McLovin') telegraphed this intention, so I was braced going in.
 Adapting a comic is tougher than it seems, as it can fail if it is too true to the material or way off course. I just wish that they had the guts to stick with the original intent of the material.
April 19, 2010, 7:52 a.m. CST
Edit - Problematic
by Run_Runner_Run
"...made it smell like an attempt..."
 @&!#-ing ancient talkback system.
April 19, 2010, 8:55 a.m. CST
Hit-Girl Action scenes
by thatswhatshesaid
are the reason people will eventually see this movie. They were fun as hell to watch period. I found myself laughing (in a good way) as she dismantled those tough guys. My wife who went with me and could care less about the genre, told me "Hit-Girl" is my new favorite superhero. Got a feeling this sentiment will be widespread once the masses actually see the movie on cable or via DVD.
April 19, 2010, 9:31 a.m. CST
19 mIllion a disaster?
by Hipshot
Hardly. No movie that makes 20% of its budget per day is even close to a disaster. As for the sexualization of Hit Girl--there is hardly a way of presenting her that someone who fetishizes little girls wouldn't get turned on by. That said, my wife thought that the schoolgirl outfit was deliberate sexualizing: a la Japanese schoolgirl imagery. Maybe. I think they just wanted to play to her innocence and helplessness.
April 19, 2010, 10:22 a.m. CST
It was alright. Nothing special to see here.
by Vizzini
I actually enjoyed the film somewhat, but it's being way over-hyped If I wanted to see mindless blade violence I would rather watch Ninja Assassin again. The main character was just bland, and the whole film building up with the same old "loser->hero" voiceover from Spiderman and Wanted was unoriginal to the extreme. The antagonist's gang were pathetic. (I've never seen a torture scene with such complete lack of tension.) Nic Cage and Hit Girl were the only stand outs in this.
April 19, 2010, 10:57 a.m. CST
different than the comic book...
by TClifton
I was surprised (not always pleasantly) by the major differences from the comic book. Especially backstory on Big Daddy and Hit Girl and Red Mist's indentity (it wasn't revealed who he was until the ending of the comic book) and also the Hollywood happy ending for Kick Ass in the movie (gets the girl)...liked the movie, but comic book was better story.
April 19, 2010, 10:58 a.m. CST
Filled me with same mixed feelings as "Pulp Fiction"
by smudgewhat
the mixture of somewhat cartoony (but visually fun to look at) ultraviolence with REAL menace from the mob goons (especially the 'unmasked' scene) filled me with unease. which i'm sure was part of the point. there was no sexualization of Hit Girl. i see no controversy there, and that actress is great in the role. something very strange and interesting is captured in the performance, while i wondered at the same time 'is it ok for a kid actor to do this? is it harmful to her?' thought Nic Cage was EXCELLENT. hilarious, strange, and totally off hit nutter (in the best way) during his later scenes. the actor playing Kick Ass (sorry that i don't know anyone's name) did a great job in a tough role - b/c he is actually somewhat unlikeable in all his naivety.
April 19, 2010, 11:59 a.m. CST
Big Daddy Rules LOL
by Big_Daddy_Nero
Ok, just had to say it - any character named Big Daddy is aces in my book.. hehehe I won't bother rehashing what everyone else has said - it is a very fun flick, and not anywhere nearly as 'inappropriate' as the chatter had led to believe. I did just want to ask if anyone noticed the title of the film which was on the marquee when Frank was taking his son to the movies? You had to look fast, and as soon as I saw it I was the only one in the theater cracking up. Should I spoil it?
April 19, 2010, 12:32 p.m. CST
I don't get the sexualized thing.
by fireclown
Putting a twenty five year old in a schoolgirl dress is fetishistic because it indicates that you want her to be an 11 year old.
 When you put a SCHOOLGIRL in a schoolgirl outfit, it's just an outfit.
April 19, 2010, 12:48 p.m. CST
Big Daddy not dead?
by NYOKIE
OK, some wishful thinking here. For those who want to see more Big Daddy, in Kick-Ass 2: Thought it was kind of weird that Hit-Girl was so quick to assume (SPOILER) BD wasn't going to make it after he was burnt. He leans over, apparently dead, she never checked for a pulse, etc. Add to that the fact that she and KA had to leave quickly. OK, I understand that, artistic license and all. Touching scene, keep it simple. However, what if...Paramedics arrive, they are able to save his life at the hospital, he is a "John Doe" in recovery/intensive care, Marcus (his old partner) eventually finds him, convinces BD to give up Hit-Girl, allowing Marcus to raise her normally (now that BD's "mission" is accomplished). BD agrees out of love for his daughter. Time passes, and BD now recovered, horribly scarred, lays low, monitors HG from a distance, never reveals himself. None of this backstory is revealed to audience in KA2, until huge ending fight scene, BD arrives just in time in costume, saves her life. It is a stretch, and yes, a "tired" conceit, but fuck it, no worse than a Jet Pack that flies all over Manhattan with a mounted gatling gun. Just want to see me some more Big Daddy, and not just in flashbacks.
April 19, 2010, 1:23 p.m. CST
For the love of God no sequels
by Gordak
Or line up the coke for Millar to start writing, since it seems like this was written under a 2 week long coke binge. Lets get a snoooorrt jet pack in there...and he snooorrrtt defeats him with a I dunno a Bazooka! Yeah, that'd be bad ass! Snnnnoooort, now let's go beat the fuck outta little girls.
April 19, 2010, 2:15 p.m. CST
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April 19, 2010, 3:21 p.m. CST
Kick-Ass won the weekend #1
by JackSlater4
April 19, 2010, 3:26 p.m. CST
by mr teaspoon
'Watching Hit-girl use bad language didn't work. It wasn't shocking' I didn't read the comic, but for me the fact that it wasn't shocking was exactly why it worked. I wasn't thinking about how crazy it was that this little kid was swearing because she used those words with the same casualness as an adult would.
April 20, 2010, 1:01 a.m. CST
Kick-Ass was.... actually quite good!
by Teddy Artery
I had mid-level expectations and was surprised at the energetic level of performances by the cast, loved the cinematography and the look (just a bit brighter than real life), and thought Hit-Girl made sense in the context of the movie. Yes, I changed my vote to "YES"!
April 20, 2010, 1:04 a.m. CST
RE: Hit girl's cussing
by Teddy Artery
She picked it up from hanging around policemen all day. At least that was my logical conclusion. What truly disturbed me was the actress smiling just before she started disemboweling people. Note perfect performance.
April 20, 2010, 9:26 a.m. CST
by Gordak
This was another strike for me. I thought it looked horrible. Red Mist's car didn't have any "oomph" to it. It looked like a cheap set piece. You compare this to say...I don't know...Uncle Buck, holy shit, they made that broken down POS look like a force to be reconned with
April 20, 2010, 10:22 a.m. CST
i liked the Hit Girl swearing
by smudgewhat
i said 'fuck' a lot when i was 10 and it still makes me laugh. all kids should swear and be sassy. i'm gonna raise my little monsters to swear like sailors if i ever have any.
April 21, 2010, 12:30 a.m. CST
They said Triumph of the Will...
by SimonDunkle
was a fascist movie. Now who's laughing? Not the nazis. What? What am I talking about?
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