Before Kingsman: The secret service, director/producer/writer Matthew Vaughn adapted a comic book series known for taking average people and asking:
What makes a superhero?
I remember seeing this movie at the cinema and walking away shocked. I'd never come across something that was both inspiring and terrifying at the same time. In retrospect, it was probably because of its plausibility.
While it may not hold its shock factor anymore, has it aged well?
Let's find out!
Story/Dialogue: Dave Lizewski is an average kid who has had enough of being average and getting picked on. He dons a wetsuit and becomes Kick-Ass, a real life superhero.
I love how this movie could have been based on a true story. Like if they had covered Phoenix Jones (Seattle superhero) or someone along those lines.
This story deals a lot with identity (a theme I love) and a desire to protect (a basic human instinct,) so when the ideals of Kick-Ass clash with his super friends Big Daddy and Hit Girl, it changes the status quo.
I think the only thing that really bugged me about the story is that the stakes were at their highest when Kick-Ass is captured by the mob. Having them beat on him was probably the highest point of tension in the story. Everything else from there just kind of went downhill.
The dialogue can only be described as relevant for its time. Mentions of MySpace and celebrities that were big at the time are common for Vaughn to incorporate (See Iggy Azalea comment in Kingsman and use of YouTube, etc.) As for the rest of it, I often found myself cringing at comments like, "I don't care if she's 11 I'd save myself for her." Even as desensitised as I currently am, stuff like that weirds me out.
Dave's internal monologue and references to comic books make the movie worthwhile, as you often find yourself in his shoes asking the same questions. How would you deal with conflict if you came across a mugging or something like that? Could you?
Cinematography: This movie is visually beautiful. Each frame fills your eyes with vivid colours, tight framing and well cut action scenes. The costumes stand out against richly toned backgrounds and make the characters almost feel as though they're a part of a moving comic book as opposed to a movie.
The VFX left much to be desired, such as the scene where Kick-Ass and Hit Girl are flying away. Another instance was seeing them reveal their secret identity to each other and the lighting was more blinding than illuminating.
The camera work was wonderful and I would love to see a behind the scenes to work out whether they used dollies or did it by hand.
Audio: One scene I want to particularly talk about is where Hit Girl is killing everyone while Banana Split by the Dickies plays in the background. Its innocent tune contrasts with the violent scene to the point of it being jarring. Another example would be the rag time music combined with the dark and violent settings of games like Bioshock and Fallout.
Other than that, the music was pretty generic. Nothing really stood out or was overly memorable.
Overall: For all the brow beating I gave this movie, I do enjoy it. Not just for its gratuitous violence or Nicholas Cage being Nicholas Cage (It's like watching Stan Lee act in a movie, if I'm being honest,) but because it asks a lot of questions and challenges the audience.
This movie was a wild ride that ended on a dull note. Like eating a muffin top only to find that the bottom hasn't been fully cooked yet.
3.5 stars.
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