Kick-Ass KICKS ASS!!

[leander]

(NO SPOILERS)

Seriously, I haven't had so much fun at the movies in ages. I had very low expectations and was totally blown away. When I first heard of it a few weeks ago I thought, stupid ass kid pretends to be a superhero - Apatow-type funny dorky kid thing yet again. But it is so much more than that.

I know it doesn't open in the US yet, so I won't give anything away. I will say that the little girl is amazing - can't even begin to say how much she steals the show. Just unbelievably cool and has all the best lines. And perhaps even more surprisingly, Nic Cage doesn't suck. He's actually pretty good, and contrary to the last 5-6 paycheck movies he's done, he really seems to care about this role.

I am about the furthest thing from a comic book geek and yet I loved it. Bear in mind, it certainly isn't for everyone - and it definitely isn't for the kiddies. But it's a hell of a lot of fun.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

I will say that the little girl is amazing - can't even begin to say how much she steals the show. Just unbelievably cool and has all the best lines.

All I want to know about the movie is how much butterfly knife action there is. Lots? Or is the half second of action in the trailer really just a tease?

[leander]

All I want to know about the movie is how much butterfly knife action there is. Lots? Or is the half second of action in the trailer really just a tease?

Yes, there is some fun butterfly knife action. And plenty of fight scenes with her, which are amazing.

She really is (IMHO) the star of the film, and the actress is a perfect blend of cute and brutal.

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Yes, there is some fun butterfly knife action. And plenty of fight scenes with her, which are amazing.

She really is (IMHO) the star of the film, and the actress is a perfect blend of cute and brutal.

I have only seen the short trailers that are on TV, but I do have a crush on that girl. And that was before it was pointed out to me that she utilizes said awesome knife. If I go watch the movie, I am pretty sure my heart will belong to her if she is as much of the show-stealer you make her out to be.

And lemme tell you right now, if you want to try and get her attention, you have to go through me first and I will put up one hell of a fight.

Let that be a warning to anyone else reading this thread also.

Why does this message board not have a "big tough guy" smilie? Well just imagine me being all big and tough with my just puffed out!

[leander]

Heh. There's a funny line late in the movie - one of the dorks says to the other, "I think I'm in love with her". The other says, "She's like 11 years old, dude." The first guys says, "I'll wait!"

She is seriously adorable and her delivery is awesome - just be prepared to wait 7-8 years before you chase her down. ;)

[gaffa]

I have only seen the short trailers that are on TV, but I do have a crush on that girl. And that was before it was pointed out to me that she utilizes said awesome knife. If I go watch the movie, I am pretty sure my heart will belong to her if she is as much of the show-stealer you make her out to be.
You have to see the "Red Band" trailer. (http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/kick-ass/hit-girl-red-band-trailer)

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Lalalala I can hear you leander lalalala nope can't hear a thing lalalala!

gaffa: Jesus christ, she is like 11! Not that I heard anyone telling me she was.

On a note significant to probably no one here, it's pretty awesome they name a very specific, real life knife (http://www.balisongcollector.com/bm42.html). A knife that is pretty much the standard knife to own among butterfly knife enthusiasts.

[Equipoise]

I will say that the little girl is amazing - can't even begin to say how much she steals the show. Just unbelievably cool and has all the best lines. Glad to hear it! I'm seriously thinking of going to the late night show this Thursday, which wouldn't be a problem, except that I'm back on days. I miss working nights. I could go to Midnight shows and it didn't matter what time I got home.

My prognosticating skills are working well. I said this in January (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12019622&postcount=66):

To answer for CHEN, Tom is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, The Lookout, Stop-Loss, many others, one of the finest young actors around), and his sister was played by Chloe Moretz, who will soon be very very famous, as famous as Dakota Fanning was at that age. She has two movies coming out within 2 weeks of each other, and a 3rd coming in October. Any one might make her a name, all three together will explode the fabric of her time and space: First, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid, based on Jeff Kinney's wildly popular book (according to Wikipedia, it stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's books for 41 weeks, also starring Steve Zahn and directed by Thor Freudenthal who directed the hit children's movie Hotel For Dogs. That's due to open April 2.

Next up, on April 16, is Kick-Ass, which threatens to kick everybody's ass and send parents and conservative groups into screaming fits of rage. It's about a group of kids who have no special superhero powers, but they become superheroes anyway. Much violence and profanity ensues. It's said to be fun and different and unusual and will make everyone who sees it say "I can not BELIEVE they got away with making a movie like that in this pansy-assed day and age!!!" This trailer (http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3986621465/) will explain a bit why. WARNING: NSFW!

If that doesn't do it, but it will, there's Let Me In coming in October. It's a remake of the incredible Swedish film Let The Right One In (ok, to be fair, it's inspired by the book, not a "remake" as such), and is directed by Matt Reeves, who directed Cloverfield. She'll play a vampire and if it's even a fraction as dark as the original movie based on the book, it'll send the wimpier Twilight fans screaming out into the night.

Chloe Moretz. Remember the name. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, while not a massive hit (and only 54% (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/diary_of_a_wimpy_kid/) on Rotten Tomatoes), made back more than triple its budget (http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=diaryofawimpykid.htm). Ha! And she's responded to me several times on Twitter. Yay!

[Covered_In_Bees!]

Do you think you could put in a good word or two for your dear old pal CiB? :)

[Equipoise]

Do you think you could put in a good word or two for your dear old pal CiB? :)Check it out. (http://twitter.com/ChloeGMoretz) She responds to just about everybody! She won't be able to do that too much longer. She has 2,411 Followers. Watch that number explode in the coming weeks! Get your maybe-will-be-responded-to comment in quick, before Friday.

She was amused and responded to some comments I made about her getting stopped and searched at the airport twice(!) in one week. I even started a thread about it here on the Dope but I got smacked down. I thought it was an interesting story anyway. It would have gotten a lot of publicity if it had happened after Kick-Ass comes out, assuming Kick-Ass will be as popular and famous as I think it will be, but then, nobody cared.

[leander]

If Kick-Ass is a hit in the States, and I too think it will be, then this girl will be a huge star.

Reminds me a bit of Natalie Portman in The Professional, though I think this film will certainly be a lot bigger and Chloe's performance is even better (!)

[Frylock]

There was this blogger (I forget which) who complained that the kids kill bad guys.

Do the kids kill bad guys?

[WordMan]

There was this blogger (I forget which) who complained that the kids kill bad guys.

Do the kids kill bad guys?

Judging by the red-band trailer linked to above, um, yeah - by the bushel, and in creative, bloody ways. Lots of profanity, too.

Wonder how this will be marketed - it's an R rating but features seemingly badass kids; my kids already want to see it. It ain't Shark Boy and Lava Girl.

[Krokodil]

The genius of the comic book source is that it's a comic book about a kid whose life was ruined by comic books. Does this come through in the movie at all? Do the kids name-check violent movies before they get the shit kicked out of them?

[Martini Enfield]

Wonder how this will be marketed - it's an R rating but features seemingly badass kids; my kids already want to see it. It ain't Shark Boy and Lava Girl.

The marketing I've seen here seemed to indicate it was a kid's film. Perhaps not a "teeny bopper" kid's film, but certainly not a "serious" film.

So, is it actually aimed at kids with "parental bonus" stuff to keep the adults interested, or is it actually a general-audience type film?

[Illuminatiprimus]

I was surprised when I logged onto the Dope hoping to find a thread on this film to rave about it and there wasn't one! Kick Ass certainly does kick ass, I too went in with fairly low expectations and was blown away by it. I might even go and see it again, which I almost never do any more.

Favourite line is Moretz saying "Hey cunts". :D

Martini Enfield - it's a 15 here so not really what I'd call a kids movie.

[Jonathan Chance]

But would a 10 year old girl who's focused on comic books and martial arts enjoy it and not be freaked out by it? That's the question that confronts me.

[Martini Enfield]

Martini Enfield - it's a 15 here so not really what I'd call a kids movie.

What I'm trying to work out is if it's a Kevin Smith/Seth Rogen style comedy that's aimed at the 18-30 market with a periphery demographic in the mid teens, or if it's actually aimed at 14-17 year olds but still has plenty of stuff in it that an older person would enjoy.

[Kamino Neko]

So, is it actually aimed at kids with "parental bonus" stuff to keep the adults interested, or is it actually a general-audience type film?

...

I'm...really quite confused as to how this is even possible.

Even the green band trailers for it aren't really kid-friendly.

Anyway...No, it's not in any way, shape, or form, a kid's movie. Even ignoring Kick Ass himself, Red Mist, and Big Daddy, and focusing on Hit-Girl - she swears like a fucking sailor, kills people in Tarantinoesque displays of gun-sword-and-butterfly knife-play. It's rated R for a very good reason.

I'm also somewhat confused as to how you can read this thread - which talks about, and links to, the red band Hit-Girl-centric trailer - and still be confused on that point.

[Frylock]

Judging by the red-band trailer linked to above, um, yeah - by the bushel, and in creative, bloody ways. Lots of profanity, too.

Wonder how this will be marketed - it's an R rating but features seemingly badass kids; my kids already want to see it. It ain't Shark Boy and Lava Girl.

The movie's already being marketed where I live--and the commercials make the movie look (to me and my wife) exactly like a hybrid of Shark Boy and Lava Girl together with Superbad.

So---mismarketing?

[Frylock]

...


I'm also somewhat confused as to how you can read this thread - which talks about, and links to, the red band Hit-Girl-centric trailer - and still be confused on that point.

In my own case, that link required me to register an account, and I didn't have the time for that just then. Maybe same happened to the person you're responding to.

The trailer I've seen on TV makes it look exactly like it's a kids' movie. I'm surprised to learn it has an R rating, actually, based on the trailer I've seen (which I clearly didn't pay close enough attention to since I'm sure it says at the end what the rating is).

[Martini Enfield]

Anyway...No, it's not in any way, shape, or form, a kid's movie. Even ignoring Kick Ass himself, Red Mist, and Big Daddy, and focusing on Hit-Girl - she swears like a fucking sailor, kills people in Tarantinoesque displays of gun-sword-and-butterfly knife-play. It's rated R for a very good reason.

I'm also somewhat confused as to how you can read this thread - which talks about, and links to, the red band Hit-Girl-centric trailer - and still be confused on that point.

Given that I live in Australia, I have no idea what "Green Band" and "Red Band" mean in relation to movie trailers. Like I said, the trailers and marketing here (in Australia) have made the movie look like cross between The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl and Superbad, and whilst I am interested in seeing the film, I was very concerned that it was basically a "kidult" film. I have no idea what rating it's gotten here in Australia (probably MA15+), but the reality is that I stopped paying attention to film ratings when I was about 16, so that's hardly a guide either.

That and I'm not an IMDB member and have no intention of signing up to view one trailer. That's how I was still confused over what sort of film this was, OK?

[Kamino Neko]

I wasn't referring to Equipose's link, I was referring to gaffa's - from two posts earlier - which requires no membership, only an age verification that doesn't even require you to tell the truth, let alone give any other information.

[Khadaji]

Yeah, I am looking forward to it. It has been a slow year for movies so far. I'll see it in the matinee on Saturday.

[vanfanel]

What I'm trying to work out is if it's a Kevin Smith/Seth Rogen style comedy that's aimed at the 18-30 market with a periphery demographic in the mid teens, or if it's actually aimed at 14-17 year olds but still has plenty of stuff in it that an older person would enjoy.

Here's 15seconds that may help you decide who it's for ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_hqsDUbxog

[WordMan]

...

I'm...really quite confused as to how this is even possible.

Even the green band trailers for it aren't really kid-friendly.

Anyway...No, it's not in any way, shape, or form, a kid's movie. Even ignoring Kick Ass himself, Red Mist, and Big Daddy, and focusing on Hit-Girl - she swears like a fucking sailor, kills people in Tarantinoesque displays of gun-sword-and-butterfly knife-play. It's rated R for a very good reason.

I'm also somewhat confused as to how you can read this thread - which talks about, and links to, the red band Hit-Girl-centric trailer - and still be confused on that point.

I'm not confused on that point - but their marketing is. I have a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old who think this movie is for them because of the commercials they see on cable tv...

[sandra_nz]

I'm not confused on that point - but their marketing is. I have a 12-year-old and a 9-year-old who think this movie is for them because of the commercials they see on cable tv...

Except it's not, because during the ad I'm pretty sure they would have displayed the ratings certificate.

I'm a bit confused as to why people are confused about this. Of course the ads on television are G-rated, they have to be because the tv station requires they be.

It's the certificate rating that tells you that there's clearly more to the movie than is being shown in the commercial.

[friedo]

<brag>
I got to go to the New York City premier (http://www.ugo.com/movies/kick-ass-screening-video) a couple weeks ago. It does, indeed, kick ass. Also, Mark Millar is a super cool dood.
</brag>

[WordMan]

Except it's not, because during the ad I'm pretty sure they would have displayed the ratings certificate.

I'm a bit confused as to why people are confused about this. Of course the ads on television are G-rated, they have to be because the tv station requires they be.

It's the certificate rating that tells you that there's clearly more to the movie than is being shown in the commercial.

My kids watch tv. They see the ad for a movie featuring kids kicking ass. They don't pay attention to the ratings and/or just assume that any violence is stuff they can handle, based on what they see on the commercial. Remember an R rating can mean a lot of different things - the original Terminator is rated R and is pretty harmless other than when Ah-nuld cuts out his own eye and a quick shot of a boob when Sarah and Reese knock boots. So they are thinking/hoping "it's an R, but it features kids - so it must be a see-able R." It isn't.

Is that confusing?

I don't know what I would be looking to be done differently - I am sure if they went out of their way in the TV ads to say "This is really violent and profane - it is NOT for kids" that would just make the kids want to see it more - but at least kids the age of my two would clearly understand that there is NO WAY they are going to get to see it...;)

[Covered_In_Bees!]

The trailers I've seen on TV have been misleading, whether or not at the end it says rated R.

I too thought it was just going to be a goofy comedy with a side of action and potentially with a Seth Rogan cameo.

Then I actually clicked on gaffa's link (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12330619&postcount=6), like a few people don't seem to be capable of doing and when Hit-Girl uttered "Hey cunts." I knew this movie was going to be a lot different than what I had thought.

[gaffa]

A couple of things:

I'm utterly at a loss as to why seeing Hit-Girl gut a bad guy like a carp with a butterfly knife is acceptable, but hearing her call him a "cunt" beforehand is not. How the first is PG-13 while the second is R.

I do a lot of computer support, and that includes cleaning up spyware on family computers, deleting logs, etc. This means I get a view of adolescents, pre-teens and teens their parents do not. Kids today swear like pimps and carnies (though not as fluently). 11 year old girls use the word "fuck" quite a lot.

If your kids can handle the violence, they will be perfectly fine with the profanity. There is some question whether you will be able to handle sitting next to your kid while a 11 year old girl on screen calls people "cunts".

So here's what to do: Send them with a favorite uncle or aunt. I have no children, but have always been available to take my brother's two daughters to films that he didn't feel comfortable seeing with them. I took my younger niece to Rock School (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436727/) when she was 15, and one of the lines became a shared joke between us: "You don't fuck up! Not on 'Rebel Yell'!".

[gaffa]

Watching the red-band trailer again (a trailer that can only be shown before "R" rated movies) and, as far as I can tell, Hit-Girl appears to be the only genuine super-hero in the film - that is, an ordinary human with an extraordinary level of physical ability (a la Batman).

Red Mist appears to be about the gadgets.
Big Daddy is about guns.
Kick Ass can take punishment.

[what do I type here]

Wait hold on

I live in the US and I've never heard the terms "green band" or "red band" in my life until I read this thread.

Is that seriously terms I should have known about?

[Gordon Urquhart]

Wait hold on

I live in the US and I've never heard the terms "green band" or "red band" in my life until I read this thread.

Is that seriously terms I should have known about?

Green-, yellow- and red-band trailers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-band_trailers#United_States_MPAA_rating_cards) roughly follow the same rules as G, PG, and R-rated movies (a red-band trailer will only be shown in front of movies that an adult can watch or a teenager can sneak into). The Wiki article states that Regal Entertainment Group's theaters began showing them in March 2008.

I think the red-band ones are becoming more popular in recent years because one can watch them online (obviously), but only if you're of a certain age or willingness to say that you are.

[Bosstone]

The trailers I've seen on TV have been misleading, whether or not at the end it says rated R.

I too thought it was just going to be a goofy comedy with a side of action and potentially with a Seth Rogan cameo.I haven't seen the TV-safe commercials, but I absolutely would not be surprised if they're misleading. It looks like a bright, colorful superhero movie, which makes the violence and profanity that much more jarring.
A couple of things:

I'm utterly at a loss as to why seeing Hit-Girl gut a bad guy like a carp with a butterfly knife is acceptable, but hearing her call him a "cunt" beforehand is not. How the first is PG-13 while the second is R.Violence has always been more "acceptable" in the US than certain profanity and sexual scenes/language. It's weird and backwards.Wait hold on

I live in the US and I've never heard the terms "green band" or "red band" in my life until I read this thread.

Is that seriously terms I should have known about?I've never heard of them until trailers became more widely available online. I expect 'red-band' trailers were much less commonplace before the internet, only shown in certain locations where there would definitely be no children. The first time I saw a red-band trailer online, I definitely noticed it, since everything put out for public consumption gets sanitized no matter what movie it's put in front of.

I'd always wondered, really. I've always seen "The following preview is intended for all audiences" up on the big screen, and wondered if there were ever any previews that weren't intended for all audiences.

Rambling a bit, but to your question: no, it's not something you should have known about, and don't feel bad that you didn't. It's a pretty niche thing.

[leander]

Frankly I haven't seen much if any advertising for it yet, but if they are trying to sell it as family friendly kid movie then that's completely deceptive. I would describe it as a kid flick directed by Tarantino - similar to Kill Bill, the violence is over the top and very cartoonish, and certainly not meant for kids under 13 or so.

To me, it was an unexpectedly fun and crazy movie that does not exist in any reality.

[gaffa]

I'd always wondered, really. I've always seen "The following preview is intended for all audiences" up on the big screen, and wondered if there were ever any previews that weren't intended for all audiences.
I've noticed green band trailers because I see a LOT of movies in the theater, and every single one is preceded by text on a green background.

By the way, in recent years the text changed from "All Audiences" to "Appropriate Audiences". I have no idea why. A red band is for "Restricted Audiences".

[JohnClay]

Does anyone know the orchestral tune that plays for at least a minute or two where Big Daddy is fighting? It isn't on the soundtrack CD. It is a really good tune and it sounded familiar - it could be in another movie as well...

[JohnClay]

I looked on the IMDb forums and orchestral songs not included in the soundtrack include:
Adagio In D Minor- from Sunshine
In the House, in a heartbeat- from 28 Days/Weeks Later
Theme from The Good the Bad and the Ugly

The song I liked was the 28 days later one...

[Equipoise]

I'm seriously thinking of going to the late night show this Thursday, which wouldn't be a problem, except that I'm back on days. I miss working nights. I could go to Midnight shows and it didn't matter what time I got home.Hooray for River East 21 in Chicago! They are having a midnight show Thursday night, but they added a 10:00pm show too! It works out perfectly because I have a free pass to see Hubble 3D at the IMAX just down the street at Navy Pier. It's at 8pm and is only 45 minutes, so the timing is perfect. Since I'll have a lot of time after I get off work at 4pm, I'll go to RE21 and see the 4:55 The Runaways, which I've already seen but I really liked so I want to see it again. I'll have a great night at the movies! I'll still be tired Friday, but not as, and anyway, that's why God made No-Doze.

[Mr. Kobayashi]

I didn't know what to expect with this one (other than 'not crap'), but was still surprised. I agree with much of what has been said, although to throw my own two pence in, I think some of the violence was a bit...offputting, as in it kinda broke the overall humerous tone of it. It didn't know whether it was Kung-Pow: Enter the Fist or The Dark Knight and seemed to strike a weird middle ground.

I also thought the romance was pretty bloody pointless. Whats-her-face could have been jettisoned from the film and it would have been no worse off.

It's also probably created more paedos than Lazy Town and The Professional put together. The girl was truly the star, should have been called "Hit Girl". All Kick Ass does is...get savage beating after savage beating.

[Equipoise]

I also thought the romance was pretty bloody pointless. Whats-her-face could have been jettisoned from the film and it would have been no worse off. I have no idea who you're talking about here. You could have put a name to whats-her-face.

It's also probably created more paedos than Lazy Town and The Professional put together. Oh that's just freakin' great. You bring pedophilia into a thread about a fun, offbeat movie. Now I have to go wash my brain out with soap.

All Kick Ass does is...get savage beating after savage beating.Oh you know, thanks a lot. It may have opened in the UK last month, but it doesn't open in the US until Friday. It's my own fault, of course, I should have stayed out of this thread. I was lulled by the lack of spoilers so far. I will duck out now until after I've seen the movie. It would be nice to either add "Spoilers" to the Subject line, or used boxed spoilers for at least a couple of weeks.

[Mr. Kobayashi]

I have no idea who you're talking about here. You could have put a name to whats-her-face.

Oh that's just freakin' great. You bring pedophilia into a thread about a fun, offbeat movie. Now I have to go wash my brain out with soap.

Oh you know, thanks a lot. It may have opened in the UK last month, but it doesn't open in the US until Friday. It's my own fault, of course, I should have stayed out of this thread. I was lulled by the lack of spoilers so far. I will duck out now until after I've seen the movie. It would be nice to either add "Spoilers" to the Subject line, or used boxed spoilers for at least a couple of weeks.

There's plenty of spoilers in the thread already, I don't even go into detail, any more than the trailers did. There's obviously gonna be discussion of the plot.

Can't remember her name, don't care. You'll know when you see the film.

It was a jab at this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1262948/Kick-Ass-Dont-fooled-hype--This-crime-cinema-twisted-cynical-revels-abuse-childhood.html) well known review which complains about Hit Girl and a line of dialogue in the film already referenced.

[Equipoise]

There's plenty of spoilers in the thread already, I don't even go into detail, any more than the trailers did. There's obviously gonna be discussion of the plot.I didn't know that "All Kick Ass does is...get savage beating after savage beating" which will alter ow I see the character through most of the movie. But I fully realize it was my fault for being in this thread.


It was a jab at this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1262948/Kick-Ass-Dont-fooled-hype--This-crime-cinema-twisted-cynical-revels-abuse-childhood.html) well known reviewWell-known in England I guess. Again, the movie doesn't open in the US until Friday. I haven't read any reviews and won't until after I see the film. I especially wouldn't read anything negative. I've been looking forward to this for so long and I'm having a fit that I haven't seen it yet. Soon...soon.

Again, I take back my objections. It's strictly my fault for being in here, so, I absolutely do need to leave. Now. Really.

[Mr. Kobayashi]

I didn't know that "All Kick Ass does is...get savage beating after savage beating" which will alter ow I see the character through most of the movie. But I fully realize it was my fault for being in this thread.
My hyperbole, although you can get the gist from the trailers...the first words of the trailers and scenes in it, in fact. Probably one of the points of the film.

Well-known in England I guess. Again, the movie doesn't open in the US until Friday. I haven't read any reviews and won't until after I see the film. I especially wouldn't read anything negative. I've been looking forward to this for so long and I'm having a fit that I haven't seen it yet. Soon...soon.
I would honestly be surprised if nobody hasn't already kicked up a fuss about it in the States.

Again, I take back my objections. It's strictly my fault for being in here, so, I absolutely do need to leave. Now. Really.
Well, let's just agree that we're both wrong.

[Martini Enfield]

I went to see it this afternoon and really enjoyed it- it was fun, silly, violent, full of swearing, action-packed, and in no way a kid's movie at all.

The best way I can describe it is a cross between The Watchmen and Superbad, with a dash of Tarantino thrown in.

It's definitely being mis-marketed, but then I'm not entirely sure who it's actually aimed at.

It's not a teen movie, although it has elements of it in there. It's not a parody of the superhero genre, and it's not really a deconstruction either- but nor is it played completely "straight". It's funny and quirky but has some jarring bits of Extreme Seriousness that seem out of place in the overall context of the rest of the film. It's violent but in a cartoonish, over-the-top way, and it's not really a "nerd" or "geek" film, but it would help to have an understanding of the basic idea of superheroes to get the most out of it.

Definitely worth seeing, but not for kids.

[DrFidelius]

I will probably take my daughter to see it. Hey, she liked Inglourious Basterds better than I did.

The Wife doesn't like violent films.

[Equipoise]

I went to the late show and boy oh boy oh BOY does this thing KICK ASS! I had a big grin on my face through most of it. Chloe is indeed, quite amazing, adorable, badass, and unless the world tilts on its axis and people are distracted, she will certainly become very famous from this.

I said:

Chloe Moretz. Remember the name.Actually, in the movie credits, she goes by Chloë Grace Moretz but that probably won't last long. In the near future, everyone* will know who someone means when they say Chloe, just like they know who you mean if you say Dakota.

Since I wrote that post in January, she's been signed to star in Martin Scorsese's The Invention of Hugo Cabret (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0970179/) (Synopsis: Set in 1930s Paris, an orphan who lives in the walls of a train station is wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and a robot), a movie called Mixtape (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587420/), and in one of the segments of an Untitled Comedy (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1333125/).

The director Matthew Vaughn isn't a household name yet, but as far as I'm concerned, he's 3 for 3, having previously directed Layer Cake (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375912/), and Stardust (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/), both of which I also think are fantastic.

Reading some of the comments on IMDB, it seems some theaters and even entire theater chains are refusing to show the film. That may become a story, which is great, controversy gives the film publicity. It should be picketed. And banned. And denounced from the pulpit. And stuff like that. Very loudly and noisily. Where are those stupid teabaggers when you need 'em?

If word-of-mouth doesn't make this thing a hit in the theaters, there's something very wrong with the world, but at least it will become a cult hit when it's on DVD.

I'm seeing it again Saturday. Can't wait!

Man, I'm tired, g'night.


*well, except for all those people who never go to the movies or whatever.

[Pushkin]

Do the kids name-check violent movies before they get the shit kicked out of them?

For the life of me I can't remember many, but I'm pretty sure I spotted Star Wars and Layer Cake in there. I'm guessing the yellow Range Rover being crushed was a jab at Sony for not wanting to be involved without the film being significantly altered first (Sony having released Layer Cake).

It was a jab at this (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1262948/Kick-Ass-Dont-fooled-hype--This-crime-cinema-twisted-cynical-revels-abuse-childhood.html) well known review which complains about Hit Girl and a line of dialogue in the film already referenced.

Hah, the Daily Fail. IIRC their newspaper review (can't find a copy online) of The Iron Giant damned it as some sort of left wing conspiracy piece. So no, I don't really pay much heed to their film reviews :)

Roger Ebert (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100414/REVIEWS/100419986/1023) didn't like it;

Let's say you're a big fan of the original comic book, and you think the movie does it justice. You know what? You inhabit a world I am so very not interested in.

Ouch :o

[irishgirl]

I loved it.

And nicely set up for a sequel.

Although I'll miss Big Daddy .

The film does give me grave concerns about what would happen to my daughter if I'm ever brutally murdered by a drug lord...I think it gave irishfella ideas about how to cope with single fatherhood that I'm not entirely happy with !:)

[middleman]

Under no circumstances would I take my kids to see this film. But many of you say it seemed like a Shark Boy/Superbad hybrid.

I also would take my kids to see Superbad, so take my warning in this light. (I wouldn't want to take them to see Shark Boy either, but only because that movie was dreadful!)

That said, I freaking LOVED this movie! It is a very rated R action comedy.

The little girl was awesome, but I really thought the guy who played the title character showed a great performance.

[middleman]

I see I made a mistake in my post. I would NOT take my kids to see Superbad! Someone interupted me during my post.

[joebuck20]

Reading some of the comments on IMDB, it seems some theaters and even entire theater chains are refusing to show the film. That may become a story, which is great, controversy gives the film publicity.

I wonder if that has to do with the fact that is has "Ass" in the title, which I guess is still considered a dirty word by a lot of people.

[Gordon Urquhart]

I wonder if that has to do with the fact that is has "Ass" in the title, which I guess is still considered a dirty word by a lot of people.

The Continental Theater here in Denver has a huge digital marquee that very nearly hovers over Interstate 25, one of the busiest roads in the state. It's showing "KICK A" on its big screen.

[vanfanel]

Reading some of the comments on IMDB, it seems some theaters and even entire theater chains are refusing to show the film. That may become a story, which is great, controversy gives the film publicity. It should be picketed. And banned. And denounced from the pulpit. And stuff like that. Very loudly and noisily. Where are those stupid teabaggers when you need 'em?


Carmike Cinemas nationwide will not be showing Kick-Ass due to a financial dispute with lionsgate. It has nothing to do with the film's contents. If the dispute isn't settled future films like "Killers" and "The Expendables" will also not be shown. It is some profit sharing dispute between the 2 companies.

[fusoya]

I've avoided seeing any trailers of this film, so I only have word of mouth to go on (and the 11 year old actress had an interview in NY Metro this morning that sealed the deal for me) but the word sounds good. I plan to go see this during the day, so I can watch all the shocked parents drag their kids out of the theater 10 minutes in.

[Biggirl]

I've avoided seeing any trailers of this film, so I only have word of mouth to go on (and the 11 year old actress had an interview in NY Metro this morning that sealed the deal for me) but the word sounds good. I plan to go see this during the day, so I can watch all the shocked parents drag their kids out of the theater 10 minutes in.

That's why you are the accompanying adult (not you fusoya, the shocked parents). I'm sure parents pay much more attention to what they take their kids to see in the movie because, well, they're always thinking of the children. Here in New York City, the local FOX affiliate did mention that a movie that they can't even say the name of on TV is getting great word of mouth even before it's open. They too called it 'Kick A' on air.

I wanted to see this even before I saw the trailer linked in this thread. Now I really, really wanna see it. It's strange that a movie that news people will not even name on air and is rated R would be a good movie for little kids.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I just saw this tonight and it was way better than I expected it to be. It's also a hard R, definitely not a kids' movie (though I would expect the R-rating to warn parents about that in the first place).

I agree that the little girl owns the movie. What a star-making performance. I actually thought she was annoying and precocious in (500) Days of Summer, but she pops off the screen in this thing.

I also liked Nic cage in this. In particular, I liked the way he used the stilted, Adam West cadence when he was in costume.

I like that they set it up for a sequel but Come on, is McLovin really going to be any match for Hit-Girl?

[Tanbarkie]

I like that they set it up for a sequel but Come on, is McLovin really going to be any match for Hit-Girl?

It's gonna be money versus skill/brawn, methinks. Red Mist is going to inherit his father's organization and resources (minus, at least initially, the henchmen), and he's going to be putting all of that to use against Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl. His father was never terribly single-minded about taking out the erstwhile superheroes, at least until his last few days. He had Crime Boss shit to do. I suspect Red Mist's focus will be far narrower.

Awesome movie, by the way. It kicked ass (hey, somebody had to do it).

[jackdavinci]

Kick-ass !! The only problem I had was the premise that there are no superheroes but clearly the martial are far above what real human could accomplish..

[Martini Enfield]

Kick-ass !! The only problem I had was the premise that there are no superheroes but clearly the martial are far above what real human could accomplish..

The "No-one has any superpowers" Superhero thing isn't all that new... The Watchmen generally follows the same premise (with one notable exception), and FWIW I prefer it to the "traditional" Superhero format.

[don't ask]

I saw it today and absolutely loved it. Apart from the piss take of the whole super hero comic book thing, it is full of clever jokes that reference popular culture and has some great segues back to being just a teen movie particularly when Marty and Todd are watching Kick-Ass Unmasked I really want to see the DVD to watch how they did the Hit-Girl move whereshe runs up a guy to stab/slash/shoot him from behind

Nice lean story that manages to be about a lot more than you would think, if you can remember what being a teenager really feels like. Oh, and Tarantino gory too.

[RandMcnally]

I absolutely loved it. I don't buy movies anymore but I'll have to buy this one when it comes out on blu-ray.

My favorite scene has to be where Big Daddy was on fire and Hit Girl was rescuing them. Not only was the fighting cool I loved how they shot it. Slow motion is overused but I think they added their own take on it by having it in tune with the blue strobe light. I really did not want Big Daddy to die, but it was both at the same time an awesome scene and a heart breaking one. I could tell my fiancée was sad during it. I was too. It was sweet in a messed up way how he was talking his daughter through the events as he burned.


Oh, and I want Hit Girl as my daughter.

Hope there's a sequel and they do it right.

[Mr. Kobayashi]

Speaking of favourite scenes, the soundtrack compliments the badassery quite nicely. My favourite is just after Red Mist and Kick Ass have seen the devastation in the front business, then you see how Big Daddy did it...along with In the House In A Heartbeat (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NHwsrYlDHE) (also used in 28 Days Later) plays, while he makes Batman look like a wuss by stabbing, shotgunning and asploding every hencemen in sight.

Also, Hit-Girl's soundtrack is great too, the bit in the corridor with the Banana Splits playing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu7JRsGZjCg&NR=1), ha!

On the 'no superpowers' shtick, Hit-Girl and Big Daddy I think are supposed to be Badass Normals, but some of the stuff Hit-Girl in particular does stray into Charles Atlas Superpower territory - an 11 year old girl versus an adult mob boss? Come on! Still works though. Kick-Ass subverts it quite well though, as one of his friends says, in real life superheroes would get their asses kicked, which he does.

[Tanbarkie]

Also, Hit-Girl's soundtrack is great too, the bit in the corridor with the Banana Splits playing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu7JRsGZjCg&NR=1), ha!

My favorite Hit-Girl scene (aside from the shootout in the dark), is this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQNnY6-dFu8&feature=related). I love good character development scenes, and love them even more when they're (a) hilarious, (b) awesomely acted, and (c) unexpectedly violent. There's also a great bit of soundtrack going on in the background, with that dreamy version of "Glory Glory Hallelujah."

"Good call, babydoll!"

[Khadaji]

Yeah, I enjoyed it. Too many of the good scenes were shown in the trailers, but I had fun. And as someone else said, even Cage didn't suck.

Also - who knew the daughter on How I Met Your Mother was so hot?

[Cuckoorex]

Under no circumstances would I take my kids to see this film. But many of you say it seemed like a Shark Boy/Superbad hybrid.

I don't think that anyone who actually saw the movie or the redband trailers were saying it was like sharkboy/superbad; some were just saying the tv ads seemed to be marketing it as such.

[olivesmarch4th]

This movie is absolutely fucking awesome. I think it's one of my favorite movies ever. I want to see it again. I was laughing through the whole thing... and some of those action sequences were just gorgeous. This is eventually going on my shelf next to Kill Bill.

[pkbites]

You have to see the "Red Band" trailer. (http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/kick-ass/hit-girl-red-band-trailer)

Watch the very beginning of that (where they're sitting at the restaurant table).

Is it just me or does she look like Macaulay Culkin in drag?

[medstar]

I saw this movie today and it definitely rocks! Unless things go horribly wrong, I predict a rich, rewarding career for Chloe Moretz; she hit the balance between being a KICK-ASS assassin and a typical tween. I thought the pace of the movie resembled that of the movie, "Shoot 'Em Up", a movie a couple of years ago starring Clive Owen and Monica Belluci.

[Zebra]

I loved the movie.

Hit Girl makes Buffy the Vampire Slayer look like the singing nun.

[FordTaurusSHO94]

Maybe I was looking a little too hard, but I thought the daytime scenes looked like a Spider-Man movie, especially all of the shots of the houses close together. I also thought the night time scenes of the city looked like a Nolan Batman movie. I also saw nods to Watchmen, with Big Daddy having one yellow grenade where The Comedian's button would be. The ending reminded me of the first Spider-Man. Overall, I liked it.

[Martini Enfield]

I don't think that anyone who actually saw the movie or the redband trailers were saying it was like sharkboy/superbad; some were just saying the tv ads seemed to be marketing it as such.

Not just the TV ads but the entire non-US marketing campaign. Interestingly, there's virtually no "Buzz" for this film, I've noticed. No-one else I know has seen it, it's not getting much discussion offline, and it doesn't really seem to be making much of an impact at all, because it is an awesome film and well worth seeing.

[Sage Rat]

Maybe I was looking a little too hard, but I thought the daytime scenes looked like a Spider-Man movie, especially all of the shots of the houses close together. I also thought the night time scenes of the city looked like a Nolan Batman movie. I also saw nods to Watchmen, with Big Daddy having one yellow grenade where The Comedian's button would be. The ending reminded me of the first Spider-Man. Overall, I liked it.

With the scene where she was using night-vision, they were quite obviously spoofing first-person shooters. I suspect that they were quite specifically trying to include references and stylistic references to the comic book and gaming worlds.

Personally, I think that the movie is one of the most meticulously and well-crafted movies ever made. In terms of the skill of manufacture, I'd put it as the second best movie I've ever seen after Amadeus. Probably not my second favorite film, mind, just their ability to get everything exactly as it should be to be perfectly what was intended.

[Equipoise]

I saw it again and I'm pleased to say it was just as good the 2nd time!

I agree that the soundtrack rocks, not as much as Kill Bill (Vaughn ought to get with Tarantino for the sequel for some tips) but still good. I loved the last hallway fight scene when Hit Girl is rockin' and killin' to Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation." Seeing The Runaways earlier made that even cooler.

One of my favorite throwaway moments was when everyone's watching Kick-Ass and Big Daddy get beat up via streaming video, and Katie's friend Erika buries her head in Dave's friend Marty's neck so she won't see, and Marty takes a brief moment to call Todd's attention to that. It takes 10 times as long to type as it did to happen, but it made me smile.



Regarding Chloe's Twitter page (http://twitter.com/ChloeGMoretz), I said:

She has 2,411 Followers. Watch that number explode in the coming weeks! Get your maybe-will-be-responded-to comment in quick, before Friday.That number above had held steady for weeks. I didn't make note of how many followers she had when I found her in January, but it was approximately the same. The movie's been out for 2 days and now she has 5,890 Followers.

I'm so sorry I missed the Premiere in Chicago because it would have been nice to say hi to her. Here's a cute picture (http://tweetphoto.com/18831380) she posted to her Twitter page of her and Chris at a Cubs game.



She was amused and responded to some comments I made about her getting stopped and searched at the airport twice(!) in one week. I even started a thread about it here on the Dope but I got smacked down. I thought it was an interesting story anyway. It would have gotten a lot of publicity if it had happened after Kick-Ass comes out, assuming Kick-Ass will be as popular and famous as I think it will be, but then, nobody cared.So, does anyone care (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=552602&highlight=Chloe+Moretz) now? (that was posted in February)

[olivesmarch4th]

I'm pissed at Roger Ebert for giving this film one star on the basis that it's bad for children to see. No shit it's bad for children to see, that's why it's rated R. Rate the movie based on its artistic merit or STFU, Grandpa.

[don't ask]

I'm pissed at Roger Ebert for giving this film one star on the basis that it's bad for children to see. No shit it's bad for children to see, that's why it's rated R. Rate the movie based on its artistic merit or STFU, Grandpa.

A while back I started a thread about how Ebert's reviews are a pile of crap based on whatever is going on in his head. As a movie reviewer he is a joke. I think he is using all the "poor me I have cancer" stuff to pump up his rep.

[olivesmarch4th]

A while back I started a thread about how Ebert's reviews are a pile of crap based on whatever is going on in his head. As a movie reviewer he is a joke. I think he is using all the "poor me I have cancer" stuff to pump up his rep.
Normally I like his reviews and they are well-written, though he has ridiculous biases against science fiction and 3-D movies. In this case, I think he was just being an oversensitive ninny. Rating an R-rated film with one star because you're worried children might see it is the same kind of nonsensical bullshit as rating a movie one star on Amazon because they fucked up your shipping. The best thing about that film was the crazy surreality of having a small child slaughter people like a total badass. Some movies about children are for grown-ups, and should be reviewed accordingly.

[ToeJam]

The spider man references are intentional as one of the major producers of this film is John Romita Jr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Romita,_Jr.), whose claim to fame is getting to draw the Spider-Man comics, which his dad helped to make famous.

It was the little things like when they walk out of the movie theater and the film playing on the scrolling lights was "The Spirit 3", or the various comic book references and actual physical comic books there, or the fact that they mentioned another super exciting comic book movie coming up (Scott Pilgrim!). This movie was definitely a GREAT film for the comic book lovers out there with the subtle nods in the background for these little things.

[Stranger On A Train]

A while back I started a thread about how Ebert's reviews are a pile of crap based on whatever is going on in his head. As a movie reviewer he is a joke.I often get the impression from his films that he watches the first fifteen minutes and forms his opinion which biases how he sees the rest of the film. His review of Miller's Crossing is a despicable mangling of the movie, and he doesn't even seem to have watched Ronin in its entirety or understood the writer's in-joke about the case (that it is a MacGuffin within the plot of the film, to draw out the villain), which is ironic because the script was almost completely rewritten by David Mamet (whose fingerprints are all over the dialogue), a writer whose even most modest works he normally fawns over.

As for Kick-Ass, I went in with modest expectations (basically expecting a Superbad-type comedy) and was massively overrewarded. I agree with Sage Rat's assessment; this wasn't just a funny movie, but one that was an intricately constructed homage and deconstruction of comic book films. Other than a few lazy moments of obviousness (we all knew what was going to become of Red Mist, right?) it is a very tight movie, and Vaughn riffs off of the combined oeuvre of Tarantino and Rodriguez with this film the same way he does with Scorsese in Layer Cake.

Stranger

[Chef Troy]

My wife and I went to see it last night and are both totally in love with Hit-Girl. We really think the movie knocks it out of the park.

I did get a well-earned punch in the arm from Mrs. Chef at one point:

Near the end of the torture scene, when Hit-Girl has taken out the bad guys as Big Daddy gets slow-roasted by the fire under the chair he's handcuffed to, she takes his mask off to reveal how badly burned his face is and they're having a tender death-scene moment. I leaned over and whispered, "Look, honey -- it's Fire Marshal Bill (http://www.joeblasco.com/blascoschools/schools-intro/main/pics/jb8-p1.jpg)!"

In my defense, once I thought of it, I HAD to say it -- even Mrs. Chef had to admit that, even as she continued to punch me.

[Equipoise]

I saw this movie today and it definitely rocks! Unless things go horribly wrong, I predict a rich, rewarding career for Chloe Moretz; she hit the balance between being a KICK-ASS assassin and a typical tween. I thought the pace of the movie resembled that of the movie, "Shoot 'Em Up", a movie a couple of years ago starring Clive Owen and Monica Belluci.I liked that movie a lot, thanks for name-checking it and reminding me of it.

I have only seen the short trailers that are on TV, but I do have a crush on that girl. And that was before it was pointed out to me that she utilizes said awesome knife. If I go watch the movie, I am pretty sure my heart will belong to her if she is as much of the show-stealer you make her out to be.You have to check in after you've seen the movie. My guess is that you'll be in a puddle on the floor at the scene where she gets her birthday present.

"Look Daddy...you're not looking!"

Carmike Cinemas nationwide will not be showing Kick-Ass due to a financial dispute with lionsgate. It has nothing to do with the film's contents. If the dispute isn't settled future films like "Killers" and "The Expendables" will also not be shown. It is some profit sharing dispute between the 2 companies.Thanks for that information. Ignorance fought.

This movie is absolutely fucking awesome. I think it's one of my favorite movies ever. I want to see it again. I was laughing through the whole thing... and some of those action sequences were just gorgeous. This is eventually going on my shelf next to Kill Bill.I'm so glad you like it! You would make for an awesome movie buddy. And yeah, it's perfect to sit on a shelf next to Kill Bill I & II. If anyone hears of a reaction from Tarantino, please share it. I think he'll love it!

A while back I started a thread about how Ebert's reviews are a pile of crap based on whatever is going on in his head. As a movie reviewer he is a joke. I think he is using all the "poor me I have cancer" stuff to pump up his rep.That's a horrifically nasty thing to say about someone who just doesn't like a movie you like. Ebert has exquisite taste in movies, but he doesn't always like what I think are good movies. It's just an opinion.

I've always looked at Ebert like this: if he likes something, I can be sure that either it's a great movie, or if a "lesser" film, that there's something about it worth seeing. I've discovered dozens if not hundreds of films I loved through him. If he doesn't like something though, I never take his word for it that it's not worth seeing. It might well be crap, but he's disliked so many films that I liked, that I would seek out other information and if it looks like something I might like, I'll go and judge for myself.

The spider man references are intentional as one of the major producers of this film is John Romita Jr (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Romita,_Jr.), whose claim to fame is getting to draw the Spider-Man comics, which his dad helped to make famous.

It was the little things like when they walk out of the movie theater and the film playing on the scrolling lights was "The Spirit 3", or the various comic book references and actual physical comic books there, or the fact that they mentioned another super exciting comic book movie coming up (Scott Pilgrim!). This movie was definitely a GREAT film for the comic book lovers out there with the subtle nods in the background for these little things.Thanks for all the tidbit references. It will make the movie richer the next time I see it. I did laugh in delight at the Spirit 3 reference. I've never read the printed version, but the movie The Spirit was one of my favorite films from 2008. It got horrible reviews and bombed badly at the box office, but I loved the hell out of it and saw it multiple times in the theater.

[Cat Fight]

Thought it was very cute, but winced when I saw the kids in line for the next showing. I'm pretty desensitized and some of the slow torture scenes were a tad too much for me (the Hit Girl mega action, not so much). If a kid can sit through some of the mobster scenes unaffected, that kind of makes me sad.

[fusoya]

LOVED it. Saw it at a 2PM showing. There were some kids, but none of them seemed affected, and their parents let them stay. I actually don't think the content was THAT bad compared to the hype, but maybe I've just really desensitized. Chloe Grace is going to have a huge career ahead of her.

One complaint about this film - who the hell uses myspace anymore??? What is this, 2007?

[Equipoise]

Tens of millions of people still use MySpace. Bands especially. You can upload 10 songs so people can hear what you sound like. You can't do that with Facebook.

I think Kick-Ass will, well, might, revive MySpace. I hope so, because Facebook is completely brain-damaged, doesn't give a shit about what you want, or privacy, and are hell-bent on making changes that make it worse and worse and worse every time. I wish there were a place that had the best features of each, and none of the brain-damage that each is afflicted with in their own way.



As I was going in, I saw theater employees escorting a group of teenagers out of the theater. They seem to have bought tickets for another movie then ducked into Kick-Ass, but an employee, while not checking tickets at the moment, saw them go in and went after them.

Cat Fight, were those kids in line with adults? If not, the theater was breaking the law by letting them buy tickets. Though, even if they were with adults, the adults might have been clueless. I remember all the kids in line with parents for South Park: Bigger, Faster, Uncut, and for Bad Santa.


I keep thinking of scenes and smiling. I loved that they were listening to "Crazy" while driving around in the Mistmobile.

Was anyone else disappointed that...

Red Mist turned out to be a bad guy? From the previews I thought he and Kick-Ass were buddies and was shocked, SHOCKED, literally shocked, when he shot Hit Girl!

[Stranger On A Train]

Was anyone else disappointed that...

Red Mist turned out to be a bad guy? From the previews I thought he and Kick-Ass were buddies and was shocked, SHOCKED, literally shocked, when he shot Hit Girl!Uh, no. Red Mist was clearly set up as a villain to succeed his father. His sense of self-entitlement, his obsession with bossing people around and atavistic violence, his access to weapons and a criminal empire all blatantly presaged the denouement where he would replace his father and swear vengence. If nothing else, that stupid haircut should have signposted his villainous tendencies. I thought it was an entirely obvious development and was slightly disappointed that Millar and Vaughn didn't manage to twist it in some way, though I realize that they were again just paying homage to the source material.

Stranger

[blondebear]

I thought the movie was pretty good--Nic Cage was born to play Big Daddy! . Loved hearing Sparks' This Town Isn't Big Enough For The Both Of Us as the theme for when KA and RM met for the first time.

[WordMan]

Reported at MSNBC (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36630000/ns/entertainment-movies/)

LOS ANGELES - In a major upset, the new kiddie superhero action comedy "Kick-Ass" failed to take the top spot at the North American box office, narrowly losing the race to "How to Train Your Dragon," according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.



Bolding mine - clearly there some marketing confusion. "kiddie superhero action comedy"...

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Reflects how misleading some of the marketing has been.

I think word of mouth will help Kick-Ass, though. It also has the makings of something that could continue to spread in popularity after the DVD release.

[Frylock]

Is there more to this than:

Precocious kids
cursing
with ultra-violence?

As it is, that's not a combo that turns me on... esp. because I've never been a fan of the Precocious Kid thing.

But is there more to this movie than that? Is it really well done stylistically or something? Really clever dialogue? Characters that surprise and delight in some way? Something?

People are comparing this movie to Kill Bill. I think there's a lot to think about while watching Kill Bill, and that's part of what I like about it. Did you like Kill Bill for a similar reason? Does Kick Ass also, similarly, make you think?

[Jonathan Chance]

Would you all believe I took my nine-year-old daughter to see it? Well, I did.

She loved it, though she thought the

microwave scene

was too much for her.

She really wanted to see it based on the badassery of Hit Girl but, as a girl who has taken martial arts since she was four (and is just starting weapons) she found it, I guess, empowering somehow.

Anyway, very violent, sure. But not more than a standard action film, if you think about it. Really, if Hit Girl didn't cuss so much I don't think there'd be much controversy or discussion. But people see her say things like

"Hey cunts"
"I'm just fucking with you"
"It's in the shape of a giant cock"

And they realize there's a real kid saying those things and get uncomfortable. And I can understand that. But I still took her.

Post movie:

Me: "You know that Big Daddy is like, the king of bad parenting?

Her: "Oh, God yes."

Awesome kid.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

There's only one precocious kid. The other kids that wear costumes are just normal teenagers.

I think it's hard to explain the appeal of this movie to those who haven't seen it because it's largely visceral. It's not a shock-value thing -- it's not that a little girl cusses and kills gangsters -- it's how those scenes play within the context of the story, definitely how the action is choreographed and shot (very stylish and inventive indeed), and most of all something just exhilarating about the Hit-Girl character's power and confidence.

I think a lot of it has to do with how the movie is set up. It's set in the real world, not a comic book world, where bad people win and would be heroes get their asses kicked. Because it's so grounded in reality, and because the audience has already seen the utter lameness of real people trying to be superheroes, Hit-Girl's first appearance on the scene, her opening words ("hey, cunts..."), and her absurdly efficient, competent and remorseless devastaion of the bad guys comes out of nowhere and works as a surprise. I know it sounds dumb to say that a superhero kicking ass is a "surprise" in a superhero movie called "Kick-Ass," but it kind of does because of the way the audience has been softened up. The sudden introduction of Big Daddy and Hit-Girl into the story is an intervention of the comic book world into the real world (we've seen their alter-egos before this scene, but we haven't seen them in their costumed personas, or even made aware that they had them) .

One of the things that works so well about the movie (and I don't think I can remember any superhero movie achieving this so well) is the real sense of relief and rescue when the real superheroes show up.

Hit-Girl's profanity and violence is not so much played for comic value or shock, but as a means of showing confidence, power and lack of vulnerability.

A lot of it is in the performance of the actress (whose name I can never remember...Chloey something?) who just blow the doors off every scene she's in. The audience really gets pulled in by her, and really roots for her, and their hearts break for her in some ket=y scenes too.

The character is not merely "precocious." That's too simplistic and condescending a word for her. She transcends that, blows all the way through it to authentic heroism, courage, toughness and selflessness. The audience looks up to her, not down on her.

Does it make you think? Not really, but it entertains the hell out of you and makes you keep thinking about it after you see it.

I don't see too many movies that I immediately want to see again, but this was one of them.

[Frylock]

The character is not merely "precocious." That's too simplistic and condescending a word for her. She transcends that, blows all the way through it to authentic heroism, courage, toughness and selflessness. The audience looks up to her, not down on her.

Based on the trailers, I'll have to see this to believe it.

Which means I'll have to see this.

(looks at calendar.... examines daily schedule.... grimaces....)

[Illuminatiprimus]

Based on the trailers, I'll have to see this to believe it.

Which means I'll have to see this.

(looks at calendar.... examines daily schedule.... grimaces....)Okay fine, it's shit, don't go see it. Happy now?

[hogarth]

Is there more to this than:

Precocious kids
cursing
with ultra-violence?

As it is, that's not a combo that turns me on... esp. because I've never been a fan of the Precocious Kid thing.

But is there more to this movie than that? Is it really well done stylistically or something? Really clever dialogue? Characters that surprise and delight in some way? Something?
I found it surprising in an "Archie Meets the Punisher" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Meets_the_Punisher) kind of way; you've got two sets of "superheroes" living in two completely different worlds!

If a little kid killing a bunch of people turns you off, you can probably just skip it.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

You can't go by the trailers on this one. They're very misleading.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

I found it surprising in an "Archie Meets the Punisher" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Meets_the_Punisher) kind of way; you've got two sets of "superheroes" living in two completely different worlds.
It's two different explortions of "real" superhero premises too. First we see the ordinary schmoe putting on a costume, trying to be a hero and getting stabbed, stomped and hit by a car for his troubles.

Then we see the next step, where it's like, ok, what if it's somebody that really trains hardcore and knows their stuff with martial arts and weapons and preparation, etc. We then see that premise pushed out to edge of believability (maybe a little bit past it, but then so is Batman), but we also see the borderline (and maybe not just borderline) insanity that such a life involves, as well as the sacrifice.

[Frylock]

Okay fine, it's shit, don't go see it. Happy now?

Ah, I see how I misworded that.

I'm grimacing because I've realized I don't have time to watch the movie, even though I'd like to go see it.

[Frylock]

I found it surprising in an "Archie Meets the Punisher" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Meets_the_Punisher) kind of way; you've got two sets of "superheroes" living in two completely different worlds!

If a little kid killing a bunch of people turns you off, you can probably just skip it.

I can handle that.

As long as she's not annoyingly precocious while she's doing it. ;)

[Equipoise]

About Red Mist and what I said before...

I guess I just didn't want to see Red Mist as a bad guy. Everything was a perfect storm for him to become one, but I was hoping that he and Kick-Ass would become buds and Red Mist would repudiate his father and be one of the good guys.

I can handle that.

As long as she's not annoyingly precocious while she's doing it. ;)You definitely don't want to be one of those people who sees something that you don't like and gets up and goes into another theater. "Mindy" is the person you see at first, and she is precocious, and cute, and even seemingly somewhat dim ("will it hurt daddy?") but wait, just wait. Once "Hit Girl" enters the scene, you will be awe-struck. One of the great things about seeing it twice was that the second time, we can judge Mindy by who she becomes later, and that time it's funny and awesome and you're just as much in love with Mindy as you are with Hit Girl.

[hogarth]

I can handle that.

As long as she's not annoyingly precocious while she's doing it. ;)
What does a non-precocious 11-year-old girl look like when she killing a bunch of people? :dubious:

[Mississippienne]

Saw it opening night here in the USA and LOVED IT.

Anything I can say about Hit-Girl has already been said, so I'll move onto Kick-Ass himself and Red Mist. First of all, both actors are wonderful. Aaron Johnson almost out-Peter Parkers Peter Parker as the loveable everyteen. He's so goodhearted about everything he does that you can't help but root for him, and he gets some of the best Crowning Moments of Awesome in the movie, specifically...

"Three assholes laying into one guy while everyone watches - and you're asking whats wrong with me? Yeah, I'd rather die. Bring it on!"

And when he comes to the rescue with the....

gatling gun-mounted jetpack

I also think that Kick-Ass is rather special in that he's an explicitly pro-active action hero, breaking the mold of superhero characters reacting to some tragedy in their past. He even parodies this at the beginning of the film where he reminisces about how his mom died from an aneurysm at the kitchen table, not from gun shots in a dark alley. He becomes a hero from boredom and his own desire to do good.

Christopher Mintz-Plasse is also wonderful as Chris/Red Mist. He's obviously bright and determined to prove himself, and possesses an amazing amount of bravado -- how many dorky teenagers would not only dream up a scheme to entrap the superheroes interfering with his dad's underworld crime empire, but successfully pull it off.

If Hit-Girl hadn't survived being shot, then Kick-Ass and Big Daddy would've died gorily on-camera and the D'Amicos would have lived happily ever after.

Let's not underestimate Red Mist. He's got nerves of steele to walk right into Big Daddy and Hit Girl's hideout and spring that trap on them. At the same time, it's obvious that Red Mist has some real affection for Kick-Ass. I loved their little scene where they...

groove to Gnarls Barkley in the Mist Mobile

Had circumstances been different, I think they would've become very close friends. Red Mist even futiley...

tried to stop his dad's goons from attacking and torturing Kick-Ass, saying, "He's cool, he's with me!"

Bring on the sequel!

[Iggins]

...playing on the scrolling lights was "The Spirit 3"...

Funniest inside joke of the movie! :)

[Cat Fight]

Cat Fight, were those kids in line with adults? If not, the theater was breaking the law by letting them buy tickets. Though, even if they were with adults, the adults might have been clueless. I remember all the kids in line with parents for South Park: Bigger, Faster, Uncut, and for Bad Santa.

They looked like they were there together, though there could have been a cool adult hanging back. I saw it in Toronto, though, and I swear it said PG-13 on the poster (though I could be wrong).

Interesting take on Hit-Girl here (http://kateharding.net/2010/04/19/in-defense-of-hit-girl/). As a comic book, videogame and superhero fan, it is weird (and nice) to see a female superhero who doesn't have to depend on her feminine wiles to compete with the bad boys (unless you count the schoolgirl outfit – which, miracle of miracles, didn't lead to a creepy quasi-pedo shot or scene) . OTOH, the author says not to bring your kids – and my younger self wouldn't have been happy about that.

But honestly, I’m usually not so into SBUAALOPD movies with adult female asskickers-in-chief. They’ve never appealed to me much, probably because they tend to be sold on the fuckability of the heroine more than the relatability of her; the primary market is still young, straight and male, after all, so a female lead is drawn to evoke fantasies either of being dominated by such a badass or being such a badass yourself that you could rock her world, neither of which does much for me.

[ToeJam]

I ended up showing the trailer to a friend of mine and going back on Monday to go see the movie a 2nd time.

It still holds up. He described it as "It was like going to see the Matrix opening weekend... you sort of had a vague idea about a plot and everything but you had NO IDEA what you were getting yourself into, and only afterwords do you realize how AWESOME of a movie it was that you just saw." And then he thanked me profusely over and over in the parking lot for taking him to see that movie.

For me, I had seen all the red band trailers and I knew what to expect seeing this movie, and it still delivered. But part of me wishes I was like my friend- having seen no trailers really but just being told "IF you like Kill bill, Zombie land, and or Superbad," check out this movie.....
And then getting BLOWN away by how awesome of a film you're getting to see.

I do hope word of mouth treats it well.

[silenus]

We finally found the time to see this movie, and it didn't disappoint. My wife generally goes to see "comic book" movies just to humor me, but she came out of this one quoting lines, talking about the soundtrack, and absolutely adoring Chloe.

My only "complaint" is that the director intentionally passed up a number of chances to show gratuitous boobage. :D

[Equipoise]

I saw 7 movies* over the weekend, and one of them was Kick-Ass, for the 3rd time. It completely holds up and was just as fun and enjoyable (and moving), which will make it a great DVD/cable movie, one of those films you can watch over and over, and once you've seen it, you can come in at any point and watch to the end. It'll be a smash hit on DVD because besides regular sales/rentals, all the kids who couldn't see it in the theater will want to see it.


* I also saw Akira Kurasawa's Ran (wonderful to see on the big screen), the Oscar nominated A Prophet, both of which were amazingly great films; The Losers, which was trivial but kinda fun; Date Night, which was trivial but kinda fun; Death at a Funeral, which was trivial and not very fun; and The Joneses, which was fun, thoughtful and more serious than it seemed by the trailers, and which I liked a LOT.

[smiling bandit]

I also found red Mist to be a really cool character. He's clearly a villain - but he's a supervillain. He's the kiknd of guy that somebody who read about Dr. Doom would go out and exxagerate into a character. Note his last line: "Wait till they get a load of me." He wants to be seen.

At the same time, I don't particularly think he's that bad of a guy. He's dorky and conditioned by years of terrible parenting to be violent without a second thought, but he's not very good at initiating it for the most part. He's so obviously copying his "father figures".

Speaking fo which: did anyone else get the impression he looked up to Mike more than his father? Mike actually spoke to him without trying to talk down to him or dismiss him, and he seemed to have more real affection. Sure, he'd do anything to get his dad's approval (and he doesn't), but he loved Mike. I think that was why he shot Hitgirl.

Red Mist is the inversion of the superhero storyline. Instead of his father being the innocent killed by an evil gangster, he was the gangster killed by some psychotic heroes. And it really is sad because he probably never had a chance for a sane existence, and it might have been changed if his father hadn't been stopping anyone from getting close to him (spying on the nanny, the bodyguard blocking anyone from even saying hello). Red Mist really is completely alone and fills it with his supervillain persona, a fate that Hit Girl escapes.

[Kiros]

I also finally got around to seeing it this weekend. The more I think back on it, the more I like it, and I liked it quite a bit even as I was walking out of the theatre. I think this is the rare first week Blu-Ray buy for me when it comes out later this year (I normally don't buy anything until I can get it on sale in the $10-12 range). Next weekend is supposed to be The Losers, but I kind of just want to see Kick-Ass again.

[MostlyClueless]

Er, Bandit. By 'Mike', do you mean 'Dave'?

Other than that, you make perfect sense.

[Push You Down]

I thought black cop friend was kind of pointless. I'd rather have had -ending- Hitgirl go live with Kickass and his dad.

There was also the shot during the end montage where Kickass has his girl and the other nerd has his girl and the third friend (the one with the crush on Hit-girl after seeing her rescue Kickass) is just sitting by himself in the middle. I would have loved for Hit-Girl in civilian garb to come by and sit next to him and he blow her off as some weird little kid wanting to hang out with them.

[smiling bandit]

Er, Bandit. By 'Mike', do you mean 'Dave'?

Other than that, you make perfect sense.

I think this guy played the villain's second-in-command, right? If so, his character was actually Matthew.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1268748/

[Bryan Ekers]

Had circumstances been different, I think they would've become very close friends.

Just like Superman and Lex Luthor.



I remember after watching Kill Bill speculating that the reason the O-Ren Ishii origin story was done in anime (at least in part) was fear of the reaction to live-action sequences in which a young schoolgirl is briefly sexualized and then cold-bloodedly kills men. Lots of them.


I guess that's no longer a concern. Suck on that, Quentin!

[Cisco]

I thought it was pretty good-- and I'm going to sound like such a fucking insufferable nerd here-- but I honestly feel like the comic was better.

It set the Red Mist storyline up so that it truly was a shocking reveal, rather than basically letting you know from the get-go what was up with that.

It made the much more realistic decision of having the girl blow off Dave when she found out he wasn't gay, thus saving us from that awful shoe-horned "love story."

It had a consistent tone and vision, and didn't ramble as much. The movie never figured out if it was a comedy, a drama, a love story, a teen movie, a superhero flick, an action movie, etc etc.

The movie was good, but when I heard that the director's cut was going to be 18-minutes longer I thought: hmmm, if I was the director, the Director's Cut would be 18 minutes shorter.

And as someone who has a personal beef with Atomic Comics, I found it annoying how they bought their way so prominently into the movie.

I agree that Chloe Moretz lit up the screen, though, and that's a HUGE compliment coming from me, because 99% of child actor performances annoy the shit out of me.

[Bob Ducca]

Bumping this thread because A) I finally saw this movie this weekend and B) I loved it and thought that "Kick Ass Sucked" thread needed some top-of-page competition. :-)

Loved the movie for pretty much all of the reasons that people said here. Thought it was well directed, the cinematography was great, and the acting fantastic all around. Chloe Moretz is amazing.

Of all the violience in the movie, the hardest part for me was when


Davem, as Kick Ass for the first time, get stabbed in the gut. That's when "shit got real" for the first time and it was a bit jarring. Most of the violence in the film was gory, but cartoonish - but that knife to the belly seemed very realistic.

[Abe]

People here seem to like this movie so I was wondering if anyone was disturbed by the scenes of ultra-graphic violence committed by a pre-teen. It's more than just killing, if you'll allow the expression. That was not cartoon violence, it was graphic and intense. There's people shot in the face or head at close range. Limbs are amputated, flesh is sliced graphically, and blood flows freely - it's nearly as extreme as Spartacus: Blood and Sand! Spartacus at least has the decency to show us some good (adult) nudity and sex.

They went out of their way to include graphic violence and vulgar language, but why did the Kick-Ass film makers chicken out on the last item of the R-rated trinity? Why not throw in some nudity and sex too? The satire of American media would have been complete if the 11-year old cut off arms, used vulgar language, and had sex with adults. I guess sex is still dirtier than violence, even for a movie that tries to be a satire.

I think Ebert gave this film one star because it contained some bizarrely vulgar subject matter. Seeing a preteen gleefully and graphically murder a host of people and then be nearly killed herself by a vicious beating is pretty heavy stuff. There are serious moments in the movie, but they are all "reserved" for specific characters so that slaughter and dismemberment can continue unabated. I agree with Ebert's objection:

These men, and many others in the film, are really stone-cold dead. And the 11-year-old apparently experiences no emotions about this. (from his review (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100414/reviews/100419986))

The closest thing to Hit-girl is child soldiers who are trained to feel no emotion when killing, and there is nothing funny or endearing about them. I'm not knocking the movie's other accomplishments but seeing a little girl turn into a cross between Wolverine and Reservoir Dogs was not that amusing.

[Equipoise]

Why not throw in some nudity and sex too? The satire of American media would have been complete if the 11-year old cut off arms, used vulgar language, and had sex with adults.Because it's a fantasy superhero action movie with the most unlikely superhero, and not a child porn movie?

[Larry Mudd]

The closest thing to Hit-girl is child soldiers who are trained to feel no emotion when killing, and there is nothing funny or endearing about them. I'm not knocking the movie's other accomplishments but seeing a little girl turn into a cross between Wolverine and Reservoir Dogs was not that amusing.Superhero comics elevate vigilantism and revenge fantasy to a sublime ideal, and are arguably a large part of the vocabulary of childhood.

Kick-Ass is in-your-face about literalizing this. The protagonist, taking his first steps down this road, is himself appropriately horrified when confronted with the Hit-Girl, a manifestation of his ideals brought to their logical conclusion.

Of course it's disturbing. That's the point, right from the start: "Don't worry, sweetie, it's no worse than getting punched in the stomach." "I hate getting punched in the stomach." This is not a healthy daddy-daughter exchange. I don't think that we are meant to accept this as anything near sane or sensible.

That doesn't mean the movie isn't kick-ass.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

Yes, the Big Daddy/Hit-Girl characters were illustrating that people who would really behave the way Batman does in the comics would have to be insane. It would require obssessive, all-consuming committment and training and something close to psychotic motivation.

[Tanbarkie]

They went out of their way to include graphic violence and vulgar language, but why did the Kick-Ass film makers chicken out on the last item of the R-rated trinity? Why not throw in some nudity and sex too? The satire of American media would have been complete if the 11-year old cut off arms, used vulgar language, and had sex with adults. I guess sex is still dirtier than violence, even for a movie that tries to be a satire.

It's not a "satire of American media." It's a satire of superhero comics and cartoons, which routinely feature very young heroes beating the shit out of criminals. Imagine if The Powerpuff Girls showed what really happened if a superpowered five year old threw someone through a building.

I think Ebert gave this film one star because it contained some bizarrely vulgar subject matter. Seeing a preteen gleefully and graphically murder a host of people and then be nearly killed herself by a vicious beating is pretty heavy stuff. There are serious moments in the movie, but they are all "reserved" for specific characters so that slaughter and dismemberment can continue unabated. I agree with Ebert's objection:

These men, and many others in the film, are really stone-cold dead. And the 11-year-old apparently experiences no emotions about this. (from his review (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100414/reviews/100419986))

The closest thing to Hit-girl is child soldiers who are trained to feel no emotion when killing, and there is nothing funny or endearing about them. I'm not knocking the movie's other accomplishments but seeing a little girl turn into a cross between Wolverine and Reservoir Dogs was not that amusing.

Depiction of an action does not constitute support of that action. Is Steven Spielberg pro-Nazi for showing atrocities committed during the Holocaust in "Schindler's List"? Is Quentin Tarantino in favor of vigilante justice because of the events portrayed in "Kill Bill"? Is George Lucas a fascist for showing the rise of an totalitarian Empire in the Star Wars prequels? Does showing Starbuck torture a captured Cylon agent make Ron Moore pro-torture?

[Abe]

Depiction of an action does not constitute support of that action. Is Steven Spielberg pro-Nazi for showing atrocities committed during the Holocaust in "Schindler's List"? Is Quentin Tarantino in favor of vigilante justice because of the events portrayed in "Kill Bill"? Is George Lucas a fascist for showing the rise of an totalitarian Empire in the Star Wars prequels? Does showing Starbuck torture a captured Cylon agent make Ron Moore pro-torture?

Well, as you can probably imagine I was already aware of this, and in fact never suggested that depiction equals endorsement. My complaint is that the Hit-girl scenes were seriously disturbing. Her violence and lack of a reaction to carnage don't make her a spoof of child super-heroes just because she wears a goofy costume. What I am seeing is a gross caricature of child soldiers.

The fact that she spews "cool" one-liners and has amazing special effects and choreography to back her up does not change this, nor does it make it less disturbing.

I have not read the comic book that this film is based on, but I have read a lot of comic books and comic book violence does not look anything like this. Hit-girl is like a disturbingly realistic child version of Johnny The Homicidal Maniac.

It's not a "satire of American media." It's a satire of superhero comics and cartoons, which routinely feature very young heroes beating the shit out of criminals. Imagine if The Powerpuff Girls showed what really happened if a superpowered five year old threw someone through a building.

The Powerpuff girls are themselves an obvious satire and spoof, much more so than Kick-Ass. It's simply not feasible to hold them up as a model that this movie is satirizing.

It is a satire of American media (or at least American dominated film and television) much more so than it is a satire about comic books. The comic book connection is there, yes, evident if rather shallow, but the fact that we have a heroine who swears like a sailor and commits carnage like no other child in the history of entertainment is a pretty large indicator that something else is prowling around here.

This movie raises many more important questions beyond the facile and simplistic comic book related ones. Like, why is this kind of hideous violence and vulgarity OK, but something as harmless as a nipple is utterly taboo? Is it really appropriate to become desensitized to such graphic violence, and has it gotten so bad that we only take notice when it's committed by a child?

These sort of questions strike me as far more interesting than the ones raised by yet another comic book spoof. The movie clearly has its merits but that is not what I am discussing. I am perfectly willing to admit that this is a better movie than nonsense like The Dark Knight (which, excepting the amazing Joker, was a case study in how to make a sloppy movie). What I was curious about was why there was such limited reaction to the (disgusting) sight of a child soldier mutilating and killing rooms full of men. Even reviews in popular media (like Time magazine) kind of glossed over this aspect, but it hit me like a truck.

[Abe]

Superhero comics elevate vigilantism and revenge fantasy to a sublime ideal, and are arguably a large part of the vocabulary of childhood.

Kick-Ass is in-your-face about literalizing this. The protagonist, taking his first steps down this road, is himself appropriately horrified when confronted with the Hit-Girl, a manifestation of his ideals brought to their logical conclusion.

Of course it's disturbing. That's the point, right from the start: "Don't worry, sweetie, it's no worse than getting punched in the stomach." "I hate getting punched in the stomach." This is not a healthy daddy-daughter exchange. I don't think that we are meant to accept this as anything near sane or sensible.

That doesn't mean the movie isn't kick-ass.

I don't disagree (and I think you have stated it extremely well). What I am saying is that this movie has scenes I found extremely disturbing, and I would have expected to see more discussion/concern about the elements I outlined. Ebert, who seems to share my reaction to these scenes and who did state his objections while praising other aspects of the film, was savaged and mocked up-thread for making valid points.

[Martini Enfield]

I don't disagree (and I think you have stated it extremely well). What I am saying is that this movie has scenes I found extremely disturbing, and I would have expected to see more discussion/concern about the elements I outlined. Ebert, who seems to share my reaction to these scenes and who did state his objections while praising other aspects of the film, was savaged and mocked up-thread for making valid points.

I see where you're coming from, but do you realise what a massive old fuddy-duddy you're coming across as?

Kick-Ass is a satire on the entire Superhero Genre- what would happen if an average person decided to become a costumed crime fighter? They'd get their ass kicked. Repeatedly. And almost certainly knifed and probably shot, too. And if someone took the idea of becoming a superhero seriously and tried to go about it in a "realistic" way, then they would end up like Big Daddy, who's become so engrossed in his Mission To Fight Evil that he's moulded his own daughter- a child- into an cold-blooded but completely absurd and over-the-top killer.

There's no "satire on the American media" in the film. It's purely about why the entire superhero genre is A Bit Silly.

[starryspice]

People here seem to like this movie so I was wondering if anyone was disturbed by the scenes of ultra-graphic violence committed by a pre-teen. It's more than just killing, if you'll allow the expression. That was not cartoon violence, it was graphic and intense. There's people shot in the face or head at close range. Limbs are amputated, flesh is sliced graphically, and blood flows freely - it's nearly as extreme as Spartacus: Blood and Sand! Spartacus at least has the decency to show us some good (adult) nudity and sex.

They went out of their way to include graphic violence and vulgar language, but why did the Kick-Ass film makers chicken out on the last item of the R-rated trinity? Why not throw in some nudity and sex too? The satire of American media would have been complete if the 11-year old cut off arms, used vulgar language, and had sex with adults. I guess sex is still dirtier than violence, even for a movie that tries to be a satire.

I think Ebert gave this film one star because it contained some bizarrely vulgar subject matter. Seeing a preteen gleefully and graphically murder a host of people and then be nearly killed herself by a vicious beating is pretty heavy stuff. There are serious moments in the movie, but they are all "reserved" for specific characters so that slaughter and dismemberment can continue unabated. I agree with Ebert's objection:

These men, and many others in the film, are really stone-cold dead. And the 11-year-old apparently experiences no emotions about this. (from his review (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100414/reviews/100419986))

The closest thing to Hit-girl is child soldiers who are trained to feel no emotion when killing, and there is nothing funny or endearing about them. I'm not knocking the movie's other accomplishments but seeing a little girl turn into a cross between Wolverine and Reservoir Dogs was not that amusing.

I'm almost with you on this, but not quite. Yes, I found the violence very disturbing. I watched the "green-band" trailers and didn't notice the R rating (my fault). I'm not usually a blood-and-gore type of person, I hated Kill Bill, so needless to say, the violence of this movie shocked me. As you say, it's not just a little girl killing a man in a given scene, it's grotesque slicing, blood-spurting, limb-amputating badness. But I also think that's the point. What I took away from the movie is that superheroes are actually quite bad people, to put it simplistically. We watch superhero movies all the time and fantasize about vigilante justice, but this movie seems to show just how horribly wrong that can go.

I also think you have a point with violence being more acceptable than sex in American media....but the way to fix that is not to have the 11-year-old have sex. That's just wrong, and if that doesn't disturb you just as much as the violence, then I don't really get where you're coming from.

As a last note, I do want to say that I actually did think this movie was quite good. I think it was well-crafted, had excellent characters, and a rare message. Had I not had a panic attack because of the violence, I might have enjoyed it. With distance, I am able to appreciate it more than I did while watching it. (I definitely wouldn't go see it again though.)

[Abe]

I see where you're coming from, but do you realise what a massive old fuddy-duddy you're coming across as?

Really now, I am fuddy duddy because I am disturbed by images of ultra-graphic ultra-violence by and to a preteen? I submit I am not the one with the problem here.

Kick-Ass is a satire on the entire Superhero Genre- what would happen if an average person decided to become a costumed crime fighter? They'd get their ass kicked. Repeatedly. And almost certainly knifed and probably shot, too. And if someone took the idea of becoming a superhero seriously and tried to go about it in a "realistic" way, then they would end up like Big Daddy, who's become so engrossed in his Mission To Fight Evil that he's moulded his own daughter- a child- into an cold-blooded but completely absurd and over-the-top killer.

There's no "satire on the American media" in the film. It's purely about why the entire superhero genre is A Bit Silly.

On the contrary, this film is rather more than that. You appear to have considered it at face value only. At face value yes, this is a superhero satire, but that's not all it is. To me this is also a glaring commentary on pop culture media and its biases - American film and TV as I suggested earlier.

Kick-ass is not anything new. Superheroes have been satirized just as ably if not better in films like Mystery Men. There is no shortage of movies in which kids kick ass, like Home Alone or those ridiculous kiddie ninja films.

What Kick-ass does is present us with new combinations of kiddie violence and vulgarity in a comedy. I am as disturbed by these depictions as I would be if I saw a film in which a pre-teen gets raped graphically and explicitly for the sake of comedy. If you think Kick-Ass delivers an excess of violence and vulgarity merely to satirize the superhero genre, then I think you are missing out on other important discussions (suggested previously).


I also think you have a point with violence being more acceptable than sex in American media....but the way to fix that is not to have the 11-year-old have sex. That's just wrong, and if that doesn't disturb you just as much as the violence, then I don't really get where you're coming from.

Obviously I am not calling on little Chloe to perform sexual acts. I was trying to point out that we would consider preteen nudity and sex in such context completely unacceptable, yet we have much less trouble with graphic violence and profanity under identical circumstances. The public greedily gobbles up media containing extreme violence and profanity even when it is (covertly) marketed to children, but anything involving a female nipple is considered dangerous and harmful. This is rather concerning.

I too think this movie has value. I appreciated that it was a LOT deeper than just a superhero spoof and that it made me (if not everyone, clearly) question my reactions to what I was seeing. Nonetheless, this film employs brutal shock tactics and I was surprised to hear so little discussion about them specifically. That's all.

[Martini Enfield]

Really now, I am fuddy duddy because I am disturbed by images of ultra-graphic ultra-violence by and to a preteen?

Yes, you are, IMHO. Because you miss the point of having a preteen committing said ultra-graphic ultraviolence in a comedy. It's not a serious movie. It's Silly and Absurd. It is Silly and Absurd for an 11 year old girl to be dual-wielding 9mm handguns, busting out the Wire-Fu, and single-handedly wiping out an army of Bad Guys. It's not real. It can't be real. It's a live action cartoon. Similarities have been noted with the Adam West Batman series, which I think are warranted. Respectfully, I think you're reading far too much into the film.

On the contrary, this film is rather more than that. [...] If you think Kick-Ass delivers an excess of violence and vulgarity merely to satirize the superhero genre, then I think you are missing out on other important discussions (suggested previously).

Honestly, I think you're reading way, way too much into it. Not everything has to be Deep & Meaningful With Hidden Complexity no matter how much people want it to be sometimes.

The public greedily gobbles up media containing extreme violence and profanity even when it is (covertly) marketed to children, but anything involving a female nipple is considered dangerous and harmful. This is rather concerning.

Here's the thing: Profanity is harmless. We might not like hearing kids calling each other "Motherfucker" but at the end of the day it's meaningless. And as for violence: The first full-length feature movie (or something approching it) was The Story Of The Kelly Gang, in 1906. And it involved people shooting each other. Before that, there were plays involving swordfights and murders and other acts of violence. In other words: Violence in entertainment dates back to... well, I bet there was a Neanderthal version of Ow! My Balls! or The Glorious Retelling Of How We Kicked The Asses Of Those Guys In The Next Valley.

Also, it's only really American culture that has a major problem with nudity in the media. They show nipples on free to air TV here after about 8:30pm, and both Oz and The Pacific have been broadcast here on free to air TV with full-frontal male nudity. And all the swearing.

I too think this movie has value. I appreciated that it was a LOT deeper than just a superhero spoof and that it made me (if not everyone, clearly) question my reactions to what I was seeing. Nonetheless, this film employs brutal shock tactics and I was surprised to hear so little discussion about them specifically. That's all.

That's because most of the film's target audience plays computer games and are used to people getting shot or graphically blown up. The violence in the film is and was no more "real" than shooting a Nazi soldier in a WWII game. Are you familiar with the Civilisation or Defcon games? You can deploy nuclear weapons to wipe out entire cities and kill tens of millions of civilians in those games.

No-one has a problem with them. Personally I'd be more worried about people being OK with virtually killing tens of millions of civilians for being in a city that's unfortunately in the way than a silly comedic movie which pushed the envelope in some respects.

[Abe]

Honestly, I think you're reading way, way too much into it. Not everything has to be Deep & Meaningful With Hidden Complexity no matter how much people want it to be sometimes.

So you maintain, but there is a lot more going on here than just a silly parody or satire. A parody - even one that explodes a concept to utterly illogical extremes - does not need to include this level of explicit language and violence. The mere fact that the film makers put these elements in the film and kept them in the film in the face of stern opposition suggests so.

Here's the thing: Profanity is harmless. We might not like hearing kids calling each other "Motherfucker" but at the end of the day it's meaningless. And as for violence: The first full-length feature movie (or something approching it) was The Story Of The Kelly Gang, in 1906. And it involved people shooting each other. [etc]

You seem to be greatly expanding the argument. Why are you trying to justify violence and profanity? I never argued against them. Violence and conflict are integral parts of narrative tradition.

Also, it's only really American culture that has a major problem with nudity in the media. They show nipples on free to air TV here after about 8:30pm, and both Oz and The Pacific have been broadcast here on free to air TV with full-frontal male nudity. And all the swearing.

I'm not really sure where "here" is, but yes, this is a hangup common in some parts of the world, not everywhere.

That's because most of the film's target audience plays computer games and are used to people getting shot or graphically blown up. The violence in the film is and was no more "real" than shooting a Nazi soldier in a WWII game. Are you familiar with the Civilisation or Defcon games? You can deploy nuclear weapons to wipe out entire cities and kill tens of millions of civilians in those games.

No-one has a problem with them.

That is not true (http://insidetech.monster.com/news/articles/8001-switzerland-bans-violent-video-games) anywhere (http://presspausetoreflect.blogspot.com/2010/04/violent-video-games-and-supreme-court.html). And some video games are indeed pretty disturbing. But, anyway, how many videogames do you know of that are like Kick-ass, mixing graphic gory violence and preteen action? I have been playing games for decades and don't recall ever seeing one. Even offenders like Manhunt or Postal can't keep up with Hit Girl. GTA? That's like a Hello Kitty game compared to Kick-Ass!

Personally I'd be more worried about people being OK with virtually killing tens of millions of civilians for being in a city that's unfortunately in the way than a silly comedic movie which pushed the envelope in some respects.

That's not comparable. If as a result of dropping your bombs in a videogame you were to see (for example) children burning to death, their clothing melting on to their skin, their eyeballs running out of their sockets, the flesh carbonizing as they writhe in pain, their charred stumps waving feebly about, then yes I would say this hypothetical game contains extremely disturbing images. Would you not agree?

There is also an important difference when you see a representation or icon of something versus a hyper-realistic depiction of it. Playing chess does not make you a psychopath - even if you are the type who likes to sacrifice pieces - because the conflict is representational. You can apply this argument to all games. Even games from the last 10 years - the advent of realistic graphics - almost always have non-realistic portrayals of violence.

Cartoon violence is representational. That includes Tom and Jerry, Home Alone, the Powerpuff Girls, etc. The violence in Kick-Ass is definitely not representational, it is very graphic and very extreme. If the film is merely and only a satire, it could easily have done without the violence and profanity. The fact that Kick-Ass does contain this material informs us that it is most likely there for a more interesting reason than gratuity.

[Martini Enfield]

I had an extensive rebuttal to your points made up, but I've realise that we're never going to agree on this. I honestly feel your point of view is incorrect and wrong, and it's probably best we leave it at and agree to disagree.

I will, however, point out that there's a huge difference between Civilisation and Defcon (which no-one sensible considers "violent") and GTA or Hitman, and that I was referring specifically to the Civ/Defcon games earlier, not "violent videogames in general".

[quixotic78]

When I was a kid, I saw one of the Robocop sequels (I forget which) that has an evil 10 year old boy who shoots people. It scarred my young self a great deal, because you know what, somewhere -- many somewheres, in fact -- there are 10 year old kids who do take pistols to people's heads and pull the trigger. It was a Hollywoody scene, but with enough realism to resonate.

Had I seen Kick-Ass when I was younger, I don't believe it would have scarred me nearly as much, because there is absolutely no element of reality. No 11 year old girl is going to be able to slice-and-dice that much. It was just silly (and actually, I didn't like it for that reason. What's the point of having a movie about superheroes being average Joes with no powers if you're going to have a physics-defying 11 year old figuratively gutting that message?).

Kick-Ass didn't shock me because it was just too silly. It's the difference between watching a dogfight and watching Tom and Jerry. Even if the former are "only" biting at each other, whereas the latter are stuffing each other with dynamite and incinerating one another, the former is clearly worse because it's real. The latter is fodder for a kid's cartoon.

[YogSosoth]

Really now, I am fuddy duddy because I am disturbed by images of ultra-graphic ultra-violence by and to a preteen? I submit I am not the one with the problem here.

...

What Kick-ass does is present us with new combinations of kiddie violence and vulgarity in a comedy. I am as disturbed by these depictions as I would be if I saw a film in which a pre-teen gets raped graphically and explicitly for the sake of comedy. If you think Kick-Ass delivers an excess of violence and vulgarity merely to satirize the superhero genre, then I think you are missing out on other important discussions (suggested previously).


Really Abe? Is that really so bad? I enjoyed the movie. I'm not going to stand here and make an impassioned speech about how the movie was or wasn't satire. Honestly, it just entertained the hell out of me. Kids killing people in a comedy? Hilarious! An 11 year old saying cunt? Shockingly amusing!

Why not push new combinations of kiddie violence and vulgarity in a comedy? Humans get habituated to things. We need more all the time, more extreme, more shocking, louder, flashier, faster. I'm happy if this film opens the door to children doing things on screen that have been generally reserved for adults. Why should the only depiction of child violence or sex or vulgarity happen in those art house independent films? Why can't we have a Terminator who's a kid and shoots up a police station?

[Abe]

Really Abe? Is that really so bad? I enjoyed the movie. I'm not going to stand here and make an impassioned speech about how the movie was or wasn't satire. Honestly, it just entertained the hell out of me. Kids killing people in a comedy? Hilarious! An 11 year old saying cunt? Shockingly amusing!

Well, Kids killing people in violently graphic and explicit ways is not something I find amusing. There's nothing funny about it, or about kids cutting off the arms and legs of other people. It is ridiculous, it is well done, and the choreography can even be described as humorous and entertaining, but the act is not funny nor is the concept (to me, anyway). The swearing is, I agree, more amusing. But as someone pointed out earlier, no one gets hurt when a 10 year old swears. Kids say the darnest things after all.

What, really, is amusing about a little girl getting beaten nearly to death - in a comedy? To me these images are vicious and unpleasant.

In spite of this unpleasantness I am not saying it's a bad movie. The director could be pandering to a pretty low common denominator by including this gruesome violence just for laffs, but there is probably a much better reason why it was retained, when film studios were turning down the film because of it. And this is unquestionably a smart movie, hence my thinking there's more here than mere face value.

Why not push new combinations of kiddie violence and vulgarity in a comedy? Humans get habituated to things. We need more all the time, more extreme, more shocking, louder, flashier, faster. I'm happy if this film opens the door to children doing things on screen that have been generally reserved for adults. Why should the only depiction of child violence or sex or vulgarity happen in those art house independent films? Why can't we have a Terminator who's a kid and shoots up a police station?

Graphic sex, vulgarity, and violence are not things I associate or would like to associate with preteens. When they do happen, I consider them highly unfortunate (like seeing diseased or starving children). If your argument is that people become desensitized to anything they see in entertainment, so they need increasingly harder and bigger doses of shocking material, you are describing a form of addiction - which is not considered healthy by anyone. So that would be one answer to your question, but honestly, this is a huge topic.

I don't have ANY problem with violence or sex or profanity generally, and I believe children should be better educated on every single topic (especially sex but definitely violence and its consequences), so please do not assume this is a prudish reaction.

I did want to point out one thing, and that is the stretching required of the phrase "cartoon violence" to describe Kick-Ass. Cartoon violence is "Violent actions involving cartoon-like situations and characters. May include violence where a character is unharmed after the action has been inflicted" (that is the ESRB definition (http://static.tigerdirect.com/html/glossary_ESRB%20Rating%20Symbols.html))

Kick-Ass has graphic and realistic depictions of real people being slaughtered, dismembered, or otherwise abused and killed. Of course nothing in this movie is meant to be taken seriously, but that does not make these depictions cartoonish. If this really were cartoon violence (a la Home Alone, or even Jackie Chan films) I doubt it would have been remarked by anyone.

[jjimm]

Somewhat late to the Kick Ass party, but I wanted to say that:

1. All I knew about this movie was a single still of Kick Ass in costume, and that it was about some dweeb who wants to be a superhero. Nothing else - not even a trailer.
2. The only review I've ever seen was the title of this thread.
3. I don't like comics.
4. I dislike the superhero genre.
5. I watched it under some duress.
6. I absolutely fucking loved it. It was pure unadulterated pleasure from start to finish, and it totally took me by surprise. Awesome, awesome film.

[Illuminatiprimus]

We did try to tell you. :)