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Having heard the controversy surrounding Kick-Ass due to its depiction of graphic violence involving a minor, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I first sat down to watch it. In fact, I delayed seeing him at Christmas with the family, as my father-in-law is particularly squeamish when it comes to spilling blood and guts. Not surprisingly, the outcry from the film’s few naysayers is quite unfounded considering the highly stylized violence in the larger context of the film, which clearly has a moral compass attempting to tell the strange story of Dave, a teenage fanatic. harassed and wannabe. “Good Samaritan” who takes on the role of a vigilante in disguise to protect the innocent and take revenge on those whose lives have been destroyed by an evil drug dealer.
Kick-Ass is based on an 8-volume graphic novel written by Mark Millar and drawn by John Romita Jr., it was adapted for the screen by film director Matthew Vaughan and Jane Goldman, who also co-wrote Vaughan’s previous film, the Stardust fantasy, which was based on Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a typical comic book superhero fan who is regularly mugged for his lunch money. He ponders the question why no one has ever tried to be a superhero in real life and becomes convinced that his destiny is to become a masked crusader. Having ordered a wetsuit online and armed with just 2 batons, he takes to the streets as a “Kick-Ass” and attempts to fight crime to no avail after he is stabbed by an assailant and then hit by a car requiring Kick-ass implants. metal to repair their numerous. broken bones.
Undeterred by his hospitalization, Dave returns to being a superhero and with little skill but a lot of courage he manages to defend himself against a group of 3 heavyweights who beat an individual while the crowd watches, one of them records the incident in his phone. and uploads it to the internet, making Kick-Ass an overnight sensation and catching the eye of a former cop who was framed by the drug dealer he had been investigating; While in prison, his devastated pregnant wife goes overboard, but doctors can deliver the fetus before she dies. On his release, the former cop takes custody of his now 5-year-old daughter and vows revenge by adopting the secret identities of “Big Daddy” and “Hit Girl” and taking down the gangsters one at a time.
As Big Daddy Nicolas Cage imitates Adam West’s legendary Batman, but outside of costume, he is a doting father to Mindy (Chloë Moretz) and his on-screen chemistry and dialogue provide the film’s weirdest comic moments, but also provide the heart. and the necessary soul. to contextualize the devastating intensity of his violent actions. These are desperate acts driven by loss and illustrate the fact that crime victims are not always compensated by an indifferent legal system and it seems that only the action of vigilantes will deliver the justice they deserve as Frank D’Amico, played by incredibly supporter Mark Strong.
Kick-Ass is a very funny and sometimes poignant take on society’s “superhero” notion, it is also a visual tour de force and for my money, hands down the best Matthew Vaughan film to date. The Blu-ray edition looks beautiful in 1080p complete with an oversaturated color palette that suits a comic book-based movie, blacks are deep and tinted, and the large amount of scarlet never fades. The audio is also exemplary with a DTS-HD 7.1 mix showcasing the film’s eclectic soundtrack, one of the highlights for me was the truly inspired use of the Elvis Presley recording from the 1970s, An American Trilogy. , who reworked the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as a signal. The arrival of Kick-Ass in jetpack to save Hit Girl creating a priceless and sublime cinematic moment that really gave me goosebumps! I’m not sure if there’s much more ground to cover in the sequel, but I’m looking forward to seeing Kick-Ass 2: Balls to the Wall next year.
