Tackling the list: Kick-Ass

For Christmas this year I received a scratch off movie bucket list, teen movie addition. When I started scratching of the films I had seen I realised that there were only a few left, so for my first challenge on here I will be watching the remainder of the bucket list.

The first film on the list I watched was Kick-Ass, a comedy superhero movie based on the comics published by Marvel. Going into this film I had mixed feelings, I’d heard good reviews of the film, but also had the idea that it was so bad it was funny (I’m not sure where I picked that up from).

The main character Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor Johnson) is a relatable, nerdy high school student who is tired of people getting mistreated and decides to

become a superhero. The circumstances for this to be possible, metal fixing his bones and reducing his sense of pain, are ridiculous, but what more can you expect from a comedy comic. The film follows his journey from the decision to be a superhero, to his rising fame and the challenges he faces.

He is joined in the film by two other, under the radar, superheroes; Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage). They are a farther daughter duo lead to being vigilantes by personal tragedy and the desire for revenge. The idea of such a young girl being in this line of work is both comical and tragic, it left me with a desire to both see the girl get revenge, but also for her to be taken out of such a violent situation, very mixed feelings.

A large part of the film focuses around Dave’s love for classmate Katie (Lyndsy Fonseca), a popular girl who never notices him, that is until he was seriously hurt. After that a friendship was struck up between the two, although it’s hindered by her idea that he is gay. The film takes this opportunity to showcase the stereotypes of a “gay best friend” that girls apparently want. Johnson’s character takes disgusting advantage of this, allowing Katie to strip in front of him believing he had no sexual feelings towards her. By the time he reveals to her he is Kick-Ass and that isn’t gay, she ‘falls for him’ entering a relationship; the film brushes over the violation of her privacy and the disgusting way Dave broke her trust in order to enforce the stereotypical swooning for the hero.

I really enjoyed Kick-Ass, despite some questionable subplots, aka the fake gay best friend, I found the story far more engaging than I imagined. The plot was ridiculous, but that is the point, it achieved its goal of making a superhero movie for laughing and enjoying without getting hung up on serious stories such as that in the MCU.

I will be watching the sequel, so watch out for my review, and watch out for the next film on the list!