Kick-Ass Adaptation Review

Kick-Ass Review

With a whole lot of lycra, copious amounts of action and the type of language that will make your mother recoil in horror, the film adaptation of Kick-Ass is out to shock us all.
Adapted from Mike Millers 2008 comic-book series with the same name, Kick-Ass is a film not to be missed. Be it the controversial character of 11 year old Mindy (aka Hit Girl), or the memorable one-liners, this film will be the subject of conversation for a very long time – of both shock and admiration.

Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) clearly brings a comic-book influence into his work, which is stupendously shown through the Kill Bill-esque use of blood. Would blood really splatter ten feet or so away from a savaged head? In comic books, yes, real life, no. But this exaggerated use of blood is what gives the film a comic-book feel, suggesting that Vaughn was careful not to steer too clear from the original source by sticking close to its visual components. Impressive for a DIY film produced outside the studios – a tricky move that pays off well.

The story is very much similar to the usual superhero films showcased on our screens. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson from Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging – we don’t know how they match either) is the typical superhero ego, aka incredibly uncool, unpopular with the ladies and totally incapable of mass destruction. However, instead of dilly-dallying around and imagining the ‘super life’ – he formidably goes forth and attempts to become a superhero (in a very tight, blue and yellow lyrca wetsuit – which is actually the splitting image of Millers creation). Even though Kick Ass’ first encounter with crime ends rather drastically – being stabbed, hit by a car and ending up with metal plates in your head isn’t exactly your typical day – Dave carries on. As the hero says himself, “you don’t need a power to be a superhero”. However, an inclusive amount of mafia-like weaponry, a foul mouth and perhaps the occasional gymnastics lesson could come handy, made apparent by the ‘real-life’ heroes Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz).

Although both the comic and the screenplay were written in coherence with each other, there is a blatant shift in story lines. Those familiar with Millers original work can clearly pinpoint the unsubtle change in Big Daddy’s background, which has been adapted in a more cinematic light – even depicting the past as a comic-book story board. This was a smart move to make, as Big Daddy’s new back-story draws in the main villain Frank D'Amico (John Genovese in the original source) much more fiercely than in the comic, giving the father-daughter duo an actual purpose.

A big change in the process of page to screen is the use of costumes and portrayal of characters. In the film, Big Daddy sports a cheap-looking version of a Batman suit, ears and all. This could be seen as a lean towards the world of comics – made even more apparent by the casting of Nicolas Cage, a well-known comic book enthusiast (his résumé even boasts the likes of comic-book adaptation Ghost Rider!) Although Cage’s interpretation of the hero is easy to warm to, he is not the enormous, red-armoured figure that is shown throughout the comic series, and quite sadly so. With Vaughn’s new heroic twist on the character you would expect at least a bit more muscle.

Then we come to Red Mist, yet another nerd set out to live the superhero life. However, this guy’s got the big bucks and of course the big car (the ‘Mist Mobile’, funnily enough). The casting of Christopher Mintz-Plasse is quite surprising. Although a geek, the character of Red Mist seemed slightly cool in Miller’s story, his flashy gadgets and equally flashy father giving him that imperturbable bad-boy edge that we all love. The total opposite of Christopher’s previous film characters, basically. Watch Super Bad and you’ll see.
However, this choice in actor gives the film a humorous edge – making the character much more likeable, and a lot more believable as a weedy wannabe.
So overall, Kick-Ass is an action-packed, extremely exaggerated and humorous film whose visual components are much like its comic-book influence, although not all technically from the original source itself. Get past the swearing and slaughtering 11 year old and the vast amount of blood and you’ve got yourself an exceptionally entertaining story, fit with cool effects and weapons. You just need to sort out those costumes, Vaughn.