Category Archives: film

Kick-Ass: A Review

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There are reviews all over the internet for Kick-Ass, the latest movie from Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughn. The reviews give an almost unanimous thumbs up. And so they should, it’s brilliant.

Of course I’m the target audience, if a little old, so it’s unsurprising that I loved it. What is more interesting is that so many stuffy movie reviewers also thought it rocked. The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw enjoyed it too much it, calling it “monumentally mad”, which just has to be a good thing.

The basic premise is that a comic-book loving kid decides that he’s just gonna be a superhero. No radioactive spider bites, pubescent mutations or high-tech gadgetry, just a scuba-diving suit and a couple of weeks honing his “kung-fu” skills in front of the mirror. Unsurprisingly, his first ruckus ends with our hero in a heap on the ground, having been stabbed in the gut. To round things off he’s then hit by a car. Good times.

Weeks later, having had metal pins inserted into bones and his nerve-endings fried, our hero returns with an impressive ability to take a beating. Unruffled by the stabbage Kick-Ass returns to action and takes on some local hoodlums, and thanks to the glory that is YouTube, becomes a cult hero.

Kick-Ass’ new found fame means his path crosses the father-daughter team of Big Daddy (a sort of low-rent vicious Batman) and Hit Girl (a pint-sized ninja with penchant for separating goons from their limbs). Big Daddy and Hit Girl are, however, the real deal, and are living the superhero dream with a bloody vendetta against the local kingpin.

Anymore and we’re in danger on a spoiler alert, but obviously Kick-Ass gets dragged into some serious shit.

Thankfully the Kick-Ass soundtrack is awesome. The fight scenes are partnered with some great tunes (the soundtrack is on Spotify for European readers) that really get the blood pumping. All great films have a great score, and Kick-Ass certainly has that box ticked. Any soundtrack that offers New York Dolls, Elvis and Primal Scream scores big with me.

If I were to describe Kick-Ass, I’d ask you to imagine a melange of Kill Bill, Spider-man and the 2008 hipster hit, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. It’s as bloody as Kill Bill, as corny as Spider-man, and it’s a great modern teen movie like Nick and Norah’.

From the opening scene to the final credits I was gripped. I loved it. I don’t care if I’m gushing. After the disappointing Watchmen and overrated Iron Man, it was brilliant to see a comic book realised with such class.

If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. You’re reading Rational Geekery so there must be something in this movie for you.

I promise, I won’t wash until you’ve seen it. So even if it’s just for the sake of my long-suffering wife, you must go see Kick-Ass. 🙂

5/5