Kick-Ass – Heroic (Recommendation)

Year: 2010

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Nicolas Cage, Lyndsy Fonseca, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Evan Peters, Mark Strong, Deborah Twiss, Clark Duke, Omari Hardwick

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rpXHqnGDXo

 

 

When we think of superheroes, we see adonises who’re at the peak of mental and physical strength. These are characters that grace the pages of our comic books or film screens; Individuals dedicated on fighting the forces of evil, and saving us all.

 

Kick-Ass is a film that promoted the idea, that the ordinary can become extraordinary, with “Just the perfect combination of optimism and naivety”, anyone can be heroic. Our protagonist is the epitome of a generic high-school teenager, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who decides to become a real-life superhero. Unfortunately his wish comes true, and he becomes a target of Mafia boss Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong).

 

This black comedy ridicules the idea of superheroes, reducing them to being either psychotic megalomaniac’s who are stubborn in their vengeance, or pathetic idealists, who based their entire superhero ethos on the clichés within comic books. Additionally, by stylising violence, it gives authenticity to the deaths, as Hollywood tends to shy away from overt displays of murder. However, in Kick-Ass, the brutal massacres and Dave’s visceral and civilian response, creates a stark contrast difference between fantasy crime fighting, and that of reality. We are definitely left remember why we should leave said crime fighting to the professionals.

 

Ultimately, I believe that Kick-Ass should teach us that being “Super” isn’t what it’s cracked up to be, but we can all be heroic. Through small acts of kindness we can be an altruistic force that changes someone’s day for the positive. Whether we are like Kick-Ass and go looking for someone’s lost cat or stop a mugging; or we do something closer to home, like give up our seat on the train and give food to the homeless. So for those who believe that “With no power comes no responsibility,” remember – our heroism is classed by the impact our acts of selflessness will have on those we help, not by the ostentatiousness of how the act was delivered.