Kick-Ass
Here we have the story of a young boy, abused by neighborhood bullies whose relationship with friends and family can best be described as lackluster until, after lashing out in violence against those that torment him and failing miserably, he finally meets a girl who seems to be genuinely interested in him. From that moment on, he must hide his true feelings from the world, living a double life, one steeped in violence, the other based on an unhealthy relationship with this girl. Then Chloe Moretz shows up and brutally kills several adults. Then her father dies, and she goes on to train our confused protagonist to carry on her father’s work.
Whoa. What the fuck is going on here? For a second there I must have been accidentally writing a second review of Let Me In. Wouldn’t it be disturbing if these two films were really so much alike that one could simply change the little details, things like color scheme and mood lighting, from those associated with Vampires to the bright colors used for Super-heroes?
That would be awful indeed, a desperate perversion of the super-hero genre. Of course it would be a terrible travesty if this film presented us with heroes who were actually monsters, and I mean those terms in the archetypal sense. Take Hellboy, for example. The red-skinned prince of Hell (and secret pancake addict) can easily become a hero through actions rooted in morality and love. How would people react if the inverse were true? If someone who was outwardly a hero, e.g. Superman, went about his business maiming and killing jewel thieves instead of just turning them over to The Authorities? Now that would be a terribly unsympathetic character. That movie would probably suck.. As for Kick-Ass, I think the filmmakers have more than made their point, and it goes something like this: Guys, it’s okay to lie to women if that lie enables you to gain their trust and observe them without clothing. Once you reveal that your relationship is based on deception, she will sleep with you. No wonder this movie was so popular.
Also, if you pick on the new kid, she will kill you. Five stars.