There’s no more original thought in Hollywood these days. Think about it? I have no idea how many movies have been made since the early 20th century but I’m sure the number is a lot bigger then we all think. Eventually Tinsel Town had to run out of steam because really nothing is new under the sun. I’m pretty sure that’s the reason why we are seeing so many remakes or reboots and so many special editions these days. Unfortunately this trend is beginning to take over and if you ask me I think this is setting a very strange bar creatively for today’s cinema. Don’t worry. If your film stinks you can always reboot it!
So how about Kick Ass? Is it a reboot? No. Is it anything more than another hero's origins film? No. Is it all that original? No, not really. Is it most likely the smartest and most entertaining comic book movie I’ve ever seen? YES and here’s why.
I’m sure you guys all remember the movie Scream right? It came out in 1996 when the slasher genre was already in full decline. So many films came before it that had the same plot, same scares and even the same lines. Scream wasn’t all that original but my my wasn’t it special? It was, because near the end of the film we’re treated to a scene where one of the film’s characters actually decides to go over the rules that need to be followed in a horror movie. Remember? If you want to live through a slasher you can’t take a roll in the hay. You can’t drink or do drugs and most importantly you can’t ever say, “I’ll be right back.” At that point Scream showed it’s true colors. This wasn’t a horror movie. It was a movie about horror movies. It was a very clever and highly entertaining satire about a film genre that had run out of anything new to say.
That is exactly what Kick Ass is as film. The comic book genre has gotten to the point where it’s impossible to really come up with anything original. The super hero movie too has its established rules. So instead of trying to make something original writer/director Matthew Vaughn decided to give us a comic film that’s all about comic books and the conventions that exist in them. There’s one difference between Kick Ass and Scream though. I don’t think Scream ever broke away from its satire. By the end of the film Jamie Kennedy’s character actually becomes a kind of play-by-play commentator that tells the other characters and the audience alike what’s going to happen next. What we as filmmakers like to refer to as the 4th wall comes crashing down and Scream almost moves into a full-fledged parody. Think about it this way. Imagine any number of films that are narrated by Morgan Freeman. Now imagine him walking into frame as the actors are moving throughout the story look you strait in the eye and begin to describe what is happening. There's no wall separating you any longer from the movie and suddenly you're just watching a play on Broadway but I digress.
Kick Ass never makes fun of itself and after a painstaking effort of creating realism in its first two acts it decides to become a true comic book film by shedding all reality and satire in the 3rd. It manages to deliver a story as entertaining as Iron Man and as smart at Tropic Thunder and I was very very pleased. There are a lot of other things I could mention about this film from superb acting, smart humor, great choreographed action sequences and unforced entertaining pop culture but I won’t. Go see this film and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
Until next time I’ll be content in the fact that I am a massive fanboy!
The Pretentious Filmmaker
0 comments:
Post a Comment