Ambush Bug simultaneously kicks the ass of KICK ASS while getting his ass kicked...it makes more sense in the review!

Hey folks, Ambush Bug from AICN Comics here. So I had a chance to check out the KICK-ASS movie a while back (thanks to AICN's Chicago premiere held by the one and only Capone...thanks, Capone!) and have been pondering whether or not to review it here on AICN for a while now. But since Capone urged me to do so, I figured it's the least I could do to oblige with my thoughts on the film. Though I've been reviewing comics on AICN in our AICN Comics section for nine years, there have only been a few times I've come out of my comfort zone and reviewed film. When a comic book movie comes out though, I feel it necessary to speak up about these much hyped cinemasterpieces from a comic book fan’s perspective. And with the growing number of movies sprouting from comics, I think a voice from someone who grew up reading and more than likely learned how to read from comics would be a good person to lob his two or three cents into the mix.
Before I delve into the film itself, let me speak a bit on KICK-ASS the comic. I'm not the biggest fan of the book. Writer Mark Millar is a very talented guy and has written some great stuff, but as my fellow AICN Comics reviewer Optimous Douche put it, he's much more effective writing established characters as he did with OLD MAN LOGAN and especially RED SON (two comics worth seeking out) than he is with original material. My pal Optimous put it best when he said that when writing established characters, the reader has that rich back-story to mine from, and Millar's story doesn’t feel less effective because as a long time reader of these characters, we are more likely to fill in the holes in the story where character is lacking. So in a story like RED SON, character is subconsciously added into stories by the reader mainly because you already know who Superman is and that link is already established. With his more original works--take WANTED and KICK-ASS for example--you don't have that well to pull from and thus, things that connect you to the story like character and heart are absent from those comics. In their place are cool money shots and scenes that draw appeal in the same way that many, many fans react to Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS films (which like Millar's books have tons of fans world wide, but tend to fail to line up with critical thinking).
With KICK-ASS the comic, I saw the potential for something good when I read the first issue. Millar establishes a sympathetic character from the beginning. But soon, the more you find out about the title character, the less you feel sorry for him and midway through the series, you end up kind of rooting for the guy to get his ass kicked. Kick-Ass aka Dave is kind of a fucktard. He’s what Millar thinks exemplifies today’s comic book reader and hopes that this similarity will grab the reader, no matter how depraved he makes him. Kick-Ass/Dave would rather lie to a girl to get close to her than be the real him to her. He’s a bullied fanboy who masturbates frequently, has Peter Parker non-moments with girls, and spends all of his money and time hanging in a comic shop with his even more pathetic friends. Are you liking this guy yet? I’m not. Millar spends all of this time pointing out Dave’s weaknesses that he forgets to inject some kind of anything that one can deem as likable. Dave admits that he doesn't do his super heroing because of some sense of honor; he does it because he's kind of bored, unsatisfied with his life, and kind of pathetically lusts for some kind of attention. Taking out the noble motivation that normally drives a super hero may be seen as something clever or smart to some; deconstructing the essence of a super hero and challenging all expectations one may have, but in doing so, it strips the character of all of the appealing and honorable aspects one looks for in a hero. It squelches likability. And if you don't like the main character, sorry, you've lost this reader.
Shipping delays for KICK-ASS the comic killed momentum too, but that is a comic book trend that seems to be the norm these days and one I won't bore those in search of a movie review with here. Also, the ballsy swagger that permeated this comic from cover to cover was a detriment in my eyes. Any book that has to go out of its way to exclaim how cool it is on both the front and back cover (and even a few pages in between) with huge fonted verbal hand-jobs from creators and online critics most likely is not. All in all, apart from some art from John Romita Jr. that may well be his personal best, KICK-ASS the comic failed to be the essence of awesomeness many others have touted it as.
I'm sure by now, you're expecting me to continue my negative-speak as I move on to my thoughts on the film. The thing is, simply put, I liked the movie.
Director Matthew Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman did something to the script that helped make kick ass the comic into KICK-ASS THE MOVIE! This is one of the few times that I've seen a film turn out to be more entertaining than the original material. And all of the criticisms I had for KICK-ASS the comic in the previous paragraphs were taken care of somewhere through the translation process from comic to film.
The character and heart that I felt KICK-ASS lacked in the comic is right there front and center in the film mainly because of a likable acting job from Aaron Johnson. He's no Brando, but the kid did his job and most importantly made me care whether he lives or dies. If you get someone behind that dorky mask with eyes that can communicate emotion, then you can put him through the wringer that Millar does in the comic and surprise, surprise…it turns out you actually give a shit. Somewhere in those first fifteen to twenty minutes of the film, Vaughn and Goldman spackle the cracks in Millar's comic and make it all worthwhile. By the time Kick-Ass is YouTubed standing exhausted yet selflessly brave over a mugging victim against a trio of thugs, this movie had me where the comic failed. I believe it was that wonderfully filmed scene that made me realize I was going to like this film.
If you've read the comic, you know pretty much 90% of the film. It's all there. Every punch to the nuts. Every sliced off appendage. Every overly-macho line of dialog from the gangsters and comic book-esque homage-speak vomited from all of the wanna-be heroes. This is a comic book fan’s film. It appeals to the kid in you who used to wrap a blanket around your neck and jump off the bed in an attempt to fly.
I saw this film with fellow AICN Comics Co-Editor Sleazy G, who pointed out something that sets this film apart from most. The action scenes in this film (and there are many) are all filmed differently and, most importantly, well. Vaughn is such a talented and creative director that he can come up with so many ways for his offbeat characters in this KICK-ASS world to kill people without repeating himself once. From the first person shooter scenes of Hit-Girl in the dark warehouse to the straight up fight between Red Mist and Kick-Ass to the Zack Snyder-esque quick/slo mo badassery scene where Big Daddy takes out an entire warehouse of thugs, all of them were filmed in a different and most importantly vibrantly successful style.
Other quick thoughts: Nick Cage was born to play a role like Big Daddy. It's the type of role that made him a star in the first place, and the type of role he veered from circa CON AIR and has been steering clear of until...well, now with this film. His quirkiness abounds when the Big Daddy mask is off, but the Adam West-ian accent while in costume made me laugh every time.
Chloe Moretz does in fact almost steal the whole movie as Hit-Girl. Though occasionally the lines she speaks are overly cute, the final scenes with her infiltration into the mob boss' lair make you forget the name of the movie you are watching isn't HIT-GIRL instead of KICK-ASS.
The movie almost lost me in the final stand off. I won't reveal it, but the deus ex machina ordered on eBay teeters on making this less of a real world take on superheroes and more of a straight up superhero movie. I'll let you decide for yourself whether or not you think what's in the box is believable or not, but by the time it is revealed, there was so much fun that had been had so far, I was willing to roll with it.
Finally, I want to comment on the major difference between the comic and the movie. The middle fingering Millar does with the final issue of KICK-ASS (the same "why did you just shit in my mouth?" feeling you may have gotten after reading WANTED) is gone. IN the final issue of the comic, Millar goes overboard to really drive the point home that the hero doesn't get the girl in the end to a point that even made my jaded stomach turn a bit. Not so much offensive is love interest Katie's reaction to Kick-Ass' unmasking to her in the comic, as it is juvenile and guttural. Vaughn smartly steers clear of Millar's ending, and chooses to end the movie on a surprisingly conventional note. This somehow goes against the theme of the entire film as it is supposed to be "not your typical superhero story," but at least I didn't leave the movie feeling an urge to wash my hands and gargle as I did with the final issue of the comic.
Though I had a few criticisms of KICK-ASS the film, they are nowhere near as heavy as my negative feelings toward the comic. But I must give credit where credit is due. Despite its weaknesses, Millar wrote a fine blueprint comic book to this film, but it was Vaughn and Goldman who injected what was necessary to make a flawed comic into a pretty phenomenal comic book movie.