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A 2010 superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr.
< read all 29 reviewsKick Ass -- Not a Fan of Child Combatants
-
Apr 29, 2010
- by Philip_M_Hellmich
- posted in Search for Common Ground Community
Rating:
-5
A friend invited me to see Kick Ass and I went knowing nothing about the movie besides it was a comedy. I love seeing movies that way.
I was drawn into the plot until the introduction of Hit Girl and the level of violence. This 13-year old girl single handedly kills numerous grown men using a variety of weapons, laughing much of the time.
On one hand, sure, it was pretty cute to have a super hero girl. On the other, it was too real. Unlike most of the people cheering in the audience, I have seen the destruction caused by child soldiers across Africa. I lived in Sierra Leone prior to its war. The two villages I lived in were sacked by rebel units, one unit was headed by a teenage boy named "Colonel Rambo." Some good friends died in those attacks, many others were abused in terrible ways.
There are currently an estimated 300,000 child soldiers in the world today. Over two million children have been killed in armed conflict, six million disabled and thousands of young girls used as sex slaves. Child soldiers were and are trained in part by watching Rambo, Chuck Norris and other popular violent films. Children and youth have these film heroes as role models.
It may seem as a stretch to go from entertainment in the U.S. to child soldiers, but we have to remember the audiences are much broader than the movie theaters. DVDs are watched in small towns and homes across the world. The level of media literacy and ability to distinguish what is real and unreal varies around the world.
My friend who went to the movie with me is an assistant principle in a high school with gangs. She deals with conflicts on a daily basis, often violent ones. She did not know the movie would be so violent and apologized for suggesting it. Afterward she did comment that it was helpful to see the movie so she could better understand what her students are watching.
I do love movies, especially those with heroes that overcome major obstacles -- inner and outer. I know conflict is a natural part of life and that it makes for good story telling. Where to draw the line on violence is not an easy question. I guess what I come back to: is it something I would want in my life?
To learn more about the impact of armed conflict on children, go to:
http://www.unicef.org/graca/a51-306_en.pdf
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GlassIsland
February 06, 2011
I haven't yet seen 'Kick Ass' and this is part of the reason why - I've heard a similar take on it from a couple of my friends. Though many others have also seen it and appreciate the satire and the tone of the film, I'm not sure this would be a movie for me. The children committing gleeful violence may not be the point, but some may find it distasteful. It's certainly something to think about, and I appreciate the thoughtful review and the honest perspective!
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Count_Orlok_22
May 17, 2010
I appreciate your perspective and I certainly understand your concern, but I think that perhaps you aren't grasping the satire here. This film isn't advocating violence, regardless of the age of the person perpetrating it, but is rather showing how dangerous and ludicrous the idea of teen-aged and child heroes is.
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woopak_the_thrill
April 30, 2010
Hm. Nice review and certainly thought-provoking. I can see where you are coming from and I can appreaciate it. H-wood did give this movie an up-beat feel and unless you read the source material then you wouldn't know the difference between the two. Interesting take though I liked this one more than you did for its entertainment value. Devora moved this to my community and it definitely has a place in "To Believe Or Not to Believe The Hype"--since it is a movie community that encourages member interactions.
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devora
April 29, 2010
Great review, Philip. I've yet to watch this movie, but I've read many reviews and this is the first one that takes on this perspective. It's interesting to read your, and your friends', opinions on it given your backgrounds. I'm going to check it out eventually, but will keep this in mind. By the way, your movie review would be a better fit in the movies community than in the social media community. You can simply follow the movie community and then edit this review to add it there :) Thanks so much for sharing!
woopak_the_thrill
April 30, 2010
...and thank you for that, Lady D.
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Alyssa
April 29, 2010
If I do end up seeing Kick Ass, after reading this review, I will definitely be watching it through a different lens. Although it is a comic book adaptation, such extreme violence is just adding to the de-sensitization of children to violence. As California is currently debating a similar issue in banning violent video games (http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/26/scotus.v....video.games/index.html), the issue of violence in the media and its influence on young minds is definitely something to think about when taking your child to the movies. What children need is a superhero that "fights" for peace - without the gore.
Count_Orlok_22
May 20, 2010
But this isn't intended for children, that's kind of the point. Rather than people being upset by whether a child sees a film that actually shows gory violence, shouldn't we be more concerned with children viewing violence in which the horrible consequences aren't shown thus giving the impression that violence is okay. This film isn't pro-violence by any means. It's a spoof of a genre in which violence has been portrayed from the very start, yet in other superhero stories, because either the characters have powers or because they operate under a strict moral code, the violence is usually limited to what you'd see in a martial arts tournament. But real-life violence is uglier than that, and this film shows what happens when the unreal idea of superheroes meets the real brutality that would occur if superheroes and vigilantes like this existed. It's discouraging violence through the use of irony. As you point out, over exposure to any form of destructive behavior (be it violence, unsafe sex, or drugs and alcohol consumption) can have a very negative impact on children, but the real issue isn't so much the representation of those behaviors in the media, but rather the fact that many parents fail to differentiate between media for children and media for adults. A parent would never take a child to see a pornographic movie (at least I would hope not) because it's rated X; this film is rated R and as such parents should be wise enough to know that this too would be inappropriate. For most adults, or perhaps only those which can separate fantasy from reality and advocacy from irony, this film should prove entertaining.
Scotman
May 21, 2010
That's true, Count. The fact that no one under 17 should be watching this anyway is a point missed by the commentator, as well as the fact it is a satire. Other comic book movies such as Batman and others were rated PG and though there was some violence, the good guys did win in the end! :)
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Sundari29
April 29, 2010
I think it's great to have different perspectives like this. So often we watch movies without thought of their wider implications, ignoring that there is a wider audience as well. Sometimes it isn't "just a movie." Especially with comic book adaptations, we have to be careful of normalizing violence. It's one thing for a cartoon to have extreme levels of violence and another to see it realistically depicted. I also think it's worth noting that children are naturally going to be drawn to movies young protagonists, whether they are the intended audience or not. Certainly worth a thought.
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bjones
April 29, 2010
Interesting and enlightening input
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December 19, 2010
I just saw this not an hour ago and I can safely say that it is one of the best comic book films of all time. The acting is great, the story (essentially about an amateur superhero's days in crime-fighting) is great, the action is great, and it has some great humour mixed with a fair amout of gore and swearing. That being said, this movie is definitely not for everyone, especially those who aren't comfortable with a young girl swearing and killing people. There are also some reasonably … more
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April 21, 2010
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August 09, 2010
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About the reviewer
Philip M Hellmich (Philip_M_Hellmich)
Ranked #2
Ranked #2
I read aboutLunch.com's intention of helping people find Common Ground via social networks andloved it! I have been working with Search for Common Ground since 1997,an organization dedicated to transforming … more
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About this movie
Kick-Ass is a 2010 superhero action thriller based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who co-produced the film with actor Brad Pitt, and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman. The film's general release was on 26 March 2010 in the United Kingdom and on 16 April 2010 in the United States.
The film tells the story of an ordinary teenager, Dave, who sets out to become a real-life superhero calling himself Kick-Ass. Dave gets caught up in a bigger fight when he meets Big Daddy, a former cop who, in his quest to bring down the evil drug lord Frank D'Amico, has trained his 10-year-old daughter to be the ruthless vigilante Hit-Girl.
Kick-Ass has generated some controversy for its profanity and violence, particularly for the character Hit-Girl. The film received mostly positive reviews.
Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a normal teenager who wonders why nobody has ever decided to become a superhero like the ones in the comic books, so he decides to become a real-life superhero, despite having no superpowers or training. During his first attempt to fight crime, Dave is beaten, stabbed, and hit by a car. Some of Dave's nerve endings are damaged as a result, giving him an enhanced capacity to endure pain, and metal plates are placed in his skeleton to support his bones. After a painful recovery, Dave returns to school only to find out that his longtime crush, Katie ...
Cast:
Nicolas Cage,
Jason Flemyng,
Mark Strong,
Aaron Johnson,
Elizabeth McGovern,
Lyndsy Fonseca,
Craig Ferguson,
Chloë Grace Moretz,
Christopher Mintz-Plasse,
Xander Berkeley,
Yancy Butler
Director:
Matthew Vaughn
Genre:
Action,
Comedy,
Crime,
Drama
Release Date:
April 16, 2010 (USA)
MPAA Rating:
R
Screen Writer:
Matthew Vaughn,
Jane Goldman
Runtime:
117 minutes
Studio:
Plan B Entertainment,
Marv Films,
Lions Gate Films
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