Review of Kick-Ass (2010) by Juliankleiss — 30 May 2011

Being based on the comic book of the same name, the movie "Kick-Ass" respects the traditions of the comic book superhero genre by consciously getting inspiration from Spiderman and Batman. However, it transcends simple imitation by far.

The production of the movie is awesome. Above all mentionable is the film's magnificent use of music. First off, in terms of the script, the movie does a wonderful job in criticizing the perceived lack of responsibility to people passing and watching a crime happen without doing anything against it.

If many people start helping in bad situations that are not too dangerous, and if children are already being raised to intervene, everyone could contribute to a more secure society. This would also lessen the chance of getting mugged at some point in your life.

On the other hand morally controversial, is the glorification of the revenge murdering committed by two of the protagonists who are less than more on the side of the righteous heroes. Even a woman that was not a threat but tried to flee was stabbed to death.

Revenge killing is not a necessary evil for a good cause (as would be a killing in self defense). Therefore, they are hardly any different than some villain who kills for power. Rather than portraying the revenge in a neutral way or actually suggesting that revenge is morally bad, the cinematic glorification of it makes the movie less likable.

Nevertheless, "Kick-Ass" is totally worth watching.