By
Andy Frisk
April 21, 2010 - 18:07
By this point everything that can pretty much be said about Kick Ass has been said, but there’s still a few ideas on the film that can be touched upon. We’re not going to dive headlong into any type post-modernist, satirical/ironical deconstruction of this film though. As another reviewer here at The Bin stated (and rightly so), this movie is “strictly for popcorn and giggles,” but we can’t take any literary look at this film without waxing a little poetic this film’s scene stealing character. She’s nothing if not at least a little controversial. Often times, something so blatantly controversial is meant to be thought provoking. Pretty much anything about Kick Ass that is particularly profound revolves around the film’s most interesting and thought provoking character: Hit Girl.
|
First off, we have to state the obvious (which is what this film does most of the time anyway). Kick Ass is a satire. Roger Ebert figured this out, even though he couldn’t figure out what Kick Ass is satirizing. It’s satirizing several things: the silliness of costumed heroes, what costumed heroes might be like in the real world (a la Watchmen), the stereotypical comic book reader, etc. Its main focus of satire though is of the plight of the powerless and the powerful, and the validity of the superhero genre overall. Again, this too is pretty much blatantly obvious (except to Ebert), and the character of Hit Girl serves as the ultimate object and focal point of the satirical jab this film takes at the ideas of empowerment and superheroes.
Superhero comic books and stories are all about empowerment. Children are attracted to their stories at a young age because they represent a fanciful dream of being something they are not, which is powerful, confident, and mature. As a child who reads about and plays at being a superhero matures and grows up, so does their taste in literature (which doesn’t mean they stop liking comic books or superheroes-there’s plenty of mature themed superhero stories). As their natural talents develop along with what they are good at or enjoy doing, their confidence grows as well. Many mature adults grow into confident and accomplished doctors, lawyers, soldiers, police officers, fire fighters, etc. We typically don’t associate the maturity and power of a professional with a young boy or girl who is just starting out in life. We certainly don’t associate an intellectually mature, professional, and secure mindset with an 11 year old girl. We also definitely don’t associate a post-innocence, hardened, and emotionally distant being with an 11 year old girl.
|
What is more innocent and powerless in society (for the most part, actress Chloe Moretz might beg to differ) than a prepubescent little girl (after an infant of course)? Time and time again in literature and films, it’s often the innocent little girl who suffers or needs protecting, particularly in crime dramas. So when Mark Millar created Kick Ass he turned the status quo on its head by creating a girl who cusses like a sailor, kills like a pro, and handles tragedy like a seasoned adult. In short, Hit Girl is a fantasy of a fantasy, and an exaggerated one at that. Millar creates her as a metaphor for the metaphor of what a superhero is, namely a child’s fantasy of being powerful. In turn, since Hit Girl is so obviously over the top and so unrealistic, as a metaphor for the idea of a superhero serving as a metaphor of empowerment, what does the character of Hit Girl say about the validity of the whole superhero as metaphor idea? She says it’s as fake an idea and dream as her being anywhere remotely possible of being a reality. Kick Ass, its characters, and its true star, Hit Girl, are painfully and obviously (and seemingly) pointing out that superheroes as a realistic idea AND as a metaphoric outlet are so stupidly over the top and inane that they don’t even deserve to be considered viable as a storytelling vehicle.
Kick Ass tells a great story though…ah, there’s the rub. The incredibly foolish and impossible existence of a character such as Hit Girl and her antics and abilities are so incredible and unrealistic that she sticks out like a sore thumb, drawing huge attention to herself as a character. She’s a character that could easily have been lost amongst a host of other self important and/or similarly motivated comic book characters. Like the main “hero’s” name, and title of the book and movie, Hit Girl’s audacity of existence is so attention grabbing and yes, controversial, that it draws the attention of the crowd and turns heads, even amongst those already immersed in the world of comic books and superheroes. You want to see what all of the hype is about, and even if you’re not a fan of comic books or superheroes, or even movies, you might be motivated to check Kick Ass out, and therefore be exposed to the overall positive message and the actual (and quite obviously) very valid storytelling vehicle that the superhero story is. The message is that one person can make a difference. It’s an old message and theme. It’s worth repeating and revisiting though. Kick Ass presents this message in a new and fresh way that really grabs your attention, particularly through the character of Hit Girl. As a psychotic clown in another superhero flick once stated, “I don’t know if it’s (Kick Ass) is art, but I like it!”
|
Okay, so we ended up waxing a little more poetic and post-modernist in this look at Kick Ass’s most interesting character than was intended, but creator Mark Millar and director Matthew Vaughn had a good idea that beat all the superhero genre rules and managed to grab your attention in a new way. If you were paying attention, Hit Girl might have hit you with an idea or two worth pondering. Not bad for an over the top satire of a not so satirical genre after all. Because of Hit Girl, a very silly idea, we’re reminded of a not so silly idea.
ComicBookBin
