Kick-Ass (2010) Directed by Matthew Vaughn

A realistic superhero movie is of course a very relative term. I mean, how realistic is a movie that involves exaggerated action scenes and characters dressed up in ridicules looking costumes? Still the term 'realistic superhero' movie certainly is one that applies to this movie. It's taking more of a grounded and realistic approach to the superhero genre, which indeed makes the characters feel more 'real' and all of the events more likely as well, which also gets you more involved, no matter how silly the movie gets at times.

That's one of the things that I really liked about the movie; It isn't trying to make things seem better than they are. Being a superhero most of the time isn't all that exciting and just because you are wearing a costumes and have some gadgets and weapons, that doesn't mean that you're invulnerable and can just kick everybody's ass as well. It makes the movie more 'raw' as well as more engaging and entertaining in a way. Because you know that all of the main characters can get seriously hurt and even worse than just that, things can get more tense and less predictable at times in this movie.

But at the same time, it's still a movie that's following the usual superhero movie template as well. It's telling its story as if its an actual superhero movie, that involves some well known and already established superheroes, set in an alternate world, with its own distinctive look and 'rules'. It's an entertaining movie and definitely more of a comedy but without becoming a parody of the genre. Instead it embraces all of the clichés one associates with the genre and exaggerates them even more to emphasize them, which works out well for the overall entertainment and comedy of the movie.

It also definitely helps that the movie is a very well made and good looking one. When it exaggerates, for instance with its action, it usually is something both awesome and beautiful to watch. It also certainly isn't holding back with any of its violence and language, which again adds to both the realism as well as to its entertainment.

It's also a movie with a real eye for detail. It often are the little things in this movie that let it feel like a true superhero movie. Things that are sitting on a villain's desk, lines characters say, stuff that's in the background, things like that. It truly are the little and simple things like that, that help to let this movie feel like a genuine superhero movie.

Thing this movie also does successfully is focus on multiple different characters. This is actually something that often differentiates the good superhero movies from the bad ones; if a movie is able to successfully focus on multiple different characters at once and not just on it's main hero, without feeling that it's ever distracting from the main hero and story, then usually the movie is a good and fun one to watch as well. This movie actually features a ton of different characters in it, also with each their own stories. But the movie manages to feel focused at all times and all of the different side-plots and characters are there to help to move the main story forward. It's true that sometimes the side-stories are more interesting than the actual main story but is that really a complaint?

Simple truth is that this movie manages to bring entertainment and is being a genuinely good and funny superhero movie, both at once. It's using all of the genre clichés and other familiar ingredients but it yet manages to work out as an original and also mostly unpredictable movie, due to its somewhat more grounded approach. Add to that the fact that it's a very well made and good looking and you have a perfectly fine and entertaining, quality, action comedy,

8/10

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