NOTE
August 16, 2013: This post has been edited. If you were as curious as me about some of the sequel’s plot points (from the comic), here are some answers (in red).
SPOILERS.
This post contains spoilers from the comic and movie.
Now that that’s out of the way…
I am a huge fan of Kick-Ass. The Matthew Vaughn movie and the Mark Millar comic (though, I think the movie was actually better). I just finished reading Kick-Ass 2 in trade form and I have to say it’s much darker than its predecessor, yeah? There are several plot points — which I’ll get to in a second — that make the story feel quite heavy and.. well, just plain depressing.
See, what sets Kick-Ass apart from the other superhero-ish stories is its levity. Yes, it’s ultra violent (we all know this, Jim Carrey); but it manages to present the info in a fun way that doesn’t weigh the viewer/reader down too much. It’s the off-the-wall humor in seeing a young girl with a potty mouth bloodily destroy a group of bad guys. It just worked. It’s the same way we laugh at cheesy slashers or monster movies. It’s violent and gory but recognizably over the top and campy.
So, here’s my concern. How does the movie sequel present its story in the same fun way when it includes the following…
Beheaded Dog
You’ve seen the trailer. You see the dog. And, yes, the dog dies (in the comic). P.S., we’re those animal freaks that always Google “does the dog/cat die in [insert movie]?” (And if you’re like us, this site’s for you.) So, in the comic, the dog is decapitated. And, well.. his head is placed on Colonel Stars’ shoulders (who’s also dead). Now, they could get away with this for the movie if they actually kind of did what they did in the comic — meaning, this happens fairly early on in the story, so it’s mainly intended for shock. However, with Jim Carrey playing Colonel Stars, why would they kill him off in the first 20 min of the movie? He’s too big of a name.
Answer: Jim Carrey does die early on and the dog actually lives.
Child Massacre
There’s a brief scene in the comic where The Mother Fucker (formerly known as Red Mist) runs into a group of kids (based on looks and dialogue, I am guessing they are somewhere between 5 and 8 in age) and asks them for directions. The kids answer him, ask if he’s a superhero and then The Mother Fucker proceeds to gun them down. Now, this isn’t very light — and I’m not sure how you can make this light. My fix for this? Just make the kids older for the movie.
Answer: There is none.
Gang Rape
Okay. Here’s where the comic and movie split a bit. In the movie, Dave/Kick-Ass and his crush, Katie, end up together; in the comic, she rejects him. Katie is only in the Kick-Ass 2 comic briefly — where she gets gang-raped by The Mother Fucker and his crew. The reader doesn’t actually see this, but it happens. So, if Katie and Dave are together in the movie sequel, are they still going to go ahead with the rape? Isn’t is kind of worse if they are together? Scratching my head here…
EDIT (July 29, 2013): Just got an answer to this via the Kick-Ass 2 Facebook page. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was answering questions. THIS.
Answer: Apparently, the rape is intended, but the Mother Fucker isn’t able to perform. This has been met with mixed feelings. Also, it’s not Katie….
The Death of Dave’s Father
After raping Katie, The Mother Fucker & crew go ape shit and kill some cops, a lot of other people, etc. Cops decide that anyone wearing a costume should be considered a bad guy and must be arrested. Dave’s father finds the Kick-Ass costume and basically goes to jail for his son… where he ultimately gets killed by inmates (who have connections to The Mother Fucker). So, Katie’s raped and Dave’s father gets killed? How does Dave come back after that?
Answer: Does happen.
Sure, these scenarios most definitely provoke a revenge thing… but this isn’t The Punisher. This isn’t Last House on the Left or I Spit on Your Grave. This isn’t The Dark Knight. And it’s not just one thing. It’s a slew of unsettling events. In my opinion, Kick-Ass is a comic that’s supposed to be fun, colorful and comedic. So, either way, something in the movie’s going to change — and it’s either some of the story line or the overall tone. Now, for those of you griping about how changing the story will ruin the movie, that’s bullshit. Comics and movies are totally different mediums. Some stuff translates and some stuff doesn’t. And as I said before, I thought the Kick-Ass movie was better than the comic. But, with that said, here’s a Mark Millar quote from about a year ago (via Screen Rant):
Every horrible scene in the book will be in the film. The cunt line in the first one, everybody said ‘there’s no way you’re getting that in the movie’, but it happened and it’s the same thing with this. Everybody is saying ‘you can’t have a gang rape scene with supervillains’ and ‘you can’t have the dog’s head cut off,’ but every single one of those scenes will go in it.
So, there you go. Granted this was from a year ago, so things can assuredly change; however, at this time, Millar was pressing for everything. He wants the controversy. It’s funny though because hearing Hit-Girl say cunt and enduring a gang rape and a kiddie massacre aren’t exactly the same thing. Apples and oranges, Millar. At least in my book.
So….
I am still stoked on seeing the movie. I just know I’m going to look up a couple spoilers ahead of time. I’m far too curious not to.
If you’re reading this and have thoughts/theories to share, please do so in the comments section. That’s why I’m posting this.
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