Shaun Of The Dead is a good movie to compare this to. For instance, it’s one of those rare films that I can blanketly recommend to anyone who is friends with me; If you like me, you will like this. Secondly, like Shaun, it will entertain you whether you’re a fan of the genre of not. Thirdly, it functions as both a satire, and a genuine superhero movie in it’s own right; It never turns into parody. And last, because of that, you actually care about the characters and what happens to them, and at any given moment it’s difficult to know whether to laugh or cringe.
I’m pretty much preaching to the choir on this site, since the geek praise seems to be unison (Which, of course, means there will be a very strong backlash), but GODDAMN Matt Vaughn! I mean, Layer Cake and Stardust were cute, but this is stepping it up to the power of ten. Particularly impressive, since the movie was made independently for about $30 mil. . . chump change, in the world of superhero movies.
Mark Millar is one of the stupidest, most juvenile comic book writers out there, but he does come up with some great premises: If an ordinary kid decided to become a superhero in the “real world”, what would happen? I feel that this concept is what could make it palpable to a non-superhero fan. This isn’t about a fantasy world in which Superman is flying over your head; It’s about how you would react to seeing a dude in a green suit fighting muggers right in front of you. If you’ve seen any of the trailers, you know that the film escalates from this initial concept, but I think in the same way that you escalate from Chief Brody patrolling the beach to snipering an airtank in a shark’s mouth; It’s a gradual slope, and one that really sucks you into the narrative. Sure, Big Daddy kills the shit out of a warehouse full of mobsters, but he’s not decapitating people with a boomerang, or anything crazy; He’s shooting them in the face. Hit Girl is clearly the most “out there” character, but hopefully by the time she gets to shine, the movie will have you hook, line and sinker.
Hit Girl (Played by the amazing Chloe Moretz) owns this film, but really all of the characters are a lot of fun, and you can tell that the actors are having fun playing them. Movie and comic references abound, and even the lay-viewer will understand lines like “With no power comes no responsibility”. Direction, photography, soundtrack. . . all impeccable. Of particular note is the editing; The pacing is absolutely perfect, and the action scenes build in an incredible way.
Not often do I feel like a movie needs or deserves a sequel, but in this case I demand one. But in order for that to happen, you need to go out and see it! You might even see me there; I’ll be going again soon. My favorite movie of the year so far, and odds are very strong that it will end up on my top ten.