A Kick-ass adaption

   Kickass, the 2010 film adaption of the 2008 graphic novel, illustrates the consideration that a film maker must have when adapting a comic to the medium of film. The story of a high school geek and comic book fan who sets out to become a superhero because "no one has  ever tried it before", is a dark comedy with a well intentioned, but incompetent hero. In his quest to make a difference in the world, he finds himself involved with not only hardcore criminal elements but a pair of more ruthless ACTUAL superheroes.

   The most important issue in adapting a comic to film is how close to the original spirit of the comic the film is going to be. This film could probably be categorized as a faithful adaption rather than a loose or literal one. Although the film has tried to stay true to the content of the book, certain differences are apparent. The language in the film, even though rather crude, (similar to teenage films such as" American Pie") is nowhere near the intensity of that in the comic, probably for audience considerations. Likewise, the scenes of violence in the film are nowhere near as graphic as they are in the comic. For the sake of brevity, many scenes, such as the one where Kickass (Lyzewski)'s dead mother appears at his hospital bed, in the book were left out of the film. The costumes were also somewhat different: in the movie, Hit Girl wears a  dress, in the comic she she wears more practical ( for an assassin) attire. Other elements that were changed include the character  "Red Mist", who is much more ruthless in the comic than the film, and "Big Daddy", who burns to death in the film ; in the comic he is shot in the head. Overall though, the film adaption was relatively faithful to the comic.
   This was an enjoyable film that manages to be both a parody and a serious piece of film making at the same time.