2. Changing The Ending
I love the ending from the comic. An epic battle in the middle of Times Square ends with Hit-Girl getting arrested (!!!). It's a very Empire Strikes Back-esque cliffhanger, with Kick-Ass and his crew poised to attempt to break Hit-Girl out in Kick-Ass 3. ...And the film completely loses all of that. Instead, the movie ends with the most clichéd superhero wrap-up imaginable. Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl share a contrived Hollywood kiss, Dave gives up being Kick-Ass, Mindy leaves the city for good, and Dave gives us some half-assed narration about how he learned the real secret of being a hero is to just be himself. This ending feels so tacked-on I can't decide whether to laugh in derisive hysteria or cry tears of despair. Exactly where in this movie does it suggest that the moral of the story is to NOT be a super hero? Is it the part where Hit-Girl takes down Mother Russia by dosing herself with a shot of Hulk Strength? Or the part where Kick-Ass bands a team of 50+ heroes to have a super powered brawl with the villains? Sorry, but I don't see anything in there suggesting it's better to be a normal guy, not with Wadlow excising all of the comic's multilayers. The movie's ultra quick wrap-up comes completely out of the blue, it's way too neat and tidy, and strangely seems like they're aiming to end the series with this installment. But why would they do that when there's still Kick-Ass 3 to come? Could it be that Wadlow knew just how awful his movie was, and figured that ending it with the comic's cliffhanger would be the equivalent of cinematic suicide? I wouldn't be surprised. Then there's the aforementioned kiss between Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass... NO! Just... NO! Enough with the ultra-pedo stuff! These two should NOT be kissing. Part of what makes the Kick-Ass/Hit-Girl relationship so unique and interesting is that there is zero sexual tension between them. There can't be, because in the comics Dave is 16 and Mindy is 12. But beyond the age gap, it's important in Millar's universe that there be no romance between the two central characters. Millar's story takes place in our world, and in our world two people don't get together simply because they're both dressing up and fighting on the same team. Relationships are much more complicated than that, and only clichéd Hollywood archetypes allow for the pairing of male-and-female protagonist. The Hollywood coupling has no place in a film whose source material constantly strives to go against traditional character dynamics. Since Wadlow is clearly viewing Kick-Ass through the lens of an audience pleaser, he's considering only what he thinks the stereotypical movie audience wants, and not what actually makes sense for the characters. Wadlow failed to grasp that the Hit-Girl/Kick-Ass relationship is one of mutual respect and admiration, not a romance. Just the age gap alone makes it icky. Sure, in the movie the difference in ages is 16 and 20 rather than 12 and 16, and it's more a case of Hit-Girl wanting to experience a first kiss than the inklings of a genuine relationship... but it's still icky. Read on to see what all this badness boils down to...