I know the aim of the following trailer is to offend me to such a point that I start complaining about it and get the movie some free publicity.
I know this, but I just can’t help myself.
I’m no prude. I understand the concept of post modernism. I know what irony is. But what kind of money grabbing fuckwit allows their 12 year old daughter to be in a film like this?
It’s not so much the swearing (although I do find the vim with which she says “cunt” rather disturbing), it’s the graphic violence and the fetish costume. It would bad enough if it was a 16 year old girl, but 12?
I didn’t realise it when I first saw it, but I’ve read a bit of the comic that this was based on. It’s written by Mark Millar, the same guy who wrote the comic on which Wanted was based – another film that I found morally repugnant (and crap too).
Over on twitter JJ Daddy-O made the excellent point that there may be comparisons to be drawn between this film and the furor about Jodi Foster’s role as a teenage prostitute in Taxi driver. But if Wanted is anything to go by then this film will not be art and will not have anything meaningful to say. It will just be thinly disguised lowest common denominator violence.
I’m not saying it should be banned. I’m just saying I’m not going to see it.
And on a rather more pleasant note, don’t forget to check out Lee and Dan’s Midnight Movie Club this week, it’s our Christmas special and we’re looking at that all time Bill Murray classic: Scrooged.
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That clip was disturbing on so many levels. Terrible concept. I’d be very concerned for anyone who not only goes to see it, but enjoys it.
.-= notSupermum´s last blog ..Enough Snow Already! =-.
@notSupermum, She actually isn’t the main character – they obviously chose these clips in order to cause a stir. I shouldn’t have posted it really I suppose, it just encourages them.
I think you hit the nail on the head here. I’m not offended, and I could easily embrace a film that used such a character contrivance to witty, ironic or postmodern effect.
However, that film will never come from the pen of Mark Millar, a writer who uses shock tactics to get attention because he doesn’t have anything interesting to say.
.-= Rol´s last blog ..I Am Such A Turncoat =-.
@Rol, Wanted was so horrid that I don’t think i’d ever watch anything with Millar’s name attached again.
I’ll have to come back and take a lookie when the kids are in bed – I presume?
.-= MrsW´s last blog ..Hum Bawbag =-.
@MrsW, yes – not one for the kids. Not one for me either really.
I can’t even watch it. It’s sounds vile.
.-= Jo Beaufoix´s last blog ..Disney Blu Ray brings you Last Minute Prezzies and I bring you Exploding Cow Farts =-.
@Jo Beaufoix, it’s vile, and also not as clever as it thinks it is
agree it could have had potential, but turned out to be pointless violence involving children. not for me, thanks. But then I have been accused of having the singular worst taste in movies…Clash of the Titans and Flash Gordon are two of my favourite movies of all time….”Flash….ahh-ahhh”
.-= slugs on the refrigerator´s last blog ..The Path Through Motherhood… =-.
@slugs on the refrigerator, the concept is interesting – real life “superheroes” and the mindless violence inherent in them – but to use a 11 year old in that is just pointless and transparent courting of controversy.
Of course I know that I’ve fallen for it hook line and sinker here.
Oh my Dan, I can’t believe you made you watch a clip with Nicholas Cage in it. I feel unclean.
@Craig, Sorry. I should have put a warning on it or something.
I was reading this and wondering had you gone a bit antsy on us, but then I went to you tube to watch the clip (this one’s been removed) and yeah, it’s just wrong.
I can’t really see who this would appeal to.
.-= Martin´s last blog ..Was Madonna Dutch? =-.
@Martin, I published this off the cuff, and if I’d thought about it properly I probably wouldn’t have – as controversy is the sole reason these clips were chosen for a trailer I imagine.
Ah well.
Oh the irony of the banner at the stat of the trailer saying this is for a “mature” audience.
Based on the trailer, this film is lost on me.
.-= Steve´s last blog ..Diagnosis – dodgy tummy =-.
Hi Dan,
I’m with Jo on this one.
Happy Christmas and all the best for 2010! May the Hadrian’s Wall Walk be a fantastic one! Best wishes, Hadriana xx
Allow me to say straight away that the clip and indeed the original scene in the comic book itself (which is actually more graphic than its cinematic counterpart) caused me to raise an eyebrow, I’m not going to say I was outraged as such, or even for that matter offended, surprised though.
I say that for the sake of clarity as it is going to sound like I am defending this and generally I’m not, although I admit I am actually looking forward to seeing the film but I can easily see why one would question this.
First off the character itself is a reflection of the grim, dark and violent places that comic books have found themselves, during the 80s through to today, comics have swayed from one end of the spectrum to another regarding violence and edgier storylines.
Hit Girl is basically what if Wolverine or the Punisher was Robin and female. The fact is that dealing with ‘real world’ criminals would not have been all green tights and “holy urban warfare, Batman” the idea of a teenage sidekick fighting ‘crime’ should be an abhorrent idea in general.
There is a scene that is currently doing the rounds also that shows her father shooting her in the chest whilst wearing a bullet proof vest so that she’ll know what it feels like and won’t hesitate. The scene is confronting, disturbing, possibly funny but completely within the realm of the training a young vigilante might undertake.
If the exact same scene was shown within a Batman comic book using Robin it probably wouldn’t have been as surprising (except Batman doesn’t use guns and so Alfred would have had to shoot him and Alfred’s getting on a bit…).
I didn’t so much get the fetish costume feel myself, but then I generally so outraged at the pathetic costumes that most female characters in comic books are presented in that I’m actually relieved that at least she is wearing a costume.
Personally I liken this in a very small way to the film The Professional (or Leon depending in what region you live) although I doubt that Kick Ass will be as well made or poignant but Roger Ebert said this about the The Professional:
“Always at the back of my mind was the troubled thought that there was something wrong about placing a 12-year-old character in the middle of this action.”
I completely hear what he is saying but the film is a testament to the power of that imagery. Kick Ass does present itself though as much more exploitive.
As a second point in regards to the film Wanted, the source material, the comic book is so much better but then also so much more violent and I’ll use the word abhorrent again. But then it was supposed to be, it was designed to be confronting as we explore the what if super villains were as cold as the worst killer we have to offer in reality. No long speeches, no bizarre devices to confound the hero, simply if you have your shot you take it and you put the hero down.
I wouldn’t recommend Wanted the comic to everyone but I still think it serves as an interesting thought piece to how we react to violence in comics and in other media and when after being so desensitised to it I actually am relieved that I can still react to such displays with shock and surprise.
There is plenty out there that I won’t watch or read and don’t understand why others enjoy it either, torture porn films are always my thing that I don’t get but others seem to enjoy them (it’s ironic that not three hours ago I wrote about this very thing when talking about a particular comic series I discovered this year – if you don’t like Mark Miller I would suggest you steer well clear of Garth Ennis).
So I wouldn’t beat yourself up too much for playing into their hands, I’d be more concerned if you didn’t react.
Sorry for rambling.
.-= Lee´s last blog ..Five comic book discoveries for 2009 =-.
I don’t buy it.
This character isn’t grim and the violence isn’t realistic – it’s comic book and glorified. I’d perhaps accept it if this was gritty realism – but the gun reloading scene shows that that isn’t the case – this is hyper realism and done for adrenalin kicks rather than to make a point.
It may pretend to be saying something deep – but it’s just shallow and porn (in the non sexual meaning of the word).
I like Garth Ennis actually. I bought Preacher right from the beginning and liked that superhero spoof he did recently (can’t rememeber the name) – but he uses shock tactics for humor, not just for the sake of it. And he doesn’t come across as morally bankrupt (like Millar did in Wanted – that films is a sure fire justification plea for a serial killer)
.-= Dan´s last blog ..In which I play right into their hands. =-.
I’m enjoying the comic. It’s for adults. The movie is for adults. A murderous child is different from Kirsten Dunst’s character in “Interview with a Vampire” how? Because it’s gorier?
If this was a kids’ movie, I’d agree with you. But it’s not.
.-= Avitable´s last blog ..Twas the night =-.
Yeah, I agree with you Dan. There are just places that shouldn’t be gone to and this is one of them. Maybe if I didn’t have kids I would be able to blow it off easier but I don’t think like that anymore. I won’t be seeing it, but then again I don’t see any recently.
.-= Seattledad´s last blog ..Making a List =-.
Yep. Fuckwits. Could not have put it better myself.
.-= Rosie Scribble´s last blog ..Christmas cracker horror =-.
I’m reading the comics. I can’t say I like it, but there is a certain fascination it holds for me that I find difficult to describe. It is definitely gorier than this movie appears to be.
The movie, however, looks like something that is just plain offensive. I’d be interested in seeing it if it appeared to keep some of the (decreasingly prevalent) feel of “what if some kid put on a superhero costume for real” from the book. This trailer, though, makes it obvious that they’ve abandoned whatever “realism” the book had and plans to make it’s money off of shock value.
.-= Jeff´s last blog ..The year Comcast stole Christmas =-.