This was the storyline of Kick-Ass, the surprise 2010 film hit based on the comic book of the same name. The film was graphic, bloody and violent enough to shock cinemagoers, and if the follow-up to the book is anything to go by, this summer’s sequel will make the original look like a teddy bear’s picnic.
Yet just before the release of Kick-Ass 2 one of the lead actors, rubber-faced funny man Jim Carrey, withdrew his support for the film, tweeting: ‘I did Kick-Ass 2 a month before (sic) Sandy Hook (a shooting at an American school) and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart.’
Mark Millar, author of the original comics released a statement saying: ‘Like Jim, I’m horrified by real-life violence but Kick- Ass 2 isn’t a documentary. Kick-Ass avoids the usual bloodless body-count of most big summer pictures and focuses instead on the consequences of violence, whether it’s the ramifications for friends and family or, as we saw in the first movie - Kick-Ass spending six months in hospital after his first street altercation.
‘I’ve never quite bought the notion that violence in fiction leads to violence in reallife any more than Harry Potter casting a spell creates more boy wizards in real-life. Our audience is smart enough to know they’re all pretending and we should instead just sit back and enjoy the serotonin release of seeing bad guys meeting bad ends as much as we enjoyed seeing the Death Star exploding. Kick-Ass 2 is fictional fun so let’s focus our ire instead on the real-life violence going on in the world like the war in Afghanistan and the alarming tension in Syria right now.’
• What do you think about this debate? Who do you agree with?
In reality, Kick-Ass is far from the most violent movie out there. It seems as though there is always a new film trying to ‘one-up’ anything prior to it in the gratuitous violence stakes. It’s not just films either; violence in video games has never been more prevalent or realistic.
• Do you watch violent movies or play violent video games? Have you noticed any impact?
• Is it possible that violence being shown on the news, or violence being the ‘solution’ to so many global issues, is more of a problem? Read Matthew 6:22-23.
• What do you think Jesus is talking about here?
• Aside from violence, what else could you watch which could have a negative impact on you?
• Do you think about what you watch and listen to?
