Kick-Ass 2

Kick Ass 2 isn't as refreshing or as original as the the first, but it still succeeds in delivering lights, entertaining action and a surprising amount of emotion.

If the first Kick-Ass movie was that cool cousin, who's a bit rough around the edges and definitely a badass, then this film is that young brat, who tries to imitate said cousin, but only partly succeeds.

The first Kick-Ass film had a few good things going for it. It had a completely new take on the superhero genre, it skillfully juggled both effective comedy and brutally violent action scenes, plus it had some pretty convincing characters and a dark storyline. The sequel, on the other hand, fails at the juggling part. The action scenes are still pretty brutal and effective, but the humour lacks that razor sharp edge that made the first one so believable despite its premise. Instead it relies on racial stereotypes and potty humour, which just isn't that funny.

Add in a lackluster storyline that honestly feels like watching tennis. First one character has a change of heart, then few minutes later he/she bounces back and another character decides to change his/her opinion, immediately after which the first one changes his/her stand. Rinse and repeat. A compelling and captivating story this does not make, especially when the villain generates mostly embarrassed facepalms and the final battle rejuvenates some of the first clichés the first film so artfully dodged.

That being said, the production values are still excellent, some of the new characters are pretty interesting (though there's way too many of them), I still like both Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Hit-Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) and they had some really good scenes together. If you liked the first film and want to see the storyline continued, this one is worth checking out if you're not expecting miracles.

I loved the first one and have been waiting for this with great anticipation! When I saw it on Comcast On-Demand I immediately rented it. Like most sequels, this wasn't as good as the first and it's hard not to make comparisons to the first movie.

The first thing I noticed was the lack of a good soundtrack that went with the first movie. Scenes like Hit-Girl whooping ass to Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation", or the old Banana Splits song "Tra La La" Song totally made the first one awesome for me. The soundtrack was as important as the characters.

As the movie was unfolding I kept waiting for some funny/rocking music to play. Unfortunately, I was pretty let down that they didn't spend the money to acquire some interesting/funny/rocking songs for this movie.

Then the plot was sort of handicapped by the fact the characters had matured. I felt the actors all did a good job, but the built in humor that came along with an innocent naive Kick-Ass character getting his butt beat, or the irony of a 10 year old foul mouthed girl killing someone with the same zeal she would pursue a boy band with was gone.

I think they spent a little to much time developing the idea of a group of super hero's and and not enough time developing Kick-Ass & Hit-Girl characters. Overall, I liked it, and I'm sure most will... It just wasn't as fresh and new as the original.

The first Kick-Ass film is one of my favourite films so I was delighted when I heard there was going to be a sequel. I didn't think it would be able to live up to expectations but it certainly did, it is a brilliant sequel. Both films are at least on par with each other.

The action again is fast paced and in some parts really gory, the humour is still there and the characters are all portrayed extremely well again. This one had more super heroes in it which I thought was good and it was more straight to the point. As in the first one I think Chloë Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl is the standout performer, she is unbelievably good in this role.

Overall it was a worthy sequel, I would recommend it to anyone. Even if you don't normally like super hero films I think you may be pleasantly surprised, it is just a brilliant action film. This is probably going to be the best film of Summer 2013, I really hope there is a Kick-Ass 3 :)

9/10 - Must watch.

KICK-ASS 2 is the inevitable follow-up to the surprise comic book hit, which mixed broad comedy with hard action to provide one of the freshest superhero movies in years. This sequel is more predictable, following a familiar action-movie template while mixing in some terrible humour along the way.

The tone of the film is uneven with a mix of genuinely good, well-choreographed action moments with cheesy interludes that wouldn't be amiss in a Z-grade movie. For instance, the final warehouse fight is large scale, hard-hitting and great fun, but the awful green-screen effects on that van fight really take you out of it. Some of the new supporting characters are pretty interesting, particularly the unstoppable Mother Russia, and John Leguizamo bags a very funny supporting role.

Unfortunately, Wadlow is a better director than he is a scriptwriter and he has little idea what to do with his leading characters. Taylor-Johnson is given little to do and feels like an extra in his own movie, while the whole sub-plot with Chloe Grace Moretz going to high school is just stupid, juvenile and needless. The humour is also more uneven this time around, reaching a real low with the ridiculous vomit and diarrhoea scenes.

As ever, KICK-ASS 2 gets by for the wealth of action alone, and the willingness to go one step further than most PG-13 rated Hollywood superhero flicks. Jim Carrey is the film's real ace, bagging the best role as Colonel Stars and Stripes. Carrey is unrecognisable throughout and his own brand of relentless energy marks a real high point. In reality, KICK-ASS 2 is a pretty superficial and unnecessary sequel, but fans of the first film are sure to enjoy it anyway.