Kick-Ass 2

It seems like only yesterday that I watched Kick-Ass on the screen... but 3 years in reality, it definitely called for a sequel! Kick-Ass 2 is a fantastic sequel to the original Kick-Ass and in my opinion it is near enough up to scratch with the ratings with the original.

After the death of D'Amico in the first film, his son Chris decides to leave the life of Red Mist behind and make a new start with the alias The Motherf**ker with one aim, to kill Kick-Ass.

Kick-Ass is full of intense action and hilarious comedy, it is one of the best mixes and on par with other action-comedy films such as Hot Fuzz, 21 Jump Street and Tropic Thunder! From the variety of super heroes brought together by Jim Carrey's Captain Stars & Stripes to the frequent obscenities from 15-year old HitGirl, Kick-Ass is an enjoyable film for fans of comedy, action and the superhero films! A graphic yet hilarious adventure.

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.

What had made Kick-Ass so special was its ability to sustain an interesting story both for the audiences who are and who are not willing to delve into the deeper aspects of what makes a film truly shine. Kick-Ass 2, on the other hand, seemingly aimed only to satisfy those who are not willing to dig. (But not entirely; I will get into that later). Simply put, if you walk into movies to see action, blood, and a whole lot of style, you will absolutely love Kick-Ass 2. However, if you walk into movies to see interesting characters, a well paced story, and a whole lot of substance, you will still admire Kick-Ass 2, but forget about it very soon. While there are few aspects from the deeper end of the spectrum residing within this film, that does not mean that they do not stand out and impress. Hit-Girl was a blast to watch in the first film. But unfortunately, her new-found sensitivities in this film seem to do nothing but take away from what mattered the most about her character in the first place in exchange for a few scenes of unnecessary high-school drama for the sake of developing a character in all the wrong spots. In spite of this, one character who stood out in a great way was Colonel Stars and Stripes who, in his mere seven and a half minutes of screen time, was an enormous bundle of interesting. Sadly, behind this among few more redeeming qualities lies the issues that many will have a hard time ignoring. The antagonist, who is notoriously known as The Motherf%#$er, is someone I found to be very bland and out-of-place in the Kick-Ass film universe created by the first film. Among a handful of humorous scenes he shared with Javier lies something we see every day in teenage comedies. Something worth forgetting about. Overall, Kick-Ass 2 is a great film for reasons that a lot of audiences do not find a film great for. However, if you allow it to take you to the spot it would like you to be (Which is a different mindset than what you had while watching the first) you should be in for a nice ride.

Kick-Ass has defined itself as a superhero movie with heroes wearing silly costumes and little girls brutally beating up tough grown men. That piece of creativity has been appealed by many for smartly satirizing the genre, despite of some absurdity still existing and glorified in the action scenes. For that hype three years ago, here comes the sequel that still got the good old charms of its predecessor. The bigger difference now is the theme they are supposed to present seems tougher, but the action has also gotten strangely out of hand. While those upgraded elements can be a bit uneven, it's not really hard to enjoy the overall film since it's still quite hilarious and utterly entertaining. Although it only has little sincerity in its own message, there's no denying that Kick-Ass 2 is a lot of fun.

Kick-Ass 2 is somewhat like any sequel, it heightens the scale to look even more exciting than the first one. Other than that, the rest is mostly the same. As usual, the most entertaining parts are having fun with the characters and some superhero satires. Even if it takes a different direction, the tone surprisingly sticks to the picture which is a joy. Everything is just enjoyable and amusing, but we all know that these movies are more than being fun. It always takes some darker themes so it can come close to reality. The film suddenly becomes intriguing when it discusses about the consequences of being involved in crime fighting, but those elements didn't stray far enough.

The better surprise you're gonna see here is the performance of Chloë Moretz. She already stole the show in the first film, but here she has grown her Mindy Macready into a much mature character than just a simple violent crass as Hit-Girl is, and as Hit-Girl she is still pretty awesome. Aaron Johnson is charming as always as Kick-Ass. Jim Carrey is also delightful as Colonel Stars and Stripes. The villains are kind of caricatures, but the one who played their leader, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, brings both wimpy and menace to keep him from being too sinister.

Noticeably, the style of the last director was more inspired than the new one's. Though, the aesthetics are intact. What people might brag about is how preposterous the action scenes are. I understand it's supposed to be tongue-in-cheek and faithful to the illustrations of the graphic novel, but the fact that they're trying to avoid these heroes and villains from being "Super", it seems they can't help to justify that and make it all incredibly badass anyway. Besides, everyone is only interested about how violent it is. I just wish it has more of those anti-hero parts to make it feel human. Otherwise, people will cheer on how awesome these set pieces are, because it's inevitable to call them awesome.

The ones who will likely enjoy Kick-Ass 2 more are the fans. It's almost too identical. Same entertainment quality, same amount of laughs, and got ironically ridiculous action scenes(from jetpack to lawnmower); while we get an impressive performance from Chloë Grace Moretz and a story that has potential of being compelling. It has the same pros and cons, but bigger. Although bigger, I think the original has smarter execution. I guess the film wants to focus more on its coolness than the morality and humanity it suggests. In other way, Kick-Ass 2 is good enough as a blockbuster and a competent sequel.

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.