I have to admit, I find it a bit surprising that someone decided to make a sequel to the 2010 comic book film, Kick Ass. While the film made made money at the box office, received mostly positive reviews from critics, and generally struck a chord with it's target audience... it's obscene violence, unique ideas, and mostly stand-alone story seemed more like it would be seen as a cult classic or midnight movie instead of a franchise starter with mainstream appeal. Well... if there's a potential profit to be made, I guess anything is possible. When I reviewed the original film back in 2010, I gave it 3.5 stars out of 5. Looking back, I think I might have been a little tough on it. While I still don't think it's a perfect film, the enjoyable cast, gleefully immature tone, great action and obscenely over-the-top violence made Kick Ass one hell of a, well, "kick ass" movie. A four out of five would have been a more appropriate score. Don't know why I was so critical for that one, since those are usually the kinds of films I tend to be too lenient toward (maybe I was trying to avoid that). But whatever, what's done is done, and repeat viewings have made me appreciate the original more than I did before. So... with all that said, here's Kick Ass 2...Kick Ass 2 picks up 3 years after it's predecessor. High School senior Dave Lizewski aka Kick Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has mostly retired from his superhero days and instead focused on his everyday life. Despite this, his previous stint as Kick Ass has inspired dozens of everyday citizens to take up their own superhero mantles and clean up the streets. Because of this, Dave puts back on his Kick Ass costume and allies with a local group of costumed heroes led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), all of whom have dedicated their lives to fighting crime and making the city a better place. Meanwhile, Mindy Macready aka Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), has struggled to adjust to a normal life after the death of her father, Big Daddy. She reluctantly retires her costume in an effort to become a normal teenager, but struggles to deal with the hardships of teen life. Things suddenly get more serious for both Kick Ass and Hit Girl when Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) takes on the mantra of a new super-villain known as "The Motherfucker" and assembles a team of costumed villains to avenge the death of his father (whom Kick Ass killed in the previous film). Now with a team of psychotic villains wrecking havoc on the city, Kick Ass and Hit Girl assemble all the costumed crime fighters they can find in order to put an end to the Motherfucker's reign of terror.
Kick Ass 2 is an interesting case... while watching it, I can honestly say that I was having a good time. That said, the more I think about it, the more I think about it's many flaws. Does that make it a good or a bad movie though? Honestly, I'm not totally sure right now. On one hand, despite the change in directors, it still manages to retain the same style of colorful costumes, gleefully over-the-top violence, and juvenile humor.
That said, if you weren't a fan of the original or what I just mentioned, this one probably won't covert you. Plus, the cast is still game, with Chloe Grace Moretz once again stealing the show and adding another strong performance to her small but very impressive filmography. The lack of Nicolas Cage's Big Daddy is an unfortunate absence, but fortunately Jim Carrey's Colonel Stars and Stripes manages to pick up a bit of the slack with some of the movie's funniest scenes. There's also a number of new heroes and villains, most of whom have a neat gimmick and colorful costume, adding to the film's fun factor. One of the standout villains is Mother Russia (played by female bodybuilder Olga Kurkulina), an ex-KGB agent and ex-con, who serves as the Motherfucker's most physically formidable team member. Kurkulina is great the role as a naturally intimidating presence and formidable fighter. She also runs off with what is easily the film's most memorable and exciting action sequence. There's a lot in Kick Ass 2 that works, and if nothing else, the film usually works as a straight-forward action flick.Unfortunately, with the good comes the bad, and there's plenty to nitpick here. While I will give the film credit for not being a simple retelling of it's predecessor, it does still tread some familiar turf. A couple scenes from this film feel like basic re-stagings of scenes from the previous film, namely one where Dave sets himself up to be attacked by a bunch of thugs and needs to be rescued by Hit Girl again.
Only this time, it's not nearly as surprising, shocking, or memorable. There were also a couple of scenes where Dave argues with his father, in what was clearly intended to be a major dramatic point for the film and Dave's character. Unfortunately, they never set up that dynamic very well and those scenes come off as more flat, rushed, and oddly cold-hearted. Moretz's story-line, however, fares a bit better as Mindy attempts to retire her costumed persona and struggles to adjust to a life as a normal teenage girl. Some of her sub-plot's elements come off as more than a bit cliche'd but Moretz is a good enough actress to make them work, plus it does lead to what is easily the film's most effective bits of drama (and a few laughs too). The movie all works toward the expected giant good vs evil final battle, and while generally effective is quite predictable and hardly anything unique. It's definitely a far cry from the first film, which was one crazy twist and insane antic after the other, that it kept you on the edge of your seat wanting to know what would happen next. This one, it's pretty straightforward... not inherently a bad thing, but nothing special either.If this review feels like it is among my shorter write-ups, it's because there's not much more to say about it. If you enjoyed the first film, I'm reasonably certain you'll find something to enjoy in this one, but it probably won't have the same effect as it's predecessor. I was thinking whether I should give the movie 2.5 or 3 stars, and since I went a little to hard on the first Kick Ass, I'm going to give this one the benefit of the doubt and give it 3 stars. A little generous... maybe, but I can't say that I didn't get some legitimate enjoyment out of the flick. If it sounds good to you, check it out.
