The original Kick-Ass was a breath of fresh air in 2010. It was a different type of superhero movie and answered the question, “what if a normal guy became a superhero?” It was well-written, had great and fun action, and was very self aware. Three years later, a sequel is here in the form of Kick-Ass 2. Even though it doesn’t match the original, it’s still a very funny and enjoyable superhero film that does a great job of continuing Dave Lizewski’s story.
Kick-Ass 2 takes place after the events of the first film. Chris is pissed at Kick-Ass for killing his dad and becomes the very first supervillain, called “The Motherfu*ker,” and assembles a team of supervillains to take down Kick-Ass. Meanwhile, Mindy hangs up her Hit-Girl outfit in order to try to be a normal girl after the death of her father, and Dave joins a group of Super Heroes lead by Colonel Stars and Stripes.
Kick-Ass 2’s greatest strength is its story. It is a great continuation of the first movie that gets you invested in these characters once again. There are actually a surprising amount of moments where I was really feeling for these characters. Nothing tear-jerking but still surprising for a movie with a villain called “The Motherfu*ker.”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nje6dcArZrI[/youtube]
The actors and actresses this time around knock it out of the park. Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kick-Ass is great along with the supporting cast, but it’s really Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jim Carrey that steal the show. Moretz nails it as Hit-Girl and really shows her acting talent during the more emotional scenes. Mintz-Plasse has a lot of fun with “The Motherfu*ker” and steals all his scenes. But it is the underused Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes who is the standout of the film. Even though he kind of regrets doing the role, Jim Carrey is such a great comedic actor that conveys every line of dialogue flawlessly and makes him the standout amongst the great performances in this movie.
The action this time around, while a lot of fun, never had that great over the top moment like Hit-Girl’s intro in the original Kick-Ass film. That over the top action really worked for the original Kick-Ass film and I’m not saying that Kick-Ass 2 doesn’t have those over the top moments, more of them could’ve improved the film. You’ll also occasionally get some shaky cam which is strange since most of the action is actually framed nicely.
THE VERDICT
Kick-Ass 2 is a lot of fun. It’s very funny and has a great story and performances. Some more over the top action and Jim Carrey would’ve been nice but if you’re a fan of the original then you will most certainly like the sequel. Just don’t go in with too high expectations.
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