Kick-Ass 2

My Grade:  B-

It’s truly a shame that Matthew Vaughn did not direct this follow up to his cult hit Kickass (2010) because it is one of my favorite superhero films. It doesn’t take itself too seriously and skillfully combines ironic wit, self-awareness, and graphic violence. Jeff Wadlow’s (Never Back Down) sequel simply isn’t as good as its predecessor but it’s still highly entertaining. 

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is back as high school wanna-be super hero Kickass and so is the gem of the first installment, Chloe Grace Moretz as the foul mouthed killing machine, Hit Girl. We don’t get quite enough of her but maybe there will be a spinoff (fingers crossed). But this time, there are more “superheroes” most notably Donald Faison (“Scrubs”) as physics-teacher-turned-masked-crusader, Dr. Gravity and the leader of a sort of super hero social club, Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). This group mostly does community service and tame patrols, but they occasionally get into some serious stuff like shutting down a child prostitution ring... heavy stuff, right? It feels a bit uneven but therein lies the tongue-in-cheek nature of the film.

Kickass and the Colonel have their work cut out for them, though, because Chris D’Amico, a.k.a. Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), is out for revenge of his father’s death and once he gets a taste of being a super villain, it intoxicates him. And you may be surprised, but Mintz-Plasse makes a very good bad guy. I never knew he could really act apart from being a high school dweeb. He especially impresses when he first dons his outfit as the MF’er (we’ll keep it edited for the sake of this review) and robs a gas station. He skillfully shows his character completely lose it while hitting the punchline at the end of the scene perfectly. Kudos to the young man.

What really sends D’Amico over the edge, though, is when he goes to see his uncle (who now runs the family from prison). For the sake of saving spoilers, I won’t mention what happens but Mintz-Plasse knocks that scene out of the park as well. That leads him to create an evil army and wreck havoc on the city in search of Kickass and revenge. And boy, does it get violent. His army is SCARY. Where the first film reveled in cartoonish violence and slow motion, this film smashes you in the face with over-the-top but raw, brutal violence. Some critics lambaste the film for this, but I think it’s great because it helps push the point of the film that real life is not a movie and violence has consequences. At the same time, though, the film takes detours from this message to overload you with inspirational exposition about how anyone can be a hero with or without a mask. 

While these dialogue heavy scenes weigh the film down, the third act is non-stop excitement and flies by. The one other big problem with the film, though, is Hit Girl’s side story of integration into the high school cliques. That makes for some decent scenes but it doesn’t feel necessary.

Overall, Kickass 2 doesn’t live up to it’s origins but showcases an amazing performance from Christopher Mintz-Plasse and a perfect pairing of actor and role with Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes. The character itself is quite uneven in my mind, but it’s a great role for Carrey. It is certainly an entertaining film, though, so if you liked the first one, be sure to check this one out.