Now Playing: Still Kickin’ Ass and Takin’ Names

Mark Millar’s ultra-violent superhero story is back in ‘Kick-Ass 2’. If you can believe it, this highly entertaining sequel amps everything up to eleven. From the characters to the story and especially the violence, everything gets revved up, bloodied, and kicked into high gear.

While first film centered around Dave, a.k.a. Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), as he suited up in costume to fight crime, the sequel puts more focus on Mindy Macready, a.k.a. Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz), who’s better at everything – from fighting to weapons to trash talking – even though she’s several years younger. Mindy hangs up her cowl for a little bit and tries to lead a normal life in high-school. After being tormented by the bitchy popular girls in school, as you can imagine, Hit Girl exacts a revenge so thick and sweet that you could pour it over hot pancakes.

A little while has passed since the first movie. With the success of Kick-Ass as a hero, others have been inspired to take up crime-fighting in costume as well. Kick-Ass teams up with a group known as Justice Forever, led by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), a former Mafia goon turned good. This rag-tag group sets out to stop gangsters, rapists and pedophiles.

Meanwhile, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is still pissed about Kick-Ass killing his dad. Hell-bent on becoming the baddest super-villain around, he drops the name Red Mist and starts calling himself “The Motherfucker.” He also and enlists a string of bad dudes from around the world to take out Kick-Ass and everyone he loves. While the Motherfucker garners laughs, his mission is X-rated as he rapes, murders and destroys everything in his path.

Jeff Wadlow replaces Matthew Vaughn as director this time around. By not letting Hit Girl upstage anybody else with her fighting skills for a good portion of the film, we get the opportunity to see the other heroes take down criminals. However, every time Hit Girl isn’t on screen fighting, we wish she was.

Jim Carrey is almost unrecognizable in this and delivers a great performance as the leader of Justice Forever. Mintz-Plasse brings the funny, while Moretz and Johnson reprise their roles perfectly. A cameo by Donald Faison deserves his own spin-off movie.

This is a great sequel and delivers what the fans want on every level. Be sure to stick around for the end credit scene.

Rating: ★★★★☆

4 comments

    • Timcharger

      Who’s gonna take the opposite side of the trade you created, Josh?

      I’m trying to picture how one would explain to HR, the context by which your words were used.

      I don’t think I’ve ever come across that word, used as an adjective.

      😉

  1. Onslaught

    The rape joke wasn’t particularly amusing.

    I would say the sick stick scene might have been worse. I can’t say that was a scene I enjoyed in any way.

    The idea of Mean Girls’ subplot with Hit Girl makes sense, but it doesn’t make for entertainment, especially given that her and Big Daddy easily stole the show in the first movie, and there’s nobody in this film to really fill that void, even if Carrey was a nice distraction.

    It looks like the first film. It feels like the first film. But it’s never really quite it. The freshness isn’t there, and I feel like the movie lost its sense of purpose when it came to the violence and shock value. Enjoyable at times, but also unpleasant.

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