Review - Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

Starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Directed by Jeff Wadlow.

Synopsis: After Kick-Ass's insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, he joins a patrol led by Colonel Stars and Stripes, only to face a formidable challenge when the vengeful Red Mist transforms himself into the world's first super villain The Motherf*cker.

Kick-Ass 2 is the much anticipated sequel to the hit Kick-Ass which was released in 2010. Even though my expectations weren't really high at first, the last trailer had me a bit pumped up for what was to come. Much of the main cast reprise their respective roles such as Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kick-Ass, Chloe Moretz as Hit-girl, Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Chris D'Amico. The acting overall was good from the cast; I swear Chloe Moretz was born for her role as Hit-girl. It's just amazing how she's able to capture every scene she's in -- her bad-assery knows no boundaries. I was surprisingly impressed with Christopher Mintz-Plasse in his villainous role. I initially thought he couldn't pull it off without it being all silly and stuff but his "evil-funny" portrayal was good enough for me. The new additions to the cast worked well within the story especially Jim Carrey who plays Colonel Stars and Stripes - the leader of Kick-Ass's new posse Justice Forever. We're not accustomed to seeing Jim Carrey in unusual roles like this but he was able to pull it off smoothly.

Story-wise Kick-Ass 2 is simple and straightforward. It picks up from the events of the first movie as we see  Kick-Ass try to live a normal life but quickly resorts back to vigilantism. Hit-girl struggles with her persona and Chris transforms into a villainous threat. Like its predecessor, the movie handles its teenage themes well enough. Even with all the gory violence and the superhero aspects of it, the tone is still that of a teenage comedy so you'll get some laughs here and there. There are a few instances of over-the-top violence but it didn't take anything away from the film. My problem however with Kick-Ass 2 is how ordinary everything felt - that wow factor was missing. The movie played it safe; nothing too extraordinary. It felt a bit rushed too and the script is not nearly as tight. The action sequences (especially the ones involving Hit-Girl) are entertaining but when Hit-Girl isn't on screen... everything is less exciting -- She is the highlight of this movie. I found myself caring less about the main character Kick-Ass as the movie went on and it never recovered. Kick-Ass 2 is fun but not nearly as witty and exciting as the first movie.

Although it is not as great as the first movie, I don't think Kick-Ass 2 is deserving of such poor ratings from critics. It's fun but just ordinary fun. At the end of the day... the cast, the action and the story was okay but it was just missing that punch.

Rating: 6.5/10