Today's review is Kick Ass 2.
Written & Directed by Jeff Wadlow.
Based on the Comic Book Kick Ass 2. Created by Mark Millar & John Romita Jr.
Review #226
MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, pervasive language, crude and sexual content, and brief nudity.
Run Time: 103 min
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Cast
Aaron Taylor-Johnson...Dave Lizewski / Kick-Ass
Chloë Grace Moretz...Mindy Macready / Hit-Girl
Morris Chestnut...Detective Marcus Williams
Clark Duke...Marty / Battle Guy
Augustus Prew...Todd / Ass Kicker
Donald Faison...Dr. Gravity
Matt Steinberg...Mr. Radical
Steven Mackintosh...Tommy's Dad
Monica Dolan...Tommy's Mum
Garrett M. Brown...Mr. Lizewski
Christopher Mintz-Plasse...Chris D'Amico / The Motherfucker
John Leguizamo...Javier
Jim Carrey...Colonel Stars and Stripes
Robert Emms...Insect Man
Lindy Booth...Night Bitch
Daniel Kaluuya...Black Death
Andy Nyman...The Tumor
Tom Wu...Genghis Carnage
Olga Kurkulina...Mother Russia
Iain Glen...Uncle Ralph
Kick Ass was an underrated comic book film. It was very entertaining but it wasn't your "normal" comic book movie. No superpowers. No alien invasions. No billionaire vigilantes. Kick Ass took place in the "real" world where superheroes stayed in the books and imaginations of kids everywhere. This allowed a ton of freedom to examine what life would be like if there were real superheroes running around the streets stopping crimes the cops couldn't. The Kick Ass comic dives into that theory in a very twisted and violent way. Matthew Vaughn's film version does the same thing minus a few cuts here and there. Fast forward a few years we are finally getting a sequel that goes through several changes.
Some good. Some not so good.
Some good. Some not so good.
Plot
The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal
citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile,
the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass
knows.
Kick Ass 2 picks up pretty much after the first film. Dave and Mindy are adjusting to life after the events at the D'Amico building. Dave has hung up his costume while Mindy continues to live the Hit Girl life. Circumstances bring the duo back together and we're off to the races. There's a lot of good in Kick Ass 2. However it's missing a very important element that made the first film so amazing.
Matthew Vaughn.
Matthew Vaughn.
He was the mastermind of the first film in both page and screen. He kept the grittiness and balls that the Kick Ass comic had while injecting some very necessary humor. The subject material is very raw and in your face. Vaughn found a way to keep all of that without turning the audience away from all of the violence and innuendo. Scheduling conflicts forced him to step down from the sequel leaving the duties to Jeff Wadlow and no offense to him but it shows big time.
Wadlow also wrote the screenplay and clearly went a different route. Gone was the maniacal nature of the first film. instead he replaced it with jumbled, repetitive, plot threads that send the film spiraling down the rabbit hole that you don't want your film to go. The continuity from the first film is in place but the different direction and tone doesn't mesh well. Think of it like the sequel is rejecting a kidney the first film donated. That being said, it doesn't make Kick Ass 2 a bad film. Far from it. It's just a different film and in this case different was good because Wadlow did the smart thing and made his film.
FUN!
Once the Red Mist/Motherf#cker decides to go into hell bent revenge mode on Kick Ass, the film becomes so much fun to watch because it turns into a superhero war. Both sides team up and acquire members highlighted by two specific characters. One on each side.
For the bad guys we have....Mother Russia!
And for the good guys Colonel Stars and Stripes!
These two characters stood out in a film that was full of memorable characters both new and old. It doesn't take a genius to figure out why Stars and Stripes was so good. Jim Carrey was AWESOME as the leader of Justice Forever. The scene stealer was Olga Kurkulina as Mother Russia. Clearly she is a bodybuilder but she possessed so much power that it was scary. She played Mother Russia exactly how you would expect someone called that to be played. Her facial expressions combined with her unmatched physical skills were a treat to watch.
Her fight at the end with Hit Girl was a true highlight.
Which segues nicely to the end of the film which culminates in this massive superhero vs supervillain mega brawl. This fight was chaotic but so much fun to watch. All of these characters were so cool because they were grounded in a world based in reality. If there were people dressed up in costumes committing crimes or fighting crimes. This is how they would look. I said it before and I'll say it again. Wadlow made Kick Ass 2 a lot of fun and this brawl at the end was the final punch to the collective gut of the audience.
I have no idea where the future of the franchise is headed. A third Kick Ass comic is on the way so I wouldn't be surprised to hear a third film announced. Despite it's poor opening weekend numbers. Wadlow did an admirable job continuing the legacy of Kick Ass. The next step is to marry the missing elements from the first film with the fun of this one and we could be talking about one of the greatest comic book films of ALL TIME!
On the 5 star scale. Kick Ass 2 gets 3 stars. With a "Go See It!" recommendation.
That's a wrap for today.
Until Next Episode...."I'll Save You A Seat!"
"D"
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