Jim Carrey, left, as Colonel Stars and Stripes makes a plan with Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kick-Ass in a scene from the comedy film, “Kick-Ass 2.” (Photo credit: Universal Pictures)
‘Kick-Ass 2’ doesn’t capture predecessor’s quirkiness
Watching “Kick-Ass 2,” you would think no one had any type of life issue as a teenager unless he or she was weapon-wielding vigilante trying to save/destroy the world. The drama! The confusion! Oh, the woes of growing up when the mask you don isn’t necessarily the mask you wear.
Alas, no one went to see the sequel to the 2009 summer-hit “Kick-Ass” (read the review here) to watch teens awkwardly and painfully contend with growing pains, both physical or psychological. And “Kick-Ass 2” is full of these painful moments, whether when Kick-Ass comes to terms with some of life’s harsh realities (the life of a superhero, right?) or when Hit-Girl suffers a mid-life crisis at 15 years old.
Here’s the problem: “Kick-Ass” was able to creatively blend hyper-violence with humor in a way that justified (to most, anyways) having a tween utter the foulest of language while hacking body parts off the baddies and showcasing a gawky dork who likes to pretend he’s a superhero. In “Kick-Ass 2” that fine-tuned balance, that concoction of wit and blood, has been lost, with useless and gratuitous violence taking its place.
“Kick-Ass 2,” directed and written by Jeff Wadlow (“Never Back Down”), takes place shortly after the events of the first movie. Kick-Ass, whose real name is Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, “Savages”), is trying to integrate back into reality after having blown up a crime boss with a bazooka. Hit-Girl, aka Mindy Macready (Chloë Grace Moretz), has become even more immersed with crime-fighting, seeking to live out her deceased father’s legacy as a protector of the city. And Red Mist, normally named Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, “Superbad”), has gone off the deep. His father, the crime boss mentioned earlier, is dead, and Chris is jonesing for revenge. So he changes his name — it’s now Motherfucker — and starts creating an evil army with him at its helm as the world’s first supervillain.
With MF running around creating chaos and seeking vengeance against Kick-Ass, both the titular hero and his much more talented sidekick, Hit Girl, enter the fray. You see, they have a city to save from the MF’s devious machinations. But not all is well is Superhero Land, and Kick=Ass and Hit Girl go their separate ways — Kick-Ass continuing the good fight while Hit-Girl tries to normalize herself.
Without Hit-Girl, Kick-Ass seeks out other masked citizens who want to keep the city safe. The motley team he assembles is ragtag at best, but it does have Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) as its leader. The ex-Mafia enforcer had a change of heart and now fights for the good guys. The group gallivants around New York trying to do good.
For some reason, this greatly upsets MF, who wants nothing more than Kick-Ass’ head on a platter. So, then the antics start up. And his crew of misfits engage in some serious antics, ranging from silly (yes, there’s a shark) to deadly (those police officers never stood a chance against Mother Russia). The film takes off from there.
While director Wadlow handles his duties ably, “Kick-Ass 2” comes across a bit stitched together. (See if you can spot the non-New York identifiers littered across what’s supposed to be New York.) And its shock factors — there’s even explosive diarrhea — seem more gross than shocking.
As for its cast, Taylor-Johnson, even as the lead, is completely forgettable. Mintz-Plasse does manage to elicit a few laughs, but he has to work hard for them.
The saving grace, though, is Moretz. Incredibly talented and in control, she manages to carry the film. She’s on-point with her lines, and she is insanely nimble in her increasingly violent fight scenes. And, somewhat surprisingly, she conveys some rather deep emotion with what seems like little effort. (It will be interesting to see her portray the title character in the remake of Stephen King’s “Carrie” in October.)
But even with Hit-Girl saving the film from being less than mediocre, it wasn’t enough to save the day. And with an after-credits scene suggesting a third installment, you have to wonder: Don’t you know when you’ve had your ass kicked?
Two ass-kicked stars out of five.
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