Kick-Ass 2
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Directed By: Jeff Wadlow
Reviewed by Danielle Muir

[rating: 2/5]

Kick Ass burst onto screens in 2010 with buckets of charisma, grittiness, black humour and a unique, stylistic take on costumed violence.  It launched the careers of its brilliant cast – Aaron Taylor Johnson as Dave Lizewski, an ordinary high-schooler who decides to become wetsuit-laden crusader Kick-Ass, and Chloe Moretz as the cussing, killing-machine Mindy McCready aka Hit Girl.  It was different, it was hilarious, it was outstanding.

Unfortunately as the years went by, more films have adopted the ‘extreme violence’ approach and its over-saturated our screens – so by the time Kick-Ass 2 rolls around the wow-factor has dissipated and it’s all become a little tiresome.  Add to that a significant drop in laughs and some horrifically offensive themes and Kick-Ass 2 doesn’t hold a dime to its predecessor.

The film follows on logically from the first as the characters each go on a journey of self-exploration whilst banding together with new posse’s of superheroes.   Lizewski joins do-gooders group Justice Forever (headed up by a barely used Colonel Stars and Stripes (Carrey) whilst arguing with his father about costumed crusading.  Mindy is forced to hang up her purple onesie and endure the horrors of high school.  Now fatherless Chris D’Amico (Mintz-Plasse) avenges his father’s death by ditching Red Mist and assuming the identity of the gimped up The Motherfucker – also assembling his own posse` of evil.

Aaron Taylor Johnson is again perfect as the bumbling Dave Lizewski but is sort of pushed to the side in favour of Mindy (no complaints there) introducing the rest of Justice Forever and also The Motherfucker’s band of evil.  He strikes up a new relationship with Night Bitch (a necessity since Katie (Lyndsey Fonsesca) was tossed away, probably due to scheduling issues), he hides his identity from his worried sick father and he’s invigorated by discovering the new ‘superheroes’ popping up at every street corner.

By far the highlight of this film is the trials and tribulations of Mindy at high school.  Watching her touch-as-nails character put through the ringer by bitchy schoolgirls, learning about boys and even trying out for the cheerleading team is endearing and the funniest in the film.  Moretz just has that something special about her that makes her ludicrously watchable.

Other than that there isn’t a whole lot that stands out in the film other than the extremely offensive.  The Motherfuckers outfit is worth a few laughs and his downward spiral is understandable.  However this reviewer was disgusted and offended when he and his posse breaks into Night Bitch’s (of Justice Forever) house where he proceeds to attempt to rape her, but his inability to get an erection thwarts this attempt.  There is nothing at all funny about rape, and this horrific attempt at producing laughs is deplorable.

In pushing it too far in other aspects (the violence, themes) it seems Kick Ass 2 has overstepped the boundaries where the first skirted them with confidence, and a lot of the sass has disappeared.  I think what it comes down to is the changing morals of audiences – watching Hit-Girl winning in number one was enthralling.  In number two, watching her losing, which is essentially watching a little girl get beaten up and strangled didn’t feel like entertainment at all.  As does the rest of the violence.