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Posted August 13, 2013 by Nicolo Parungo in Movies/TV
 
 

A SECOND OPINION: Kick-Ass 2

Kick-Ass poster

 

To say Kick-Ass 2 is an improvement over the original is like saying a double bacon cheeseburger tastes better than a ham sandwhich. Just like its predecessor it manages to stay true to what made the comic book tick, but deviates from the original source so much that the film improves on it.

Kick-Ass 2 does not believe in the phrase “less is more” as the sequel adds much more of what made the last flick a hit. The violence for example is even more over the top this time around; you will see limbs get cut off, throats get slashed, eyes get stabbed and testicles get bitten by a dog. The humour is also crasser than ever with plenty of racist and sex jokes along with unbelievable toilet humour; you will believe a person can puke and defecate at the same time. This is great stuff if you can appreciate the sheer immature craziness of the film’s tone, but it’s not one for the faint of heart or those with a weak stomach.

One other thing K-A2 adds is strong character work. Our three leads – Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson), Hit Girl (Chloe Martinez) and The Mother F**ker (Christopher Plasse) – are the main focus and the movie never loses track of their progression. Dave dons his Kick-Ass costume – pun fully intended – and joins a super hero group called Justice Forever lead by Col. Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), Mindie resists the urge to don her Hit-Girl uniform out of respect for her guardian Marcus (Morris Chesnut) and goes through teenage problems while Chris the villain formerly known as Red Mist forms a super villain group to get revenge on Dave for killing his father. The amount of time spent on the characters allow us to invest plenty of emotion into them and the people important in their lives, by the end of the film they all go through arcs each with a satisfying payoff.

another one

My only complaint with this is a big one because despite the solid character work the arc of Kick-Ass is nowhere near as intriguing as the one Hit Girl goes through, which would be fine if the film was called “Hit Girl goes to high school” but the movie is called Kick-Ass 2. Dave goes through the first half off the plot relatively struggle free despite his girlfriend breaking up with him early in the film and his life constantly being on the line when he goes through his hero business; in fact he’s shown to be having the time of his life. Compare this to Hit Girl who is struggling to keep the vastly different promises of her late father and her adopted father while going through the hell we all know as high school and clearly one story is more intriguing than the other. Admittedly Dave’s arc picks up later on when a spoilery tragedy strikes and when it happens it is well done, but it can’t help but feel rushed.

Of course we wouldn’t be able to care for the characters if the actors weren’t capable, thankfully the cast rises to the occasion. Johnson plays a likable and naive underdog like he did in the last film while Plasse makes for a great foil as The Mother F**ker who is hilarious, despicable and sympathetic at the same time. Martinez steals the show once again, but this time around she’s given a good bulk of the spotlight and character progression with great success. The young actress manages to convey various emotions easily; she can flawlessly switch between sobbing teenager and purple wig wearing ninja with ease. Jim Carrey also impresses as Colonel Stars and Stripes straying away from his usual over acting and playing a relatively straight religious ass kicker who trains his dog to bite people in the junk. He like the others adds plenty of heart in the film that the original comic book severely lacked.

Director Jeff Wadlow also deserves plenty of credit. The movie is well shot and the fight scenes are incredible thanks to some amazing choreography, I also like how he improved upon various scenes from the comic. The controversial rape scene is attempted, but done in a way that it becomes….well I can’t spoil it. Let’s just say it won’t make you feel uncomfortable.

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Kick-Ass 2 succeeds in what it sets out to do. It’s a bloody good time and it doesn’t attempt to be anything else. It definitely appeals to a specific audience in mind – specifically of the crass, immature and violence loving variety – but it’s also well written, funny and full of emotion.

8.5 out of 10

Thank you to Solar for the advanced screening.


Nicolo Parungo