‘Kick-Ass 2’ Doesn’t Kick As Hard As The First, Critics Claim

Kick-Ass 2 wasn’t as good as the first film, critics claim.

The first film was an ambitious take on the reality around superhero crime fighting in a big city, not pulling any punches about the brutality. The hero, Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), started out hanging with his comic book buddies and dreaming about what it would be like to become a real superhero. He took it to the extreme, buying a wetsuit and a pair of batons in an effort to make his dream a reality. Along the way he met Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace-Moretz) and Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage), a father and daughter superhero team who were already living his dream, and it took off in directions he never expected.

Kick-Ass 2 follows the story of what happened after the title character took down a major gangster with Hit-Girl’s help. The gang leader’s son, Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mints-Plasse), has vowed revenge on the heroes after changing his name from Red Mist to The Motherf***er. As the stakes are raised, Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl are joined by veteran tough guy Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) as the two factions go to war.

As Matthew Vaughn hands the directing reigns over to newcomer Jeff Wadlow, fans get exactly what they came for. Kick-Ass 2 delivers even more of the bloody brutality and cursing that made the first film a controversial hit. However, Hit-Girl’s part of the story is changed a bit as the former crime fighter tries to fit in with the social crowd and gets mocked in the process.

Dave Lizewski has been working out with Mindy Macready in preparation for further crime fighting, much to the dismay of her new guardian Marcus, played by Morris Chestnut. This of course conflicts with a new wave of danger faced by Kick-Ass as he is joined by even more people around the neighborhood who want in on the crime-fighting craze. Sadly, the part with Mindy trying to fit in seems to outweigh the part with Dave learning to cope with a new threat.

The controversial humor of Kick-Ass 2 is perpetuated by the fact that Chris D’Amico is now dressing up in his mother’s S&M attire in a new identity to take revenge on Kick-Ass. The plot seems to string together too many stories at once, often stopping dead for the sake of voice-overs. It depends too much on you liking the first film to stand on its own.

What do you think of Kick-Ass 2? Do you agree with the critics?