Kick-Ass 2 [2013]
Directed by: Jeff Wadlow
Written by: Jeff Wadlow; based on the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Donald Faison, John Leguizamo, Olga Kurkulina, Lindy Booth, Morris Chestnut
As a slice of pop entertainment, it does the job admirably. It’s well-paced, fun and you won’t be checking your watch. As a sequel, it’s a significant step down from its predecessor.
Kick-Ass 2 adds an interesting element in the form of Jim Carrey (fantastic albeit criminally underused) but gets rid of almost all of the first movie’s edge and shock value.
The violence and blood are more hinted at than displayed in all their glory, and our titular hero is even blander, which isn’t the worst thing ever, if you think about it, since these films’ real focus deservedly is on the foul-mouthed Hit-Girl (Moretz), who once again shows she’s one of the finest young actresses working today and provides the film with many of its finest moments.
Jeff Wadlow, stepping in after Matthew Vaughn, shares his colleague’s talent for directing action sequences, which, despite being less bloody and more PG, remain the highlight, just as they were in the 2010 introduction to these urban vigilantes.
My rating and thoughts, too, regarding this film. Fine look, Fernando.
LikeLike
Thanks, Michael. Glad we’re on the same page 🙂
LikeLike
Nice review Fernando. It had its moments of fun, but too many times did it get a tad bit too serious for its own good.
LikeLike
Thanks. Yeah, definitely took itself more seriously than it should’ve.
LikeLike
Nice one man. Too many negative reviews means I’m gonna skip this at the cinema. I’ll probably give it a rental though at some point.
LikeLike
Thanks. It’s fun but you could wait for this and rent it when it’s available.
LikeLike
I’ll wait ’til this one hits cable. Probably would’ve been better if Matthew Vaughn wrote and directed.
LikeLike
Wise choice. And yeah, maybe he could’ve done a better job. Not that Jeff Wadlow is so awful at it but yeah.
LikeLike
Glad you like the film. I really enjoyed it as well and only say it’s just a tad worse than the first film. Both are excellent, and KA2’s finale makes the film even better.
LikeLike
Yeah, the first one is better but only slightly, although I missed that one’s edge and ability to surprise me.
LikeLike
Hi Fernando! I figure you’d enjoy this one since you met the cast. “The violence and blood are more hinted at than displayed in all their glory…” I’m totally ok with that, I like the first one but I probably just rent this one.
LikeLike
Yeah, this can wait. And I know you’re not one for excessive violence, but this story sort of demands it!
LikeLike
Fernando, I thought this was a pretty good adaptation of the comic. While it did not reach the same level of greatness as the first installment, the level of hate this film is receiving sort of caught me off guard.
LikeLike
Haven’t read the comic, but yeah, the hate surprised me too. I didn’t love this one, clearly, but it’s not that bad!
LikeLike