At the Theater - "Kick Ass 2" - Although it lacks the refinement and lively flow of the original (which was attributed to Director Matthew Vaughn) and there simply isn't enough of the spunky, costumed Hit Girl laying waste to faceless hoods, there's still quite a bit of good, bloody fun to be had here. The film also misses the veteran, adult presence of Nic Cage and Mark Strong (both with substantial roles in the first film), with "He Who Chose Not To Promote The Film" providing just an OK stand-in. It's entertaining enough and never loses the spirit of the original, which should please most of the franchise's fans.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Savages) and Chloe Grace Moretz (Let Me In) return as Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass and Mindy Macready/Hit Girl, with this particular volume finding a still very raw Dave eager to hone his fighting skills and continue to battle urban hoods while Mindy struggles to cope with the loss of her vigilante Father and her growing femininity. Both individuals find themselves at odds with their respective guardians, with Garrett M. Brown (Uncle Buck) returning as Dave's Father and Morris Chestnut (Boyz n the Hood) stepping in to replace Omari Hardwick (Next Day Air) as Mindy's legal guardian, "Detective Marcus Williams". Forbidden to see one another, Dave joins up with an assembly of masked vigilantes in the form of the "Justice Forever" club while Mindy tries to assimilate into teen life with a trio of uppity girly girls.
Brit Taylor-Johnson is once again fine in the titular role and his efforts to further bulk himself up will no doubt land him future action-oriented vehicles, though there's clearly room and range for parts in other genres. He's a talented, handsome sort who will undoubtedly be featured in many high-profile projects in the coming years. Audiences will next see him in 2014's Godzilla reboot and in 2015's Avengers sequel, Age of Ultron.
Most of the positives mentioned above regarding Taylor-Johnson can be carried over to advertise 16-year-old Chloe Grace Moretz (no, she doesn't bulk up here, but she's understandably taller than the first film)- the talented young actress has several projects in the oven, including a headlining turn in October 2013's Carrie remake and then on to star alongside Denzel Washington in 2014's The Equalizer. Moretz is growing by leaps and bounds with each new project and she's undeniably charismatic in this particular role. Needless to say, the sky's the limit for both young actors.
Meanwhile, Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad) returns as "Chris D'Amico", the wealthy heir to a criminal empire aiming to avenge his Father's death at the hands of Kick-Ass. Anointing himself "The Mother F*cker" and amassing an army of accomplished evil-doers, the vengeance-minded D'Amico sets out on a trail of death, destruction and laughs, as he's clearly the comic-relief of the picture.
Other cast members returning from the original film include; Yancy Butler (Hard Target) as Chris's Jersey Shore-esque Mom, Lyndsey Fonseca (Hot Tub Time Machine) as Dave's girlfriend and Clark Duke (Sex Drive) as his geeky best friend. I was more than a little disappointed that the super-cute Fonseca's involvement was little more than a quick, obligatory cameo. Augustus Prew (Charlie St. Cloud) takes over the role of "Todd" (one of Dave's friends) from Evan Peters (FX's American Horror Story).
John Leguizamo (Land Of The Dead) puts in fine, though reserved work as The Mother F*cker's right hand man and voice of reason, "Javier", while 6 foot 2 inch Ukrainian bodybuilder Olga Kurkulina will undoubtedly leave an impression upon audiences as the hulking "Mother Russia". A climactic showdown between Hit Girl and the towering henchwoman is worthwhile, but I found myself wishing that it hadn't been inter-cut with other onscreen shenanigans. Chuck Liddell pops up playing himself as D'Amico's MMA trainer while Benedict Wong (Dirty Pretty Things) supplies a token crime lord.
Members of the Justice Forever club include; He Who Chose To Not Promote The Film as the battle-scarred former mob enforcer, "Colonel Stars and Stripes", Donald Faison (Scrubs) as the goofy, likeable "Dr. Gravity", Lindy Booth (Dawn Of The Dead 2004) as the sexy, waspish "Night Bitch", Robert Emms (War Horse) as the gay "Insect Man", with Steven Mackintosh (Underworld: Evolution) and Monica Dolan (Sightseers) as "Tommy's Dad" and "Tommy's Mum" - parents of a missing child named Tommy.
Expect a nifty, intermittently brutal highway sequence involving Hit Girl dispatching bad guys from a speeding van, an extended segment featuring Mother Russia weeding through a decidedly inept police force (a Hollywood trend I don't particularly care for) and an all-out Battle Royale between the costumed forces of good and evil. The action is competently filmed with a healthy sprinkling of humor throughout- I could have done without a scene involving digital diarrhea, though.
Some may find certain other events to be a bit unnecessarily mean-spirited and I would definitely understand where they're coming from- one of the issues I had with this follow-up was it's inconsistent transition between tones, with Director Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down) often stumbling in his effort to recapture the balance of sharp humor and brutal action that Director Matthew Vaughn (X-Men: First Class) established so excellently in the first film. I also felt that this sequel was missing a stronger soundtrack selection, an attribute that the first film utilized with inspired, almost gleeful accuracy.
Though it's admittedly a couple of notches below the original, Kick Ass 2 is considerably better than the pro critics are letting on. Fans can apparently look forward to an eventual Hit Girl spin-off and those interested might want to stay until the very end of the post film credits to catch an O.K. tack-on.
7.5 out of 10
FWIW-
Kick-Ass 8.5
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