Review of Kick-Ass 2 (2013) by Hoops2448 — 09 Sep 2013

Kick Ass was a risque superhero movie that pushed boundaries and created controversy. Kick Ass 2 tones it down and by doing so loses some of the flair that made the original as great as it was. When Dave Lisewski (Aaron Taylor Johnson) returns to his alter ego Kick Ass, he joins a new league of heroes including Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Night (Liddy Booth).

Meanwhile Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) tries to fit in during high school while fighting her desire to suit back up. Kick Ass 2 is a very different monster with a similar filming approach to the first one but the characters are different, the writing isn't as sharp and Hit Girl isn't quite as impressive as she was 4 years ago.

The new characters pale in comparison as Carrey's Stars and Stripes is more of a cameo than a supporting role and Night while amusing plays almost exactly the same role as Lyndsy Fonseca's from the first film (she does return for a blink and you will miss it cameo but its not the same).

While not dire, Director Jeff Wadlow's idea of this world is Kick Ass Lite with toned down violence as to appear sanitized, insults that sound rude but cannot compare to the controversial and ballsy ones of the first.

It's all half measures as to be safe enough to sell the film to a younger audience who probably shouldn't be seeing it. Ultimately its story is good and the film does take a few risks that really shock but its all a little late as the heart and soul of Kick Ass has been ripped out thanks to the directors odd decision.