KICK ASS 2

Synopsis - Kick Ass returns to his crime-fighting ways, gathers a team of amateur superheroes and tries to persuade Hit Girl to continue her father’s legacy.

The original film was out long before this blog started so I suppose I should briefly give my thoughts on it before I begin. Basically I wasn't wild on it,I could see why people like it but I just wasn't that enthusiastic about it. I felt the story could have been told better and didn't really connect with the characters of Kick Ass, Hit Girl and Big Daddy.

In going to see the sequel I tried to keep an open mind, after all it wasn't as if I hated the original and there was always the chance that I would find the characters more compelling a second time round.  In this aspect I am happy to report, I was right,I did indeed connect with the main characters a good deal more that in the first outing which helped to immerse me in the overall story a good deal more.  Unfortunately those features that put me off the Kick Ass - the violence and the crude humour - have been taken up to 11 in the mistaken belief that bigger is better for the sequel.

Not that I am the only one to think this, Jim Carrey has refused to publically endorse the movie, but without disowning the film,on the grounds of the violence   in the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook School shooting.  Let’s not, however, open the debate about how violence in the movies impacts upon violence in the real world.  Officially, at least here in the UK,Kick Ass 2 has received a 15 certificate which is a surprise given the amount of swearing, knife, sword and gun play on offer.  Schwarzenegger and Van Damme at their peak have nothing on the violence in this movie.

This works against the main actors, Aaron Johnson (Kick Ass)  and Chloe Mortez ( Hit Girl)  as they give strong performances that are lost in the maelstrom of violence.   Also of note is Christopher Plazze’s performance as the world first ‘Super Villain’ (his villain-name is far too offensive to repeat here) whose scenes quite frankly almost steal the movie.

Let’s get one thing straight. I'm no prude and swearing doesn’t bother me as long as it fits the characters and situations. Here though, the swearing is more on the level of the school yard,the "I've learned a new curse word so I'm going to use as many of them as I possibly can" variety.  Action- wise too the film goes to excess unnecessarily,the story is a generally good story and makes you care about the characters -  but taking this to a higher violence level seems to be a poor choice.

One character who does not get the attention he deserves is,ironically, Jim Carrey’s character-  of Colonel Stars and Stripes.  It may be that some scenes have been cut due to his anti-violence stance on the film or it may be that they are planning a spin-off  prequelmovie (which I think is a great idea).  Either way, his character feels a little neglected given what we know of him (a reformed mafia hit man who has found Jesus – The God Father?).  Less violence and a look at his background story may have given the movie and extra depth and scope to it. 

FINAL VERDICT - 6/10 enoyable though it is the film feels half finished and could have done with some reigning in.