The Film
It seems like every superhero movie needs a sequel. The 2010 action flick Kick-Ass certainly wasn't the typical superhero outing. It was violent, but also insanely successful, more than tripling its budget. With those receipts and a pretty solid following, filmmakers (some of them) needed to go back to the well for Kick-Ass 2.
Matthew Vaughn opted not to continue with the franchise, so Jeff Wadlow is donning the director's cape here. Aaron Taylor-Johnson returns as the geeky title character, but it's really the Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) show. She's a bad-ass with killer gear, awesome hair, and high threshold for distributing pain. However, Hit Girl wants to go back to just being Mindy -- well, briefly. That means that Dave (aka Kick-Ass) needs a new sidekick. Instead, he finds many in Justice Forever, a team of other self-made superheroes. That lineup includes Battle Guy (Clark Duke), Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison), Insect Man (Robert Emms), Night Bitch (Lindy Booth), the parents (Steven Mackintosh and Monica Dolan) of a missing child named Tommy, and Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). Think of the group as an ass-kicking, uber-violent version of Mystery Men.
Instead of bringing in a whole new supervillian, filmmakers have recycled Christopher Mintz-Plasse, the only guy in the movie who's even geekier than Kick-Ass himself. However, he's seeking vengeance as newly created bad guy The Motherfucker and has an evil army to do most of his dirty work.
And wow wee, is it dirty. If you thought the original Kick-Ass was even remotely violent, this one might make your tummy spin. Combustible heads, gunplay, swords, vomiting and diarrhea run rampant through the film's 103-minute runtime. Even Carrey called the movie out for its level of violence. Of course, those tummy-aches would all be worth it, if Kick-Ass 2 was just a slightly better movie. Carrey does add a bit of personality to the film. However, I never thought I'd say this: I really missed Nicolas Cage.
Kick-Ass 2 isn't all bad, though. It has entertaining moments and interesting characters, but some of the sadistic parts may be a bit too twisted even for hardcore fans. And frankly, the movie just seems like a completely wasted opportunity.
Want to check out a supersized look of this superhero sequel flick? Check out Beth McCabe's review of the theatrical release of Kick-Ass 2.
The Picture
Often, I like to use the original Kick-Ass as a demo disc. Even though the movie isn't quite as good, Kick-Ass 2 may actually look better than its predecessor. It's not all that surprising, given its bigger budget. The 2.40:1 image is bursting will all sorts of colors and textures, which are most evident on the various heroes and villains. Christopher Mintz-Plasse's facial hair and facial zippers are especially sharp, as are Aaron Taylor-Johnson's abs. (Could they have squeezed those in one more time?)
The Sound
When you name a movie "Kick-Ass," there are certain expectations. One of those is that you'll get an audio track that you can feel all the way down to your bones. In sort of a weird move, Universal has given this release a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, when the original film had 7.1 Why the downgrade? It doesn't really matter, since it still packs a punch -- as well as a kick and a boom. Dialogue is always clear, even during the mayhem. However, it's during that mayhem when Kick-Ass 2 delivers its best moments. Whether you're rocking to Union J or getting bombarded by bullets, this is an active track that uses the entire soundfield to its full advantage.
The Extras
Final Thoughts
Kick-Ass was a movie that lived up to its name. It's really hard to bottle that kind of lightning and turn it into a franchise. Kick-Ass 2 ups the body count, but is more focused on the kills than creativity. That said, it definitely has style and a few fun action sequences. The saving grace is the AV presentation, which is pretty killer (no pun intended). Just don't expect the content to pack the same punch as the original.
Product Details
Where to Buy:
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