Reprising their roles we have Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse as Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, and Red Mist/The Mother [frick]er. The actors are being directed by Jeff Wadlow, who also wrote the screenplay, after the departure of Matthew Vaughn who directed and co-wrote the first KICK-ASS.
Groundwork aside, let me begin with a preface or two. First, I am not a fan of any of the graphic novels. Although a comic enthusiast, I just cannot seem to get into the writing of Mark Millar or the art of Johnny Jr. even though at one time I thought John Romita Jr.’s art was the second coming. Since that time his art style has taken on a large, minimalist quality with multiple scratchy lines to hide his intentions from viewers. Really a great artist whose sole purpose only seems to make large quantities of art rather than quality. After I digress, the point being, not a fan of the source material but, part two, I did enjoy the first KICK-ASS movie based on said source material. All that being said, beware of any SPOILERS from this point on although I will try to remain spoiler free.
As a fan of the first KICK-ASS film I will say it was the title character of KICK-ASS himself who I enjoyed the most and really made me a fan. The character of Dave Lizewski and his “superhero” counterpart Kick-Ass was the driving force behind my enjoyment of that film as he was one of the lone likeable characters. Aaron Taylor-Johnson showed me a teenager looking to make a difference and find his place in a large world which is clearly relatable and admirable. Flash forward to KICK-ASS 2 and I get that same feeling but this time it’s not from KICK-ASS but from Chloe Grace Moretz’s HIT GIRL. The character of Mindy Macready/Hit Girl really shines here in this sequel. Moretz brings an intelligence and spirit to her character that fills a room with hope deserving of admiration whereas most of the other characters are simply loathsome. Having lost her father/teacher Big Daddy, played by Nicolas Cage in the first film, Mindy finds herself having to come to terms with her place in the world as a young teenager and whether she should embrace her persona of HIT GIRL or discard it entirely much like Dave Lizewski had to face in the first film only this time it’s HIT GIRL’S turn.
Changing the hero’s journey from KICK-ASS to HIT GIRL allows HIT GIRL to really take center stage this time around rather than KICK-ASS, but the film itself is a lesser piece than it’s predecessor. The pacing is a bit off and at times it almost feels like it’s mocking its comic origins rather than embracing them, coming off as more of an Adam West 60′s Batman type parody rather than gritty graphic novel of current day. I have no choice but to lay the blame for that failure at the hands of the new director and writer Jeff Wadlow. Although there is some new casting like Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes, and John Leguizamo as Chris D’Amico’s friend and aide, Javier, (who were just great in their roles along with some other new comers) it is the change of writer/ director which really seems to leave the bad taste in your mouth. I therefore have no choice but to feel that had Matthew Vaughn returned we would have gotten a better film and one that would have, ahem, kicked ass a bit more.
If you are a hard-core fan of the comics then prepare to be disappointed. If you are a big fan of the first film then prepare to fall in love with Moretz’s HIT GIRL as all other characters you either won’t care much about, are boring, or are despicable. If you happen to be a fan of action films or the movies then prepare for some great moments (mostly from HIT GIRL or Olga Kurkulina’s Mother Russia) surrounded by moments of bad pacing and a lack of vision that clearly corrupts the storytelling. I am all for a third film, but without the guiding presence of Matthew Vaughn I would be worried which makes me wonder just what Bryan Singer will give us with X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST after a great X-MEN FIRST CLASS effort by Vaughn, but that is another story.
The Guy in the Hat