I have been excited for Kick-Ass 2 since I heard it was actually going to happen, so going in I was really pumped. All the characters were back, except for Evan Peters, and the trailer looked great. However, I couldn't help but notice the awful reception it got this weekend. But, I decided to stick it out and go see the movie anyway and I must say that I don't know why this movie has received such a bad wrap. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a Kick-Ass fan. Seriously, this isn't a bad movie.
I will admit that at times the pacing was a bit weird and although it pretty much picked up right where the first one left off, they did blow past a lot of stuff. The world's perception of the superheroes was to be expected and it was as Dave (aka, Kick-Ass) mentioned at the end of the first movie. There were new citizen heroes to carry Kick-Ass' torch.
However, anyone who liked Kick-Ass will like Kick-Ass 2. It has the same overall feel for the most part. There are things that were a bit over the top, like Mindy's revenge on the high school bitches, but it didn't ruin anything. The weakest aspect of this movie was by far The Motherfucker but I think that all comes down to casting. Christopher Mintz-Plasse shouldn't have been cast as Chris D'Amico in the first place, so in a way you can't blame the character. It's a simple case of miscasting, imo. Face it... the kid will always be McLovin. It just doesn't work.
As far as all the other heroes go, I really enjoyed them. My favorites aside from Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl were Colonel Stars and Stripes and Tommy's mom and dad. They brought a new, fresh feel to the world of the citizen hero and were genuine people devoting their own time to try and make the city and the world a better place. Todd and Marty becoming heroes was a little silly because they simply did it to try and be cool or to fit in with Dave.
I think the strongest character in this was by far Hit-Girl. It was said prior to the release that this sequel was more her movie and I agree with that. I wouldn't really call Dave the main character in this one. I think he took a bit of a backseat to Mindy for a majority of the movie and that worked. She is a great character and it was nice to see her realize who she really is as both a person and a hero. I thought Chloe Moretz did a great job, too.
Overall I would give this a big thumbs up for effort. It is definitely entertaining and funny and it gives Kick-Ass fans another good ride. I don't quite understand why the critics gave this one so much crap, but there always has to be a scapegoat at the box office. I feel like everyone who reviewed this movie negatively either didn't see the first one or saw it and didn't understand it. I enjoyed the hell out of Kick-Ass 2 and I think anyone who liked the first one would too.
