Kick-Ass 2

TAKE 1: One Man’s Opinion

…because film is largely subjective

    

by Frederick William Springer III

Kick-Ass 2

Release Date:  16 August 2013                                                    Runtime:  103 Minutes              

Review Date:  5 November 2013                                                  Rating:  4 (of 6)

     Kick-Ass 2 certainly isn't its predecessor (few sequels ever are) but it's still worth checking out.  This installment, though still much of its trademark violence still present, felt a little watered down, perhaps due to the new writer/director, Jeff Wadlow.  Unfortunately, whereas Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) was the scene stealer in the original, both her language and actions, here it's her real identity as Mindy that gets the majority of screen time and the scene stealing aspects on her part are almost wholly absent.

     Of slight annoyance, the characters of Kick-Ass's friend Todd and Hit Girl's guardian Officer Marcus were both recast.  Here, Todd's presence was almost entirely cut and, when he was around, was made to look completely stupid which was not a characteristic of his in the original film.

     On a side note, after seeing both these films, my mind is boggled at Jim Carrey's remarks afterwards that he "cannot support that level of violence."  That leaves me wondering a) did he see the original film? b) did he read the script before he accepted the job? and c) was he present during the filming of his own scenes?  Because a "yes" to any of those--and we know the last question gets answered with a resounding "yes"--just makes him seem like an idiot.