We've been spoiled by sequels.
For decades, sequels were so often an afterthought; usually a way to squeeze a little extra cash out of a recognisable title without bringing back the cast or crew that made the original film a success. Now, though, we've come to expect that sequels will be bigger and better than the original, particularly superhero sequels. We've got the boring origin stuff out of the way, now let's see some real fireworks.
Alas, Kick-Ass 2 falls somewhat short of those expectations. It's an old school sequel, in a way — there's no Chris Nolan and David Goyer here, telling an operatic tale in three parts. No, director Matthew Vaughn and screenwriter Jane Goldman have moved on, taking some of the original film's wit and inventiveness with them and leaving a gap that writer-director Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down) isn't quite able to fill.
But if Kick-Ass 2 isn't as thrilling as its predecessor, it's still more fun than most of your other options at the multiplex. Despite his well documented issues with the violence in the film, Jim Carrey excels as Colonel Stars And Stripes, an ex-mafia tough guy that falls way, way outside Carrey's usual 'type' and helps to make up for the absence of Nic Cage's Big Daddy (who died in the first film, and doesn't make any sort of Ben Kenobi-esque comeback here).
Aaron Taylor-Johnson again manages to wring a few laughs out of his role as the titular amateur superhero, but — as was the case in the original — this is Chloe Grace Moretz' show. It's still hugely entertaining to watch her wreck shop as Hit Girl, and she's the undisputed star of the film's finest action sequences. This time around, she's also trying to adjust to her 'civilian' identity as a student at a normal high school in an interesting sub-plot that starts off aping Mean Girls before swerving into Carrie territory (weirdly enough, Moretz is also starring in the Carrie remake due later this year). It's just a shame that subplot is resolved with some spectacularly unfunny toilet humour, one of a few instances in the film that comes off more than a little tonedeaf.
My favourite sequence in Kick-Ass 2 is also one of the simplest. Early on in the film, Hit Girl has taken out a gang of thugs in typically brutal style when she gets a call from her guardian, a police officer named Marcus, who questions her about why she isn't at school. She tells him she's having a sick day at home, and the race is on for Hit Girl (who has her own customised motor bike, because of course she does) to get home before Marcus. It's the sort of scene that's played out a hundred times in superhero comics, but it feels fresh here because every other superhero movie operates on such a large scale that they lose out on these fun little moments that come straight out of the Stan Lee playbook.
Ultimately, Kick-Ass 2 probably isn't going to be your cuppa if you didn't love the original — and even if you did, you might still miss Matthew Vaughn's direction. But this is a worthy entry in the overcrowded superhero movie market, and it'll keep you consistently entertained.
3.5/5
Kick-Ass 2 is in cinemas now.
