Three years ago, the low budget movie Kick Ass garnered a comic-come-movie cult following for its originality, wit and over the top violence. Now, superheroes Kick Ass and Hit girl are back in Kick Ass 2. The story picks up with Hit Girl learning to live as an orphan under the guardianship of Marcus, her father’s former partner. While no longer a child, she’s still a fifteen year old ninja assassin who can “kill a man with his own finger”. Kick Ass has hung up his wetsuit and put his vigilante days behind him, but of course there would be no movie were things to stay this way.
Enter Chris D’Amico, formerly Red Mist, he’s now rebranded himself as the world’s first Super Villian, ‘Mother F*%^$*r’. After witnessing the murder of his father by bazooka at the hands of Kick Ass, his mental health has deteriorated somewhat. Now he not only wants to kill Kick Ass, but he first wants to inflict as much pain as possible. His main problem with that is he lacks Super Villain- esque strength and skill, and so relies on his real super power (vast wealth) to hire his own squad of deadly comic book type baddies. Special mention should go to former female body builder Olga Kurkulina, who is truly frightening as Mother Russia.
Following the rules that sequels must be bigger and more explosive than their predecessor, Kick Ass also buddies up forming his own band of do-gooder vigilantes in costume who all just want to make the world a better place. Jim Carey is hilarious at Colonel Stars and Stripes, a born again Christian with a mob enforcer background. Other members of the Kick Ass crew include the likes of Night Bitch, Insect Man and Doctor Gravity.
Chloe Grace Moretz is again brilliant as Mindy, aka Hit Girl, discovering that gangsters and pimps have nothing on the true evil that is mean teenage girls. The subplot which has Mindy discovering who she is when she’s not being Hit Girl, has a coming of age slant and in some ways is more compelling than the main revenge and vengeance tale.
While not quite as good as the original, Kick Ass 2 is still a great movie. It has a fast moving plot, satirical one liners, great characters and should win an award for creative violence (death by lawnmower, anyone?). Be warned, however, the violence is graphic and plentiful so probably not for the real young ones, or those with a weak stomach.
