In 2010, Matthew Vaughn shocked audiences with his vulgar, abrasive, and downright violent adolescent vigilante tale Kick-Ass. In 2013, Jeff Wadlow attempts to recreate the excitement with a sequel. Unfortunately, the shock value has waned, and the story seems more of an afterthought, ultimately leaving the film in a state of disarray as it works mindlessly to find its purpose -- a search that regretfully comes up empty.
Though mildly entertaining, Kick-Ass 2 makes one vital mistake about a quarter of the way in: it loses its Hit Girl. Attempting to bring about a sense of identity, director Jeff Wadlow loses his most intriguing character, forcing Aaron Taylor-Johnson's Kick-Ass to venture out and find a new group of self-proclaimed vigilantes to rule the streets with. Losing the experience and sheer ruthlessness of Chloe Grace Moretz's star alter-ego is huge, and as the film wages on, her absence is noticeable, handicapping the story as it unsuccessfully attempts to give itself a bit of heart and soul.
The addition of Jim Carrey and Donald Faison do help the film, if only to distract from the chaotic story that slowly unfolds. But, to put it nicely, there is no replacing Nicholas Cage's Big Daddy -- even if you do embody a patriotic ex-military soldier like Colonel Stars and Stripes.
Carrey's comedic talents are lost within the shuffle as he's never given the screen time to fully materialize his character. Instead, Wadlow opts to force his presence on us, hoping that we will be grateful with the attempt and not harp on the poor delivery. Fortunately for the audience, Faison is given a few key moments, though never enough to showcase his chops in his hugely underdeveloped portrayal.
But the film didn't lose me at the characters, I pretty much expected them to be malnourished and a bit rough around the edges. What I didn't expect was for the film to follow an unmarked path into complete oblivion. Unsure of its sole purpose, Kick-Ass 2 ventures into unknown waters, ultimately entering a state of ridiculousness as Christopher Mintz-Plasse's super villain attempts to save the film and wreck havoc on his archenemy: Kick-Ass. His attempt is one of the biggest misses of the entire film.
The actions were hardly ever serious, the character's lives are never really held in a state of importance, and the story itself is never based in a sense of reality. The 2010 original was able to hold a small grip on the mere perception of some degree of authenticity as it ventured into the dark side; here, we are left with scraps of an idea, all of which are sewn together in a presentable, though largely unappealing manner.
Is Kick-Ass 2 watchable? Sure. You just need to be 15 to feel like you are getting your money's worth.
