Movie Review: Kick Ass 2

 Kick-Ass 2 remains an entertaining sequel but the plot is just not compelling enough to fully recapture the magic of the original. The sequel also lacks the nice blend of gory violence and ironic, witty humor that made the first one so enjoyable to watch. (I gave the first film a rating of 9/10)

There are too many characters in the film...the members of the Justice Forever are not given enough screen time or character development. Most of them ended up being forgettable, even for Night Bitch, who had a fling with Kick Ass, doesn't have much of a role in the film. Colonel Stars and Stripes was great as the leader, it's such a shame we didn't get to see more of him in the film. The plot point where Ass Kicker betrayed Kick Ass, which lead to a character's death, was not resolved or touched upon by the end of the film.

The film explores more on how Mindy (Hit Girl) struggles to lead a normal high school life and being recognized as a normal teenage girl, so we get to see a somehow awkwardly paced American high school drama subplot of her instead of the Hit Girl & Kick Ass team-up crime fighting we eager to see. Some of the jokes associated with the subplot doesn't seem to be funny at all.The relationship between Katie (longtime crush in school) and Dave (Kick Ass) quickly ended just like that, without any subsequent follow-ups.However, the subtle chemistry between Mindy and Dave was nicely done in the film.

Rather than adding build-up which leads to the finale, the film quickly sets up Chris as the new supervillain, The Motherfucker and assembles his own team of forgettable supervillain characters, with the exception of Mother Russia.Moreover, Chris is shown as an immature, spoiled, rich mafia kid who tries to avenge his dad than a strong compelling, memorable villain.

Contrary to the belief of many people, the seemingly gory, ultra-violent fighting scenes in this sequel is actually less stylized, shocking and (dare I say?) violent compared to its predecessor. The moving van action scene with Mindy fighting Chris' gang is poorly made..bodies are seen flying out of van, no one gets surprised by it and police cars or SWAT teams are nowhere to be found. The police are shown to be incompetent fools who can't even track and arrest the correct villains.

Overall, it's still an entertaining watch despite its shortcomings. For those who really enjoyed the first film might feel a slight disappointment, but for casual movie-goers who doesn't mind the gory violence and foul language presented in the film, you might find it more enjoyable than many of the films out there at the moment.

Rating:7/10

Note: There's an after-credit scene, hinting that there might be a third and final installment.