Back in 2010 Kick-Ass was one of the unexpected, break-out hits of the year for me. It was original, it caught me by surprise and the violence was dark. It caused all sorts of controversy. A winning recipe for a delicious cocktail that left me tipsy and wanting more. Three years later, more is what I got as Kick Ass 2 hit our screens.
To be honest, I wasn’t expecting all that much from it. Sequels aren’t usually known for successfully achieving the same creative heights of their former’s. Perhaps that is why I enjoyed Kick-Ass 2 so much. Sure, it wasn’t as original (how could it be?) and the message wasn’t as sharp or as dark, but it was fun. It was excessively violent, everyone cursed like sailors and it was hilarious in parts. What more could you want?
Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), who is attempting some High School Mean Girl normality is called in to help Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) get back into crime-fighting shape. Enter the hilarious super-villain (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), intent on exacting his revenge on Kick-Ass for murdering his father with a bazooka and as a result unifies a rag-tag crew of would-be superheroes.
While Hit Girl, who never managed to actually have a normal childhood comes to terms with who she really is, Kick-Ass joins forces with Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Dr. Gravity (Donald Faison) to name but a few. As an aside, isn’t it nice to see Faison in something good for once? (Skyline, anyone?) Carrey’s performance stands out in every scene as always and I somewhat understand the controversy he caused when refusing to promote the movie. It is very violent, excessively and needlessly so, but that’s one of the reasons why I liked it.
It pokes fun at our media-obsessed society, referencing Youtube hits, the need to constantly tweet and our culture of celebrity. The fight scenes and set pieces are excellent and, as you’d expect, our heroes kick a lot of ass. If you’re looking for a thoughtless caper and don’t mind bloody deaths or children using the C-word then you’ll probably enjoy it.
“I HAVE TO TWEET THIS.”
I’ll tell you one thing I found weird though, here in Ireland the rating was 16. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not a fan of inordinate censorship but I find it odd that a movie as violent as this, a movie with more curses than I could reasonably count, is more suitable for a child than a full frontal shot of boobage or a sex scene. Something to think about I guess.
Netflix Pick – Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist 
[FILM] John Wick 
[FILM] Fifty Shades of Grey 
[FILM] A Million Ways To Die In The West 
The Verbal Spew Review 
I completely agree with your comment about the perplexing way censorship rules are applied. While both can be taken to excess, I’d much rather my grandchildren see two people getting overly friendly than see someone being unreasonably violent or profane.
LikeLike
My brother (who accompanied me to see Kick-Ass 2) said he thought the second movie was a lot more violent than the first. The original Kick-Ass was rated 18 here (R in the US) and that had nudity and sexual content. I found it interesting that although the second movie was much more gruesome it was deemed more suitable for a younger audience than the first because of the lack of nudity. There were implications of sexual acts sure, but nothing was actually seen.
I too would rather explain to a child the natural naked form of a human body over why someone had to get their hand or member chopped off. Censorship seems a little backward to me if I’m honest!
LikeLike
I don’t know about Ireland’s rating system, but if you want to rage about unfair rating systems and censorship (especially when connected to sexuality) check out “This Film is not yet rated”. it’s about the MPAA in the US and how it’s all very shadowy and sketchy and a little bit sexist.
LikeLike
We seem to be mostly in-line with the US, Orange, and tend to emulate the UK’s system, while other European countries appear to be a little more open-minded when it comes to consensual sexual acts and ratings. I will definitely check that out, cheers for the recommendation!
LikeLike
I like Jim Carrey, but his position on this movie is so hypocritical. I won’t promote it because it’s violent, but I don’t mind staring in it if you give me enough cash?
LikeLike
I couldn’t disagree at all. It’s okay if he wants to make a stand, I get that, but doing the movie, taking the money and making a stand afterward by not doing publicity? It’s a bit weak.
LikeLike