KICK-ASS 2 is a solid sequel

RATED- R

RUN TIME- 103 MINS

WRITER(S)- JEFF WADLOW, MARK MILLAR, AND JOHN ROMITA Jr.

STARRING- AARON TAYLOR-JOHNSON, CHLOE GRACE MORETZ, AND CHRISTOPHER MINTZ-PLASSE

DIRECTOR- JEFF WADLOW

Synopsis taken from IMDb

The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect  everyone Kick-Ass knows.

I liked the first film a lot more than I ever expected to, so I was ready going into this one. I haven't heard much about it, I stay away from spoilers as often as I can. I've only read two reviews on it I believe, both of which were positive. 

I like how it starts, Dave Lizewski/Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) no longer fighting crime, but others around the city have picked up where he left off. He's inspired a group of vigilantes that call themselves superheros, just like he once did. Even though you can see where this storyline will inevitably end up, it's still enjoyable. Dave meets up with his former pal Mindy Macready/Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz), and she gets him back into training and fighting crime. Dave starts taking everything a bit more seriously, and is proud to be partners with Mindy.

There's a lot of growing, both physically and mentally, from Dave and Mindy. All of which is fantastic.

After Mindy decides to give up fighting crime, Kick-Ass joins forces with a team of masked superhero's headed by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carey). Carey gives a very good performance for this film, and is one of the most memorable things about this sequel. As a team they conquer the streets and shut down criminals left and right. Donald Faison is in this flick as well, and he plays Dr. Gravity. Another memorable and funny character. 

Chris D'Amico/The Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is hellbent on revenge and takes things to a new extreme, which doesn't limit his new name, which he gives himself when he decides to become the worlds first super-villain. He now goes by The Mother F'er, in short, and even though Plasse seems to be the same damn character in every movie he's in, he still pulls off the annoying character. All the while I was just waiting for Kick-Ass to beat the hell out of him. In the name of his deceased father, The Mother F'er hires a team of ex-cons and street criminals to join his army in alliance to kill Kick-Ass and destroy the city.

Like the first film, I really adore how they are able to balance such humor and ridiculousness with serious vibes. It gets very dark and gritty really quickly, and there's a lot of death. But it never loses it's quirkiness. And while this film kept me happy, nothing changes that it doesn't have that magic that the first one had. I believe this is as close as you can get to capturing that lightning in a bottle again.

The acting is over-the-top, but exactly what it needs to be for this type of film. The story isn't as strong, although all of the stakes are upped. Without the origin story the original film had, this one almost falls flat aside from the action. However, the story between Dave and Mindy is well done, and adds a great depth to the story, stopping the story from becoming weak and too much action. There's also good character story and development with Dave and his father, which I liked a lot. They do the same with Mindy, showing her home life and how she interacts with her new dad, Detective Marcus Williams (Morris Chestnut) after her real father's passing.

The climax of the film is touching and well written. Full of despair, hope, and strength, as well as blood and violence. We're left wondering if there's going to be a third film. My sources have told me that a 3rd installment probably will happen, this just leaves me guessing what it will be about? Hopefully they won't do a third and fall into the trilogy curse. We'd rather have just two good movies than to have two good movies and one bad one. Hopefully they aren't reaching too far in order to make a third happen.

All in all, "Kick-Ass 2" is a solid action film that'll invoke all emotions in you from sadness, to complete happiness and laughter. It's a blast, and if you liked the first motion picture, you're bound to like this one. I left the theater satisfied, and I guess as a movie buff, that's all I can ask for. I'm definitely glad this film happened. It kick's ass!