There were a number of titles that didn’t quite measure up to their previous efforts. Kick-Ass was a divisive movie, but Kick-Ass 2 seemed to unite everyone in recognizing that it kind of sucked. Maybe we all underestimated how crucial Nicolas Cage was to the tone of the first film. Maybe Matthew Vaughn directed the hell out of that first movie, and went on to direct the hell out of X-Men: First Class, and newcomer Jeff Wadlow wasn’t up to the task. Who knows?
Defining marks of the first Kick-Ass that I appreciated included its ironic detachment, exemplified by the weird style of the aforementioned Nicolas Cage part, its awareness of the absurdity of its hyperviolent fights, and its nods to stylistic forebearers like Pulp Fiction. Kick-Ass 2 was not humorless, but its application of its humor seemed misplaced and less effective. Jim Carrey had little to do despite putting a rather remarkable stamp on his character. The film also seems to want to explore Hit-Girl a bit more, but only does so in superficial ways. Here’s hoping it’s the Iron Man 2 of the franchise, and the next film, if it gets made, rights the ship.
This one was sparingly entertaining, at least, which makes it far better than the next entry on this list.
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