Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Kick-Ass 2 (2013, R)

The original Kick-Ass is all high-octane violence, outrageous twists, and a sly blend of the insane and ridiculous with the ordinary.  It’s definitely an experience, and I don’t think the sequel matches it.  It’s not a bad movie – many a follow-up has failed to deliver on the promise of its predecessor – but the tone isn’t handled as well, and it doesn’t use its best asset, ChloĆ« Grace Moretz’s Hit-Girl, nearly as much as it should.

In the years since the first film, masked crime-fighting has become the latest fad, and the streets are full of DIY heroes.  Dave starts out with the intention of training seriously under the punishing tutelage of Hit-Girl, but when certain obligations force her to get out of the game, he finds himself lending the Kick-Ass mantle to a poor man’s Justice League.  As in the previous movie, though, his notoriety in the criminal underworld is much bigger than his competence strictly merits, and his presence on the team soon makes them the target of a super-villain.

Obviously, sidelining Hit-Girl for a big chunk of the movie does it no favors.  Watching her attempt normal teenage stuff and deal with the Mean Girls at school is fine, but it’s not nearly as much fun as watching her acrobatically dispatch lowlifes while she curses like a sailor and shows off her swagger.  So, her own plots are less entertaining, and many action scenes fall short of top-tier without her unique brand of deadly, balls-to-the-wall fighting.  For narrative purposes, I can understand it; if she was helping out Kick-Ass and his less-than-impressive comrades, all their problems would be solved a lot sooner.  Still, from a viewer standpoint, it’s disappointing.

Aside from that major sin, though, it’s pretty enjoyable.  I don’t find it quite as funny as the original – at times, it seems to take itself a bit too seriously – but it still has a lot of irreverent humor, and I like the gallery of new heroes and villains.  (Jim Carrey’s Col. Stars and Stripes and Donald Faison’s Dr. Gravity stand out among the good guys, and for the baddies, Olga Kurkulina’s Mother Russia is the clear MVP.)  The animosity between Kick-Ass and the main villain is believably established, and while none of the big action set pieces match the ludicrous heights of Hit-Girl’s introductory fight in the first film, there’s some cool fighting to be had.

Just a bit more on Hit-Girl, because even when they don’t use her to her full potential, I still love her.  I like that, among the snapshots of trial-by-fire high school stuff she gets, we see her discovering her sex drive.  Don’t get me wrong – I love that she was a little girl in the first movie, totally desexualizing the usually hyper-sexualized role of the BAMF female assassin, but this scene is focused on her feelings, not anyone else’s feelings for her.  Hard, detached Hit-Girl is bowled over by a sensation she’s never experienced before, and this isn’t a moment we usually see for teen girls.  We see them crushing and loving, requitedly or otherwise, and sexual feelings can go hand in hand with this, but it’s rare to see a girl feeling turned-on for the first time, especially in a scenario that’s wholly separate from romantic attraction.  Very interesting.

Warnings

Swearing, sexual content (including an attempted assault,) alcohol/drug use, disturbing images, and plenty of the old ultraviolence.

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