Kick-Ass 2
I’ve got decidedly mixed feelings about “Kick-Ass 2.” On the one hand, I absolutely love the direction the story goes with Mindy/Hit Girl, played by the wonderful Chloe Grace Moretz, even if part of her search for identity leads her down a path that seems similar to the one the actress will be taking in October in “Carrie.” Moretz, who stole the show in the first film, has been getting better and better thanks to performances in “Let Me In” and “Hugo,” and she continues that streak by making Mindy’s dilemma between living the life her late father (Big Daddy) trained her for, and the life her guardian (Morris Chestnut) wants for her, genuinely affecting, and really drives the film to some of its best moments. On the other hand, however, the film is lacking in the confident, darkly comedic tone that was a big part of what helped us accept the premise of “real-life” superheroes in Matthew Vaughn’s original film, making the violence all the tougher to take. That makes it easy to see why Jim Carrey, who is terrific as Captain Stars and Stripes, was unable to promote the film in light of the senseless shooting in Newtown last year.
Identity is a main theme in “Kick-Ass 2,” as it seems to be in a lot of comic book sequels. Not only is Hit Girl facing an identity crisis, but Dave/Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Chris D’Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who went by the moniker Red Mist, are, as well. Dave’s is along the lines of Mindy’s, in that he tries to be true to who he is while also respecting his father’s wishes, and it results in some good character moments. Chris’s, however, is more complicated, and driven by hatred for Kick-Ass, who killed his father in the first film. Now, he wants revenge, and, after his mother’s death, rebrands himself as the world’s first super villain, The Motherfucker. (And if profanity bothers you, don’t look at me. Why would you be watching a film called “Kick-Ass,” anyway?) What results are two teams of characters– one of heroes, one of villains –whom will face off in the end, and will lose soldiers along the way. The evolution for Chris into The Motherfucker is the least interesting in the movie; this might be one of the rare comic book movies where the villain is the least interesting character in the movie, which is a shame considering how awesome Mintz-Plasse usually is. Once again, though, it’s Hit Girl who steals the show, and Chloe Grace Moretz is developing into a smart, beautiful performer to be reckoned with in movies right now. Without her, “Kick-Ass 2” would have been tough to sit through. With her, it’s still a disappointment for someone who really liked the first film, but not the unwatchable, nihilistic mess of tone it sometimes comes close to being.
