KICKASS 2
US, 2013, 109 minutes, Colour.
Aaron Taylor Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Chris Platz, Jim Carrey, Morris Chestnut.
Directed by Jeff Medlow.
There is no doubt that Kickass 2 lives up to its title. This reviewier was not a fan of the original Kickass, a blend of realistic violence with comic book violence, Nicholas Cage as a comic strip avenger, Mark Strong as a comic strip villain, Chloe grace Moritz as a little girl action heroine, Hit-Girl?, with a violent streak and a bad mouth.
Obviously, the film was popular, and did well in the box office, a sign that the film should become the beginning of a franchise. And now the sequel. This reviewer is not a fan of the sequel either.
With Nicholas Cage and Mark Strong gone from the film, though we see their photos in their children’s homes, the film relies on Aaron Johnson Taylor as David, the bespectacled and mild-mannered young student who transforms himself into the heroic figure, Kickass, going out on the streets to defend the defenceless. However, Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz) now aged 15, is confined to the care of her father’s friend, Markus (Morris Chestnut), who insists she stay in school and not participate in any action. This gives her the opportunity to have some scenes straight out of a Mean Girls kind of film where she excels at her dance routine, imagining herself as Hit- Girl battling with her opponents, but then exercising a mean vengeance on the snobby girls with their loss of control of bodily functions.
Mark Strong’s son, Christopher Mintz Plasse, inherits all his father’s ill-gotten money, decides that he will be a villain incarnate, with a generally unprintable title, and decides to go after David to avenge his father. He gathers round him a truly oddball group, especially a gigantic wrestler woman called Mother Russia.
In the meantime, a born-again Christian, anti-swearing and anti-profanity captain gathers together the avengers. They go into action but soon he is disposed of. Waiting for Jim Carrey to appear, it dawns on us that he has already appeared as the captain but was, more or less, unrecognisable as the Jim Carrey of the past. In comments after the making of the film, Carrey has made some statements highly critical of the violence. He is not wrong.
The film veers into different moods every couple of minutes. At one stage it is realistic. At another, soon after, it is highly stylized. It goes into high school movie mode. It goes into domestic drama. It goes into fighting fantasy. But all the time it returns to confrontation and comic-book violence and killings while several times mentioning that this is not a comic-book but is real life. Well, not exactly.
1. The impact of the first film? Likes and dislikes? The popularity of Hit-Girl? The need for a sequel?
2. New York City, real and surreal? Ordinary homes, mansions, school, meeting places for the group’s, action in the streets? The police?
3. The comic-book style? The dialogue indicating that it was not a comic - but it was?
4. Memory of the characters? David, at school, his past, his killing Chris’s father, his friendship with Mindy, reliance on her, her father’s death? His relationship with his father? His supporting the ending? The meeting, the hero-figures? The influence of the captain, the group, his motivation? Going into action?
5. Mindy, the death of her father, his photo? Markus looking after her? Stern? Mindy and her age, at school, with the mean girls, her demonstration, imagining herself as Hit- Girl fighting? The meanness of her revenge, the vomiting and diarrhea? The death of David’s father, her getting caught up in the action, on the top of the van, the fights? A showdown, the fight with mother Russia? Her future?
6. The mean girls, the clichés of high school, the dance demonstration, their picking on Mindy, the vomit and diarrhea?
7. Chris, his father, the reaction to his mother, her death, his mentor giving advice and shielding him, guiding him, at the meetings, Uncle Ralph causing his death in the car? Chris and his madness, resentment towards Kickass, wanting revenge, gathering the group, the oddball group, their costumes and masks?
8. The visit to Uncle Ralph, sinister, trying to control Chris, the murder of his mentor?
9. The group, the masks, the captain and his headquarters, his motivational talks, the members of the group, the gay man without a mask, Night Bitch, the mother and father in the group? Marty, his friendship with David, the discussions, becoming part of the group, the making up a horror story? His swearing and the captain’s rebukes?
10. The captain, his career, born again, not permitting swearing, operations, rounding up the group, the headquarters, going into action, the violence of his death?
11. The police, the arrests? Anti the vigilantes? David, his father, the discussions, his father’s concern about drugs, forbidding him to be Kickass, allowing himself to be arrested, the visit, his death, the photo on the phone?
12. On the streets, Chris and his group, Mother Russia? The interactions?
13. The final decisions, Ass-kicker and his betrayal, realising the truth, returning to the group? The attack on Night Bitch in her house, David’s visit to her in hospital?
14. The invitation by Chris, his code name and tone, the hall, Kickass and his arrival, his team, the confrontations, the fights? Chris falling through the roof, into the shark cage-and the final scene after the credits with him in hospital?
15. David, his vanquishing Chris, the pledge of the group not to be street heroes, but his doing his exercises? His future?
