Kick-Ass 2

As much as the original Kick-Ass presented us with what it would be like if there were actually real life superheroes, this film deals us with the consequences of what it is to be a superhero. I can't help but feeling like this film was made as a public service announcement for those people who actually want to do this kind of thing.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) has given up fighting crime as the superhero Kick-Ass and wants to live the life of a regular teenager. Soon he starts training again with Mindy Macready (Chloe Grace Moretz), formerly Hit-Girl. Before long, he joins a group of other superheroes headed by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). Meanwhile, Chris D'Amico (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) is still brooding over the fact that Kick-Ass killed his father and vows to kill him as the world's first supervillain, The Motherf***er.

I felt that this movie was just a little weaker than the original film and I have a feeling that this was down to it having a different director. Matthew Vaughn (also known as Guy Ritchie's producer) gave the last film a certain energy that this one lacked. Jeff Wadlow (who also wrote the script) did an alright job at showing us the consequences of being a superhero. I think that I may be being a bit harsh on him, as Kick-Ass is a tough act to follow.

Taylor-Johnson did a great job playing a character who is torn between what he thinks his duty is and what he thinks a teenager should be doing. There are few scenes between him and his father (played by Garrett Brown) that really shows his inner conflict.

Moretz does a fantastic job as Macready, who is trying to learn to be a normal girl after the events of the last film. She has an energy and passion for acting that I really think will pay off for her in the future.

Jim Carrey once again shines in a film. Unlike Burt Wonderstone, where he outshone the stars, he really complements the rest of the cast. A lot of the humour in the film comes from his character's wacky view on being a superhero. It is a shame that he has since denounced the level of violence in the film, but it is good to point out that these violent actions do have heavy repercussions in the film.

There are also some very funny cameos from Donald Faison (Scrubs), John Lequizamo (Ice Age, Super Mario Bros.) and Iain Glen (everybody's favourite khaleesi bodyguard from Game of Thrones) as Chris D'Amico's truly terrifying uncle.

Verdict: The first Kick-Ass did seem like lightning in a bottle, but this film still does a great job with the cast and characters and does have some truly funny parts.