Kick-Ass 2

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Release Date: August 16th 2013

The costumed high-school hero Kick-Ass joins with a group of normal citizens who have been inspired to fight crime in costume. Meanwhile, the Red Mist plots an act of revenge that will affect everyone Kick-Ass knows.

Director: Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down)

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jim Carrey, Donald Faison

Kick Ass 2 kicks off shortly after its predecessor with action and gore aplenty. Dave/Kick-Ass (Taylor-Johnson) is secretly training with Mindy aka Hit Girl (Grace Moretz) so that they can be the first ever superhero team.

Mindy gets caught out as her alter ego and is forced into making a promise that she'll lead a normal life as best she can. Dave, on the other hand, seeks out other vigilante superheroes and later joins Justice Forever, lead by Colonel Stars and Stripes (Carrey).

Meanwhile, Chris D'Amico/Red Mist (Mintz-Plasse) goes by a new, subtle alias, 'The Motherfucker', and vows to end Kick Ass by forming a super-villain team, the ever so wonderfully named Toxic Mega Cunts.

Back in 2010 Kick-Ass was a major breath of fresh air amongst a period of superhero smash hits (Marvel and DC Universes)... it stood out like a sore thumb. Kick-Ass 2 carries on the pace, but lacks the freshness due to expectations already set.

Chloe Grace Moretz' Hit Girl has a central role this time, literally kicking ass every moment she's on screen. Her acting is brilliant, from one portrayal of a lost teenage girl finding her footing in school to Hit Girl's fearless killing ways which makes her stand out from all the other superheroes.

The action trumps the comedy. Moments that are supposed to be funny are left only with smiles. Jim Carrey's prowess as a comedic actor is not up to scratch and the little screen time he has is a big factor in that. Christopher Mintz Plasse steal the most laughs, even if some of the humour in KA2 is silly.

There is also some terrible recasting in Kick-Ass 2 that may not be apparent at first. Evan Peters played Dave's friend Todd in the first installment but was replaced by Augustus Prew in the second. Same goes for Big Daddy's friend Marcus (the detective who's Mindy's minder in KA2). Omari Hardwick is the actor in KA, but it's Morris Chestnut in the second. It's the small things that can disturb the flow of the film, even if it can't be helped.

Overview: A good attempt at a sequel, but doesn't quite keep up with the first. There may be a third installment in the pipeline.