Kick-Ass 2 (2013) **

 

You can argue the relative merits of various movie sequels, but I think one thing most of us can agree on is that most sequels are unnecessary. If the original film was done right, the story is narratively complete, and it does not demand a second installment. 2010's "Kick-Ass" is one of the exceptions: a riotously fun movie that came together well, but that really did demand a sequel. Is “Kick-Ass 2” the sequel it deserves? Not really.

In “Kick-Ass,” we met Dave, high-school student by day, masked vigilante by night. Calling himself Kick-Ass, Dave would walk the streets with a couple of batons, looking for opportunities to fight crime. It didn't much matter that he wasn't very good at it. His only superpowers were a big heart and an injury that made him mostly impervious to pain, but his willingness to make a stand inspired others to don the mask. In “Kick-Ass 2” we meet some of those vigilantes. Meanwhile, Dave gets Hit Girl (Chloe Moretz) to train him , but she winds up retiring from the vigilante business and trying to make a go of being a normal, teenage girl. While the heroes go through their identity crises, Chris D'Amico, whose crime-boss dad fought the heroes in the first movie, embraces his super-villain destiny.

It should all be a lot more fun than it is. The setup is fine, but poor writing drags it down, and the Hit Girl storyline, in particular, is a cringey mess. I think the explanation is a change in management. The first film was written (adapted from a comic) and directed by Matthew Vaughn, who also directed "Stardust" and a couple of X-men movies. He also wrote and directed “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which was surprisingly good, featuring the same mix of violence and off-kilter humor that made the original “Kick-Ass” so good. For some reason, Vaughn declined to write or direct the “Kick-Ass” sequel. He is listed as a producer, which basically means they used his name to get financing, but writing and directing fell to a guy named Jeff Wadlow, who has done nothing before or since to distinguish himself. Instead of a clever, funny, action movie with heart, what we wind up with is a fairly lame sequel, coasting on the greatness of the original.

2 stars out of 5