This movie really kicks ass! No, seriously, I’m not trying to be cute. I don’t see how you could think — oh wait, yeah, I see it now. Funny. No, no, I get it. Because the movie is called Kick-Ass 2. Yeah, I totally get it. But seriously though, Kick-Ass 2 rocks! I had high hopes going into this film because the trailers have been amazing and I loved the first Kick-Ass. But this has been a summer of disappointment (*cough, Man of Steel, cough*) so maybe I was a little worried. But no need to fear. Kick-Ass 2 is just as exciting, badass, raunchy and emotionally fulfilling as the first film. Clearly there’s a lot of swearing, violence and bodily fluids, but Kick-Ass 2 is that kind of movie, and that makes for a very fun film.

Kick-Ass 2 easily lives up to the excitement of the first film, building a bigger world of superheroes and pushing the heroes’ journeys to all the right levels of awesomeness. But you probably shouldn’t try any of this at home.

Movie Rating: 9/10 – Great!

Kick-Ass 2 succeeds in taking the first film and expanding on everything. There world of superheroes gets bigger, with more regular folks putting on masks and costumes. Evil gets bigger, with the first real life super-villains. Even Kick-Ass himself gets bigger when he actually focuses on working out and learning how to fight. And the stakes are bigger than ever. People die. People we care about get hurt. People question why the hell they’re even doing this in the first place. The film does include several huge action scenes, ones that go beyond the simplicity ordinary people dressing up like superheroes, but that can be forgiven. This is still a movie, after all, not a documentary.

If you liked the first Kick-Ass, then I think you’ll love it’s sequel. Original director Matthew Vaughn is gone, replaced by Jeff Wadlow, but you won’t be able to tell the difference. These are the same characters inhabiting the same world. This is the next chapter in the lives of Dave Lizewski, Mindy Macready and the rest of these lovable goofballs. And lovable is indeed correct. Donald Faison from Scrubs plays Dr. Gravity, and he is amazing! As is Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars-and-Stripes. Really, all the new characters are a lot of fun, even the bad guys.

Join me after the jump for the full review. There will be some SPOILERS for the movie. And a tip to those who haven’t seen it: there is a scene after the credits, but it’s not that great.

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