It's rare that a sequel ever lives up to the magic of the original, but with follow-up Kick-Ass 2, it almost feels like the filmmakers weren't really even trying. Smaller in scope than the first flick (which was genuinely brilliant in its gory deconstruction of the superhero genre) despite the fact that there are dozens more characters, Kick-Ass 2 never feels like a proper self-contained movie: it's better described as a collection of hyperactive scenes, loosely connected, with the bare bones of a story glimpsed here and there for good measure. It's more akin to Kick-Ass 1.5. The plot picks up where the original left off, with costumed crime-fighter Kick-Ass (Aaron Johnson) re-teaming with Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) to wipe the scum from the streets. What's missing this time, though, is the self-aware and intelligent satire that you could feel in the first movie: this is just a straight-out action flick, mean-spirited and lacking any hint of charisma. Even Johnson, who worked wonders in the first movie, falls flat here, and Jim Carrey's role as a former Mafia man turned crime-fighter feels like wasted potential. Hand the keys back to Matthew Vaughn, please.
