1. Losing The Comic's Theme
Truly the greatest loss in translation from comic to film was the destruction of the very ideals that define Kick-Ass. The comic has never proclaimed that dressing up as a super hero is the only way to deal with your problems, or promoted the training of 10 year old girls as assassins. The violence is a peg underscoring the theme that the real world isn't a comic book. In the real world, dressing up as a super hero can have major consequences, sometimes devastating. Sure, there might be some fun and games to have along the way, but the truth always comes back to bite these characters in the ass, most notably in the loss of both Mindy's and Dave's fathers, the rape of Katie, and murder of Colonel Stars. More-so than in any other comic series - where losses are part of the super hero standard - the losses here indicate to these characters that they've got to take stock of the real world. If they truly want to become heroes, they must embrace all that being a hero entails, including the concepts of losing a battle and a loved one. Kick-Ass is about what it REALLY means to be a super hero. The first film captured this theme perfectly well, with Big Daddy's death in particular serving as a reminder of the realties of walking the streets in a costume. But the theme is completely lost in Kick-Ass 2. We lose the lesson that real world brutality has a toll on super heroics because there's no consequence to any of the brutality in the film. Violence is dolled out on both sides, hero and villain, and there's no impact on either end. Night Bitch's rape is made comedic and insignificant. Dave's dad's death is shown for all of 10 seconds. There's no real punishment for the villains, there's no true lessons for the heroes. The movie simply tells us that all of the world's evils can be solved with a massive barbaric brawl. None of the villains' actions are acknowledged in any meaningful way. Consequently, you wind up feeling indifferent towards Kick-Ass's battle with Mother F**ker. The murders and rape are barely given a second thought. Consequently, it feels as though Dave has no real reason to want to beat him - aside from "because the script said so." Wadlow has given us a cover without a book, a superficial travesty that looks like the comic but doesn't act like it. Kick-Ass 2 is a lazy mess that would have been all too easy to fix if only Wadlow had been paying attention to his source. As a massive fan of the comic, I'm deeply offended, and can only hope that Kick-Ass 3: the movie manages to make amends. Keeping Jeff Wadlow far away from it is a start. Bringing back Mathew Vaughn would be the real kicker. Do that, and I'm sure I'll be cheering on Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl once again. Especially if she calls criminals c**ts while "Banana Splits" plays in the background. That'd be sweet. What are your thoughts on Kick-Ass 2? Do you hate the movie as much as I did, or am I completely off base? Sound off in the comments below and let us know!