Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

A more modest success than the first film but still in the same vein, with over-the-top action and intact sweary laughs. It faithfully adapts the comic while swapping some brutality for jokes and focusing more on high-school elements alongside larger battles.

The critic calls it a crudely entertaining genre hybrid that improves on the predecessor in some respects but remains weightless and uneven. He singles out Chloë Grace Moretz's terrific performance as the standout asset.

The critic finds the sequel enjoyable but less daring and more conventional than the original, with a reduced shock value. Chloë Grace Moretz's Hit-Girl is singled out as the coolest and most stylish element, carrying the film with her assured performance and high-school storyline.

The sequel is less anarchic and more slick than the original, slipping into action clichés rather than giggling at them. Hit-Girl still gets the best lines, but the film includes an offensive rape joke that leaves a bad taste.

Kick-Ass 2 is even more of a provocation than the first film, with increased violence and a devil-may-care attitude that tests boundaries. It replicates the original's look but lacks the same urgency, replacing drama with ridiculous violence while attempting an empowerment narrative.

Kick-Ass 2 is a juvenile comedy of excess that indulges in the adolescent power fantasies it purports to skewer, though better than its predecessor. Chloë Grace Moretz's Hit Girl remains the standout amid tonal shifts and underwhelming action.

The review examines the sequel's continuation of the original's provocative tone under new director Jeff Wadlow. It focuses on the shift in narrative emphasis toward Hit Girl amid high school and vigilante elements.

This playful sequel ticks the expected boxes for violence, language and humour but feels scattershot and disjointed, lacking the left-field originality of the first film. It is at its best when simply replaying the over-the-top action moments of its predecessor.

The sequel delivers exactly the blend of R-rated nastiness and candy-colored action fans expect, with Hit Girl as an equal co-star alongside Kick-Ass. It doubles down on violence and nastiness but makes it harder to distinguish the film from polished superhero blockbusters.

This unasked-for sequel is a conventional, rubbish stinker with shaky camerawork, unoriginal music cues, and no redeeming features. The filmmakers made no effort to stray from the first film's formula and the result is deeply disappointing.

The critic says the film aims high but falls short as an uncertain jumble rather than a true exploration of its themes. He singles out the soft-pedaled violence and the mishandled rape scene turned into a tacky joke.

This sequel is a mess that squanders the original's premise with an unwieldy story, tonal inconsistency and offputting violence that fails to connect with the comedy. Chloë Grace Moretz remains charismatic but the film loses shock value and becomes dull in its superhero debates.

The sequel doubles down on the first film's love-hate relationship with ultra-violence but remains a hypocritical, self-aggrandizing tantrum lacking original ideas. Wadlow shifts focus to Mindy but luxuriates in shock-value elements like misogyny and crude gags without meaningful commentary.

The critic finds nothing good to say about the witless and mirthless sequel, calling it inept and cynical. She singles out the director's failure to understand the power of violent imagery and the film's overall misogyny.

The critic calls the film an endless churn of brutality and obscenity that fails to shock or engage because there is nothing to care about. Jim Carrey's disavowal of the violence is noted, with only faint praise for Moretz's screen presence.

The critic deems the sequel an abomination that bludgeons the viewer with zany violence lacking the original's satirical edge, blaming the new director. Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass are portrayed as diminished and the overall experience is a sorry mess.

The critic declares it one of the year's worst films and urges viewers to avoid it entirely due to its deplorable morals and excessive violence. He singles out the film's misogynistic treatment of female characters, including a rape scene played for laughs, for particular condemnation.

The review notes the film moves closer to the comic's darker tone with more extreme content and filthier jokes, but appreciates the storytelling especially around Hit-Girl's character development and some comic relief. It finds it unsettling yet engaging in its escalation of violence.

The critic views it as a decent but flawed sequel that lacks the energy and smarts of the original due to changes in director and writer. They single out the engaging character arcs and intersections for praise amid the issues.

The sequel retains much of the original's violence, satire and humour while shifting focus to character development and heart rather than spectacle. It is more intimate and complex but may disappoint fans seeking greater escalation.

The film feels shackled by its predecessor and suffers from overfamiliarity and a directionless plot until the climax, though it remains entertaining thanks to frequent laughs and Christopher Mintz-Plasse's performance as The Motherf**ker.

The critic finds the sequel entertaining and fun overall despite its flaws and inconsistency in tone. They single out the performance and character of The Motherfucker for particular praise.

The review sees the sequel as falling into common sequel traps by sidelining the protagonist and losing the original's satirical edge in favor of straightforward violence. It singles out the crisp action sequences as a point of credit for director Wadlow.

The review criticizes the film for failing to cohere as it juggles too many storylines and tones, resulting in few effective moments. It singles out the excessive and misplaced violence and gross-out elements as particularly off-putting.

The critic finds the sequel a disappointing follow-up that lacks the joy and skill of the original, criticizing its misogyny, weak action, and misguided attempts at seriousness. Praises nothing substantial, highlighting poor execution of violence and humor.

The critic finds the film a lazy, cynical sequel that feels made by an adolescent with ADHD, awkwardly mixing action, satire and coming-of-age elements while plodding through contrived characters and events. A few moments work, such as John Leguizamo’s deadpan manservant and Olga Kurkulina as Mother Russia, but the focus on whiny teens undermines it.