Kick-Ass 2: More Like Kick-Ass... Uh... Slightly Less?

Alright, alright, so I finally got around to watching Kick-Ass 2. And yeah, I know, it's been out for ages. But I avoided it after hearing the general consensus: it's nowhere near as good as the first. And guess what? Turns out, the internet mob was kinda right for once. Not completely right, mind you, but...closer than usual. Don't get me wrong, there are moments. Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars and Stripes was... interesting. I liked the inherent ridiculousness, that he was trying to be this super-serious hero but he was still Jim freaking Carrey. But then the whole thing with him getting, uh, 'taken out' felt so… cheap. Like they wanted to up the stakes but couldn't think of any other way. And Mother Russia? Over the top doesn't even begin to describe it. Felt forced, like they were trying too hard to recapture the insane magic of Hit-Girl from the first movie. It just didn't land. I was kinda bored, tbh. What really bugged me was the lack of genuine surprise. The first Kick-Ass was shocking because it took this goofy concept and went all-in on the brutal reality of it. This one just felt like they were trying to be shocking for the sake of it. Like, 'oh, look, we can be edgy too!' The whole rape scene controversy? Yeah, unnecessary and gratuitous. It added nothing and felt like the director was trying too hard to be controversial. The first movie had a charm that this lacks. It's trying too hard to be hardcore, and that ends up being the problem, not the solution. So, yeah, Kick-Ass 2. Watchable? Maybe. Worth a rewatch? Definitelly not. It's like they took the rawness of the first one and watered it down with a gallon of self-aware irony. Give it a skip, honestly. Go watch something actually good instead.