Kick-Ass 2 Directed by: Jeff Wadlow Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse Rating: Not Yet Rated Release Date: August 16, 2013
Trailer Score: 8/10
Thoughts by TSR: I really enjoyed Kick-Ass when I saw it in theaters. I’d have been okay if we’d never gotten a sequel – especially since Nicolas Cage’s Big Daddy is no longer involved – but I’m definitely open to another adventure in this world. While Matthew Vaughn did not return to direct, this trailer makes Kick-Ass 2 look like it'll be another good time.
Nicolas Cage was my favorite part of the first film, so his absence is disappointing. I carried that disappointment into this trailer, but it quickly went away when Jim Carrey first appeared. Everything about Colonel Stars and Stripes is great, and Carrey looks to be giving a terrifically unhinged performance. What I like about him is that while anybody who becomes a superhero has to be a little crazy, Colonel Stars and Stripes is without a doubt a madman. Before sicking a dog on a guy's nethers, he says, “We’re the good guys.” Hopefully this explores just what that means in his case. Chloë Grace Moretz’s Hit-Girl was the huge breakout star of the first. Sadly, her nasty language doesn’t feel at all fresh this time around. I hope it’s a case of the trailer simply offering more of what people loved in the original and saving some new angles for the finished product.
Other than Carrey, the most appealing part of this is the glimpse at the garage meet-up between the superheroes and supervillains. It’ll be a letdown if it just ends up being a way to get Kick-Ass and McLovin’ fighting on the roof. I want this battle to be balls to the wall (hey, that was part of this film’s title at one point!). I’m imagining something as insane as the news team fight in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy. Uh oh. Now I'll want my money back if nobody kills a guy with a trident.