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Kick-Ass 2 (film)

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Kick-Ass 2
Four masked faces, against a black background, yellow diagonal lines dividing them. An older man with rough stubble on his chin, in a blue mask; a girl with purple hair wearing a purple mask; a man in a green and yellow mask; a man in a black mask.
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJeff Wadlow
Screenplay byJeff Wadlow
Produced byAdam Bohling
Tarquin Pack
Matthew Vaughn
Brad Pitt
David Reid
StarringAaron Taylor-Johnson
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chloë Grace Moretz
Jim Carrey
CinematographyTim Maurice-Jones
Edited byEddie Hamilton
Music byHenry Jackman
Matthew Margeson
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release dates
  • 14 August 2013 (2013-08-14) (United Kingdom)
  • 16 August 2013 (2013-08-16) (North America)
Running time
103 minutes[1]
CountriesUnited Kingdom
United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$28 million[2][3]
Box office$21,014,730[3]

Kick-Ass 2 is a 2013 British-American superhero comedy film based on the comic book of the same name and Hit-Girl, both by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr., and is the sequel to the 2010 film Kick-Ass. The film was written and directed by Jeff Wadlow and co-produced by Matthew Vaughn, who directed the first film.

The film was released on 14 August 2013 in the United Kingdom and Ireland and on 16 August in the United States and Canada. Matthew Vaughn's production company, Marv Films, produced the film alongside Universal Pictures.

Plot

Dave Lizewski has retired from fighting crime, but inspired other ordinary citizens to become super heroes. He asks Mindy Macready to train him so he can become a proper hero. His girlfriend Katie Deauxma notices his odd behavior and frequent absence and thinks he is cheating on her (even though she is cheating on him) with Mindy and breaks up with him. Mindy is caught crime fighting by her guardian Marcus, and promises to try to live an ordinary life. Not wanting to work alone, Kick-Ass joins a team of heroes called "Justice Forever". The team, led by Colonel Stars and Stripes, includes Dave's friend Marty as Battle Guy, and Night-Bitch. Chris D'Amico, upset at his mother's apathy towards his father's death, accidentally kills her with a tanning bed. Chris uses his inheritance to become a super villain, calling himself "The Motherfucker".

Justice Forever serves the community, at first by helping poor people and patrolling the streets, then taking on the larger task of shutting down an illegal brothel. After patrols, Night-Bitch and Kick-Ass begin a sexual relationship. Dave and Marty try to get Todd involved but Todd gets upset when Dave and Marty mock his costume and name (Ass Kicker).

Mindy tries to lead a normal life, and Marcus arranges for her to go to a slumber party with the popular girls in her class, led by Brooke. Brooke suggests Mindy try out for the dance team at school, but when Mindy wows the audience with her audition Brooke is not pleased. Dave tries to get Mindy back to crime-fighting, prompting her to ask a boy to take her out on a date. When Mindy eventually allows the boy to take her out, it all turns out to be a cruel prank, and Brooke and her friends abandon Mindy in the forest to walk home alone. Mindy goes to Dave for sympathy and he encourages her to beat the mean girls at their own game. The next day Mindy takes on the girls, first with verbal put-downs, then using a crowd control shock baton to induce sickness. Mindy is suspended from school and Marcus is disappointed.

The Motherfucker uses his wealth to assemble a gang of supervillains, and establishes a lair, complete with shark tank. He tracks down Colonel Stars and Stripes and has his gang murder and decapitate him, publishing taunts and threats on Twitter saying that this is only the beginning. He continues his quest to destroy anything Kick-Ass loves, tracking down Night-Bitch and attempting to rape her. When the police are called to the scene, Mother Russia, a massive Russian ex-con, kills several police officers. This results in a police clamp down on all costumed villains and vigilantes, and the police arrest anyone dressed as a superhero. When the police come to Mr. Lizewski's house, he takes responsibility for being Kick-Ass.

Todd joins The Motherfucker's gang. The Motherfucker learns from Dave's friend Todd that the man arrested for being Kick-Ass is Dave's father. He has Mr. Lizewski killed in jail and sends a photograph to Dave. Dave vows to never put on the Kick-Ass costume again. The other members of Justice Forever attend the funeral in sympathy with Dave, but the funeral is ambushed by the Motherfucker's gang and Dave is kidnapped. Mindy pursues the van, killing all its occupants and rescuing Dave. Mindy convinces Dave to become Kick-Ass again and confront the Motherfucker.

They assemble their superhero friends and go to the Motherfucker's lair for a final confrontation. While Kick-Ass fights the Motherfucker, Hit-Girl struggles against Mother Russia. Mother Russia has nearly beaten Hit-Girl. She laughs at the syringe Hit-Girl is holding, believing it to be poison, and instead injects Hit-Girl with it. The "last resort" contains adrenaline, rejuvenating Hit-Girl so she can kill Mother Russia, stabbing her with shards of glass. Todd saves Marty from one of the Motherfucker's gang and the two make up. Fighting on the rooftop, the Motherfucker falls through a skylight, but Kick-Ass grabs his arm. The Motherfucker refuses help and falls, but lands in the shark tank. He survives the fall but is mauled by the shark.

Mindy takes Dave home, and says she is leaving New York, to protect Marcus from police inquiry as she is wanted for murder. She tells him he is now the superhero the city needs and kisses him before departing. Dave accepts the responsibility and begins training and upgrading his equipment.

Post-credits scene

Chris screams from his hospital bed, his legs gone, and barely able to move.

Cast

Additionally, comic book creators Mark Millar[10] and John Romita, Jr.,[10] former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Chuck Liddell,[11] and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's stepdaughter Angelica Jopling make cameo appearances in the film.

Production

Development

On 8 May 2012, it was reported that a sequel would be distributed by Universal Studios, and that Matthew Vaughn had chosen Jeff Wadlow, who also wrote the script, to direct the sequel.[12] Later that month, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Chloë Grace Moretz entered negotiations to reprise their roles as Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, respectively.[13]

Writing

Chad Gomez Creasey and Dara Resnik Creasey performed uncredited work on Wadlow's script to make Hit-Girl more feminine and less crass in light of Moretz's older age.[14]

Casting

In July 2012, Christopher Mintz-Plasse confirmed that he would return as Chris D'Amico who becomes the supervillain The Motherfucker.[4] Mintz-Plasse expressed relief that a rape scene from the comic book would not be included in the film and went on to compare the gang violence in the story to the film Warriors.[4] That same month, it was announced that John Leguizamo would play a character named Javier, one of The Motherfucker's bodyguards.[15]

In August 2012, it was reported that Donald Faison would play the superhero Doctor Gravity.[7] Also that month, Yancy Butler was set to reprise her role as Angie D'Amico,[8] Lyndsy Fonseca stated that she would return as Katie Deauxma in a smaller role,[9][16] Robert Emms was cast as the former police officer turned superhero Insect Man,[17] Morris Chestnut was confirmed to replace Omari Hardwick as Hit-Girl's guardian Marcus Williams,[18] Lindy Booth was confirmed to play Night Bitch, a superhero seeking to avenge the murder of her sister,[19] Andy Nyman was announced to play one of the villains named The Tumor,[20] and Claudia Lee joined the cast as Brooke, the leader of a gang of school bullies.[21]

In September 2012, Jim Carrey was cast in the role of Colonel Stars and Stripes, former gangster, born again Christian, and leader of a superhero group Justice Forever.[22] Also in September, Enzo Cilenti was confirmed to appear in the film.[23] It was confirmed that bodybuilder Olga Kurkulina would portray the villainess Mother Russia.[24] It was revealed that Clark Duke would reprise his role as Marty Eisenberg, who becomes the superhero Battle Guy,[25] and that Augustus Prew would take over the role of Todd Haynes from Evan Peters, who becomes the superhero Ass-Kicker.[26]

Filming

Principal photography began on 7 September 2012 in Mississauga, Canada. Once filming in Mississauga wrapped in late September, the cast and crew continued shooting in London, England.[27] Filming concluded on 23 November 2012.[28]

Controversy

On 24 June 2013, Jim Carrey withdrew support for the film on account of the violence in the film and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Carrey wrote: "I did Kick-Ass a month before Sandy Hook and now in all good conscience I cannot support that level of violence. My apologies to others involved with the film. I am not ashamed of it but recent events have caused a change in my heart."[29][30]

Mark Millar replied in his official forum, saying "Yes, the body-count is very high, but a movie called Kick-Ass 2 really has to do what it says on the tin," and compared it to films by Quentin Tarantino, Sam Peckinpah, Chan-wook Park, and Martin Scorsese. Millar insisted the film concentrated on the consequences of violence rather than the violence itself.[30][31]

Moretz also commented "It's a movie. If you are going to believe and be affected by an action film, you shouldn't go to see Pocahontas because you are going to think you are a Disney princess. If you are that easily swayed, you might see The Silence of the Lambs and think you are a serial killer. It's a movie and it's fake, and I've known that since I was a kid... I don't want to run around trying to kill people and cuss. If anything, these movies teach you what not to do."[32][33]

Reception

Critical response

According to Metacritic, Kick-Ass 2 has received mixed reviews from critics.[34] Template:Rotten Tomatoes score

Mark Olsen of the Los Angeles Times said "Kick-Ass 2 is a lesser version of what it appears to be, an uncertain jumble rather than a true exploration of outrage, violence and identity." Olsen found Hit-Girl dealing with ordinary life more interesting than Kick-Ass trying to be a superhero but feels, the story is marred by bad jokes about bodily functions. He criticized Taylor-Johnson's performance as "a charisma-free zone".[35] Manohla Dargis of The New York Times said "There isn't anything good to say about Kick-Ass 2, the even more witless, mirthless follow-up to Kick-Ass." Dargis further criticized the misogyny, and the poorly delivered jokes, as well as his failure to grasp the terrible beauty of violent imagery.[36] PopMatters said "Like the age old admonition that too many cooks spoil the broth, Kick-Ass 2 suffers from having too many characters and not enough time to deal with them all." Gibron wishes there had been more time to explore the supporting characters, like Mother Russia. He notes the echoes of Carrie White in the Hit-Girl highschool sequences. He suggests a Hit-Girl film would be preferable to "limp, unlikable results offered [by this film]".[37]

Conversely, Justin Chang of Variety said "Kick-Ass 2 improves on its 2010 predecessor in at least one respect: It doesn't make the mistake of trying to pass off its bone-crunching brutality as something shocking or subversive."[38] John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter said the "Sequel offers exactly the blend of R-rated nastiness and candy-colored action fans expect."[39] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian said "The sequel to 2010's punk-superhero rampage has lost quite a bit of shock value – but Chloë Grace Moretz's Hit-Girl is still the coolest thing in a cape."[40] Owen Williams writing for Empire magazine, notes that despite the larger cast of characters this feels like a smaller film, and calls it a "faithful adaptation of its namesake source comic" and in the absence of Mark Strong he praises Mintz-Plasse for holding his own as the villain. He calls it a "more modest success than the first Kick-Ass" and gives it 3 out of 5 stars.[41]

Box office

On the film's United States opening weekend from 16 to 18 August 2013, Kick-Ass 2 opened in fifth place with $13,332,9555 behind Lee Daniels' The Butler, We're the Millers, Elysium, and Planes, each in their first and second weekends, respectively.[42] This placed it below industry experts' expectation of around $15 million and studio higher hopes of as much as $19.8 million, in line with the first film.[43]

Sequel

A fourth graphic novel, Kick-Ass 3, was released in 2013. It is intended to conclude the story of both Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl, completing the series' main trilogy and bringing the series to a close.

If Kick-Ass 2 is successful, Mark Millar hopes that production would move ahead on a third film:[44] "Kick-Ass 3 is going to be the last one... I told Universal this and they asked me, ‘What does that mean?’ I said, ‘It means that this is where it all ends.’ They said, ‘Do they all die at the end?’ I said, ‘Maybe’ – because this is a realistic superhero story... if someone doesn't have a bullet proof vest like Superman, and doesn't have Batman’s millions, then eventually he is going to turn around the wrong corner and get his head kicked in or get shot in the face. So Kick-Ass needs to reflect that. There has to be something dramatic at the end; he cannot do this for the rest of his life.”[45]

Moretz has shown interest in returning for a third installment, and would also be interested in exploring Hit-Girl's dark side: "I want to see something we haven't seen yet. Now we've seen who Mindy is, now we've seen who Hit-Girl is, I think we need to meld the characters together and have Mindy become Hit-Girl and Hit-Girl become Mindy. Maybe her natural hair has a streak of purple in it, maybe she really does go kind of crazy and go a bit darker since she lost her father." She also added, "I would only do the third one if it was logical. It needs to be a good script and a director, probably Matthew. The third film needs to fully wrap up the series and has to be a good note to end on."[46]

See also

References

  1. ^ "KICK-ASS 2 (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 24 July 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  2. ^ Alex Godfrey (8 August 2013). "Kick-Ass 2: Mark Millar's superhero powers". The Guardian.
  3. ^ a b "Kick-Ass 2 (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  4. ^ a b c Hasty, Katie (13 July 2012). "Christopher Mintz-Plasse confirms 'Kick-Ass 2' start, talks 'Superbad 2'". HitFix. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  5. ^ Ford, Rebecca (13 March 2013). "'Kick-Ass 2' Trailer: High School Heroes Are Back in Action (Video)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  6. ^ a b Sneider, Jeff (20 September 2012). "Cilenti joins 'Kick-Ass' gang for sequel". Variety. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  7. ^ a b Kit, Borys (8 August 2012). "Donald Faison Joining 'Kick-Ass 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 August 2013. Faison will play Dr. Gravity, a copy writer by day who dresses up as a superhero by night and wants to start a start a hero group called Justice Forver.
  8. ^ a b Kit, Borys (9 August 2012). "Yancy Butler Joins 'Kick-Ass 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  9. ^ a b Goldman, Eric (10 August 2012). "Lyndsy Fonseca Talks Kick-Ass 2". IGN. News Corp.
  10. ^ a b Schwartz, Terri (20 March 2013). "Exclusive: John Romita Jr. reveals his "Kick-Ass 2″ costumed appearance with Mark Millar". IFC. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  11. ^ Langshaw, Mark (23 November 2012). "'Kick-Ass 2' to feature Chuck Liddell cameo". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  12. ^ Kit, Borys (8 May 2012). "Universal in Talks for 'Kick-Ass 2'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
  13. ^ Fleming, Mike (31 May 2012). "Universal Close To 'Kick-Ass 2′ Deals With Aaron Johnson, Chloe Moretz, Others". Deadline.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  14. ^ Dibdin, Emma (14 August 2013). "Chloe Grace Moretz interview: 'Kick-Ass 2 is more female-driven'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  15. ^ Vejvoda, Jim (30 July 2012). "John Leguizamo Joins Kick-Ass 2". IGN. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  16. ^ Schwartz, Terri (13 August 2012). "Lyndsy Fonseca On 'Kick-Ass 2': It Is 'Fantastic'". MTV. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  17. ^ Fleming, Mike (15 August 2012). "Watch Out Ant-Man; 'Kick-Ass 2′ Unleashes Insect Man". Deadline.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  18. ^ Fleming, Mike (15 August 2012). "Morris Chestnut Books 'The Hive' And 'Kick-Ass 2′". Deadline.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  19. ^ "Lindy Booth Up for Kick-Ass 2 Role". ComingSoon.net. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  20. ^ Connelly, Brendon (26 August 2012). "Kick-Ass 2 grows a Tumor". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  21. ^ Menza, Kaitlin (22 May 2013). "OK! Next Big Deal: Meet Claudia Lee Of 'Kick-Ass 2′ And 'Hart Of Dixie'". OK!. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  22. ^ Pihl, Tommy (2 September 2012). "Jim Carrey confirmed for "Kick-Ass 2"". JimCarreyOnline.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  23. ^ Langshaw, Mark (20 September 2012). "'Kick-Ass 2' casts 'Rum Diary' star Enzo Cilenti". Digital Spy. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  24. ^ Chitwood, Adam. "Olga Kurkulina to Play Mother Russia in KICK-ASS 2; First Images from the Set". Collider.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  25. ^ Trumbore, Dave. "KICK-ASS 2 Reveals First Look at Donald Faison as Dr. Gravity, Plus More of Aaron Johnson as Kick-Ass and Members of Justice Forever". Collider.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  26. ^ West, Kelly (17 October 2012). "Kick-Ass 2 Plot Synopsis Revealed And Other Updates". Cinema Blend. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  27. ^ Chitwood, Adam. "Mark Millar Shares Report from the KICK-ASS 2 Set; Teases Three More Film Adaptations of His Comics". Collider.com. Retrieved 13 August 2013.
  28. ^ "JeffWadlow: That's a wrap - JUSTICE". Twitter. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  29. ^ "JimCarrey: I did Kickass a month b4 Sandy". Twitter. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  30. ^ a b Child, Ben (24 June 2013). "Jim Carrey condemns violence in his own movie Kick-Ass 2". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
  31. ^ Millar, Mark (23 June 2013). "JIM CARREY CONDEMNS KICK-ASS 2 VIOLENCE!". MillarWorld. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  32. ^ Rollings, Grant (7 August 2013). "It's a movie.. it's a fake. I don't run around trying to kill people and cuss - Says Chloe Moretz". The Sun. London. Retrieved 15 August 2013. (subscription required)
  33. ^ Mosbergen, Dominique (8 August 2013). "Chloe Grace Moretz Defends 'Kick-Ass 2,' Disagrees With Jim Carrey's Stance On Film's Violence". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 August 2013.
  34. ^ "Kick-Ass 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
  35. ^ Olsen, Mark (14 August 2013). "Movie review: 'Kick-Ass 2' aims high but falls short". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  36. ^ Dargis, Manohla (15 August 2013). "Teenagers With Guns, Supposedly Good Guys". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  37. ^ Gibron, Bill (16 August 2013). "'Kick-Ass 2' : More is Definitely Less". PopMatters.
  38. ^ Chang, Justin (14 August 2013). "Film Review: 'Kick-Ass 2'". Variety (magazine). Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  39. ^ DeFore, John (16 August 2013). "Kick-Ass 2: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  40. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (15 August 2013). "Kick-Ass 2 - review". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  41. ^ Williams, Owen. "Kick-Ass 2. Okay you c@&!s... let's see what you can do now!". Empire. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
  42. ^ "Weekend Box Office Results for August 16-18, 2013 - Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  43. ^ Ray Subers (15 August 2013). "Forecast: 'Kick-Ass,' 'Butler' Battle for First This Weekend". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  44. ^ Hugh Armitage (17 June 2013). "'Kick-Ass 3' movie dependent on '2's success, says Mark Millar - Movies News". Digital Spy. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  45. ^ "'Kick-Ass 3′ to Conclude the Series with a Major Death?". Screenrant.com. 28 June 2013. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
  46. ^ "Moretz: Bugatti for Kick-Ass 3?". The Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 18 August 2013.
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