This year marks the anniversary of Kick-Ass 2. Unfortunately, the sequel to the surprise original hit is what ultimately killed the franchise. Granted, had the box office sales come out strong then the brand would still be coming out in theaters today. However, the biggest issue with Kick-Ass 2 was that it was unlike anything that made the first installment original and fun.
The Story Was Focused On The Wrong Arc
The synopsis of the sequel sounds pretty solid, but Kick-Ass 2 misses the mark by a wide margin. The thing about the sequel is that Dave is just not that compelling of a character. He’s an average teenager. Ironically, that was the whole gag in the first film and it genuinely worked. Kick-Ass was a coming-of-age story of a kid finding his voice and well…kicking some ass in the meantime.
The story of Red Mist wanting revenge for Dave murdering his father is sound. In fact, that does warrant a sequel. Unfortunately, that’s not the purpose of Kick-Ass 2. Jeff Wadlow wastes time putting together the amateur ragtag group and the pointless story about Dave’s inclusion. It all feels meaningless. In truth, it exposes that Dave is the least compelling character between him and Hit Girl. He’s a horny and geeky teen who does the superhero thing to just get girls.
Since the focus isn’t on Red Mist and Dave’s rivalry for a good portion of the film we’re treated to a meaningless side plot. That includes Mindy as well. Kick-Ass 2 often felt like they that didn’t have a story for Mindy, so they simply tossed her a bone by giving her a generic mean girl arc that was predictable from beginning to end.
There Was No Need For Colonel Stars And Stripes And The Other New Heroes
Jim Carrey is also a blast onscreen, but he and the supporting cast just wasn’t necessary. Sure, Red Mist gathers a team as Dave and his crew are cleaning up the streets. However, it would’ve been more enticing to see how Dave and Hit Girl could stop Red Mist and his band of elite soldiers. The journey needed to be more personal for these two. There’s not much character development for Dave because he’s sidetracked with the world vigilante angle.
There’s some depth added to Hit Girl, but as I mentioned previously, the story she was given felt out of place. It’s understood why she opted to stop her crime fighting. Given the death of her father, she could’ve secretly continued with her crime spree while hiding from the police. The death of her father should’ve had a stronger influence on her actions. The whole point is that there were better narratives to follow than the world ragtag team aspect.
Kick-Ass 2 Missed The Boat On A More Interesting Story To Tell
Even in the first film, Hit Girl and Big Daddy were the more interesting duo. The complexity of their relationship is what makes their story so rich and it truly deserves its spin-off. Mindy was trained as an assassin since she was small. Her father was the most influential figure of her life and he died in the first film. The focus should’ve been more on Hit Girl and how she’s coping with losing her father.
The focus should’ve shifted in her direction, with Kick-Ass being the supporting character in this situation. Hit Girl aided in the death of Red Mist’s father, so his revenge story would’ve perfectly aligned with Mindy’s character arc. On the flip side, it would’ve been nice to dive deeper into Red Mist’s psyche. Of course, he’s pissed about losing his father, but how has that truly affected him mentally? There could’ve been some satirical fun with the whole, “villain wants revenge” angle. At the very least, Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina) was a fun addition to the cast.
Kick-Ass 2 made some good changes from the comics, but it still ended up being a missed opportunity. Hopefully, the reboot can capture the spirit of the original comics that made the brand famous.
