This is why James has written this guest post: James knows his comic books, movies, games and culture and whether he knows it or not, is totally my barometer.
(He knows this stuff like I know baseball. And usually I try to be modest about what I know… but this time I mean it in a big know-it-all kind of way)
If he says something is worth reading, playing or watching, I trust him. If he says something works, I trust him.
Kick-Ass was a movie that I enjoyed on DVD when it first became available and the sequel is one that I’ve been quietly interested in since the announcement and filming and etc. Even the whole Jim Carrey thing couldn’t stop me from wanting to see what was up. Maybe it even helped.
But forget about me, this is what James has to say about Kick-Ass 2:
Wednesday night I had the pleasure of being invited along to a preview screening of Kick-Ass 2. The theatre was packed. When the lights dimmed and the theme music started I redoubled my hope that this movie would do for the source material what the original had done for its own. I was not disappointed.
Like the first movie, Kick-Ass 2 is a very different creature from the comic it was adapted from. I was probably too pleased by the occasional “Take That!”s aimed at the comic book version. The character arcs were solidly defined and clearly expressed, the action sequences were easy to follow, generally avoided being shot too tightly and exciting enough to put a smile on my face. Several of the returning women characters are done a disservice because they lacked any role in the plot beyond the first act, and there is both gross out humour and homophobic and racist content(The latter of which is commented on by other characters in the scene nearly every time, John Leguizamo’s character is a superstar in that department.).
I could go in to detail about my feelings on the material that was excised from the story(stuff I dropped the comic book because of…), but honestly that’s a whole other post unto itself. (Thar be potential spoilers, so don’t follow the link if that’s a concern) Full points to Christopher Mintz-Plasse for getting why that shit had to go without implying that comic book readers have an empathy deficiency.
I’ll more than likely see Kick-Ass 2 again, after I get around to seeing Pacific Rim, before it’s off screens, and while I may be past done with Mark Millar and John Romita Jr’s comic book version I would certainly be enthusiastic for a third movie were it to be released a few years from now.
Special thanks to Mr. Will Wong for the passes and Trishca for bringing me along for the ride.