What did we learn from the Kick-Ass 2 trailer?
The first trailer for Kick-Ass 2 landed this week. So what did it tell us about the film?
Call it a cult hit, call it an under-appreciated gem, there's no question that the first Kick-Ass movie was a gloriously arch celebration of superheroes and superhero movies, and one that Den Of Geek loved quite unreservedly. Three years have passed, and the trailer for the sequel, Kick-Ass 2, recently hit the Internet. Director Matthew Vaughn has been replaced by Jeff Wadlow. Screenwriter Jane Goldman isn't returning either, with Jeff Wadlow also on scripting duties. And Nicolas Cage's character is, sadly, long departed from this world. But have no fear: Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl are back, and this time, they've brought some friends…
Girl Meets World
At the end of the last film, Hit-Girl was sent to live with her mother, finally experiencing the kind of normal, healthy environment for a child her years as a superhero sidekick had denied her. It's hardly a surprise to see that she's apparently struggling to fit in.
The film of Kick-Ass 2 has, by necessity, aged the character of Hit Girl more than the comic sequel did, but it's clear they're going to cover similar ground in a different way. The shot in this trailer of Hit-Girl giving a dead-eyed stare in the direction of a sexed-up dance instructor suggests that there might actually be some teeth to her story this time. And rightly so – she was the breakout star of the first film, so it's only natural that she receives a little more focus this time around.
We're your Nemesis…ses
Red Mist, the ineffectual supervillain son of gangster Frank D'Amico, is back – and this time, he's serious about being evil. He's even rechristened himself The Motherfucker in a move clearly designed to try and help Kick-Ass 2 upset even more people than the first film.
But this time, he's not the only villain around. Just as Kick Ass and Hit-Girl assembled as part of a larger team, so Red Mist has gathered a selection of villains. Instantly recognisable from the comics is Mother Russia (although we don't get quite a good look at her in this trailer – maybe next time?), and there's also a Japanese-themed villain threatening Kick Ass who appears to have been created entirely for the film.
The Mask
With Nicolas Cage gone, the role of the unlikely megastar guest goes to none other than Jim Carrey, who plays the role of the somewhat unhinged good guy, Colonel Stars. He's the leader of the superhero collective Justice Forever, the Kick Ass version of the Avengers – with all of the brutal parody that entails. Don't expect most of those guys to be alive by the end of the film. In the background of this shot, we can also spot Dr. Gravity (played by Donald "Turk from Scrubs" Faison!), Lieutenant Stripes and Battle Guy.
Spider-Man No More
One scene in the trailer sees Aaron's father begging him not to put on the costume again from inside a jail cell. Anyone who's read the comic knows where this is going, but it's interesting that the film is taking the familiar superhero beat seen, perhaps most prominently, in Spider-Man 2: make them swear never to put the costume on again. Hopefully it won't take 40 minutes for Kick-Ass to renege on that deal. Of course, if Kick-Ass 2 is as wry as the first, we'll be surprised to see it last more than a scene or two…
Pass the Super-Soldier Serum
The original Kick-Ass film was, in many ways, a nerd escapist fantasy as much as a post-modern take on superheroes. This time around, things seem a bit closer to being an actual superhero film. Kick-Ass looks buffer than an issue of Men's Fitness, and the cartoonish Hit Girl has been toned down into something resembling an actual character. It's hard to say whether this will kill what made the first film great, but on the other hand, at least they're not covering the same ground. If the Kick-Ass 2 comic had a problem, at times it was more oft he same. The film adaptation looks to be trying out a different path.
Still, we only have a couple of months to wait until we can find out just how well things have turned out for the sequel. Kick-Ass 2 is released July 19th in the UK and August 16th in the US. We can't wait.
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Hit girls mother is dead. She is living with the cop friend of big daddy
Beat me to it man, her mother died giving birth, it was a major plot point in Big Daddys and Hit Girls back story.
In fairness, that was eventually revealed to be a lie (in the comics at least). And in the Kick Ass 2, Marcus was added as her mother's boyfriend, which is where the confusion came from.
We learnt that the comedy is going to be forced out by the script trying too hard. I can't see how this can compete with the first one, based on what we've seen thus far.
It does appear to be trying hard, but we've seen so very little - I'm willing to give it a go. It looks like so much, messy fun!
Turk is great, and I thought John leguizamos spose to be on this. Anyone?
"and the cartoonish Hit Girl has been toned down into something resembling an actual character"
Sorry but how can a fan say this? she was not just a cartoon in the first movie you see in the final fight that she is just a little girl when Frank destroys her. And that scene where Big Daddy died - how she looks like she's trying to be the tough soldier girl for her dad but the emotion she is feeling is breaking through the "Hit-Girl wall". And when she comes home and sees the marshmallows and hot chocolate.... she wasn't a cartoon. Hell, her and Big Daddy's relationship was the heart of the first movie.