BLU-RAY
REVIEW: KICK-ASS 2
12/16/2013

OVERVIEW: The holidays will pack an extra punch this year as
Kick-Ass 2, the second installment in the irreverent action-comedy franchise, comes to Blu-ray™
Combo Pack including Blu-ray™, DVD, Digital HD with UltraViolet™ and On Demand on December
17, 2013, from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. The film will also be available on Digital HD
on December 3, 2013. In addition to more than an hour of behind-the-scenes
featurettes, filmmaker commentary, and extended scenes, the Blu-ray™ Combo Pack also comes with an
exclusive alternate opening.
SYNOPSIS: Self-made superhero Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and sweet-faced, foul-mouthed assassin,
Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) try to return to life as “normal” teenagers, but are soon faced with
their deadliest challenge yet. To seek revenge for his father’s death, Red Mist (Christopher
Mintz-Plasse) has re-invented himself as the leader of an evil league of super-villains. To defeat their new
nemesis, Kick-Ass and Hit Girl must team up with a new wave of masked crusaders, led by the
badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), in this battle of real-life villains and heroes.
FILM REVIEW:
Colonel
Stars and Stripes: I try to have fun. Otherwise,
what's the point?
You know, I feel very much the same way about watching movies .
. . case in point. I mean why do we go to the movies if not to
be entertained and have fun. It’s a means of escape from the
rut for a little while. Sometimes we want to see something that
will move us, impress us, or in some way blow us away
artistically. But many times we just want to have some fun and
maybe see something we don’t see everyday . . . case in point.
This is definitely one of the more off beat “superhero”
movie series ever. The initial shock value was handled by the
first Kick Ass so that aspect is no longer feasible. But even
so, there are some shocking moments nonetheless. So the film
needs to rely more on the other aspects such as a decent enough
plot, character development, and of course good action and fun.
Overall what I enjoyed the most is the follow up on these
characters that we have grown attached to. We get to see what
happens to them after the dust of the first movie settled. How
do they adjust to being “superheroes” while trying to
maintain normalcy in their lives. The most drastic change is
that of Red Mist, Chris D’Amico, whose mission is to avenge
his father’s death. So we pretty much start where we left off
in the first Kick Ass. The movie does open with a good recap
just to refresh and bring everyone up to speed. The kids are
growing up now and we see that in their maturity and toughness.
The story is pretty good even though the premise is standard and
straightforward . . . revenge for the death of a father. The way
the story is laid out is well done for a movie of this type. Now
the most fundamental aspect of a movie of this type is the
action and fun and boy do we get all that. Undoubtedly we get
the uber violence we would expect from a Kick Ass movie. And
yeah, about that, once again I caution you on taking little ones
to see this film. This is NOT a kid movie, by far. We also get
some amount of humor, plenty of one-liners, and plenty of cliché
but intentional and appropriate. There were some moments of
drama that actually caught me off guard. It was unexpected but
well done and helped give the characters as well as the movie
some depth. There is an abundance of pain for many of the
characters throughout the film. It is interesting to see how
they deal.
Mindy Macready: You don't
have to be a bad-ass to be a superhero. You just have to be
brave.
In this installment, the lead
characters’ bravery is severely tested and they are up for the
challenge. It’s also a challenge to make a sequel, especially
of a movie of this type, but the movie makers pull it off.
It’s a challenge to the cast to keep it fresh and interesting
and they do just that. Aaron, Chloe, and Christopher do not
disappoint reprising their roles. The addition of Jim Carrey was
awesome, even though the controversy surrounding him in regards
to this movie put a bit of a damper on it. I actually wanted to
see more of him playing this larger than life character. We are
treated to a true buffet of superheroes adding to the fun of the
film. And again, this is not a great film, it’s a fun film.
Review
By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com
BLU-RAY:
The film is
presented in widescreen in a 2.40:1 aspect ration preserving its
theatrical format. The picture is just flawless. Not only the
picture looks great in this release, also the sound it is good,
a 5.1 Dolby Digital in English that provides a good complement
to the picture. It also includes English
and Spanish subtitles.
VIDEO:
Widescreen (2.40:1) 16x9
AUDIO:
DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1/DVS Dolby Digital 2.0 (English), DTS Digital Surround 5.1 (Spanish), DTS Digital Surround
5.1 (Canadian)
Subtitles - English Spanish
French
SPECIAL
FEATURES:
Blu-ray™ disc unleashes the power of your HDTV and is the best way to watch movies at home, featuring perfect hi-def picture and hi-def sound.
DVD offers the flexibility and convenience of playing movies in more places, both at home and away.
Digital Copy
provides consumers with a choice of formats from a variety of partners, including options to watch on iPhone®,
iPad®, Android, computers and more.
UltraViolet™
is the revolutionary way for consumers to collect their movies and TV shows in the cloud. UltraViolet™ lets
consumers instantly stream and download to tablets, smartphones, computers and TVs. Now available in both the United States
and Canada.
Alternate Opening with commentary by writer and director Jeff Wadlow
Big Daddy Returns: The Unshot Scene with commentary by writer and director Jeff Wadlow
An Ass-Kicking Cast: In this featurette, we’ll go behind the scenes with returning stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz and Christopher Mintz-Plasse, as well as new cast members Jim Carrey and Olga Kurkulina to talk about the camaraderie during shooting as Jeff Wadlow guided his actors through outrageous action set-pieces.
Street Rules: Showdown At The Evil Lair—In a scene that took over two grueling weeks to shoot, Kick-Ass, Hit Girl, and their legion of home-grown heroes square off against the Toxic Mega C***s in a no-holds-barred war that is as action-packed as it is hilarious. This featurette will explore the intricate fight choreography required for this searing death match from multiple viewpoints such as storyboards, stunt pre-viz and behind-the-scenes footage.
Hit Girl Attacks: Creating the Van Sequence
EXTENDED SCENES with commentary by Jeff Wadlow
UP PING THE GAME
Going Ballistic: Weapons & Stunts—Discover how the actors and stunt performers crafted the on-screen carnage as Armorer Damian Mitchell showcases the film’s vast arsenal of weapons, from firearms to the Colonel’s custom-made axe handle and the pink nunchucks wielded by Hit-Girl. Special-effects supervisor Sam Conway explains how the maelstrom of mayhem was created under the watchful eye of director Jeff Wadlow, second unit director Dave Reid and stunt supervisor James O’Donnell.
Creating A Badass World: Production designer Russell De Rozario, costume designer Sammy Sheldon and hair and makeup designer Fae Hammond collaborated very closely with Jeff Wadlow to creating the heightened reality of Kick-Ass 2. Journey through the jawdropping sets created for the Justice Forever Headquarters and the incredibly elaborate man cave known as The Evil Lair. Also learn how the multitude of unique and badass costumes were created and inspired the cast.
Feature Commentary with Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and Jeff Wadlow