SYNOPSIS: Kick-Ass, Hit Girl and Red Mist return for the follow-up to 2010’s irreverent global hit: Kick-Ass 2. After Kick-Ass’ (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, led by the badass Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey), our hero joins them on patrol. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse)—reborn as The Mother F%&*^r—only the blade-wielding Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) can prevent their annihilation.

When we last saw junior assassin Hit Girl and young vigilante Kick-Ass, they were trying to live as normal teenagers Mindy and Dave. With graduation looming and uncertain what to do, Dave decides to start the world’s first superhero team with Mindy. Unfortunately, when Mindy is busted for sneaking out as Hit Girl, she’s forced to retire—leaving her to navigate the terrifying world of high-school mean girls on her own. With no one left to turn to, Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, run by a born-again ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes.

Just as they start to make a real difference on the streets, the world’s first super villain, The Mother F%&*^r, assembles his own evil league and puts a plan in motion to make Kick-Ass and Hit Girl pay for what they did to his dad. But there’s only one problem with his scheme: If you mess with one member of Justice Forever, you mess with them all.

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.

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