Kick-Ass 2

While the character development and underlying premise of this installment are far more eloquently stated than they were in the first film, Kick-Ass 2, like its characters, suffers at times from a dual identity.

Chloe Grace Moretz and the character of Hit Girl are so infinitely more entertaining than the film around them, you can't help but wonder why it's not just a movie about her.

Although the film has the cheap veneer of female empowerment that comes from having a girl assassin, it is rotten with misogyny.

The tone's too rough to be funny. Kick-Ass 2 suffers from being a little too real.

A rather dispiriting affair.

It's a clever film but it's also a cynical and disorienting one.

Perhaps a little over-dramatic at times but this movie is silly and goofy and the score reflects that, yet it gives you this sense of an awesome comic-book epic...

Squanders all the potential of the franchise to deliver an overly indulgent and abrasive experience that aimed to be controversial but ends up being embarrassing.

Fleetingly enjoyable scenes suffer for the overall lack of cohesion. The film would have benefitted from some focus.

Retains a nearly identical tone to its predecessor - an accomplishment few sequels can boast.