Kick-Ass 2

Another how-to manual on becoming a superhero, Kick-Ass 2 is a modestly clever but ultimately familiar sequel to the 2010 film about grassroots vigilantes who turn into ruthless crime fighters.

This second attempt to adapt the comic book of Mark Millar and John Romita for the big screen might find an audience with genre aficionados but likely won’t bring a new generation of fans to the source material, despite its youthful characters.

The story picks up where the first film left off, with awkward teenager Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) having inspired a wave of superhero wannabes with his prior adventures. He sees forming a team with tough-talking Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz) as a method of social acceptance, but she is forced to retire her alter-ego after her guardian (Morris Chestnut) catches her skipping school.

So Kick-Ass turns to a ragtag group of costumed do-gooders led by a born-again former gangster (Jim Carrey) named Colonel Stars and Stripes, in an effort to bring down his arch enemy Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who has adopted a new character with revenge in mind.

This follow-up strains to be edgy in everything from the elaborate costumes to the eclectic soundtrack, yet the basic concept lacks the freshness of its predecessor. Basically, now that moviegoers have been in this world, it’s not that surprising anymore.

The film, directed by Jeff Wadlow (Never Back Down), lacks some of the visual flair of the first effort, but manages some sporadically amusing one-liners – especially from the scenes involving Hit-Girl’s mischievous classmates – and exciting ultraviolent fight sequences.

The idea of everyday citizens becoming superheroes while blending elements of fantasy and reality provided some solid laughs in Kick-Ass, but feels more forced here. Still, the young protagonists have fun with their roles, as does Carrey during his intermittent comic appearances.

Wadlow’s screenplay tries a different angle with the characters, yet winds up with some of the same pitfalls as the original film. It tries to satirize genre cliches while indulging in many of them, with moments that feel like a spoof and others in which the adrenaline-fueled intent seems more genuine.

Some of the periphery characters in Kick-Ass 2 take time to welcome their hero back to the crime-fighting scene. The reception upon his return from moviegoers might not be as enthusiastic.

Rated R, 103 minutes.