Kick-Ass 2

Adolescent posturing finds a home in summer superhero spectacle, Kick-Ass 2. Aaron Taylor-Johnson returns as costumed hero Kick-Ass, though much more time is given to the early retirement of Chloë Grace Moretz' Hit-Girl, or Christopher Mintz-Plasse' evolution into the super villain Motherfucker. That's smart, as Moretz' screen presence is miles above her costars, and Mintz-Plasse is the only one playing up all the psychosexual, Freudian schlock splattering around. Jim Carrey chews some scenery as Colonel Stars and Stripes, while Lindy Booth wears a leather bikini top and is threatened with rape as Kick-Ass' new crime fighting girlfriend, Night Bitch. Sure to elicit some ecstasy from teenage boys, the flick treads too much water with implications of being a superhero in the “real world.” The first Kick-Ass positioned itself as a violent satire of the superhero genre, but had nothing worth saying other than some creative bloodletting. Its forgettable sequel continues that trend of obliviousness. —Jacob Boon